Good thoughts for Austin (Outdoorschik)

Poor Austin. All fingers and paws crossed that the chiro visit gives him relief and makes him pain-free. I hope, hope, hope it works and that he gets better so he can have the comfortable retirement that he has earned.

I hope that you can find a way for him to tolerate this until he is feeling better.   Like I said before I had a pinched nerve once and it was the worst pain I have ever been in.... I am very tolerant of pain and nothing could touch this pain for a couple of weeks and many Chiro appts this pain made me cry.   Cold was recommended but I couldnt take the cold, I used a heating pad w/moist heat that gave me some relief albeit temporary.  I know he is a dog but... I used flexril muscle relaxers and hot baths and hot showers and moist heat pads.  It took me about 6 to 8 weeks to feel normal again.  Dont give up on him yet if you are certain this is a pinched nerve.  Prayers for you and Austin! 

What is flexril? I can get him some heat pads ... I got him a heated orthopedic bed to lay on when he's out of the crate, but he avoids it because he's already overheated being in the house with his partial winter coat :)

I am certainly not going to rush to put him down and as long as he's eatting and hanging in there I'll stick with him and try to help, but it is HARD to hear/see him in such pain. He is very dejected right now and lays all day in one position if I let him with his head on the ground not even lifting it to his name... then when I touch him he cries/screams. I have to say though, if he gives up and stops eatting, he's a very large 14 year old and I won't ask him to put up with more than he wants to.

The vet said "it wasn't the time" for muscle relaxants whatever that means... We aren't certain it's a pinched nerve, the vet's best gues at this point is a compressed vertebrae. they'll do x-rays next week if no improvement which I guess would confirm or deny this. They say it could also, though less likely, be a bone infection (hence the baytril), or tumor/cancer.  I'll let you know how the chiro goes later....

 Edited to add - since he's a dog he can't understand why there is pain or when it will end ... a person can which I suppose makes it more bearable. Oh and it could also be degeneration of the vertebrae ... which nothing will fix.

Flexril is a muscle relaxer that tends to be less habit forming than pain pills.  Me, I am a light weight so I can split it in 1/4 and still sleep all night long :)  Other people I know that have taken it says it relaxes but they function well.  I took a 1/2 valium many many years ago and slept for 24 hours, lol, lightweight.  It is a prescription for humans but that is what had to be done otherwise I tended to tense up which made my neck hurt worse.    I know you are not going to be quick to put him down, I also know how difficult it is to watch them hurt.  I dont know how comparable a human pinched nerve is to doggy pinched nerve I just know child labor was a breeze compared to the pain I had with my pinched nerve and seem to take forever to heal.

Oh my Austin.  That's horrible you have to be in so much pain.  Too bad they couldn't bump the x-rays up to this week.  It would be nice to figure out what's hurting him for certain.

I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.  Sending you some healing vibes Austin.

Johnny & Tessy

Austin is doing ok .. the chiro seemed like it helped at first, he was holding his head higher when he left (he hunches down). Though now it seems like he's slightly worse or at least the same. She said it would take a couple days to see if it helped. He's supposed to go back Tuesday as long as he's not a lot worse tomorrow I'll bring him back. She noted a spot in the lumbar region as well as the left side of the neck that is inflammed and out of whack. She did some adjustments, some laser therapy (which I honestly dont understand, but whatever ;)) and has suggested icing both regions if he'll tolerate it.

He's got a belly band now (and actually has not even tried to mark with it on) so more freedom in the house and I took that human "magnetic therapy" mattress, sliced it in half, covered it in a waterproof mattress cover and a soft blanket and "Presto" we have another super sweet, comfy orthopedic dog bed that's HUGE ;) He likes it ...

 

Karen, we've got our fingers crossed that Austin starts feeling better very soon.

I know that nobody likes to use prednisone, but sometimes a short course will really help reduce the inflammation quickly.  When Bevo initially hurt his neck, he was on pain relief, a mucscle relaxer, & an anti inflammatory.  He was miserable for almost a week, before I started insisting of trying something else.  After two doses of pred, he was comfortable & almost normal.

So that didn't work. He's much worse today and woke me up several times screaming in the night. I can barely get his pills into him at this point because he screams in terror or pain or both at the thought of opening his mouth and moving.  The tramdol is a nightmare because even coated in something he tries to chew it and then tries to spit it out as i'm trying to get it back into his mouth, screaming (which when a dog is screaming in pain you cannot get them to swallow, trust me), foaming saliva and pain ...  I got the Baytril into him only because it is flavored and small so when he was twsted on his side this morning I squeezed it into his mouth without touching anything else. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow when they are open and tell them that they need to x-ray at this point or do something else or put him down, this is horrible and riduculous to put him through. I have no doubt the valium Callie suggested would help but they won't give it ...  this situation reminds me of when she described her older dog, bunched up and twisted in pain, every muscle stiff in her body. He gets so freaked out that moving will hurt that he lays here stiff with his eyes wide in fear and screams now if you touch something that didnt' hurt before.

I wish you guys the best, whatever happens. Tell Austin we're giving him a couple of slobbery licks.

I could just cry for you and for Austin being in such agony.  I wish there was something I could suggest that hasn't been suggested already.  Sending you good vibes and I know you will do the right thing for Austin. 

Well we're off the emergency vet in a few hours ... I'm going to beg them for something else ... we'll also x-ray this evening that way if it is cancer we don't prolong this and then we'll know if this is treatable. i'm truly hoping some pred/muscle relaxants/valium will be offered. I'm hoping if they see how he spasms in fear & pain and can't relax enough to do anything but scream if touched they'll offer something more hardcore like valium or relaxants or both! He can't even sit up/down and won't eat anymore so we're not waiting until tomorrow. Basically he's a twisted lump on the floor right now. Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and vibes. Thank goodness for care credit! that way when his kennel mates run some tours this winter we can pay off whatever this will cost, he deserves it for all he's done for us touring and for his previous owner runing SIX Iditarods (and he completed all six by the way ...) :) We both agreed that if we can treat this and get him another healthy happy year of "house-dog" freedom we will. Hope you all have an awesome Thanksgiving ... eat lots of pumpkin pie for me, that's one we aren't making this year. Karen

Hope the emergency vet goes ok- and they can give him something to make him sleep at least. I know how hard it is to watch them like that- and you can't tell them what's going on.

My thoughts and prayers are with you guys. Hope you can have a Happy Thanksgiving as well!

Oh Austin, mummy going to try to make you better.  Hopefully she'll get you some better medicine for your aches and pains.  I know my dogs would never take medicine from me either until I started putting it in icecream for them.  Maybe mum can try this.

I'll send some positive healing vibes your way today.  You'll be in our thoughts and prayers.

Johnny & Tessy

Good luck -- giving a muscle relaxant really shouldn't be a major deal.  *sigh*

Good Luck at the vets! I really hope it helps!