Skin Pain

she may have pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle during play. A trip to the vet is a good idea.

I agree with Kitty - it sounds neural.  Vet ... a.s.a.p.

Update Feb 6th (the day after original post)

Hi, I just want to update you. Jaida slept well but was still off her food and water this morning. She moved well to go outside to pee (a decent amount) but didn't poo and looked uncomfortable... sitting in the garden shaking (I watched just for a couple or three minutes to see what she'd do) and then brought her inside. She didn't seem to have the same skin pain (that's how I describe it) as she did last evening. So, I put her on the bed and she assumed a sitting position in one spot and stayed there, shaking.  Needless to say, I called the vet and got Jaida in to see her right away. Jaida was happy to go for a truck ride and jumped up in the truck as usual. She did have a little bit of involuntary diarrhea around this time (liquidy).  At the vet's  she was afebrile, lungs, heart sounds, heart rate and resps fine. My husbnad and I wracked our brains last night about what may have happened and we thought that she may have eaten a chunk of her stuffed animal as she chews on it and has never really seemd to swallow any of it. So, the Vet took a couple of xrays and although there are no apparent foreign bodies in her system she does have a couple moderate sized gas bubbles in the upper intestines.. one near the cecum (sp)..  there could possibly be some stuffed animal fur in there not showing on the xray. She hasn't vomited at all. So, we have brought her home, started her on flagyl to alleviate bowel irritation and she is resting and taking low sodium chicken broth and steamed chicken (small amounts every hour). She has been out to pee since we came home otherwise she's sleeping in her bed in the kitchen between me giving her the hourly broth and chicken.  We are watching her closely overnight and if she doesn't improve by tomorrow or deteriorates we'll call the vet right away. Thank you for your concern.

Glad to hear! Gas bubbles can be scary and cause lots of pain. Jaida! No eating your stuffed toys!

Ok -- given this, you now need to watch for signs of obstruction.  You mentioned she hadn't poo'd at that time.  Watch her **carefully** for that.  Liquid diarrhea doesn't count (if the digestive tract is super upset then that may exist above *or* below any obstruction).

Watch for several things -- the biggest hallmark of an obstruction is where a) the dog doesn't poop and b) the dog developes vomiting and anything it eats (unless it is the most liquid of foods) will come back up.  In some casese NOTHING can get thru in which case even water may be vomitted.

If you see anything like this VET NOW!  It's debilitating and fibers don't show on an x-ray so they are a poor tool if the vet has to figure out where to do surgery.

In an obstruction they will often eat/drink normally UNTIL the intestine fills up all the way back to the stomach and THEN nothing will pass and they'll start to vomit.  That can take up to 36 hours or more (depending on *where* in the intestinal tract that blockage is).  It can be tough to figure out that sort of obstruction because the reaction can be so delayed. 

don't try to fix this yourself with laxatives, etc. -- the *good* thing is the vet did an x-ray right away so the vet will be able to tell later if it is moving at all.

Let's hope it all just passes thru.  But polyfill can be nasty -- it doesn't digest and the fibers can get hung up  in the intestine.

 Good luck -- not pushing panic buttons here but vets often don't tell you what TO expect in an obstruction. 

 

Update:  Thank you for the great advice. Jaida got a good sleep and was keeping little bits of low sodium chicken stock down as well as the odd bit of steamed chicken. She voided  today and didn't vomit and still no bm. We took her for a couple of good walks and she moved alright but no BM.. she looked like she would try to go a couple of times each walk and nothing.. at the end of the walk she'd be in obvious discomfort and want to cower in her bed.  Needless to say we took her back to the vet about 130 pm with this.   They did another xray and saw that there is stool in the intestines now - below the area that we thought the blockage might be. On a close assessment they figure that she has arthfitis that is causing back pain and guarding. It makes sense as she would eat if hand fed but when she would have to bend her head down to floor level she wouldn't eat. Hmm.. and explains why she would look like she was going to assume the position to have a bm (on today's walks) but then stop and walk. We now have her on a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory and robaxicet (both prescriptions from the vet calibrated to Jack Russell size).  She is to have decreased activity and we should see improvement pretty quickly since the pain should be managed. The vet thinks that this could have an arthritic component due to her age (almost 10).  When I look back (hindsight is 20/20) she hadn't been jumping as vigorously this week to jump in to my arms or to touch my outstretched hands (one of her tricks).  These little sweeties are hard to assess because they can't tell us what's going on or where the pain is.  I'll let you know how this works.

This sounds silly but it works -- just give her a prune -- maybe cut it in half or give small bits thru the day (it's sweet -- my dogs LOVE them, particularly if I 'taste' something like that first).  don't give her more than 2 prunes on any one day.  But it will help soften that and perhaps help it pass.

For arthritis long term -- try Knox Nutra Joint (actually it's been bought by Osteo Bi-Flex -- so it's called Ostreo Bi-Flex Knox Nutra Joint now).  You don't need to get the one with any additives -- just plain unflavored NutraJoint.  For a JRT I'd give  maybe 1/4 scoop once a day.

You do have to give it for about 3 months before you will notice a difference. This is NOT a pain med -- it literally just puts the stuff at the body's disposal so it helps repair cartilage.  This is something I've used myself for years and I've used on many dogs with really good results.  It's a longer term 'repair' thing -- it's NOT a pain killer.

But you can also try a good essential oil like peppermint oil (most health stores sell this -- not a food flavoring but literally the essential oil).  It's a very 'thin' oil so it absorbs easily -- just pull back the coat and put a few drops on the skin. IF the dog will allow you to massage then the more you rub the more heat they'll get.  But also the more oil you use the more heat you get (so be cautious). 

Thank you Calliecritturs for your advice - I'll do that.    Update this morning... Jaida is moving well this morning and readily went out to pee... no poo's yet. She is restless - can't find a position she will stay lying in but I'm expecting that she'll feel more comfortable once her morning meds kcik in.  I'm off to work for a 12 hour shift but my husband will be home with her and he's very attentive and concerned about her so she'll be well cared for.