Gsod

[KF_in_Georgia]

Ten-year-old Sam is out to scare the bejeebers out of me. Three times tonight--once while trying to stand, once while trying to lie down, and once while being lifted (he wanted on my bed but wouldn't try to jump)--Sam has let out an abbreviated version of the Greyhound Scream Of Death. He lets out a quick squeak--as if it hurts too much for him to get a deep breath and yell about it.

 

He's not moving quite right, but he's not actually limping. I felt over him for places that felt warmer to the touch and found a "hot spot" at his left shoulder blade.

 

I have to work Friday, Saturday, and Monday. And my vet isn't open on Sunday. If Sam's still yelp-y Friday morning, I'll call the vet and see if they'll fill a pain prescription to get us through until Tuesday, when Sam's vet and I will have schedules that mesh (vet on / me off). Or if Sam's worse Friday night, I'll call out sick on Saturday, and get him to the vet Saturday morning. (Although I don't know if his regular vet will be there Saturday, and I'd rather not deal with a vet who doesn't know Sam and maybe doesn't know greyhounds.)

 

What I keep telling myself is that Sam is not--and never has been--a stoic about pain. Staples removed from a cut, a leg-muscle spasm at 2am, his sister's teeth gently gripping the edge of his ear--all of these have elicited a full-throated GSOD from Sam. And he's had the "hurts to move" yelps before when trying to stand up or lie down, although the last time that happened was a couple of years ago; he was "all well" and back to normal a day later.

 

But he's nearly eleven years old, and he's my baby boy. And we're coming up on the five-year anniversary of my Oreo's totally unexpected injury and death (March 29/30).

[kudzu]

Neck related pain. That is my first vote as that has happened here twice, once with my Span X & once with Venus. Arthritis is my second vote as something somewhat similar happened to Luke once & it was arthritis in his shoulder. Am hoping your boy is just being a little baby about a relatively minor pain but like you I wouldn't let it go long before a visit.

 

Please Sam, feel better tomorrow AM.

[tbhounds]

Sounds like neck pain to me too.

[grey14me]

Sounds like neck/back to me as well. Maybe ask for a muscle relaxer as well as a pain reliever. Hoping he feels better soon :hope

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam kept up the squealing much of the night and was still uncomfortable (as well as mostly sleepless) this morning. By this morning, the problem had narrowed down to one painful scenario: he was fine if he laid sort of sphinx-like and had his chest on the floor or on the bed. But if he rolled onto his side, rolling over hurt and trying to get back up was painful enough that he'd just yelp and lie there, waiting for me to fix his universe. Sam's regular vet wasn't available today, so I settled for a stand-in. (Sam's regular vet would have written an order of painkillers to tide us over until we could get in, but I don't expect a vet who's never seen Sam to do that.)

 

I took Sam to work with me today since I knew I couldn't get home through Atlanta's Friday afternoon traffic, pick up Sam, and get to the vet's by our 5pm appointment. Sam didn't sleep while he was at work with me (I'm a dog groomer, so he could just crash in an unused kennel), but I don't think pain kept him up. He was too fascinated by the yowling cats in for grooming today. He settled all sphinx-like, and laid there with his ears up.

 

At the vet's we described the problems to the tech, then waited for the vet. While we waited, a bored (and tired) Sam laid down on the floor and rolled onto his side without a whimper. After a few minutes, he got up--no problems. At this point, I'm starting to think he's a fraud. But as the vet examined him, feeling down his spine, she hit a spot that elicited a definite stink-eye. And she got the same result when she checked it again a minute later. (When your dog stands normally, note the back part of his shoulder blades. From that point, along his spine for about 3 or 4 inches--that's where Sam's got a pain.)

 

So we're home now with drugs: 50 mg Rimadyl, twice a day, with meals. 50 mg Tramadol, every 8 to 12 hours. Sam had his Rimadyl and Tramadol with dinner--and he's been yelping again this evening. I'll keep him on the Rimadyl for a few days. I'll do the Tramadol before I go to work tomorrow morning so he'll be more comfortable while I'm gone. I may try no Tramadol Saturday night or Sunday (my day off), just to see if Sam is still in any pain, but I'll give him Tramadol at the first yelp. And I'll see if we can get in to the regular vet on Tuesday--or at least get in for x-rays. Then, I think I'll have to locate a doggy chiropractor. Sam had acupuncture when he was a guinea pig for vets learning acupuncture. In one session, a vet who is also a practicing chiropractor noticed a spot on Sam's spine that was out of alignment. She clicked it back into place, and she and the other students noticed that Sam's pulse dropped, as if he suddenly was in less pain. He may be having a similar flare-up now, but x-rays would be a good idea.

[tbhounds]

Sometimes NSAIDs like rimadyl won't help- in those cases a steroid like prednisone may be needed. I would rest him as much as possible only letting out to relief himself- no collars or in his case no harness' either. When my girl's neck was painful it took 7-10 days before I saw real improvement.

Edited March 19, 2011 by tbhounds

[Guest june]

Sending good thoughts for Sam's speedy recovery.

june

[brindlehound]

Prayer's and white light for a speedy recovery.

[SIGreyLady]

Hoping Sam feels better soon.

[Guest ctgreylover]

Tony has an on going neck problem. Rimadyl and rest helps. I'll use a harness rather than a collar if I walk him. Hoping all is well soon.

[KF_in_Georgia]

After 24 hours on tramadol and rimadyl, Sam seems a bit better tonight. He's booked for an x-ray and visit with his regular vet on Tuesday. I've got a phone number for a chiropractor, and I'll call her if the x-ray results warrant it.

 

But he still felt bad last night. Jumping onto my bed was too painful for him to want to do, but he's not used to sleeping alone. He stood in the floor and whined, refusing to lie on the floor or the dog bed. So I laid down on the floor, with my head on his dog bed. He laid down next to me and we both went to sleep. About 2:30, I woke up and tiptoed back to my bed. Woke up at 5:30, and Sam was in bed with me; he managed to do it without yelping or waking me up.

 

Last night, he'd start to shake his head, as if he thought a good "water-shake" would help, then he'd stop--probably when it hurt him. He kept doing that unless I distracted him. But tonight he was able to give a good shake when he wanted to. But I'll keep him on the rimadyl and tramadol until we see the vet on Tuesday. (Friday's vet gave us a 5-day supply of rimadyl, a 7-10 day supply of tramadol.)

 

The painful area appears to be on his spine, rather than his neck. Given the location (near where a harness's leash-ring would fall), I'm not sure a harness would be better than a collar, but he has to wear one of the two: we're in a condo, and there's no fenced area I can let him loose in. But he's not much of a puller and we're limiting how far we travel outside, so we're sticking to the collar he's used to. I'm off work on my main job Sunday, but I'll be home doing freelance work all day, so I can keep an eye on Sam and give him his meds as needed.

Edited to fix lots of typos...

Edited March 20, 2011 by KF_in_Georgia

[Guest Luvastorm]

Sounds like X-ray first - then if nothing drastic shows up - a chiropractor. Our vet/chiropractor/acupuncturist keeps our 11 1/2 year old running happily. And I do mean RUNNING !!

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam was much better Saturday night and most of today, but he's worse tonight. He's been trying to do that water-shake move, and he quickly stops himself when it hurts. He's finally just settled in a sphinx-down; he was sleeping on his side earlier, and he yelped when he tried to get up.

 

(He had a 50mg tramadol at about 5:30. I'll give him another one near midnight.)

 

He's been standing here in the bedroom, whining to me. If I'd lie down in the floor to sleep with him, I think he'd lie down, too--but I'm in my bed because I need the laptop (and bedside lamp) for the freelance work I'm doing (which I need to finish so I can pay Sam's vet bills!). I may need to see if I can arrange another set-up here in the bedroom so I can sit in the floor with him.

 

This is what happens when you have a mama's boy...

[KF_in_Georgia]

I called the vet and got his appointment moved to this afternoon. I called my boss and said they'd see me when they see me.

 

Sam and I slept in the floor last night. Poor Jacey got all lonely in the big bed by herself, so she came down and joined us for a while. I think we're crazy.

[tbhounds]

Might be time to go the steroid route. Keep us posted.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam's home, and he's happily curled up in my bed. His x-rays are gorgeous: vertebrae are nicely spaced--nothing crunched up or out of line, no signs of arthritis in his spine, no sign of disc trouble or pinched nerves. And no cancer. His vet says he's cleared for the chiropractor.

 

And Mr Ow-it-hurts-mom! let them take two x-rays--side view and top view--and didn't let out a peep when they maneuvered him around for the best angle. No sedatives, no pain killers, and he was back in the exam room with me in less than 10 minutes. (And once he was back in the room with me, he stood on his hind legs and searched the counter for cookies.)

 

But he still has the noticeably warm spot on his back, so there's still something going on. I'm going to email the chiropractor my friend recommended and see what we can set up. (Both vets he's seen say that this is an odd location for spinal pain. And both vets identified the same location in a neurological exam. Sam never raced, so it's not an old racing injury. However, he's never been graceful, so there's every likelihood that he ran into something; he ran into a tree when he was two.)

 

In the meantime, my vet wrote a prescription for a huge dosage of gabapentin--way more than I'm going to be comfortable giving to Sam just now (I think the vet was really just looking up the maximum dosage Sam could take rather than what he needs to be on right now); I told the vet I'd go with the chiropractor's recommendation for pain killers after she's had a go at his spine.

 

And the vet looked up the maximum for tramadol and said Sam can have more than the first doctor recommended. Since I know some greys have trouble with large doses of tramadol, we'll stick to the original lower dose unless things get bad.

 

But from Sam's behavior--he's currently snugged up to me on my bed--he's not in quite as much pain as I've feared.

 

My vet tactfully said that for some dogs the memory of past pain supersedes the reality of present pain--meaning Sam might be reacting to a minor twinge because the last time he got that twinge it was the precursor to some serious pain. I laughed and said, "You mean he's a wimp. A wuss." Vet's turn to laugh. I told him, "It's got an official designation: the Greyhound Scream of Death." So I think a lot of what I've seen from Sam has been GSOD exaggeration. I think my best indicator may be those times he goes to shake. If he stops suddenly in mid-shake, then he's hurting, even though he doesn't let out a whimper. But when he's been really tired and wanted to lie down, or when he's wanted to get on my bed, he's managed to do what he wanted without crying out. And now that I know the x-rays indicate no major trouble (he's not actually harming himself), I'm going to let him do what he wants--on the bed or off at night--and worry a lot less.

 

And I'm going to sleep in my own bed tonight.

[Guest tinams8]

Great news! I hope he is on the way to recovery, and you can sleep better knowing he is ok!

[Guest Shermanator]

My sweet bridge boy Patton was a screamer- you bump him, he'd scream, he'd bump into something- he'd scream, trim nails = scream. Yep, we had a screamer on our hands, and while we were used to it, it never failed to make me jump!

How is Sam doing? Did he see the chiropractor?

[KF_in_Georgia]

I still need to set up a chiropractor appointment, but he's clearly feeling so much better. We all slept in my bed last night...in fact we're all in it right now (me checking mail and stuff on the laptop, the dogs both sleeping). Sam even tried some abbreviated zoomies in the bedroom this morning, until I put a stop to it. (The bedroom isn't big enough for that.)

 

The chiropractor's office is 90 miles away. I'll take him there if necessary (he's not crazy about car rides), but the chiropractor comes to Atlanta frequently--lots of her patients are agility dogs, so she comes to town for competitions. We might be able to set up something on one of her trips. I can get off work as needed. I'm a dog groomer at PetSmart, and my managers are more sympathetic to "sick dog" excuses than to "sick people" excuses.

 

Fortunately, neither of my dogs are screamers about their toenails.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam had a session with the chiropractor today. He screamed his head off.

 

Interestingly, he didn't try to get out of her grasp while she worked. He didn't fight her at all. He just yelled a lot. (Try letting an upset dog bury his cold nose in your cleavage, then let out a yell while he's down there. Interesting. )

 

She saw arthritis on his x-rays that my vet didn't see. (But she showed me what she was looking at, so I can tell the vet.) And she gave me a written summary detailing what she'd worked on. (I dropped a copy of that at my vet's office, along with returning the x-rays.) And she gave me her recommendations for pain treatment if it occurs again. (Rimadyl or Deramaxx for the inflamation, and muscle relaxers like Methocarbemol rather than pain relievers like Tramadol.)

 

She wants to see Sam again in two weeks. The issue is to see if something she tweaked today makes a difference in the way he walks or moves that we'll need to address then. After that, she recommends a visit every six months.

 

It was a long drive--about 65 miles each way--but I think it was a worthwhile expenditure of time and money ($45).

[Remolacha]

I am glad Sam is feeling better! Sallie is my screamer, so I know what you mean I hope the adjustments help him

[Guest Adrianne]

I'm just seeing this; I'm so glad Sam is better. Funny how they can be babies about some things isn't it? Wilbur was stoic & strong & quiet for the really bad stuff, but hug him too tight & you'd get the GSOD.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Adrianne

[mychip1]

Best wishes for continued recovery. Dustin is my sensitive one who gets sick so easily - but never says "boo"...My big hearty boy, JJ, stubbed his toe last month in the yard and screamed repeatedly. I thought he had done something disasterous to himself. Neighbors came flying out and everything. They make it very hard to know when they are having something serious happen.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Poor Sam. Today, 12 days after his first chiropractor visit, I took him back to her for a follow-up visit. The appointment was at 7:30, so--on my day off--we got up at 4:30 to leave by 5:30 to arrive by 7:30. A-bloody-M. (I live northwest of Atlanta; the chiropractor's place is halfway to South Carolina.)

 

Sam's previous GSOD at the chiropractor's was a warm-up note. Today, he cut loose with the whole aria. And he teleported, too. Went from standing in front of her as she worked on his lower spine, to --scream!-- and he landed at the end of his leash, facing her, eyes (and mouth) wide open in outrage. And she jumped back pretty quickly. (Last time, she said she's never been bitten by a greyhound client. Her record's still intact--entirely due to Sam's good nature.)

 

Then Sam quickly went from enraged demon to pitiful mama's boy: buried his face in my chest and let me hug him while she worked on his back. He didn't try to get away, and he just let out little baby squeaks when something hurt.

 

When she finished, I walked him around the yard. He was moving okay, except that he seemed a bit rubber-kneed. I loaded him in the car. (The insult-added-to-injury for Sam is that he hates car rides. He rides standing, panting, and drooling for hours.) Two minutes after we hit the road to go home, he was asleep in the back seat. The rubber-kneed walking lasted for an hour or so after we got home; he wasn't picking up his feet all the way. But after another nap (or six), he's now walking and moving well. And when he sleeps, he can curl up like a cat, which he hasn't been able to do for a while.

 

A picture from the old days (2007):

 

Anyway, unless there's a problem, he doesn't need to go back to her for six months or so.

Edited April 5, 2011 by KF_in_Georgia

[EllenEveBaz]

Sending a gentle hug to Sam. Glad all the trauma and drama ended up with him moving better.