Doggie parents whose furkids have hind leg problems?

rml_16

I thought if this does turn out to be hip dysplasia (to my understanding) that is pretty rare for a chihuahua and kinda weird

It's quite common in chis, actually.

LaComadreja14

Please, make every effort to make getting your dog to the vet happen. If you were in tremendous pain, you would take off work despite your company's dysfunctional system, and get medical treatment. Your dog would chew it's own leg off for you if it had to. All he (or she) needs is a simple visit to make them comfortable. Please give that to him (or her).

I know he would do anything for me. He is the best dog in the universe and no one can really know how much he means to me and how hard of a situation I am in, I feel lucky that I at least had the tramadol at home. I was able to get permission to leave early tomorrow, I will be taking him into the vet tomorrow. I don't know how I have missed it in the past, but I just found (on google maps) a vet who is apparently the most caring vet in our city, as well as being extremly flexible on prices (she is located near the college, but also has reviews from people who have been seeing her for 20 yrs).

Since our current vet was sort of an in-between thing anyway (we moved away from Tequila's original vet who was the sweetest thing) I am nervous but looking forward to meeting a vet who gets reviews on how she and her staff care for animals that are similar to the reviews Tequila's original vet got.

LaComadreja14

I have a big dog, a Rottie/Shep mix. He's 8 years old. He was limping and not wanting to walk a few months back too. Apparently he had sprained his leg when he jumped off the bed. He WILL NOT wear a brace or any such thing on his leg so it took some time to heal. He occasionally limps now from time to time. Hopefully that is all that is wrong with your little guy. I would try to get him to the vet as soon as possible though to get him checked out and then you can be at ease knowing what is really wrong.

Also, if you have not already, check his toe nails. My Rookie is a real turd when his nails get too long or if he has a broken one. He doesn't like to walk much until it is filed.

It's possible, since he is getting older and he likes to jump off of things... including the dining room table (he'll get up there to sniff around for crumbs and when someone comes in the room he will jump right off. He likes to climb anything he can find and will jump off when he gets caught.
I checked his toe nails because he tends to chew them and occassionally he will chew too far down but they're all fine. Also, usually if he chews too far down he will limp but not yelp/try not to use the leg.
My uncle has a JRT who is about his size and they are both the type of dogs who like to walk around on their back legs and hop around on their back legs- she was just at the vet about two weeks ago with the same symptoms as Tequila, vet said it looks like she's been too hard on her back and is having authritis... but she is also about 10 y/o I believe. It is still possible that he has done something to his back though.

I am curious as to why he chews his nails. Excessive chewing or licking typically indicates they are experiencing pain. That is definately not normal.

He doesn't lick, really he just chews, and he's always done it since he was a puppy. I was told the same thing when he was a puppy and it scared me so I asked his orignal vet. She said it was totally normal for a dog like him (hyperactive/easily bored) to do when he has nothing to do and his current vet said basically the same thing. If he does it while I am home I just get his attention to play and thats pretty much that but usually he does it when he is home alone. Since we're going tomorrow to a new vet, I see no harm in bringing it up though.

LorinaLynn

I know I said "puppy mills," but it's also common in backyard breeders. For that matter, AKC papers don't really mean all that much, either, unless you know the breeder shows the dogs and gets them tested for hips, knees, eyes and other genetic issues.

I'm the furthest thing interested in having a show dog myself, but having worked for vets and at a shelter, I'm a big supporter of great breeders as well as rescues.

LaComadreja14

I thought if this does turn out to be hip dysplasia (to my understanding) that is pretty rare for a chihuahua and kinda weird

It's quite common in chis, actually.

I thought so too, but when he started having the problem I went back to re-read and everything that I've come across since sunday says that hip dysplasia is common in large breeds, very rare in small dogs with the exception of long backed dogs like the Dachshund and Corgi. I can't find the site that said about it being common in long backed dogs but heres a few:

http://www.hipdysplasiaindogs.com/
Generally speaking, dogs of larger breeds are the ones that are most prone to this disease. It may possibly occur with medium-sized dogs too. However, this disease is quite rare with the smaller dog breeds.

http://www.petstyle.com/dogs/health/hip-dysplasia-dogs
Hip dysplasia is a very common problem causing pain and lameness in large breed dogs.

http://www.recoverysa.com/hip_dysplasia_dogs.htm
Scroll down to the list of breeds likely to develop hip dysplasia

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=444
Hip dysplasia can be found in dogs, cats, and humans, but for this article we are concentrating only on dogs. In dogs, it is primarily a disease of large and giant breeds. German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, and Saint Bernards appear to have a higher incidence, however, these are all very popular breeds and may be over represented because of their popularity. On the other hand, sighthounds such as the Greyhound or the Borzoi have a very low incidence of the disease. This disease can occur in medium-sized breeds and rarely in small breeds.


I'm not saying that your wrong- I just want to show examples of where I was reading from. Part of the mix up may be because I just looked up symptoms of hip dysplasia becase now that I look up "hip dysplasia in chihuahua" One of the first sites is http://www.small-breed-dogs.com/Chihuahuas.html .....Which lists hip dysplasia under common health issues... Maybe they are considered long backed dogs? Either way it doesn't really matter to our situation weather it is common or uncommon. If he has it, there is nothing I can do but get it treated. Unfortunately if it is true that it is uncommon in Chis I can't tell him, "honey- your a chihuahua... you can't get hip dysplasia" and have it vanish, lol, I was just saying that it caught me off guard is all.

LaComadreja14

I know I said "puppy mills," but it's also common in backyard breeders. For that matter, AKC papers don't really mean all that much, either, unless you know the breeder shows the dogs and gets them tested for hips, knees, eyes and other genetic issues.

I'm the furthest thing interested in having a show dog myself, but having worked for vets and at a shelter, I'm a big supporter of great breeders as well as rescues.

I don't have anything against breeders, either (or rescue dogs for that matter)... if you find a good breeder I can see good points on both sides. It is, however, harder than one might think to come across a reputible breeder of any breed (at least in my area- I only know of a few and although I love their dogs, I don't particularly want dogs of those breeds) so I probably won't get a pup from a breeder anytime soon.

rbryntes

I'm the furthest thing interested in having a show dog myself, but having worked for vets and at a shelter, I'm a big supporter of great breeders as well as rescues.

Thank you for this. I have worked the dog show circuit and have worked for and with many responsible (and irresponsible) breeders (my mother is one of the responsible ones). Irresponsible breeding gives us a bad name.

sitstaygimmeeakiss

He hasn't been to the vet because I can't get off of work- I have vacation/sick time but know one knows how to use the system in my office and my boss hasn't sent anyone to learn yet, therefore I haven't even been able to get off for anything. Not to mention, I can't afford it this very moment, a series of emergancies (car problems on my car and fiancee's + finacee had to go to hospital w/o insurance) wiped out my savings account.

Since I already have pain meds I was advised to just give him the pain meds until I can get him to the vet, since I only have two left I will most likely beg the doctor whose office I work in to let me go tommorrow since she doesn't see patients wednesday, only I do and usually only in the AM. I just needed some support and some people to talk to- some kind of explination that can ease my mind till then. Guess I looked in the wrong place- awesome guys thank you so much for trying to make me feel like a bad mom when I am doing the absolute best I can. I wouldn't be giving him tramadol w/o being advised to because its a powerful drug and I don't feel comfortable making that kinda call on my own.
He can walk with tramadol, when it is putting out full affect- he walks almost 100% fine (he is a funny boy who likes to stand on his hind legs a lot, even with pain meds he isn't doing that so its not 100% affective, but it certainly helps). He isn't paralyzed just in pain. Like I said, I can't wait to get him to the vet- which means that I am taking him to the vet, not ignoring it hoping it gets better.

I have two dogs (both now on the older side of life), both rescue dogs. My oldest & biggest passed away about a year ago (- and I still miss my Shiloh . Well, while my littlest is most likely either a long-haired chihuahua - or a papillion, or mix - I haven't had experience with this particular problem.

What I do have is plenty of experience in not having the money for vet visits, and the stress it caused my dog(s) - and, of course, me. No one can fully understand unless they've been there. Things change - when I got my dogs my money situation (or lack of) wasn't like it is now.

Vets (at least ALL in this area where I am) require payment up front. Not everyone has charge cards or the ability to put money aside for an emergency, (more so now w/this economy - I was ahead of the game a LONG time ago!) My oldest suffered for the longest time because I just didn't have the money for a vet visit. (I resolved the problem later by just making the appt & dealing with it after - that's all I could do for my dog!)

I *will* include your little guy in my prayers, though. Prayer works - and I have a long history of successful prayer outcomes for my animal companions!! :happy: Boy, I could tell you stories, including about my lost cat way back when my now-adult kids were teeny!

Hope all will be well for your little guy!!

If she couldn't afford it yesterday, how will she afford it tomorrow? I understand what you are saying, but I don't quite understand how it applies in this case.

Sorry - you lost me. Have NO idea what you are talking about. Never said that....

sitstaygimmeeakiss

I am curious as to why he chews his nails. Excessive chewing or licking typically indicates they are experiencing pain. That is definately not normal.

Just took my two to the vet last week - that can be a sign of allergies. My old time vet (wish I found him yrs ago) said that in our area allergies have been really tough. Chewing & licking are def a sign of that, and that's not easy to resolve.

sitstaygimmeeakiss

Thank you so much for your understanding and your prayers. I am so sorry for your loss, it can be one of the most difficult things in the world to deal with- I will keep your family and Shiloh in my prayers as well.
I have been to several vets in my area and in my old area, all require payment in full (even some of the most caring/understanding vets I've had)- I thought that was just how things work. I just got permission to leave half a day tomorrow (it coast me a red bull to put the doctor in a good mood before I asked, and written permission from her for my boss- got both so I am going, I was so happy I almost cried) and then I read your post and I went to google maps. I think someone else mentioned a vet that lets you do payments- I seriously have never heard of such a thing.
I went onto google maps to check out other vets in my area and see if I could find one that did payment plans. I didn't see anything on anyones websites- I will have to call a few but I did find a vet who is, apparently, amazing and because she is so close to the college she is flexible on prices/payments (people even said that she has the lowest prices they've seen at a vet- one of the people who said that was "in the military and move around a lot")
I am nervous about trying a new vet but I need to find one I really like, the one I have now was supposed to be only a temporary vet because we moved so far from Tequila's original vet. The vet I just learned about has tons of reviews- all of them talking about how wonderful and understanding of a vet she is (which reminds me of Tequila's original vet, who has many similar reviews) and how knowlegable and helpful her staff is as well.

I don't know how I have never heard of her before (this isn't the first time I am searching for vets in the area and apparently she's been there over 20 years) but I am going to give her a shot tomorrow, she sees patients on a walk - in basis, but I am going to call and explain the situation to see if I can get an apointment. If not I guess it isn't too big of a deal but I would like to get him seen as soon as possible. Now that I have permission to go tomorrow, I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off of me. Thank god Cross your fingers for us and thank you again for being so caring

Thanks so much for your kindness - you've got plenty on your own shoulders right now. I remember how I did just what you did (searched online for a vet who'd take payments) when my big guy was so sick & in pain. Ended up NO vet would - so I just did what I said before (kind of nasty, but it was survival for my guy) - made the appointment, had the work done then when they presented me w/the bill - "sorry, all I can give you right now is (whatever very small amt of money I had)"! Because he fought like the ****ens with vets (he had a bad experience when he was a pup, and never got over it), they had to put him under anesthesia to clean out his infected ears. They did that twice - each time cost more than $1000!! First time I had the money & paid it willingly, but my own situation got bad & I didn't have it again. Funny thing, I didn't even know about the vet I now have back then - and he's at the same place! I think he would have saved me some of the charges...

My little guy (chihuahua? papillion?) licks, but it's always pillows, stuff like that. He'll stop when I tell him (lol). He's a rescue guy & I think he was a puppy mill dog - he's my OCD guy w/lots of fears. I baby him, but hey, he's little & getting on in years, so I think he deserves it! Except for food - I'm pretty strict about that now (my ex-boyfriend used to feed them lots of 'treats' and they were overweight way back when - not any more!) Licking & chewing can be stress-related, allergies - and for further reference, I discovered that hotspots and licking can also be a sign of fleas. Oh, and for long term allergies (hard to combat in some dogs), my postman led me to what I had Shiloh on for a long time - benydryl! It was a solution for a problem the vets had no idea how to combat! Not a perfect solution, but it helped my old guy for a good long while.

Anyway - take care & let us know how your little guy does - and just ignore the mean spirited people. The internet seems to bring out the worst in some people, I think.

Cait_Sidhe

My rat terrier is 12 now and is starting to have hind hip/back problems We keep children's motrin tablets around and give her half of one when see seems to be having problems... usually for a couple of days...

I really hope you didn't really mean that? Typo? Motrin (Ibuprofen) is extremely toxic for dogs. Please consult with your vet about this.

LaComadreja14

Thank you so much for your understanding and your prayers. I am so sorry for your loss, it can be one of the most difficult things in the world to deal with- I will keep your family and Shiloh in my prayers as well.
I have been to several vets in my area and in my old area, all require payment in full (even some of the most caring/understanding vets I've had)- I thought that was just how things work. I just got permission to leave half a day tomorrow (it coast me a red bull to put the doctor in a good mood before I asked, and written permission from her for my boss- got both so I am going, I was so happy I almost cried) and then I read your post and I went to google maps. I think someone else mentioned a vet that lets you do payments- I seriously have never heard of such a thing.
I went onto google maps to check out other vets in my area and see if I could find one that did payment plans. I didn't see anything on anyones websites- I will have to call a few but I did find a vet who is, apparently, amazing and because she is so close to the college she is flexible on prices/payments (people even said that she has the lowest prices they've seen at a vet- one of the people who said that was "in the military and move around a lot")
I am nervous about trying a new vet but I need to find one I really like, the one I have now was supposed to be only a temporary vet because we moved so far from Tequila's original vet. The vet I just learned about has tons of reviews- all of them talking about how wonderful and understanding of a vet she is (which reminds me of Tequila's original vet, who has many similar reviews) and how knowlegable and helpful her staff is as well.

I don't know how I have never heard of her before (this isn't the first time I am searching for vets in the area and apparently she's been there over 20 years) but I am going to give her a shot tomorrow, she sees patients on a walk - in basis, but I am going to call and explain the situation to see if I can get an apointment. If not I guess it isn't too big of a deal but I would like to get him seen as soon as possible. Now that I have permission to go tomorrow, I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off of me. Thank god Cross your fingers for us and thank you again for being so caring

Thanks so much for your kindness - you've got plenty on your own shoulders right now. I remember how I did just what you did (searched online for a vet who'd take payments) when my big guy was so sick & in pain. Ended up NO vet would - so I just did what I said before (kind of nasty, but it was survival for my guy) - made the appointment, had the work done then when they presented me w/the bill - "sorry, all I can give you right now is (whatever very small amt of money I had)"! Because he fought like the ****ens with vets (he had a bad experience when he was a pup, and never got over it), they had to put him under anesthesia to clean out his infected ears. They did that twice - each time cost more than $1000!! First time I had the money & paid it willingly, but my own situation got bad & I didn't have it again. Funny thing, I didn't even know about the vet I now have back then - and he's at the same place! I think he would have saved me some of the charges...

My little guy (chihuahua? papillion?) licks, but it's always pillows, stuff like that. He'll stop when I tell him (lol). He's a rescue guy & I think he was a puppy mill dog - he's my OCD guy w/lots of fears. I baby him, but hey, he's little & getting on in years, so I think he deserves it! Except for food - I'm pretty strict about that now (my ex-boyfriend used to feed them lots of 'treats' and they were overweight way back when - not any more!) Licking & chewing can be stress-related, allergies - and for further reference, I discovered that hotspots and licking can also be a sign of fleas. Oh, and for long term allergies (hard to combat in some dogs), my postman led me to what I had Shiloh on for a long time - benydryl! It was a solution for a problem the vets had no idea how to combat! Not a perfect solution, but it helped my old guy for a good long while.

Anyway - take care & let us know how your little guy does - and just ignore the mean spirited people. The internet seems to bring out the worst in some people, I think.

I've never missed a check up with Tequila (or any of the ferrets for that matter) and when something pops up unexpectedly I've always had my savings, just in case. I used to have a good size savings account too but when my fiancee lost his job for a while that wiped most of it out... Last time Tequila had an emergancy, it was the middle of the night and we took him to the emergancy vet immediately. They were rude and kept getting his gender wrong, they took him back to do blood work and then came to me and said he'd have to stay over night but wouldn't even let me say good night to him.. they were just an aweful, cold place all around and when I went to pay, the bill was over $700 as it stood but I had to pay over $900 now incase he had an allergic reaction to something they gave him overnight- if he had no reaction, I would get the difference back (uhhh how do I know they wont lie and SAY he had a reaction... they didnt seem like the most honest caring people to me).

Although by then my fiancee had gotten a job, it wasn't the best paying and I was still paying a bigger part of the bills... I had paid my rent a few days before but still had about a hundred in my bank account + 400 in my savings... Unfortunately, still not enough. So I told them, look I'll give you everything I've got but I don't have even the current bill, let alone money to cover an allergic reaction he might have. They told me that when I came to pick him up the next morning, if I didn't have money to pay the bill, I wouldn't be aloud to take him home!!! I hadn't been expecting their exam fee to be over $100, let alone for it to be $335.. and I didn't really want to be rude but after they told me that if I couldn't pay I wouldn't be able to take my dog back? I lost a little of my temper. I told them that I hadn't been expecting to pay over $100 on the EXAM FEE alone and that their prices and policies were insane. The only thing they said was that if I would've gone anywhere else I would have paid similar and been asked to pay for the "in-case of allergy" fees. I explained that I really had no where to get the money all at once, I asked about payment plans and they said no. Then someone came up from the back and whispered something to the receptionist and she lost her attitude a little. She was like, "Oh... you're one of (my current vet who told me to go there)'s patients.. well there is SOMETHING..." then she offered me some health care credit card (can't remember the name of it) and this was while my mom and I were still talking so I called her to ask her what she thought of the card, she said that with an intrest rate that high, I would never pay that bill off so she said to pay what I had and that she would pay the rest and I could pay her back. For totally unrelated reasons, we aren't speaking any longer so I can't ask her for help but hopefully this new vet will be as great as she sounds. I am nervous cause it sounds like one of those too good to be true deals, you know?

"I baby him, but hey, he's little & getting on in years, so I think he deserves it!"
^So true, So true and you have to enjoy them while you have them^
Mojito, my oldest ferret, is deaf and has waardenburgs syndrome (ontop of his actual health issues) bue because he is WBS and deaf, he does what we call "dead sleep" where you go to the cage and pick him up and he remains asleep, breathing so shallow you almost think its stopped... i mean litteraly they look dead when they dead sleep. You can poke them, prod them, scruff them, move them, shake them and they just dont wake up till they wake up. It doesn't help that he has insulinoma because while we were still working on regulating his prednisone, he did it more than ever... and since he had had seizures it scared me to death. Everytime I caught him in "dead" sleep after that, I thought-- omg this is it.. hes gone into a coma and he's... (this is usually the moment he chooses to pop his head up and looks at me like, "Wheres my hammock??") and I'm like OTHANKGOD!
He is one of my most frustrating fur kids, simply because he likes to get attention by being a bad boy... but I have to say, even though those episodes are few and far between now that his meds are regulated- they made me appreciate him (and everyone else) even more.. because those moments force you to remember that your time with these little angels is limited and they remind you to soak every second up and cherish every crazy thing they do, even the bad stuff.

Now let me get off my "moment"---- Thank you again for all your kind words, your support and your understanding. You are wonderful, I can't wait for the vet today and I will definately give you an update when we get home.
I still don't appreciate the down right cruel comments some made and the fact that most of what I said they ignored in order to attack me for what they assumed w/o reason... I realized, I don't have to justify myself to them. I know that I do my best, I know that Tequila isn't suffering because he has his tramadol (with it, you wouldnt even know anything was wrong) I know that I did the right thing, I called the vet and I did what they said to do, and I know I am not an irresponsible mother. I know I take them to all their check ups and take care of all emergancies, interwebz people will never believe thats true because its more entertaining to attack someone. They also cant admit they jumped the gun with their assumptions so they keep getting nastier and nastier- but their words don't affect me unless I let them.. and I'm not

Thank you again

XiaoRuRu

You wanted support for allowing an animal that depends on you for EVERYTHING to suffer with an obviously very severe and painful condition.

I don't know that you will find support for that anywhere outside of Michael Vick's circle.

Shame on you equating her to that monster. He intentionally fought dogs. She is in a touch situation and looking for support, not damnation. That's the point of this whole community is support. Judge not.

LorinaLynn

Waiting a few days for a minor injury is not *THAT* bad. In fact, a lot of vets I've know can't see pets same day unless it's a life or death emergency and will recommend home care until they can squeeze them in.

Sometimes rest is all that's needed. Sometimes giving pain relief to pets is counter productive because they feel too good and re-injure themselves. You can't reason with a dog and say, "I know you feel ok now but you need to stay off that leg for a day or two." (Sometimes you can't reason with people on issues like that, either.)

Everyone hates to see their pets in pain. If she was a cruel person, none of us would know anything about Tequila (great name, btw!) She loves him, she cares about him, and she's doing what's right for him.

sonjavon

Waiting a few days for a minor injury is not *THAT* bad. In fact, a lot of vets I've know can't see pets same day unless it's a life or death emergency and will recommend home care until they can squeeze them in.

Sometimes rest is all that's needed. Sometimes giving pain relief to pets is counter productive because they feel too good and re-injure themselves. You can't reason with a dog and say, "I know you feel ok now but you need to stay off that leg for a day or two." (Sometimes you can't reason with people on issues like that, either.)

Everyone hates to see their pets in pain. If she was a cruel person, none of us would know anything about Tequila (great name, btw!) She loves him, she cares about him, and she's doing what's right for him.

^Exactly! I just love that she was looking for someone who has had a dog going through something similar... as a mom of a human kid -I do the same thing!

And XiaoRuRu - I agree with you too! Comparing a loving pet owner who has good intentions and a lack of funds to Mike Vick is not only mean - but it's ridiculous. She isn't intentionally harming her dog or even ignoring his symptoms - she's called the vet, she's working on getting him in to see the doc. I'm saddened by all the "animal lovers" who can't show compassion to their own species.

foremant86

I'm so not going to read all the very lenghty replies, but i sure hope this dog has seen a vet.

3 years ago i was playing fetch in my back yard with my retriever mix and he suddenly went down screaming and was immediately paralyzed in his back legs. I immediately rushed him to the emergency vet(40 minutes away) and after a few X-rays they told me they didn't know what was wrong with him but he'd probably never walk again...

I then took him to a different vet the following week and they did more x-rays and tests and again could not tell me what was wrong with him. They prescribed steroids, therapy and to even try a chiropractor.

$1,500, 6 months, lots of x-rays and tests and nobody could tell me what happened to him, but luckily with steroids and home therapy he now runs and plays and lives a pretty good life but he cannot control his bodily functions, he can't jump very high and he has trouble climbing stairs.


Chihuahuas are notorious for back problems, ANYTIME something like this happens to a dog they should be seen by a vet immediately!!

parys1

Being seen sooner rather than later is usually the best, I hope he is okay.

LaComadreja14

Hi everyone and thank you for the replies. Thank you, XiaoRuRu, LorinaLynn, sonjavon for coming to my defense and for understanding and supporting me, reading your replies was really touching :flowerforyou:

Foremant86 and parys1 (well... everyone really cuz I wanted to let all yall know)

We went to the vet yesterday, we were trying a new vet who gets rave reviews on her way with pets, her caring and being the only vet in our area who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. I was.... blown away with her. The office is small and the waiting room is dark, they don't do appointments- walkins only so we had to wait about 45 mins but it wasn't too bad. Tequila doesn't get along with others but mommy likes to meet new people and it was nice how everyone was chatting and engaging eachother (i dont know about you all but all the vets ive been to, everyone just tries to avoid eye/pet contact lolol)
The exam room was much better lit than the waiting room, it was big but not the prettiest (its an old building). I was impressed that when I told the vet (off the bat, as I always do) that Tequila isn't very nice with strangers, she took out a muzzle (most vets and their techs are like, ohh he just needs to sniff me/ get used to me and he'll calm down- he never does).

Usually muzzle's make him meaner (all the vets hes been to, except the original, they either cant get the muzzle on or he gets out of it with all his thrashing and rambunctiousness and so normally the vets have had me just shove his head against my chest and i hold it there through thrashing and growling till its all over) but he made mommy look like an a*shole for saying he isn't good with strangers lololol. He was soooo calm and sooooo good. *SHE* put the muzzle on him and she moved so slow and calmly that he didn't even know it was happening until it was over. He didn't growl at her once no matter how she touched him or manuvered his legs around, he just stood there calmly like if I myself were touching him.

She said his back muscles are tense and his leg muscles are tenser but all the ligaments, joints and his spine are in place and nothing is swollen, dislocated, torn or broken- he is basically fine. She asked if he likes to jump up and down on things and I said yes and I told her that he likes to walk around on his hind legs like a person so she thinks he just strained his back and leg muscles, either jumping wrong, landing wrong or maybe even loosing his footing while trying to be hooman. She said to have him rest for the rest of the week and gave him Rimadyl. She also said that what I did was fine, if I had come in immediately she would have just given him Rimadyl and told me to try to make sure he is resting, anyway.

I dont think it was even an hour after giving him the Rimadyl that he was acting like his old self. She said he would want to run around and get back to jumping on and off things but to try to keep him from doing that as much as we could to prevent him hurting himself more, also he isn't aloud to play with the ferrets till next week either or go on jogs with momma.

Come 10p last night I was like omg what am I going to do with you?! He was running just for the sake of running... he is trained to stop barking and running around like a nut job when we snap (our apartment is old, I'm sure he sounds like a train to our downstairs neighboors who are the only neighboors we have that arent complete jerks)- last night the snapping wasn't working so I had to yell at him for running, which made me feel bad. :brokenheart: but I reasoned with myself- better to yell at him now than to have him hurt himself again. Oh and do you know how much she charged for the exam AND medication?

$42.75

Whhhhyyyyyy have I never heard of her before now?! I have *never* in my life left a vet appointment with Tequila and payed less than $100 I am sooo happy that I found a vet for Tequila who actually cares about him and not the money! ANNND he likes her? :huh: I'm not sure which part of that is more mind blowing. I think it's probably the fact that he actually liked her. It can't get any better than that- he hates everyone (except me, my fiancee and the ferrets).
I guess its like they say, animals can sense good, genuine people.. she is officially Tequila's new vet I can not express to you how impressed I was with her for knowing how to move in order to not garner even the faintest growl or lip curl from the dog who all my friends have deemed, "the monster" (he makes cute faces and wags his tail until you get close enough that he can grab you... he is conniving)... nor can I express how proud I was of him that he didn't growl at her and remained totally calm the entire time she examined him. I think that he has more made the decision than me lol.

livnlite

What a great story AND outcome. I'm soo glad you were able to work it out. Way to go! You are a great "mommy"!

LorinaLynn

Yay for Tequila! (Which, by the way, are words I've said before, but not about a dog.)

It's great that you found a vet he likes, who is in it for the right reasons.