Silver Getting X-Rays Tuesday

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'm asking my vet for peace-of-mind x-rays of Silver's neck and shoulders. She has an appointment at noon tomorrow (Tuesday).

 

Silver started yelping last week when she tried to roll over to get up, sometimes even when she was walking--but she wasn't limping. Our regular vet was all booked up, but we got in to see a different vet. It's the same vet I saw when Sam's back started giving him trouble a couple of years ago--and he acted as if nothing hurt at all when I got him there. So of course Silver did the same thing.

 

Silver didn't yelp for the vet, but she did flinch and twitch when the vet lifted her front left leg. It could be that the problem was there, or it could just be that lifting the front left leg put all Silver's weight on the front right foot, which is the one with the corn. But when the vet felt around Silver's left shoulder, Silver rippled her skin--you know how dogs can do that when something bothers them--twitch the underlying muscles and make the skin jump. Poor Silver was moving worse when we left than when we went in because although we couldn't pin down the exact location of the problem, we got really close.

 

I came away with a prescription for Rimadyl--something I didn't already have for Sam since he can't take NSAIDs. I also had the vet's blessing to give Silver tramadol and/or methocarbamol (from Sam's stash). Once or twice, I also gave her a gabapentin. I also used a harness with her rather than a martingale. (At least until yesterday--flea and tick topical would have been right under the harness.)

 

She's nearly through with the Rimadyl--the brat. She's supposed to take it twice a day with food, but several mornings she turned up her nose at her kibble. This is not worrying; it's just the warm-weather blahs. Sam is doing the same thing, and both dogs go back to eat later. But it means Silver didn't get her Rimadyl until later in the day--once she finally ate more than two pieces of kibble. (Usually, she turns up her nose at breakfast at 8, then goes in at 11:30 or so and eats her food--and all of Sam's. Then Sam eats his lunch at 12:30, and Silver eats her lunch on top of both breakfasts--the little pig. Dinner and bed time is another game of musical food bowls.) Silver clearly feels better, and I haven't given her any meds but Rimadyl since Saturday. She's roaching as I type this.

 

 

But I'm not sure what Silver did to bring this on. She's only leash-walked, she doesn't do the stairs in my condo (blocked off to keep Sam off them), and she doesn't get on the furniture. (Except she got on the loveseat twice while she wasn't feeling well.) I have friends with chiropractor recommendations, but I don't want to do that unless we have x-rays to show what's going on--and what isn't.

 

Technically the x-rays are to make sure it's safe to go to a chiropractor if this becomes a problem. Actually, though, they're just supposed to make me feel better. I've lost two greyhounds: both girls, both 8-years-old. Silver turned 8 in May. My vet is going to have to humor me until Silver safely reaches 9.

 

Wish us luck tomorrow.

[krissn333]

Wishing you lots of good luck!

 

I've been through much of the same here. Acupuncture has been excellent for things like that. Carrie needs to go again soon.

[45MPHK9]

Thinking good thoughts for Silver.

[Walliered]

I give both of mine their pills hidden in a little canned food. They just woof it down and don't even know about the pills. Just a thought.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Silver takes her pills just fine. But she must have food in her stomach before she takes the Rimadyl or run the risk of complications (such as an ulcer). So she has to eat a meal--or most of it--before I can give her the Rimadyl.

Edited July 9, 2013 by KF_in_Georgia

[Riverhound]

Joe doesn't do food in the mornings. When I have to make him eat, it's peanut butter toast or grilled cheese. I'd also do crackers mushed up in yogurt or ice cream if he got really picky!

[Batmom]

Best thoughts for your girl!

[kudzu]

Just remember what you wrote, "Silver clearly feels better, and I haven't given her any meds but Rimadyl since Saturday. She's roaching as I type this." That's an excellent sign.

 

Unlimited good thoughts to Silver.

[Remolacha]

Sounds very much like Princess Molly when she hurt her neck. I have no idea how she did it. I hope that's all it is for Silver! Just remember if that is what it is, it takes weeks or it to really heal.

[tbhounds]

I second the thought about a possible neck injury. It's such a common affliction (ivdd) with our ghs. Rads will rule out some tbings like cancer but, sadly you would need a ct scan to see disc disease. Fingers crossed tomorrow!

[TwiggysMom]

Sending out good thoughts for Silver's exam tomorrow!!

[KF_in_Georgia]

My vet checked out Silver. She's still ouchy, and her left shoulder is stiff. (To make it harder to figure out what's going on, she woke up more gimpy than usual. Her right rear leg--the one with the slipped achilles tendon--was bothering her and she three-legged hopped through much of our morning walk before she decided to put the foot back down on the ground.)

 

Her lymph nodes were fine, and the vet said, "I'm not sure x-rays are the best use of your money at this point." I reminded him of Silver's predecessors--Oreo and Jacey--and pointed out that if nothing else, x-rays now would give us baseline films for the future. He agreed.

 

Her left shoulder shows little, tiny starts of spurs from arthritis. (He had to zoom in to see them.) And the thoracic area of her spine shows the same thing (she's ouchy there, too).

 

She needs to lose some weight. She had lost three pounds she needed to lose, but she put back all three in the last week, when I was leaving food out to get her to eat so I could give her Rimadyl. New rules here: food dishes will be down for five minutes, then they'll disappear for three hours before they make another brief appearance. And I'll stand guard during the five-minute spells to make sure the correct nose goes in the correct dish. We won't be continuing with an NSAID at this time, but the vet gave me scripts for methocarbamol and tramadol. (Sam takes both drugs, and she can just have some of his, but the vet wants to keep the paperwork right.)

 

QUESTION FOR EVERYONE FROM MY VET:

 

He's used to seeing spinal trouble in a dog's lumbar region. Also, of course, in the sacral area--the dreaded lumbosacral stenosis. And sometimes up in the neck. But he says he rarely sees trouble in the thoracic area on dogs--except for my two. Both of them have had arthritis and pain in the thoracic area. Is this a greyhound anomaly? Something weird with my two dogs? Track injury (although my boy never raced)?

 

My suspicion is that the thoracic arthritis just doesn't get spotted as often. Once lumbosacral problems set in, the dog has mobility problems, so the LS gets spotted and diagnosed. And we notice neck problems when our guys yelp and we immediately suspect neck trouble and ask the vet to check for it. But what some of us think must be neck trouble may be thoracic instead. Silver's shoulder is tight (when the vet moves her leg), and then she's painful back in the thoracic area (sort of the far end of the shoulder blade area), but it turns out her neck is fine. Vet watched her swivel her head every which way for a treat: she'll move her head, but she's less likely to turn her body unless she can back up and actually turn around.

 

I told my vet I'd ask on Greytalk to see if other greyhounds had thoracic/spinal issues.

Edited July 9, 2013 by KF_in_Georgia

[Batmom]

and then she's painful back in the thoracic area (sort of the far end of the shoulder blade area

 

Not a greyhound and I don't recall seeing much on x-ray, but that was a touchy area in our whippet in his old age -- if you ran your fingers down either side of his spine, that's where you'd get the sinking response.

[krissn333]

Ace did. We didn't get the sinking response from her, but we got the muscle jumping. Acupuncture, along with prednisone (she was on it for her leukemia), tramadol, and methocarbamol, did help some. I also did massage her and apply my moist heat rice bag thingy to her shoulder area. She did not care for the ice and that seemed to make her tighten up more. So I would give her the hot pack for 5-10 minutes, then massage.

Oh, and STRETCHING. That was a big one for us. Range of motion things mostly with her laying on her side. Front leg reaching wayyyyy out in front (I called this "superdog"), front leg reaching wayyyyyy backwards ("houdini"), and then "chicken wing" (bending the elbow and folding the leg up). While in chicken wing position I would stretch between her front legs, and also rub the biceps and triceps (both while doing chicken wing and also just at rest).

[Remolacha]

Not sure if this is the same thing or not, but Fletcher's arthritis first appeared in his right shoulder. It later showed up in the left shoulder as well, but not as bad. He never raced.

[KF_in_Georgia]

By the way: my little stoic girl, who didn't show signs of pain at the vet last week? Today, she whipped around and nearly nailed the vet tech who was trying to take her temperature.

 

I let her wear her muzzle for the trip to get x-rays. She was still wearing it when she came back, which says they didn't think it was safe to take it off.

 

[krissn333]

Stinker

[tbhounds]

My Shannon has IVDD--cervical and thoracic/lumber region. She has a decent amount of bridging spondylosis. When she has flair ups she will take robaxin along with Deramaxx. If its her neck that flairs she will often present with front leg lameness.

[TwiggysMom]

I'm just happy to hear that your worst fears were allayed!

 

Hopefully, methocarbamol/tramadol will quickly alleviate her discomfort. Love her grinning roach!