Advertisement

I Need help. my dog is really poorly

Hi, I have a minature wired haired daschund, she is 5 years old and has never had any health problems untill now. She is very active and lively and last Saturday the 22nd August I noticed that she went out into the back garden to do her business and she couldn´t jump back in the door. I called her and showed her treats which she would normally run for but she just could not get up the step. Then we noticed she could not get up the stairs to go to bed and normally she would have no problems climbing the stairs so we had to carry her up. I took her to my local Vets The Veterinary Clinic in Castle Bromwich on the Tuesday 25th because I could not get her in on the Monday and I was informed that she had a twisted her back funny and it had caused an inflamed trapped nerve in her spine. She was given a Valium injection to stop the muscle spasm she was having and they also gave her an injection of Metacam for pain relief and to take down the inflammation of the trapped nerve. I had to take her back the following day on the Wednesday to be checked over and to see her progress and to have another injection of the Metacam. Her condition had improved a lot however she wa still not right, the vets gave me a course of the Metacam to bring home and continue to give her for a week, she is booked in for Wednesday 2nd to see the vet again. I thought she was starting to get a bit better however today Saturday 30th she has got worse, she is still ok in herself but when she walks she is dragging her back legs behind her, it´s like the back half of her is not functioning properly, she is still able to go to the toilet but she is clearly finding it difficult. Have you ever heard anything like this before, if so could you advise on what you think it could be. I would appricaite it if someone will talk to me and get back to me as soon as. Thanks, Katie.
From the topic:
Comments
Post a comment in this discussion:
02 Sep 2009 10:03
Description
31 Aug 2009 21:45
Hi Katie,

I think the signs your dog is showing sound very serious and you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.

If she is dragging her backlegs behind her and making no effort to move them then it is very likely she has done some damage to her spine. Also, in hindsight, it may be that her earlier back pain was an early symptom of spinal damage.

What you need to do until you can get her to a vet is to keep her as still as possible, she must not be allowed to move at all unless absolutely necessary. The best way to achieve this is to keep her in a cage, within reach of food and water, and carry her outside to urinate and defecate only. Spinal issues are unfortunately common in her breed, especially if they are over-weight.

Your vet may suggest that they do some x-rays of her spine or other investigations in the practice, or they may advise that you see a spinal specialist as soon as possible. Some spinal injuries heal with strict rest and medication but others will require surgery to fix them.

I hope this helps you, keep her as still as possible until you can get to a vet.

Cat
31 Aug 2009 19:44
Hi Katie. I am so sorry to hear about your dog. Something similar happened to my toy poodle Gemma. It happened when we first got Muppet our labradoodle and she had an accident on the stairs. I had to carry her everywhere for about three months as she could not walk and she didnt even attempt to climb the stairs. However, she is fine now and is back to following me everywhere and runs up the stairs. Gemma is 11 and this happened when she was nine, it does take a while to heal if your doggy has the same? I am sure your little dog will be fine. Sorry I am not much help here and I am sure there will be someone to give you better advice. Please try not to worry too much, I know it is difficult when our dogs get poorly but your little pooch is only five so I am sure she will recover more quickly. I would still pay the vet a visit just to check though if she is no better tomorrow. Good luck and please let us know how you get on, I hope your little girl feels better soon xxx