Hurt Paw/limp Getting Worse This Evening

[AstasMinion]

Asta suffered a bad back sprain in November and has re-aggravated that twice since then. She's been doing very well since the last time 2 months ago on a much-reduced activity plan, no car rides (unless absolutely necessary), and so on.

 

Well, tonight at 6 pm when I called her for dinner, she started whining from another part of the house (and not coming). When I got to her, she was limping and clearly having trouble with one paw. Her mobility looks very different from the problems she has with the back sprain, and a thorough check of her paws = the back left paw hurts but is free from scrapes, thorns/rocks, and any visible injury.

 

By 7 pm her hobbling had gotten worse, and I gave her one of the spare Tramadol the vet gave us in case of after-hours bad back stuff. That worked immediately and quickly took away her limp, but now every time she gets up, it's clear she's having trouble moving around and the limp has returned.

 

Wondering if I should take her in tonight to the emergency clinic . . . or if it's fine to wait for morning. She'll have to go outside one more time before bed, but I'm hoping she'll stay relatively calm/stay down for the night after that.

 

The main thing worrying me, though, is that the limp came back — and worse — after the pain medication took effect. Does that sound normal, or not normal?

Edited April 28, 2010 by AstasMinion

[AstasMinion]

Okay, it's been another 15 minutes, and she has finally settled waaayyy down and stopped popping up to show me her bad limp. Will definitely follow up w/her vet in the morning, though.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Glad she has settled down.

I would think it's fine to take her to the vet tomorrow morning if she still has the limp.

[Charlies_Dad]

I hope the vet visit goes well. Crossing our fingers it's nothing serious. Please keep us updated on Asta's limp

[Guest Energy11]

Hope she is okay today !

[MP_the4pack]

Any news?

[AstasMinion]

Thanks for the good thoughts! The limp is still there but better this morning, and Asta is keeping herself down. Since breakfast, she's been holed up in her "alone room," aka our dark, quiet, and remote guest room, taking it very easy. (Normally she works with me in my office or cashes out in the family room right outside the office so she can keep an eye and ear on things.)

 

The vet is fitting us in late this afternoon to take a good look. Hoping it's really nothing!

[Guest Stripeyfan]

for Asta, hope she's ok.

[AstasMinion]

Well, we're back, and by the time we went this afternoon, the limp was much less noticeable. The vet gave a thorough exam and found nothing unusual with the foot Asta had been protecting (meaning she couldn't see or feel anything wrong), but Asta was still not wanting that foot handled.

 

The vet also found that Asta is experiencing pain at the base of her tailbone, which was news to me. She said that could trigger one-sided lameness — and so could a hairline fracture — so because I reported a marked improvement from yesterday to today, she sent us home with Rimadyl and strict rest orders, and we will watch what happens in the next few days . . .