Guest AmyN Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Sleepy, 13, has had arthritis and weakness in his hind end for a while, where he'll just stand there and his rear will just sink. He has been on Metacam for a few months, which seemed to help. We've also used Rimadyl and glucosamine with inconsistent results. We give him Tramadol when it seems he's really hurting. He gets very little exercise, has lost a lot of weight (likely due to muscle loss, since he will almost always eat), and has trouble with his bowels kind of sneaking up on him, if ya know what I mean, ;-) At night, he'll alternate between the couch and the floor, usually getting us up at least once around 2 or 3 for a quick trip outside. This morning, starting very early, he just couldn't get up. The hind end seems to have stopped working at all. We'll be calling the vet today, but I thought I'd see what shared experiences you all might have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 A possibility is LSS - Dr. Stack's article Keep us posted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest whatahound Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Prayers and positive thoughts for Sleepy. Please keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devotion Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 prayers for Sleepy. what a cute name. It does sound like LS. Quote Pam with greys Avril, Dalton & Zeus & Diddy the dachshund & Miss Buzz the kitty Devotion, Jingle Bells, Rocky, Hans, Harbor, Lennon, NoLa, Scooter, Naomi and Scout at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyhoundbaby Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Sending prayers and good thoughts your way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spiff Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Definitely print out the information about LS and take it with you to the vet! Spiff has EXACTLY the same symptoms and we're pretty sure it's LS, not arthritis. A depo-medrol injection made a big difference for him. He had one a year ago and then has been on rimadyl for about 9 months. He just recently started knuckling over again with his rear right foot and has increased problems with bowel incontinence. We're taking him to the vet on Friday to see if it's time to try another depo-medrol shot. The first one produced really remarkable results. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scouts_mom Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Also, you should consider accupunture. My Tia has similar problems but the vets say it is not LS. We do accupunture and it really helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ss556 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Sending prayers. My boy is getting weak in the back as well:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamanti Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I am going through the same problem with my greyhound so my thoughts and best wishes are with you and your dog. Siamanti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AmyN Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 (edited) Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and information. I did not receive the LS information until after my husband left the vet, but the x-ray indicates a slipped disk. My husband, who used to work in [human] surgery, was able to see it. Sleepy is on some major muscle relaxers/anti-inflammatories and is pretty well shalacked, as my husband put it. A few days will tell if the meds will reduce the swelling enough for it to heal. We haven't given much thought until now of the lack of any tail wagging during this time as well; the slipped disk could easily be the culprit. The slipped disk was about a foot or less from the shoulders. The x-ray also showed arthritis in the pelvis and hips. So, he is being kept medicated and we are going to use the heating pad on his back as well. I don't know much about what a slipped disk does or how it heals, but my husband said reducing the inflammation should help him regain mobility. Thanks again, everyone. I'll post back with progress. ETA: We'll likely pass on the LS information to the vet just in case and ask her about acupuncture. She also has water therapy which may be helpful. Edited February 25, 2008 by AmyN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Ouch....slipped disk is painful. Poor Sleepy...hopefully the meds will help him to be more comfortable. Will keep this boy in our prayrs Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHurleyDawg Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Good thoughts for rapid repairing of Sleepy's disk!! I hope he can live up to his name and sleep through the pain until he feels better! Quote Bow Wow Wow Yippie Yo Yippie Yay Johanna with hounds: Woodie (Molly's Marvin) (Grenade X Kh Molly) and Petra (Make Her a Pet) (Dodgem By Design X Late Nite Oasis) and forever missing Hurley (Jel Try Out) (Gable Dodge X Kings Teresa) with Kalapaki Beach in Kauai as the background Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spiff Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Glad to hear that you have something to go on! (I'll bet it was interesting for your husband to see x-rays of Sleepy's back, especially with his background in surgery! I thought it was really interesting to see x-rays of Spiff's back, but I don't really know anything about medicine!) I hope the drugs and rest help Sleepy recover quickly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AmyN Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Sleepy has been resting rather comfortably since he returned from the vet. He even ate about half his dinner and did a little bunny-chase dream moving BOTH back legs. He's also getting some direct heat applied to the area. Unfortunately, he's still not able to use the leg. We're giving a few days to see if there's any improvement and, if not, we'll check into further recommendations. We did fax the LS article to the vet, and she doesn't think that's it, but she's willing to give it a go if we don't see any improvement. Time will tell. Thank you for all the good thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AmyN Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 UPDATE: After a few days of Mathocarbomal, Tramadol, and Metacam, Sleepy is getting up on his own and once again able to use that right hock. Last night, even though we would have fed him while he laid there, he insisted on getting up and eating his special beef and noodles on his own. This morning he got up for the regular turn out and I had to keep him from going, as we're still trying to relax those muscles. We did manage to redirect him from going outside, but he did insist on getting up on the couch, his favorite spot. He didn't quite make it all the way on his own, and we'll be getting him down and confining him to a room with no attractive nuisances. Of course, there's the acknowledged problem of a 13-year-old greyhound with a slipped disc; I'm honestly not sure what we can do about that - surgery is not something I think we'd consider. I guess we'll need to keep him on pain management and perhaps look into alternatives like acupuncture and/or chiro. Any other thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longdogs Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 You might consider a rear harness too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbullwinkel Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Acupuncture helps Missy. she doesnt have a slipped disk, but similar symptoms. I have herniated discs in my neck and back...have gotten epi-dural injections (steroids) to help alleviate the pain and swelling. Have also had acupuncture. Hope he feels better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHurleyDawg Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Good to hear he is getting better!!!!!!! I hope the answer reveals itself for continual care. I have no advice or knowledge, unfortunately. Keep resting, Sleepy Head! Quote Bow Wow Wow Yippie Yo Yippie Yay Johanna with hounds: Woodie (Molly's Marvin) (Grenade X Kh Molly) and Petra (Make Her a Pet) (Dodgem By Design X Late Nite Oasis) and forever missing Hurley (Jel Try Out) (Gable Dodge X Kings Teresa) with Kalapaki Beach in Kauai as the background Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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