Guest candt Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 my 13 year old greyhound started limping this week on her front right leg. it comes and goes throughout the day and does cause her distress. when she doesnt have it shes lively and in a good mood and jumping around in happiness. then just minutes to hours later it comes back and shes panting and limping and in distress. i was scared that it was osteo but the xrays came back showing very smooth bone. the vet said with this level of lameness, if it was cancer, it would probably show. the vet also said there was no evidence in the xrays of arthritis either. what really what hurt the most during her exam was when the vet turned her neck from side to side, especially on the side that she is limping. the vet said it could be more of a neck instead of a leg problem. it could be a soft tissue injury or maybe disc disease... anyway, they gave her deramaxx and tramadol and said she should rest and i should get a harness. in just two weeks this wont be a problem because we are closing on a house with a nice big fenced yard. however there are stairs. any other ideas or advice? or even stories of hope where your dog had this and got better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sirsmom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) yes, we had a dog that had disk problems and his rear leg would shake and give out. I thought it was strange too that a disk in his neck would cause rear leg problems. He had disk surgery at a specialist clinic and did very well afterward. He was seven at the time. The surgery was done in the Cleveland, Ohio area at a Veterinary Referral Clinic by Dr. Anson. I believe he now is in the Akron, Ohio area and is very excellent. Edited June 18, 2011 by sirsmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest barkdogs Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I have had great results with acupuncture for this type of injury. If you live near Philadelphia PA I can recommend a fabulous person, Dr. Tina Fuoco. She owns a rehab place called WAG (Whole Animal Gym) she is a U. Penn graduate vet. She is compassionate and really good at what she does. If you google WAG philly you should get the website. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Maybe a few chiropractic adjustments by a Veterinary Chiropractor would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) what really what hurt the most during her exam was when the vet turned her neck from side to side, especially on the side that she is limping. the vet said it could be more of a neck instead of a leg problem. it could be a soft tissue injury or maybe disc disease... I can speak from personal experience about the effects of spinal problems, both my own & two of my dogs. Spinal inflammation can cause extreme discomfort, aching, sharp pain & chronic radiating nerve pain. She may be limping because that someone takes pressure of the source of the problem but she may also be limping because her leg hurts from radicular pain. The pain can vary & often multiple areas hurt in different ways at the same time. So it may present like orthopedic pain in a joint related to the nerve with root impingement. It could be pins, needles & pain something akin to having your foot or leg go to sleep. It could be lances of nerve pain in varying degrees sometimes feeling similar to hitting your funny bone. It can even cause random brief stabbing pains. anyway, they gave her deramaxx and tramadol and said she should rest and i should get a harness. in just two weeks this wont be a problem because we are closing on a house with a nice big fenced yard. however there are stairs. We had good success with acupuncture/aquapuncture & chiropractic adjustments for both dogs who suffered occasional flares of neck problems. That would be my first choice. (Cannot say if one, acu or chiro, helped more than the other as these were done at the same time.) If that did not bring significant &/or lasting relief I would not hesitate to then try an antiinflammatory. If the pain is a result of inflammation pressing on the nerve then reducing the inflammation most often greatly reduces or eliminates the pain. If you need to go the NSAID route & one doesn't appear to help it may be beneficial to try a different one. Some antiinflammatories work better than others for certain patients & their conditions. Though NSAIDs & alternative therapies can have some immediate benefits, it still takes time for inflammation to die down. If your dog tolerates tramadol well, thankfully mine does, I believe it a kindness to try it early on. If I were the patient, depending on my level of pain, I would be grateful to you for doing that. any other ideas or advice? or even stories of hope where your dog had this and got better? For the first dog, a crazy spaniel mix, the problem initially showed up as a limp on a front leg. The next day she started sharp yips of pain at times when she was laying down & shifting position or getting up. My spaniel moved like a dog with arthritis of the shoulder. Would bet my next paycheck that's what it felt like to her. When we came home after her vet visit, where she had just received aquapuncture treatment & adjustment, she cried out trying to get on the sofa & opted for laying on the floor instead. BF blurted out, for the first time ever, in an accusatory tone while glaring straight at me, "They made her worse!" If the vet's office had not been closed I would have rushed over to get some Deramax or Metacam. She cried out a couple times late that night after we'd gone to bed. I lay awake for a couple hours, regretting my treatment choice. I felt like pond scum for trying alternative therapy first. The next morning though Sugar Girl woke up bright, chipper & very happy. She was more active, moving faster than I'd seen her in a couple months. The girl launched herself out the door after a squirrel. Later she came bounding back inside & effortlessly hopped onto her chaise. Then of course I was thrilled with my treatment choice. So when my Greyhound started letting out those sharp cries of pain when laying on her bed I suspected it was the first & as it turned out the only sign of some neck problem. When Venus vet suggested we try an acupuncture treatment & chiro adjustment, a very gentle one, I gladly accepted. Unlike Sugar Girl, Venus was not more sore afterwards but her improvement by the next morning was not as dramatic. It took more like 36-48 hours before she was back to normal. Hope you find the right treatment to rid your girl of her pain & discomfort. ETA: We now always try meloxicam first because it is a $4 generic for a human 30 day supply of 15mg pills. My current Greys are both 60-62 lbs & get 1/3 a pill so that means $4 for 90 days! Wouldn't begrudge them the cost of Deramax or Rimadyl, brand or generic. Nice though to save so much money when I can. So far it has not cause any GI problems. Edited June 18, 2011 by kudzu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I sent you a pm. I also want to add that while chiro can and has helped many hounds and humans I would suggest getting cervical films done first before I went forward with an adjustment on a 13yr old hound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Molly went through this back in May. She was given Tramadol and put on strict rest. I put her in one of Fletcher's old harnesses, but I did take her for a walk too soon (she assured me she was fine, and I believed her ), so she had a relapse. I'd say a good month of no walks, or absolutely minimal until you have your fenced yard, plenty of pain meds, and she will be fine. Acupuncture might help, but I would do chiro with out specific x-rays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest candt Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 UPDATE: the pain meds are working almost too well....she hasnt limped since shes been on them and has actually been jumping around and getting excited about stuff and is trying to get me to take her on walks (other than a short potty break). im denying her because i know that just because her pain is masked, the problem could still be there. she gets a little weird for the first hour shes on tramedol...but then she settles down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Glad she is feeling better! Do keep her quiet for at least a couple of weeks (or whatever your vet said) no matter how good she thinks she feels. My giving in to Molly set her recovery back at least two weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DofSweetPotatos Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 True. Our gang hopes you feel better soon. Yardman, Fuzzy & Marco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetpea Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 UPDATE: the pain meds are working almost too well....she hasnt limped since shes been on them and has actually been jumping around and getting excited about stuff and is trying to get me to take her on walks (other than a short potty break). im denying her because i know that just because her pain is masked, the problem could still be there. she gets a little weird for the first hour shes on tramedol...but then she settles down. Hiya! I had almost the same issue with Sweetpea last fall. She didn't tolerate the assorted medications we tried (for a variety of reasons). She got full xrays, there was no structural problem, so I started massaging her neck morning and night. Nothing too vigorous, just gentle massage from the base of her ears all the way down to her shoulders. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes max, she walks away when she's done. I don't think you should stop doing whatever remedies are working, but adding in a little massage won't hurt, and it just might help. Good luck! Buzzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPDoggie Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Congrats on the new house! We dream of a yard some day. Quote Amy and Tim in Beverly, MA, with Chase and Always missing Kingsley (Drama King) and Ruby (KB's Bee Bopper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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