What we're battling... (tashakota)

 Poor little guy; I watched the video but can't offer any suggestions. I'll be sending healing thoughts, and watching for an update when he sees the vet. (((hugs)))

Oh wow, that's hard to watch.  Poor Kota.

He is walking around like Brinxx did when she tore her CCL. 

tashakota

He would come up lame after some exercise, agility or hiking in the woods.  But would always appear to get better overnight.  Not anymore. It's getting worse and I will be taking him back to the vet this week for further lookings at.

The vet should be able to tell a LOT from that video.

Part of it is you can't wait until a dog shows pain to back off on any activity.  They are SO stoic (some dogs more than others) and usually they are hurting WAY WAY *before* you see it.

Don't watch for pain to stop.  Rather -- before you **begin** any activity at all -- rub the back of his neck and see if there is any tension at all -- You may need to literally monitor the tension in his neck area all during ANY activity.  When you sense even the TINIEST tension **stop**.

 In fact, I would get a kid's wagon -- and take it with you ANYWHERE you go.  Then absolutely as soon as you feel ANY tension at all in the neck/shoulders just pick him up and lay him down in the wagon.  This will take some practice but this way he can "go with" you and yet not over-do.  The "damage' that can occur just trying to get them back home once you know there is severe pain can set him back weeks in what you've been trying to do with healing.

ANY sort of disabiliity -- whether it's arthritis, or a pinched nerve or ligament ... literally ANYTHING -- if you allow the dog to continue to ambulate all the way to where they are in visible pain -- you'll never get healing to occur.

Is there any possibility for you to take him to a vet who does acupuncture??  http://www.tcvm.com -- that's the Chi Institute website -- and there is a "locator" on the left.  If there is any possiblity at all that healing CAN take place, acupuncture will facilitate that.

I'm NOT saying to leave your vet -- I'm sayin to ADD one.  The TCVM vet should work with your own vet.  Acupuncture can help reduce inflammation incredibly well.  REducing inflammation and helping to speed healing.

Amanda's suggestion of a torn ACL is likely ... but then it could be other things as well. 

If you have ever known anyone who has had arthritis --- it's not simply a matter of "short, easy" walks.  You DO need exercise -- ***HOWEVER*** the critical thing is to stop **before** you get inflammation.  And you can't tell that visually. 

If you want to email me I can send you an article I did on arthritis and pain management.  Inflammation is a vicious cycle - because by the time you can "see" or readily identify that the dog is in pain ... to be honest, you should have stopped 15 minutes or more PRIOR.  Because they ARE so stoic  they don't let you see pain until it's unbearable.  And by that time more damage has taken place. 

See when you have any sort of inflammation in a joint -- whether cartilage or bone -- there is damage.  The cartilage will become fragile and it can break and wear away.  And bone inflammation is even more painful (and by then you may not have any more cartilage TO cushion the joint.

 However -- I'm honestly not at all convinced from seeing that video that this is something as easy as arthritis.  That looks to me either like an ACL tear or a pinched nerve along the spine.  It's to the point where that leg just collapses.  But I'm not sure if he's holding that leg up because it hurts to bear weight on it -- OR if he simply can't extend it

Sometimes x-rays won't show anything - particularly something like a torn ACL or a pinched nerve. 

The article I'll send you is in Word ... so it's gotta be an email (so I can attach it) -- but it will give you some suggesitons for pain management tools.

But diagnosis is the first big thing.  And to diagnose something like this can be painful.  How far are you from a good state vet school?? They will have far far better equipment (and it's often FAR cheaper) to accuratly diagnose something like an ACL tear or sciatica or any sort of a pinched nerve.

But TCVM is not a "second best" option -- the vet may be able to tell by palpating it exactly where the problem is.  And often a TCVM vet can tell other things on exam that a regular vet can't pick up (because in a situation like this you may have inflammaton in one area and then lack of blood flow to another -- which can create a 'cold' spot). 

Once you get a real diagnosis then you can plan how to deal with the pain management aspect.

Holler if I can help -- I can help you pick a TCVM vet if you want help.  DON'T choose the one lone acupuncturist who is in some bigger practice (who is there to simply give acpuncutre when a client requests it).  They tend to be less experienced -- and they aren't practicing the full range of what acupuncture should and *can* do.  I can also tell you what to expect, how they charge and such. 

 Additionally -- once you get this diagnosed so you know where the origin of the pain is, I can help get you hooked up with some essential oils to help reduce inflammation -- not goopy in their coat and it can ROCK when it comes to relieving pain. 

Good luck -- Bless his heart, he's hurtin!!  But there IS help!!

Dess is showing similar signs (same age and played a hard sport in his youth).  His is spondillosus (sp) and arthritis.  We are managing pain with tramadol and doing welll.   I know it is progressive, but the management is going well.  I hope that it is the same for you if you are facing similar a diagnosis.

 I know that was hard for you, loving him the way you do.  But, great for your vet to be able to see the dog exhibiting the problem.  The analogy I'm thinking of is that it's better to tape it, than to simply tell the mechanic your car is squeaking, but get to the service station and the squeak won't squeak. 

 Vet apt tomorrow evening. We'll see what she says I guess.

(((Leslie)))

Leslie, I know how hard it is to see them like this.  I hope the vet has some recommendations that will help with whatever the specific problem is.

Hope you get some answers from the Vet and Kota can get some relief !!

Deb W.

tashakota

 Vet apt tomorrow evening. We'll see what she says I guess.

We're crossing fingers and paws that it's something easily treatable. <<>>

Poor Kota :(  Hope you get some answers.

  I know how hard that must have been for you to video it, but excellent idea. Nothing like having them show so much pain and then take them to the vet and they are fine.  Just like spiritdog said about taking the squeaky car to the mechanic and then it doesn't squeak anymore.                      We've got two 12 year old dogs and one has arthritis in her front shoulder and one has it in her neck. We've curtailed both of their activities but they still can do a lot, I just pretty much know what it is that sets each one off. The one girl can not do weave poles at all or even run around in her zoomies. I have to calm her down from that as it is too much quick twisting and turning. She will still wrestle some with one of the younger ones but I try to watch that and stop her if she is getting bumped around too much.  She never shows any problem unless she does things like that. The other girl can pretty much still do most anything, just a bit slower and I cut back on how much. She's the one with the shoulder problem. Here's hoping that is all it is and with some healing time and treatments, whatever they may be, Tashakota will be fine.

 So the vet sedated the little guy to see if his knee would do the classic drawer movement of a torn ACL. Nothing. No movement. However before she sedated him, when she was doing that, he did NOT like it and snapped at her, so his knee is definitely ouchy.

She agreed that he has lost muscle mass in his right hind leg and that the video is a classic symptom of ACL issues but the lack of motion in the knee suggests it's something else. She said it could be a neurological thing or tendinitis in the knee or any number of other things.  So I asked about getting him seen by a neuro or ortho vet and she felt that was a good idea.  So we're going to go to Purdue I guess.  Or at least try to. I'm not sure if they can get me in before I move.

I so don't need more stress right now, but at least worrying about Kota keeps me from thinking of all the packing I still need to do.

Hmm...that's kind of a bummer, no specific dx.  Why is it things seem to happen all at the same time (holidays, doggie issues, moving)?

Gentle rubs for Kota and calming vibes for you, Leslie.