Roo Is Crying In Pain

[Guest WarmheartedPups]

Last Thursday Roo was dx with Lyme Disease and a cervical disc problem. She was in a lot of pain...very stiff...limping etc. The Vet started her on Doxycycline for the Lyme and Prednisone for her neck. She started feeling better the next day and has continued to improve each day.

 

So last night and tonight....she was sleeping...lying on her side...not moving....and she started to cry in pain....she cried and yelped for about thirty seconds...sat up....tried to lay back down...which created more yelping.....then it passed and she was fine....both times.

 

It really scared me.....my husband thinks its a muscle spasm....I will call the Vet first think in the a.m.

 

Does anyone have a clue what this could be?

[IndyandHollyluv]

Oh dear. I am so sorry about Roo's problems.

 

It's bedtime, but I feel it's important to share this. While I am no expert on Lyme Disease, all four of my hounds have had back issues - two with cervical vertebrae that get out of whack.

 

A few weeks ago, the senior hound I adopted in July (he's 12 now) collapsed on the way back in from a 6 am potty. He had been restless for a few nights and I figured his back was probably bothering him. I planned to call the chiropractor but simply hadn't made the call yet.

 

Anyway, after his lower half (if you will) collapsed he could not get up or walk. Honestly, he was like a mermaid out of water. He was panting very hard, his heart was racing, and his eyes glazed over. I wasn't sure if he had suffered a little stroke or if it was strictly back pain.

 

I made him comfortable and in a few hours called the chiropractor who came out late morning and adjusted my boy while he was down. She said his pelvis was out as well as a few cervical vertebrae. After she adjusted him, with enthusiastic coaxing, he got up on his own without assistance. I swear I thought it was the day I would have to say goodbye.

 

My point is: try to find (if you don't have one) an animal chiropractor. Seriously. While sometimes it can be muscle strain or spasm -- these dogs with long backs truly benefit from chiropractic adjustments.

 

Not sure how old Roo is but I don't think it matters.

 

If something is out of whack you need to get the encroaching disk / vertebrae off the nerve. Meds can only do so much. My hounds also get acupuncture treatments in conjunction with chiropractic.

 

If I did not have a chiropractor, I would have had to euthanize my old boy because he couldn't walk. As of today, he is ambulating like nothing ever happened.

 

Pred may help reduce the inflammation -- but then there is the peeing problem. It will not alleviate any serious back issues.

 

Gotta go to bed. Good luck!!!

Edited January 27, 2011 by IndyandHollyluv

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Poor Roo! I hope she's feeling better today. With her having back issues and Lyme I guess it's going to be hard to tell what caused this, but there is a chance it could be the pred.

 

Kelly was on pred until very recently for IBD, and shortly after starting it did EXACTLY the same thing - lying on his side and yelping in pain. He also started having visible spasms in his neck and jaw which would make him twist his head sideways, grind his teeth and cry in pain. At first, he was having them every hour or so. Horrible to watch, and horrible for him.

 

We thought they were focal seizures until a friend who used to be a nurse said they sounded more like spasms. After talking to the vet, we wondered if, because he was peeing so much (and had had diarrhea for months), he had become deficient in electrolytes – low potassium in particular can cause exactly these symptoms. We started giving him doggy pedialyte in small amounts, and the spasms lessened almost instantly. After that we switched to bananas for the sake of our carpets, as the pedialyte meant we were giving him more fluids when he was already drinking a ton! Will your girl eat bananas?

 

These spasms are not a noted side-effect for pred, but as soon as we got the pred below 10mg/day Kelly didn't have any more of them, and I have heard of others on here who've had the same problem. Also, if you look up pred in a human medical dictionary it recommends supplementing potassium while you're on it, as the drug can flush it out of your body.

 

Hugs and ear scritchies to your girl.

[Hawthorn]

Could well be muscle spasms. My boy is prone to neck problems for which he sees a chiropractor several times a year. One of the ways I know he needs another treatment is that he will start to get cramps in his neck. When this happens I can see and feel the knotted muscles at the base of his neck close to his shoulders. Getting him up and walking him around on a lead will make the cramp stop pretty quickly.

 

Chiropractic has been hugely beneficial for us. Painkillers/anti-inflammatories will control the pain to an extent but won't cure the problem if there's a mechanical fault such as a misaligned vertebra.

 

Best of luck.

[racindog]

Sounds too familiar. Cash for one used to be bad about doing that. Accupuncture alleviated it for the most part. In her case it is cervical vertebra smashed together. She also gets Fresh Factors, extra chrondroitan, fish oil and vit E. I 2nd the vote for chiropractic. I can tell you from personal experience on my own body it is quite remarkably effective. I havn't been able to find a good animal chiro so luckily the accupuncture has worked. But it can be a serious injury and IMO you should always be trying to help his body deal with it by supportive care. As my vet told me, with certain issues without treatment they can go down just like the 2nd posters dog did and then its not good. Only once or twice a year does Cash's get so bad that I have to give her some tramadol for the pain. Considering the injury-clear in x-rays- this is remarkable. So consider this another vote for chiropractic/accupuncture. (PS- yes the prednisone will appear to help but its not really and even if it was the side effects can be devastating IMO. You wipe out the inflammation like the pred does then oh yea it looks like it "worked" and helped them. But stop giving it to them let the inflammation come back and the problem is back. Long term use is only a last ditch life or death decision because of the side effects for me. Some greyts, especially the old ones, pred seems to just melt away the whole dog-everyday there is less muscle, less weight until they are too soon gone. Just my opinion based on my experience.)

Edited January 27, 2011 by racindog

[DaisyDoodle]

I'm sorry Roo isn't feeling well.

 

SInce she is on prednisone, she can't have an NSAID. However, you might want to ask your vet for a muscle relaxant, which would probably be better for spasms anyway. Robaxin (methocarbomal) has worked well for Daisy. It is a human medicine too, so it can be obtained cheaply from Target or other pharmacies with low generic prices. Given the peeing problems often associated with pred, the Robaxin made worsen that problem, but I'm just guessing about that.

[Guest greybookends]

 

We thought they were focal seizures until a friend who used to be a nurse said they sounded more like spasms. After talking to the vet, we wondered if, because he was peeing so much (and had had diarrhea for months), he had become deficient in electrolytes – low potassium in particular can cause exactly these symptoms. We started giving him doggy pedialyte in small amounts, and the spasms lessened almost instantly. After that we switched to bananas for the sake of our carpets, as the pedialyte meant we were giving him more fluids when he was already drinking a ton! Will your girl eat bananas?

 

I was just thinking low potassium as well. I had an over weight foster with this problem. Bananas helped. Hopefully it is this simple.

[Wonder]

Sparks had the same thing but I could see his leg getting stiff and he couldn't use it. It lasted a few seconds and then he could walk again.

 

I used Lake Harriet Vet for acupuncture last Friday. The initial consult is $170 though but I am so glad that I went.

[Burpdog]

Austin would get them and I had to keep the other dogs off him and taught him to "walk it off". He was a very smart boy

 

Chirporactic and acupuncture does help. (just make sure they are certified by AVAC, CHI or IVAS)

[Guest zombrie]

It could be that when she lays down for a long period of time she cramps up and when she tries to move it really hurts. That's what happened to all of my dogs that have had lyme disease

 

ETA It went away after being on Doxy after a week or two

Edited January 27, 2011 by zombrie

[racindog]

Sparks had the same thing but I could see his leg getting stiff and he couldn't use it. It lasted a few seconds and then he could walk again.

 

I used Lake Harriet Vet for acupuncture last Friday. The initial consult is $170 though but I am so glad that I went.

 

You are right it is pricey here too. Honestly though it has meant the difference between life and death with some of my dogs so in perspective it is cheap. And thats not to mention the value of pain relief. And to tell you the truth when I think about it I believe it is actually cost effective. With regular accupuncture other problems that would be fairly expensive (x-rays etc.) don't occur. I couldn't tell you how it works- I jsut know it does.

[mychip1]

Prayers for Roo.

[fsugrad]

Poor Roo. Hope she is feeling better today. Please let us know.

[AEB]

For whatever this is worth- Sadie used to get cramps in her front legs. She would yelp out in pain and hold her leg out stiff and cry. We would rub it and encourage her to walk and after a couple of minutes it would ease and be like nothing ever happened. (sort of like a toe cramp if you have ever experienced one of those). She got them when she was younger.

 

But a few months before she passed she had a horrible incident where she could not get up and all her muscles were locked-up, but her eyes told me she was very much with it. She was crying for more than 20 minutes. All i could do was hold her because trying to move her caused her more pain. I thought she would die in my arms. I called my husband and told him I thought she was dying and to rush home. He got home and she was coming out of it. We went to the vet that afternoon. He wondered if it was a seizure but having had personal experiences with those before I believe it was more likely a stroke or possibly a horrible muscle spasm that affected most of her body.

 

Poor Roo. I simply relate this to let you know a muscle spasm can be very painful- it can be caused by neurological issues, but also nutritional imbalance. I hope it is something simple and she continues to improve. If she can move around and get some light exercise it may keep her muscles from being as tense. I hope you get an answer soon and she starts to feel better.

[Guest Adrianne]

Thinking about Roo this morning and hoping the rest of her night was restful and pain free.

[carronstar]

Thinking of Roo today and sending prayers and gentle hugs.

[DesiRayMom]

Hoping Roo is feeling better today.

[Guest wmlcml6]

I hope Mama Roo feels better this morning. Cramps and spasms are not fun. I second the idea of chiro and acupuncture if you can find a reputable vet to do that.