Sid - Hurt Leg

[silverfish]

I should explain, Sid has hurt his single rear leg, being an amputee.

 

I'm going to copy and paste what I wrote on the Tripawds forum, more or less, so I don't have to write it all out again, but I'd be grateful if any tripod owners can give me any insight. I'd be much more confident if he was a quad!

 

Poor Sid has managed – somehow – to hurt his single rear leg. He is a big dog, a greyhound weighing 32kg, and he is very well muscled, but it hasn't prevented him from doing something …

 

He was fine over Christmas Day. Delighted and happy to have four extra people in the house, lapping up all the extra attention. The only thing that happened was that he got his back end under my husband's recliner while it was in the 'up' position and unfortunately, his head under mine so I couldn't get up either. When my husband tried to gently lower the footrest (carefully, knowing that he was under it) it jerked and the frame hit his back leg just below the hip. It wasn't very hard, but it made him jump and raise his head – releasing me in the process. I got down and gently dragged him out from under the chair, which is something we're all very used to doing, but he yelped a bit this time.

 

Next morning he seemed normal. He went for a walk as usual and though he was a bit stiff, it was nothing out of the ordinary – he is nearly nine years old and has been an amputee since he was three and a half, and is often a little stiff. The difference, I suppose, is that due to a skin problem, he hasn't been swimming for months, and so is a lot less supple than usual.

 

Last night, he was sleeping by the bed. I was woken by a wild scrabbling to find that he'd got himself in an awkward position with one leg under the bed and one front foot on the laminate instead of the rugs so he couldn't right himself. I got up and moved him. Again, something I'm well used to doing. He hopped out of the room to sleep in the lounge, and I could see he wasn't at all right, so I gave him two 50mg Tramadol. He was extremely reluctant to open his mouth to take them, which is most unusual. He is usually extremely cooperative.

 

This morning I got up to find he had vomited where he had been lying, and also pooped near the door. He was lying on the floor and did not get up when I appeared. Did not get up for breakfast, did not go out for a pee.

 

I took him to the vet this afternoon, who examined him, and tried to get him to pee in the yard. Sid refused to pee, and also collapsed onto his back end, shaking, twice on the journey back to the consulting room. The vet is a greyhound specialist and does track work here, and he gave Sid an intravenous shot of Carprodyl, and some tablets to see him over the weekend with instructions to come back on Monday if he wasn't better.

 

I am extremely worried about him. He has drunk till he vomited (now I'm rationing the water) and I put a collar and lead on him and made him go out to the garden where he peed a lake. He walked out fairly okay, started back fairly okay, then suddenly froze. I encouraged him back, but after negotiating the back step, he collapsed again and I had to manoevre him onto a large bath towel so my husband and I could carry him into the house to a dog bed, where he remains, hours later. His feet are cold, and his temperature registered below normal at the vet's, though he wasn't too concerned about it.

 

Sorry to be so long-winded, but I wanted you to have the full picture. Any ideas? Could he just be bruised from the recliner incident? Is it the Carprodyl making him so thirsty?

 

[macoduck]

Any bruising? Was the vet able to do a range of motion test on the hurt leg?

[silverfish]

Can't see any bruising, Ducky. And yes, he managed to do a little range of motion by holding his hind end up in one arm and moving the leg with the other hand. Not quite as good as if he were a quadruped, but enough to say he was pretty sure nothing was actually broken or severely damaged.

[ozgirl2]

Oh, Judy - I hope he'll be OK!!! Can you use a sling (or towel) to help him go out in the yard for now?

[silverfish]

Thanks Jeannine. Yes, I'll take the towel out with me next time .. one thing Sid hates, and always makes him scream, is anything touching his belly. But we will try!

[Guest grey_dreams]

The accident with the recliners sounds bad. Are you sure it's his leg and not his spine that got hurt? The geometry of the accident you describe sound like his spine got it. Poor Sid. Hope he will be ok.

[spottydog]

I sure hope it's nothing serious. Give him some hugs and ear scritches from me.

[silverfish]

Thanks, Spottydog!

 

 

The accident with the recliners sounds bad. Are you sure it's his leg and not his spine that got hurt? The geometry of the accident you describe sound like his spine got it. Poor Sid. Hope he will be ok.

 

Thanks.

 

The recliner incident sounds worse than it was, I think. It definitely didn't hit his spine, more like a third of the way down his thigh, and my impression at the time was that he was mostly startled, though jumping up onto his chest may have jarred him somewhere. But the vet did a good exam on his back and didn't get any response, not even a skin twitch, and his head and neck have full range of motion with no 'sticky' bits. I have thought about spine myself, though, especially the way he froze .. but then with only one back leg, if it's in a lot of pain, I can see how that would make him freeze too.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Glad to hear that the vet found his ROM to be ok. How is he now? Still cold? Still nauseated? I don't know about the Carprodyl, hopefully tbhounds or JJNG will be along soon to help you. Really hope Sid is feeling better soon.

[silverfish]

He's looking a little brighter, thanks, Grey-dreams, in that he's raising his head from time to time instead of just laying immobile on his side, and he hasn't been sick again, which is good.

 

His ears and face are warmer, but his paws are still a tad chilly.

[Batmom]

Aw, poor bug. Really hope he is just very sore and will be lots better in a day or so.

[tbhounds]

I'm with the other posters--sound to me like he tweaked his back. Not sure though way he would have a low body temp and be vomiting from that unless this was from a pain response. I'm assuming you are allowing him to drink normally now? Is he drinking more than usual now? If so I would ring your vet & ask him if you should stop the carprodyl. You could continue to use the Tramadol assuming he has always tolerated it in the past.

Have you tried placing warm water compresses on his back--it might help. Another thought would be to try robaxin or a similar type of muscle relaxant. Keep us posted ok?

[silverfish]

I'm with the other posters--sound to me like he tweaked his back. Not sure though way he would have a low body temp and be vomiting from that unless this was from a pain response. I'm assuming you are allowing him to drink normally now? Is he drinking more than usual now? If so I would ring your vet & ask him if you should stop the carprodyl. You could continue to use the Tramadol assuming he has always tolerated it in the past.

Have you tried placing warm water compresses on his back--it might help. Another thought would be to try robaxin or a similar type of muscle relaxant. Keep us posted ok?

 

I have been offering him water during this evening, and gave him his milk and warm water as usual before last turn-out. He drank it, but slower than he has been drinking, which I thought was a good sign .. then he vomited some up. Not all, but some.

 

I can't stop the Carprodyl because it's been given intravenously. It lasts until tomorrow afternoon; we're supposed to start the tablets at midday tomorrow. Unfortunately, he vomited after the Tramadol last night, too, so I'm thinking his stomach is just twitchy over everything right now.

 

I have a microwavable wheat bag, but I'm not sure where to use it! I could try lower back, but the vet really thinks it's his leg, and so do I. I guess I can do both back and leg and see if it helps.

 

Thanks for the input!

[tbhounds]

Do you have Prilosec or Pepcid in the house? I would see if that helps his tummy. Sorry, I was confused--thought you were already giving the oral carprodyl.

If you want to try the Prilosec he would get 20mgs once a day--the Pepcid would be for a 32kg dog 15mgs 1-2 times daily. That's an average dose for Pepcid (0.5mg/kg)-it can be given at a higher dose if needed.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Poor boy...H emight appreciate the warmth of the heated bag

 

he feels better tomorrow.

[silverfish]

Tbhounds - we have Antepsin, but in fact he hasn't vomited again overnight, thank goodness! He still hasn't moved from where he was, and looks about the same, though, so I think I'll ring the vet this morning and talk to them about him. Thanks.

 

BatterseaBrindl - thank you, yep, I think so too. We don't have a heating pad, but I can do the microwave wheat bag for him. I also tucked a sheepskin along his back last night. I don't like to cover him with a blanket because he's a tripod and gets tangled in it when he tries to get up at the best of times, and he hates PJs. *Sigh*

[Guest KatyC]

I hope Sid's feeling better and back to his normal self soon

[silverfish]

Thanks, Katy!

 

Sid is a bit better today. I ended up taking him back to the vet tonight since he wasn't eating or getting up onto his legs at all. Different vet, who gave him another thorough exam (as thorough as possible with him lying down, anyway - she saw him in the car), and determined that it is his gastrocnemius which is giving him pain. She can feel it's a bit swollen and can feel tremors when she squeezes it, which don't happen in any other area. She says there is no tenderness over the bone.

 

So now he has a new NSAID called Onsior (robenacoxib). He's had an injection which will last him till tomorrow and he's resting and much more relaxed. Still worried how we're going to get him out to pee - my shoulder and chest are killing me from supporting his back end while DH takes the front - and even more worried about how he's going to poop!

[tbhounds]

I'm glad you have a diagnosis--I hope he improves quickly. Is he eating better?

[silverfish]

He's eating a little! He also had about half his normal quantity of milk this evening.

 

However, I have no clue how to help him poop when the time comes, because that leg is not bearing weight much at all. He won't be able to squat on it. We're having to practically carry him out for a pee - he'll shuffle along on his front end, but the back end has to be totally supported on a towel sling.

[Guest kkaiser104]

Poor boy! Thinking of you!!!

[silverfish]

Well, there's some good news!

 

We staggered out with him at about 10pm last night (when he refused to pee) and settled him down again hoping for the best. About two hours later when I was getting ready for bed myself, Sid suddenly raised his head, looked me in the eye and began to heave himself up.

 

I grabbed his harness and the bath towel, and popped them on him, but he got to his feet on his own, and walked out on his own apart from having to be lifted over thresholds and down the step, and he walked to the grass and actually leaned forward on that leg to pee. A lot. But then he was uncertain how to get himself turned around (he will often swivel on that single leg) and by the time we got back to the patio, he was having to be practically carried again. But wow - it's a great start!! We were so pleased.

 

I wonder if he'll eat this morning?

[ozgirl2]

Yay! Hope it progresses back to normal! Scritches to Sid (and to Jeffie...)

[Remolacha]

That's encouraging! Hope he continues to improve today.

[Guest jettcricket]

...Judy..just seeing this now. Glad to hear that your boy is improving. It's so hard when our kids aren't feeling well.