Eloise is limping...

[amyk]

I'm about 99% sure she just twisted her leg or something since she's done that a few times before, but she's limping pretty good. She's not putting a lot of weight on it and is just basically looking very bummed. Poor thing. Last time she did this, she was put on Rimadyl for about a week and that worked like a charm. If she is still limping tomorrow afternoon, I'll be back at the vet. I hate to put her on the Rimadyl though if the sore leg will fix itself over time. What do you experts think?

 

[Ivoryudx]

Questions your Vet will ask....

Which leg?
Which joint is the problem?
Is it the same location as before?
What was she doing when she started limping?

If its the same location as before, I would get her to the Vet for an x-ray and exam.

Since she is not a puppy, if you saw her injure/twist her leg and there is not inflamation, or fever, then the 'wait and see' scenario would probably be okay, but keep a close watch on her.

I know, not firm answers, but we're not Vets, and we don't see how bad the limp is. Every dog tolerates pain differently, so maybe a phone consult with your Vet would help also.

I hope she's feeling better soon!

 

[amyk]

Unfortunately this time I didn't see her do it. But she still occasionally has crazy puppy fits and runs too fast through the house, or sprints up the stairs at the first sign of distress between my cats. She shows no sensibility when it comes to referee-ing arguments between my cats, she sprints now, thinks later.

She doesn't have a fever, and I actually think last time it was her back right leg and now it's her left. Also the last time wasn't recently, it was probably last Summer and that time I did see her twist her leg while fetching in my yard. I'll keep a close eye on her, and she'll be at the vets tomorrow if there isn't any drastic improvement. Thanks!

 

[NessaM]

Oh no, I hope it didn't happen here! Hugs to Weeza!

 

[amyk]

No, I don't think so Vanessa, it seems like she must have done it at some point yesterday or overnight since she was fine yesterday.

I didn't wait to go to the vet, I ended up going and just got back. The doctor narrowed it down to her left hip. He said that it was probably something muscular but he wanted to do an x-ray to rule out anything else. He said he couldn't get a clear picture though because Eloise was moving too much, but he said from what he could see there was no obvious fracture or mass. I was hesitant to put her under for the x-rays without waiting to see a few days. The vet agreed. So she's on Deramaxx, which is apparently what she was on last time. And hopefully we'll see some improvement quickly, if not she'll be back to the vet to be put under for x-rays next week.

It seems like she's stiffest when she first gets up and as she walks a bit, it gets a little better. So I'm hoping that's a sign of just some sort of muscle issue, and not bone.

I sat at the vet for about an hour in the waiting room and saw a dog come in, a golden, unconscious, they were trying to stabilize it, and the owners were just a mess. I sat there trying not to cry watching them. I could never work in a vet office!!

 

[Erika]

hope shes OK

 

[amyk]

Thank you, me too. Now it seems like it might be worse. I'm so worried, I think I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and see if they can do the x-rays afterall. She seemed so much better in the vets office than now. But maybe she overdid it. She's been staying very quiet, not getting up for anything, I just hope I can get her up to take her out to potty!

 

[Blacknewfs]

Hope she's feeling better soon, poor girl.

 

[sarnewfie]

amy i hope she is ok, did he consider it could be the cruciate?
i would make sure she is getting 1500-1700 mg gluc chond.
xrays dont hurt them
i hope you get answers!

 

[NessaM]

Oh no Amy I'm so sorry she's feeling this badly! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help - if you want I'll go with you to the vet and hold your hand!

 

[amyk]

Thanks all!

She's actually so much better today, she woke up and grabbed her jolly ball. I was like NO WAY! I really think the trip the vet and being excited to see all the people and dogs much have really strained her and once she laid down last night it all tightened up so when she tried to get up last night, she would cry. Through the night she got up 3 times to go out, and I ended up sleeping on the couch to be downstairs with her. She drank a ton of water. I'm wondering if the Deramaxx made her very thirsty, or if it was just the vets office. I'm not sure. I blocked off the stairs in the house and also the 4 stairs from the deck. The other side of the deck has only 2 stairs, so that's how she's getting into the yard.

This morning she was actually laying on her left hip which is the hurt one, so that was a good sign. She wouldn't do that yesterday.

I'm going to give it another day. I hope that she continues to improve. I'm watching her like a hawk. I have been hovering over her so much that I think she just wants to be left alone! lol

Christine, the cruciate is the knee right? The vet actually said that her knee seemed sound, it was almost definitely her hip. She would cringe when he touched her left back hip.

[ 05-12-2007, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: amyk ]