Guest Frannie Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 So I came home for lunch last Wednesday, and noticed right away that my girl is slightly c-shaped when you look down at her from above, and that she is trying very hard not to put any weight on her back left leg. I got very scared. It's not the kind of limping I'm used to. There's an extra "pop" in her back left hip when she tries to elevate it high enough not to put the foot down. It's very noticeable (the other night a neighbor asked me if I would like her to carry Mable home for me -- something I am not able to do myself.) I got her right into the vet that afternoon. They didn't do x-rays, they did do a Lyme disease test (negative), and an orthopedic exam which didn't show much except extreme limitation of motion in the back left leg and her left hindquarters weaker than her right. I just wasn't happy with going home not knowing something. the change was so sudden and dramatic. So I asked them the next day to let me bring her back in for x-rays. I have had these done now, and they show nothing. They took pictures of her hips and both hind legs. There's a chance that it's soft tissue, but it could also be spinal, which would only show up on an MRI. I'm hesitant to put her through that, even though I do have good health insurance for her. She's 11 now, and this weekend I had a real wave of preliminary grief. I feel guilty for it, and yet I wonder how much quality time we will have. The last few years have been full of scares and challenges. still, I wouldn't trade one single hour of them in for the same number of years with a healthier hound. I am giving her much longer to do everything, and I help her up the stairs to the second floor (the only thing on our first floor is the front door and vestibule, which is too small and hot for sleeping quarters - or believe me, I would be considering that.) I'm glad I've moved out of the third floor for now. But I feel so helpless standing by and watching her try and make her way in the world. she never goes out without her Therapaws on, and I'm pretty much limiting her now to the backyard. I just don't know how much the Tramadol is really doing for her, and with all of her other medical complications (liver values that need to be monitored, Cushing's, extremely sensitive tummy), we are a little bit limited when it comes to pain control medications. So I kind of feel like I'm always about to burst into tears. I kind of want the world of all things Non-Mable to go away. Thanks everyone. I would love to send a happy post sometime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Sending hugs & prayers for Mable & you. Hoping it's not as bad as I know you're afraid it might be. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabrina Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 For Mable Quote Caroline, Mom to Daphne (49B-50215) and Penny (41D-55779)Remembering Bridge Angels Margo and Sabrina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Sending lots of hugs for yourself, and for your sweet girl as well. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krystolla Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 When you say "c shaped," do you mean she had her back arched? That CAN be a sign of kidney problems--but I suppose she's have urinary issues of some sort if that were the case. Did the vet give you anything? You know, an NSAID perhaps? I would suggest rest and anti-inflammatories. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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