Rickiesmom Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 After many discussions, I am going to defer the MRI and other procedures for now. Instead, the neurologist is going to prescribe gabapentin to add to the metacam and tramadol Rickie is currently on. (He's been off the amantadine for awhile as it made no difference. I worry this means the gabapentin won't either, but it's worth a shot.) I am also going to contact the alternative med vet for an exam and whatever treatment he recommends. Batmom's idea is currently being discussed - the orthopedic specialist doesn't believe it's the corns, and has offered to see me to discuss why and also the pros and cons of the nerve block in the toes, so that is still an open item. Meanwhile Rickie, who gets very stressed at the vet, came home, had a late breakfast (I had to fast him) and is now very soundly asleep. My baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I hope Rickie had sweet dreams of a lovely breakfast. It really was a break fast in his case, wasn't it? Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan41 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Mary - just seeing this. One of life's mysteries.............I am so sorry! Hoping for something treatable and praying for pain relief - in his leg/foot and your heart/mind. :grouphug Hugs for both of you. :grouphug Quote Linda, Mom to Fuzz, Barkley, and the felines Miss Kitty, Simon and Joseph.Waiting at The Bridge: Alex, Josh, Harley, Nikki, Beemer, Anna, Frank, Rachel, my heart & soul, Suze and the best boy ever, Dalton.<p> ....for all those hounds that are sick, hurt, lost or waiting for their forever homes. SENIORS ROCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Linda thank you for the good thoughts for my boy. The alt med vet is coming to see him on Wed afternoon and will do a thorough exam. He's a mobile vet and I now live outside his normal practice area, so it is very kind of him to come up. Rickie is much less stressed at home than at a clinic. The result of his exam will determine our next steps. If Rickie needs acupuncture or anything else, I can always take him to the clinic this vet practices at certain days of the week. It's a bit of a trek but will be worth it since Rickie knows him, and since he has the gentlest manner of any vet I've ever dealt with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 We saw the alt med vet yesterday. He spent almost an hour examining Rickie. He agreed with the neurologist that there didn't seem to be any issue with his neck based on its posture and Rickie's willingness to move it in all directions, including quite tightly backwards (amazing what he'll do for a treat). He said he couldn't rule out a nerve sheath tumour for the same reasons the neurologist couldn't, but he said in cases he'd seen with nerve sheath tumours, after this amount of time he would expect more pain and more muscle wasting. He agreed with everyone that the problem didn't seem to be in the toes. No reaction to having them squeezed, and he also felt the type of limp didn't suggest it - he wasn't swinging the leg out or otherwise doing anything that suggested the pain was in the foot. He agreed with the orthopedic specialist that the source of the pain was in the shoulder. He felt some tenderness in the triceps area, but no specific spots that he could focus on with acupunture. He said he could do standard acupuncture for the shoulder area, but in his experience it was less successful than if he had a specific problem area to treat. I have a call into the neurologist to bring her up to speed and to see about upping the Gabapentin (she didn't want to do that til after yesterday's appointment). I am then going to discuss the arthroscopy in more detail with the surgeon, and depending on how that goes, and whether the increased Gabapendin has any effect, that may be our next step. I'm still going to see if they'll do the nerve block in the toes first, just to definitively rule out corns as the cause, as unlikely as it now seems. I'm not crazy about the anaesthetic risk, but if Rickie is going to have surgery, this is the place to do it - they have a board-certified anaesthesiologist who is sighthound-experienced, state of the art monitoring equipment, and as I've said before, I totally trust this surgeon. If this can resolve Rickie's pain and give him a better quality of life for the time he has left, I think it's worth it. It's so hard to see him in pain so much of the time right now. All that said, my question of the day is - has anyone had arthroscopic surgery done on a joint in their hound? If yes, please share your experience (which joint, symptoms beforehand, recovery period duration and difficulty for the dog, any complications, any physio required, and anything else you want to share. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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