Doggie parents whose furkids have hind leg problems?

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  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
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    I had the same problem last month with my puppy lilly she is a pug cross.
    I contacted the vet and was told to rest her for two days if she wasn,t any better to take her to the vet which i did the vet thought she may of broken her leg after sedation and x-rays they found nothing wrong but they think she had ligament damage they gave her antiflamatrys and after one dose she was back to normal.:0)
    Just a thought to as you said fiancees are difficult have you thought about getting pet insurance?
    I,m currently paying 20 pound a month on pet insurance to cover vet bills when i need them thats for lilly the dog and phoenix the cat.
    Its worth while as this cover covers me for 75 pound excess fee and the rest the insurance pays out for up to 4000 a year.
    Hope this helps i feel for you as i know how heartbreaking it is to see your baby,s in pain.

    Thank you so much, I am considering pet insurance actually. I am trying to find the best one, which one do you have?


    I have a trail of pet insurance from AKC, if your little guy is registered with them, you might want to check into it...once the trial runs out for Freya, I plan to at least get her the wellness plan, which would cover any accidents and illnesses, and there is only a $100 deductible....♥
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    Sorry to hear that your little guy is hurting. What you're describing sounds a lot like the hip dysplasia that one of my foster dogs had - he was a pekingnese. We put him on Rimadyl and Tramadol - then started him on Missing Link, a supplement for joints. After about a month we were able to wean him off of the Rimadyl and Tramadol completely and he did great on the Missing Link.

    Obviously you know that he needs to see the vet and I'm sure you'll get him there as soon as you can. I have 3 dogs of my own and foster for a local rescue. I AM the person who sacrifices everything for my dogs (and everyone elses too...). That being said, I don't think that waiting a couple of days is going to kill your dog. I have another foster dog who ruptured her CCL in her knee - even AFTER getting the diagnosis - we still had to wait for a week to have her seen. We kept her on pain meds and calm until she could have the surgery. Keep your dog as comfortable as possible and don't allow him to jump or go up and down the stairs.... even if that means crating him. You don't want to make a bad situation, worse. On the plus side -in the event that this is simply a soft tissue injury - the rest will help and you might see an improvement even before getting him to the vet.

    Keep in contact with your vet and let them know if there are any major changes. Also, I would recommend looking into Care Credit... it's an awesome way to help make sure that money is available for any health emergencies (animal or human).

    Take care, good luck and keep us posted.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    People were not trying to make you feel bad but they were wondering why you let it go so long. When you post on a public forum that your dog is in severe pain and can't walk you are going to have to expect these kinds of reactions. I sincerely hope your little guy will be ok but lets face it.. its not fair to the animal who is suffering to not get treated.. regardless of the issues. Have you contacted your vet to make a payment plan arrangement? Either way.. please get him checked out. If YOU couldn't walk wouldn't YOU fo to the doctor? Animals have the right to be treated for their medical needs too!''

    Wishing your little guy a a speedy recovery!


    It isn't like I am not getting him treated, I called the vets office and am doing what I was told. It isn't like I am ignoring his medical needs. I have him on tramadol as directed by his vets office, so its not like he is in constant pain. I asked about a payment plan and they said that they have been burned too much and won't do it. We are looking to find the best pet insurance to help atm.

    Btw, I can't get to a doctor. I have had a severe eczema breakout on my lips since march, all they do is crack and bleed thats why I dont have a recent picture. I shake like a leaf and have issues with my wrists/hands where muscle spasms cause me to drop things- a lot. I need to see a dermatologist, worse yet- I need to see a neurologist and yet I haven't been. I know that tomorrow when my fiancee finds out that I begged to get half a day to take my dog to the vet when I haven't even gotten myself to a doctor- we are going to fight because I don't ask/beg when I need a doctor myself... and I don't care if we do because, IMO it is more important to me that Tequila gets better than I do, and I feel its better to be the type of employee who does it on rare occassions, not everytime I need it AND everytime they need it. I just wait until they need it.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    I don't think it is fair for you to call people who are concerned about the welfare of your pet "mean".

    I'm glad that there are people who are making you feel better, but my opinion is not likely to change.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    If you had an actual child

    please OP, just don't.

    Thats just rude, you don't even know the type of emotional pain you can inflict on someone you don't know when you make a statement like that. For your information, I am infertile.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    TO THIS PERSON
    Wait, he's NOT been to a vet yet? I have a dachshund. The moment I saw she couldn't move her hind legs, we were at the vet. She had a ruptured disc in her spine. She had to have immediate surgery. She can walk now, but the longer you wait, the worse it gets.

    TAKE HIM TO THE VET! Please and thank you.
    THIS PERSON
    Why haven't you taken him to the vet?
    AND ANYONE ELSE ASKING WHY NO VET YET:

    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.

    He needs a vet there are 24 hour ones

    Yea there is one across the street. They charge $335 just to walk into the exam room. I simply don't have that.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    Wow, normally I do not respond when things seem to heat up, but really? I don't think anyone was rude, or in any way trying to make you feel like a "bad mom"...I think everyone offered the best advice that they could, but since we are not vets, we all advised that I vet would be the best option.....
    I did see that you were taking him to a vet, and I do understand that sometimes things just prevent us from being able to do what we really need to do. Luckily I have a vet that is open on Saturdays. and we also have an emergency vet, even though its quite expensive. Please do not take our suggestions as an attack on you, as you could see, most that have responded are animal lovers, and would only want your little guy to be better......

    Someone telling me "just don't" in refrence to having children isnt rude? Yea thats pretty rude, IMO.

    We have an emergancy vet and they want $335 just to walk into the exam room. I cant afford it.

    If I knew I was inviting a *kitten* storm I wouldn't have even posted in the first place
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    I don't think it is fair for you to call people who are concerned about the welfare of your pet "mean".

    I'm glad that there are people who are making you feel better, but my opinion is not likely to change.
    My opinion is your dog deserves a better owner. Yes, pets are expensive. But they are not a right. In a way, they are like infants...not quite capable of giving themselves the proper care they need when something goes really wrong. They need us to do that. I would go into debt for my pets. If your credit is such that you can't even do that, this dog needs a better owner.
  • lor007
    lor007 Posts: 884 Member
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    So, if you got sick, you wouldn't be able to call in and take a day off because no one knows how to use the system? That makes no sense.

    No. I tried to call out and was told to get my butt to work. Sorry if it doesn't make sense to you but thats what happend and what can I do about it? Get myself fired? No thank you.
    When you adopt an animal, you have a responsibility to ensure that the animal is looked after. I'm sorry if you feel that you aren't getting the support you want, but in my opinion, your dog isn't getting what HE needs.

    "He isn't paralysed - just in pain."

    You consider yourself this animal's "mom". If you had an actual child and didn't get him or her adequate medical treatment, charges could be laid. Again, I'm sorry if you feel bad about the way people are reacting, but in my opinion, you are not being a responsible pet owner and you are not being kind to this animal.

    What am I going to do? Loose my job? Give him up because I can't get him to the vet before tomorrow? You people are out of your mind and some of the meanest people I have ever met. If you were in my situation I doubt that you would give up your pet because its going to take you a few days to get him to the vet. I am operating under council of their office, doing what they told me to do- you really think that you know better than them? When I got Tequila I didn't exactly know that I would be in this situation ever- who expects that? It just happened at an aweful, aweful time. Believe me, if I had money and I could afford an emergancy vet he would've been there Sunday



    OP: You are referring to this dog as your "furkid". I have a child with medical problems and have more money compiled in medical bills than I could hope to pay off anytime soon, not to mention gas and expenses that comes from taking her to a specialist three hours away. I quit my job because she was ill, she goes to the doctor or emergency room every time she needs medical attention. There is no way a job or lack of funds would ever prevent a mother from caring for her "kid".

    If you truly think of your dog as your "furkid" then you should act like its parent.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    Wow, normally I do not respond when things seem to heat up, but really? I don't think anyone was rude, or in any way trying to make you feel like a "bad mom"...I think everyone offered the best advice that they could, but since we are not vets, we all advised that I vet would be the best option.....
    I did see that you were taking him to a vet, and I do understand that sometimes things just prevent us from being able to do what we really need to do. Luckily I have a vet that is open on Saturdays. and we also have an emergency vet, even though its quite expensive. Please do not take our suggestions as an attack on you, as you could see, most that have responded are animal lovers, and would only want your little guy to be better......

    Someone telling me "just don't" in refrence to having children isnt rude? Yea thats pretty rude, IMO.

    We have an emergancy vet and they want $335 just to walk into the exam room. I cant afford it.

    If I knew I was inviting a *kitten* storm I wouldn't have even posted in the first place


    Then call in sick to work and take him to the vet,are you at home now or posting from work.Because IMO if you have the time to keep this thread going for the past hour you can take an extra hour on lunch and take your dog to the vet
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    and I have to go with him because he will attack anyone else who takes him + the vet if I am not there. They put a muzzle on him once but it only made it worse. I am just in a *kitten* situation and needed to talk until I can see the vet.

    I am hoping that he doesn't have to end up being on a pain killer/anti-inflamatory for his entire life because I worry about what will happen to his liver/kidneys. I'm also afraid of surgery because he'll probably have to stay over night at the vets and as previously stated, he isn't exactly friendly despite years of being brought every where with me and being held by tons of different people, when he was young he would tolerate it but after a few thermomaters up the bum he started hating the vet and by age three he decided most of anyone who isnt myself or my fiancee is his enemy.

    Ahhh....I just suggested you ask someone else to take him to the vet for you. I understand now why you cannot do this. I would not feel comfortable asking someone else to take him and risk being bit. Is your fiance able to take him to the vet for you?

    I can understand your concern with the pain killers and liver/kidney problems as a result. I was in the same situation recently with my cat. She was older when I adopted her and declawed. The vet that did the declawing messed up her foot pretty bad. She now limps from time to time. I had two options 1) Putting her in for surgery 2) putting her on pain killers. Both were not good options. She has a heart murmur and surgery (because of age and condition) could result in death. The only pain killer avail for cats is metacam, which is known to cause vital organ failure. Either way, it is a no win situation. I opted for the meds on an "as needed basis" with constant monitoring by my vet for any signs of failure. Anyhow, your fears are completely valid. Try not to jump the gun yet with all of the "what-ifs". Doing this will only drive you nuts and stress you out.


    I wish he could, it would make life so much easier but our vet doesn't have any spanish-speaking employees so I don't know how well it would go....

    If it is something serious enough to garner surgery or life time medication, I am at such a loss on the surgery vs. medication that could damage organs- I don't know which would be easier on him/give him a better quality of life... which carries more risk?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    If you just want peace of mind, call your vet on the issue. They'll know his history and may be able to suggest or prescribe some medication that will work better than the medication you have until you get him in.

    If you can't take a day off, take a few hours off. Or take him during lunch.

    Also look into carecredit.com - it's a low interest credit card for medical emergencies for people and animals.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    I had the same problem last month with my puppy lilly she is a pug cross.
    I contacted the vet and was told to rest her for two days if she wasn,t any better to take her to the vet which i did the vet thought she may of broken her leg after sedation and x-rays they found nothing wrong but they think she had ligament damage they gave her antiflamatrys and after one dose she was back to normal.:0)
    Just a thought to as you said fiancees are difficult have you thought about getting pet insurance?
    I,m currently paying 20 pound a month on pet insurance to cover vet bills when i need them thats for lilly the dog and phoenix the cat.
    Its worth while as this cover covers me for 75 pound excess fee and the rest the insurance pays out for up to 4000 a year.
    Hope this helps i feel for you as i know how heartbreaking it is to see your baby,s in pain.

    Thank you so much, I am considering pet insurance actually. I am trying to find the best one, which one do you have?


    I have a trail of pet insurance from AKC, if your little guy is registered with them, you might want to check into it...once the trial runs out for Freya, I plan to at least get her the wellness plan, which would cover any accidents and illnesses, and there is only a $100 deductible....♥


    He is CKC registered, I didn't even know that the AKC had pet insurance- I wonder if the CKC does. I am going to have to look into that, thank you.
    I like the sound of "covers any accidents and illness" with only $100 deductible- thats really nice. Good to know, thank you :)
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    I had the same problem last month with my puppy lilly she is a pug cross.
    I contacted the vet and was told to rest her for two days if she wasn,t any better to take her to the vet which i did the vet thought she may of broken her leg after sedation and x-rays they found nothing wrong but they think she had ligament damage they gave her antiflamatrys and after one dose she was back to normal.:0)
    Just a thought to as you said fiancees are difficult have you thought about getting pet insurance?
    I,m currently paying 20 pound a month on pet insurance to cover vet bills when i need them thats for lilly the dog and phoenix the cat.
    Its worth while as this cover covers me for 75 pound excess fee and the rest the insurance pays out for up to 4000 a year.
    Hope this helps i feel for you as i know how heartbreaking it is to see your baby,s in pain.

    Thank you so much, I am considering pet insurance actually. I am trying to find the best one, which one do you have?


    I have a trail of pet insurance from AKC, if your little guy is registered with them, you might want to check into it...once the trial runs out for Freya, I plan to at least get her the wellness plan, which would cover any accidents and illnesses, and there is only a $100 deductible....♥


    He is CKC registered, I didn't even know that the AKC had pet insurance- I wonder if the CKC does. I am going to have to look into that, thank you.
    I like the sound of "covers any accidents and illness" with only $100 deductible- thats really nice. Good to know, thank you :)


    Hows pet insurance going to help you if you dont even have the time to get him to the vet?
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
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    Yep, and they have all kinds of plans, the wellness plan is the cheapest, I think its around $30 monthly, but when you look at how much one vet bill could be, its totally worth it....
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    He is CKC registered, I didn't even know that the AKC had pet insurance- I wonder if the CKC does. I am going to have to look into that, thank you.
    I like the sound of "covers any accidents and illness" with only $100 deductible- thats really nice. Good to know, thank you :)

    There's two CKC's. The Canadian Kennel Club that's a real registry, and the Continental Kennel Club that's pretty much a puppy mill only registry and worth about as much as the newspaper you'd use to potty train a puppy. :frown:
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    ...
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    "He isn't paralyzed, just in pain" - this is SO much worse! He deserves better than this...
    He does but if I loose my job he wont be getting to a vet any time sooner now will he? I am managing the pain and doing the best I can for him.

    If you aren't in my shoes you have no right to judge me
    I have every right to judge you. And you haven't even SEEN mean yet.
  • LaComadreja14
    LaComadreja14 Posts: 277 Member
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    Sorry to hear that your little guy is hurting. What you're describing sounds a lot like the hip dysplasia that one of my foster dogs had - he was a pekingnese. We put him on Rimadyl and Tramadol - then started him on Missing Link, a supplement for joints. After about a month we were able to wean him off of the Rimadyl and Tramadol completely and he did great on the Missing Link.

    Obviously you know that he needs to see the vet and I'm sure you'll get him there as soon as you can. I have 3 dogs of my own and foster for a local rescue. I AM the person who sacrifices everything for my dogs (and everyone elses too...). That being said, I don't think that waiting a couple of days is going to kill your dog. I have another foster dog who ruptured her CCL in her knee - even AFTER getting the diagnosis - we still had to wait for a week to have her seen. We kept her on pain meds and calm until she could have the surgery. Keep your dog as comfortable as possible and don't allow him to jump or go up and down the stairs.... even if that means crating him. You don't want to make a bad situation, worse. On the plus side -in the event that this is simply a soft tissue injury - the rest will help and you might see an improvement even before getting him to the vet.

    Keep in contact with your vet and let them know if there are any major changes. Also, I would recommend looking into Care Credit... it's an awesome way to help make sure that money is available for any health emergencies (animal or human).

    Take care, good luck and keep us posted.

    That is such a relief to hear, I was under the impression that if it is hip dysplasia he would have to be on meds forever. I hope that IF it is hip dysplasia we can get him to that point to. You have no idea how much better that makes me feel, omg. Also, I want to thank you for your understanding. A long with our finanical issues, I co-run a ferret foster group and I feel bad because I haven't been able to help the other founder as much as I would like to. I just can't wait for our finances to get back in order.

    Tequila is a big one for ripping up his beds, the more he likes a bed- the worse shape it ends up in. Luckily I have a few of his old ones in a closet and so he has 4 beds (and his favorite of my pillows) strewn around the living room to snuggle up with when I'm not home (I am hoping it keeps him more interested in laying down than attempting to jump on the couch if he feels up to it at any point). When I am home, even when he wants to be moving around- I try to keep him in one spot as much as possible because I don't want things to get worse... and luckily, even with meds in full swing he hasn't tried to jump onto anything or climb anything.... yet. (or rip up any beds for that matter) He trys to stand on his hind legs still but almost always decides its a better idea not to. When he does achieve it, I put his paws back on the ground- he doesn't need anymore strain on his back muscles.

    I think I looked into care credit before (it was some kind of credit card the emergancy office was offering) but the intrest rate seemed scary to me... if push comes to shove- I will do it, I just hope push doesnt have to come to shove. Thank you again for your advice and understanding
  • livnlite
    livnlite Posts: 520
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    My dog, Tequila, is a five year old male chihuahua who has never had hind leg problems before in his life, my grand father got him for me when I graduated high school, he was 4 months old at the time so I know his full history. He is about 9lbs and mostly muscle.

    Sunday when I took him out to potty at 11:30a he was fine. All day he was normal, didn't hurt himself or anything but when I went to take him out around 2:30p he sat up but couldn't walk. At that point I couldn't really tell if it was his back, hips or legs that were bothering him. I went to pick him up and he started crying, long story short I had to hand feed and water him. I gave him 1/4th a pill of tramadol (I checked to make sure it wasnt expired) that I have from when he hurt his front paw + a glucosamine treat and he was able to move around a bit but not 100%. I gave another 1/4th tramadol and glucosamine treat in the am (12 hr intervals) yesterday and he was pretty much himself when I got home from work. I went to get some groceries and hit traffic so I was about 13 mins late to give him his next tramadol and he had regressed pretty badly, again barely able to walk. Even after I gave him the tramadol, it appears that it's worse at night than during the day, though with how he was acting last night I have pretty much pin-pointed the source of pain to be his hind left leg. He is eager to eat/drink and when he has his tramadol and has been walking around outside for about a minute he seems more reluctant to stop, but I guess he knows his bounderies because he will head to the stairs. Stubborn thing doesn't want to be carried up them, he wants to do it himself and will try to do it faster (which hurts him) when I try to pick him up near the stairs.

    I can't wait to get him into the vet and see whats going on but I need some peice of mind.. someone to talk to about it I guess..... Given his age + lack of injury to hind legs I seriously doubt its athritis. Given his breed (CKC registered Chihuahua) my first assumption was luxating patella but symtoms don't seem to fit, he has never stuck his leg out straight behind him nor had a limp and the pain *seems* to be located more toward the hip than the knee cap- however his knee cap kept cracking last night whenever he tried to move around. When the pain is in full swing, he simply will not move because when pain is in full swing and he attempts to move it hurts him like hell and when I try to pick him up it hurts him, he crys and crys when he moves on his own or is moved. When he sits down he either sits pretty much directly ontop of his hind left thigh (when tremedol is wearing off) OR when tremedol is in full swing, he sits with his legs set much wider than before (to my understanding this is indicitive of hip dysplasia) and I looked up videos to see how dogs walk with luxating patella and not one looked at all like how hes moving around when he is able to..... but when I watched a video of a dachshund with hip dysplasia it looks exactly how he walks around.

    So I was wondering if anyone has any words of support/advice ... information..... things I should mention to the vet or look for.. (I already checked his paws by putting them knuckle down when hes standing and he corrects them immediately) anything on hind leg problems/ living with luxating patella/ living with hip dysplasia... pictures of your pets who have hip problems/ luxating patella/ hip dysplasia


    Thank you so much,
    Bella & Tequila

    My granddog Lulu .. a toy chihuahua was diagnosed with degenerative disks just this summer. She's 3 yrs old. She too was having some issues with inexplicable yelping, for seemingly no reason at all. Sometimes all you would have to do is walk into the room and she would yelp. She was prescribed some medication (I can't remember what it was), and has been fine since. The vet said although uncommon in such a small dog that has never experienced a back injury, it is not unheard of, and further thought it may be genetic.

    There are all kinds of neurological diseases, syndromes and conditions .. to many to rule out on an internet forum. A veterinarian is the only one that can get to the bottom of this.

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