Valencia

What a beautiful tribute to a special girl. Run free, sweet Cosmo. :grouphug

Oh, Tracey, my heart dropped when I saw the title of your post change. I am so, so sorry.

:grouphug

What beautiful pictures. I am so, so sorry for your loss.

:lol You just made the OP's paranoia much, much worse.

:lol

To get sticky bandage off fur, you can add a bit of vegetable oil, it breaks the glue down. If it's stuck on the wound itself, holy cow... maybe let him pull it off himself - he will like it to soften the wound, making it easier to get the bandage off.

A tick has to stay attached for about 36 hours (long enough to feed on blood) for you to become infected with Lyme disease. According to the Lyme Disease Foundation, there have only been 21,582 cases of Lyme disease reported to the CDC for the year 2009. That makes it, even if you double the amount, not nearly as common as many other things you could contract just through normal living. I say use Frontline, and don't pick your greyhound by color, but by personality.

He's afraid that if he doesn't use his leg more, you'll put the wrap back on!! :lol I'm glad to hear he's doing better.

:candle

I missed that you did have xrays done. What exactly was x-rayed? If it was his foot and leg, I'd have the shoulder and spine looked at. You know your dog best, and if he is acting strangely (hanging out in the yard by himself) that is a sign that something is really off. Between that, the panting, and other obvious signs of discomfort, I would be looking a little deeper. Stewart was in a dog fight 4 years ago; his front leg was pretty mangled. All soft tissue injuries. He is a BEAST to deal with when he is in pain. He fought even when he was partially under anesthetic to get the wound debrided and stapled. They wrapped him up, sent us home. He was in pain, he was so stressed out, he was a wreck. I gave him tramadol, put him in my bed, and he sacked out for hours. Whenever he would get a little fussy, it was usually time for more pain meds, and that would keep him calm. So that's why I find it really surprising that Riley would be continuing to show such strong pain / anxiety signs this far after the initial injury, when normally he seems like a pretty stoic dog, and if this is a run of the mill soft tissue injury, the pain meds you were giving him should have knocked that back quite a bit. That's why I think there is something more going on. You would know better than anyone else, though, because you know Riley. I'm just so sorry you are going through this, I know how horribly stressful it is on both you and him.

Oh, Warlock... he is so beautiful.

Previcox is an anti-inflammatory, and the bandage, heat and ice should keep the circulation going to promote healing. That said, there is no way my Stewart would tolerate any of that kind of care. Is he using the leg at all? I'm curious to hear what the orthopedic doctor has to say, I think xrays are in order if he still isn't using the leg or showing any signs of improvement. Poor Riley.

I'm glad you took him in, Lucy, I've been worrying about him. I'm so sorry you guys are going through this.

I am so, so sorry.

:grouphug I hope the meds work, poor boy!

I am so, so sorry. I can't even imagine. :grouphug

:grouphug

I thought icing was better, too, but my group has also used warm compresses for less than fresh injuries where the blood is pooling. Both work to increase blood flow to the area. Ice does numb the area a bit and reduce swelling and pain, both of which would lead Riley to pant. Usually, ice is recommended for the first 24-48 hours while the initial healing takes place, and then you switch to heat to increase blood flow and healing. If I were you, I would try icing, I think it will make Riley feel better. It certainly will not hurt. I just read something that makes sense: fresh injuries get ice to reduce swelling, inflammation, and bleeding / bruising. Once the acute stage of injury is over (48-72 hours) heat can be used to relax stiffness, and ice can still be used to remove pain and swelling. So I stick with what I said, use the ice until you hear from your vet, unless you think his joints are getting stiff.

Lucy, don't panic. I do think you need to get back into a vet. If you don't want to go to that evet, keep icing his leg and shoulder, keep him calm, and get him in Monday am. Hopefully someone else with more experience can weigh in. Is there another evet you can call ahead to talk to before you take him in? eta :grouphug because I have been thinking about you and Riley all day. I HATE the feeling you are feeling right now.

Checking in, thinking of you guys

I agree, I'd get him back in asap, preferably to a specialist. There is more going on here than just soreness or a reaction to the meds.

No he never lays like that, he has been laying very differently since this happened. I was able to stretch his leg out all the way. He did not turn his paw. Here is a video of him walking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTtE8dfmkcE Thank you so much. Oh, I can't imagine how hard that is to watch. There is something going on. I would make sure complete x-rays have been done on his entire front leg and spinal area. His leg should not do that from a simple soft tissue injury. His foot is barely responding, and the top of his foot is touching the ground, and he doesn't seem to notice - that means he probably isn't feeling it due to a pinched nerve. Can you talk to your vet, and find out exactly what xrays were done, and what nerve function tests were done, and what exactly she thinks is going on? What does she think the recovery period is? When we get greys in our group that knuckle under, they go directly to the specialist. Do you have any specialists around you? I'm so sorry, Lucy, I know how hard this is to go through. How is he otherwise? Does he seem to be in pain? Uncomfortable? Is he still staying outside? I hope he (and you!) get better sleep tonight.

He is so beautiful. His left shoulder is dropped forward, does he always lay like that? It looks like he is trying to shrug away from pain. Can you pick up his leg and manipulate it? Does it stretch out like it's supposed to? If you set the paw on the ground on his knuckles, will he turn it the right way? What is his posture like when he is standing up?

Okay, I found something... knuckling in the front leg can be caused by injury to the radial nerve. The vet can xray for signs of fracture in the humerus that would cause a radial nerve injury. http://www.infovets.com/healthydog/F610.htm Or, if it's a soft tissue injury, maybe time and therapy will help.