Need Some Advice

[Forevermybabies]

Sunscreen Man has always limped a little on his one leg - ever since we got him. Usually after a long run he'd limp a little. Well, he's 12 1/2 years old now. The day before yesterday, we took the dogs to the park, and he was stumbling and falling over, so we brought him right home. It was REALLY hot here, so I thought maybe that was it. I turned on the A/C in his room, made sure he drank a lot of water and gave him some soft food. I thought he had heat exhaustion or something. The next day (yesterday)he perked up again. Tonight I came home and he's limping significantly on that rear leg and panting a lot. I gave him two baby aspirin, but didn't dare give him any more. I can't take him to the vet til Monday, so I don't know what else to do as far as palliative care. Can I give him more than two baby aspirin? He went upstairs of his own volition (where its hot) and is lying up there instead of on his beds down here.

 

I am, of course, very worried, but there's not much I can do until Monday.

 

Thoughts?

[iluvgreys]

Sorry your boy is having troubles. Would not give him any more aspirin. Pain has a function and will help to keep him quiet. Spoil him rotten this weekend with room service and keep him cool. Hope he's feeling better soon!

[Guest PhillyPups]

With my older hounds I give a coated aspirin, (with food) such as Ecotrin for pain.

 

I will keep Sunscreenman and you in my prayers.

[nyGreys]

Poor sweetie. He'll be in my prayers. Hope he feels better soon.

[Guest Energy11]

With my older hounds I give a coated aspirin, (with food) such as Ecotrin for pain.

 

I will keep Sunscreenman and you in my prayers.

 

 

You can give (1) 81 mg coated low dose aspirin every 12 hours if you want. It is hard to stay what it causing this. I would also keep him as COOL as possible, as well as quiet, letting him out only to potty. I would also avoid the stairs, too. Sending lots of love and prayers as well!

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

With my older hounds I give a coated aspirin, (with food) such as Ecotrin for pain.

 

I will keep Sunscreenman and you in my prayers.

 

 

You can give (1) 81 mg coated low dose aspirin every 12 hours if you want. It is hard to stay what it causing this. I would also keep him as COOL as possible, as well as quiet, letting him out only to potty. I would also avoid the stairs, too. Sending lots of love and prayers as well!

i would do this as well. Keep him quiet and cool.

Sending hugs for you both,

[LakeshoreGreys]

No advice Tami, but hugs to you both.

[Batmom]

Hope he is holding his own this evening.

[Hubcitypam]

Wow!

 

According to the posts about I have been seriously misled. I gave my yorkie one 81 mg asprin on vets recommendation and have always given the big guys one 325 mg regular sized buffered one. Have I actually been overdosing my guys that much?

 

Hugs smooches and prayers to Sunscreen man.

[kudzu]

According to the posts about I have been seriously misled. I gave my yorkie one 81 mg asprin on vets recommendation and have always given the big guys one 325 mg regular sized buffered one. Have I actually been overdosing my guys that much?

Same here, almost exactly. But I do not give it long term. That seems to be the cause of much trouble, GI, liver & sometimes other. Seem to take for granted that we will have one of the NSAIDs approved for dogs.

[greyhead]

His going upstairs where it's hot is probably an attempt to withdraw from everybody because of his discomfort.

[Guest Energy11]

Wow!

 

According to the posts about I have been seriously misled. I gave my yorkie one 81 mg asprin on vets recommendation and have always given the big guys one 325 mg regular sized buffered one. Have I actually been overdosing my guys that much?

 

Hugs smooches and prayers to Sunscreen man.

 

I got the 81mg dosage info. from my former vet/employer. My vet here doesn't believe in giving ANY aspirin. I, personally, wouldn't give mine anymore than 81 mg, twice a day, and that would be with a Pepcid AC.

[Newgreymom]

On Dr. Couto's recommendation, all of the stroke dogs are to get 1/2 of 81mg daily with a Pepcid AC. This has been our protocol for Dylan for almost 2 years now. Didn't mean to hijack the thread, just letting GT people know that aspirin is used sometimes daily for long periods of time....

[Sirocco_Nikki]

Will be sending positive healing thoughts and hopes for a muscle strain to your boy tomorrow. please update when you can.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I've always given one regular strength aspirin to a GH. Aspirin dose is 10-25 mg/kg PO BID-TID The low end dose for a 65 lb dog is 300 mg. Which is a reg strength aspirin.

 

We have used it for years after coursing or injuries.

 

There is a difference in the amount given for a stroke and for injury/pain/inflammation.

[Guest Mollysmom10]

Hope he's feeling better soon -- in my prayers...

[Forevermybabies]

Well the chart that I found was 81 mg per 15 lb of dog (every 12 hours.) And to clarify, it said one regular dose aspirin every 12 hours.

 

Anyway, that's what he's gotten today. It helps a bit with the pain, but not with the stumbling. I guess I don't believe in keeping him in pain to keep him down, because he has to get up to go to the bathroom and I don't want him to be in pain if it can be helped. He's an old dog. He's not leaping around anyway even when he's not in pain.

 

I'm going to call the vet in the morning and hopefully get him in to see someone. He's about as spry as he can be, but he's limping alternately on either hind leg and holding them up sometimes. He stumbles and they occasionally seem to "go out" on him.

 

He puts on a good game face. I don't think going upstairs was his withdrawing, because the a/c is only on in "his room" (the livingroom.) All the noise and kids tromping around is upstairs - where he went. He left the quiet, cool room and went up there. But that's where my bedroom is, and he wanted to sleep in my room. (Which he never does.)

[Remolacha]

That sounds kind of like what Sugar would do, I described it to the vet as her trying to limp on both back legs. She had some spinal problems, as I recall, the vet said a couple of vertabrae were hurting her. Short term pred fixed her up, and long term, acupuncture really helped (she was 11). I hope Sunscreen Man is fixable

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Checking in on SSM. Sending hugs to you, Tami.

 

I give a regular bufferin every 12 hours if I'm caught with no pain meds from the vet.

[Forevermybabies]

The vet said that the dose of aspirin was correct. He said that short term if SM is responding to the aspirin, it's fine, but he wouldn't do it for more than 5 days. SM got a shot of steroids and some glucosamine/chondroidtin/MSM supplements. They did some tests and he basically said he's just rusty from age. (I'm paraphrasing.) We'll see how he goes on this and then check back in a couple of weeks. SM didn't love the working over at the vets - he also got his teeth scaled a little - but the vet tech was loving on him, and that he DID love. She cleaned out his ears and rubbed his tummy.

 

He seems to be feeling a bit better today. We'll see how it goes I guess.

[Guest greytloves]

Hope he feels better soon!

 

Glad you got him to the vet today and started some treatment for him.

[Batmom]

Glad he is holding his own! Really hope your sweet boy rebounds. You might want to add some carafate/sucralfate to protect his tummy with both aspirin and steroids on board.

[Guest Mollysmom10]

Glad he's feeling a little better, hope he continues to improve.

[Guest greytloves]

How is he doing today?

[kudzu]

Well the chart that I found was 81 mg per 15 lb of dog (every 12 hours.) And to clarify, it said one regular dose aspirin every 12 hours.

Had a 15 lb dog on two baby aspirins/day plus joint supplements for a while without problems until we decided this would be a long term need & switched to Deramaxx.

 

The vet said that the dose of aspirin was correct. He said that short term if SM is responding to the aspirin, it's fine, but he wouldn't do it for more than 5 days.

This sounds like what my vets have always said. Hope Sunscreen Man is back to his usual self & feeling less of his age very quickly.

 

 

ETA: I understand the comment about pain serving a purpose but studies have also shown that pain causes stress & it actually can slow healing. I have a couple times reduced the amount of meds for a super peppy dog but that is rare. My preference would be leash walks, xpens, or other management tools before leaving a pup in pain. There could be exceptions but not too many.

Edited August 17, 2010 by kudzu