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Dylan seems to have hurt himself...

kimy27

Well-known member
Hi, we're not sure how it happened but Dylan seems to have hurt something either in his front legs or his chest area. He seems to be in a bit of pain but is not yelping in agony or anything. He can walk okay but can't jump up on the couch or anything. Sometimes if he moves a certain way he is catching his breath like it hurts. He's definately not his usual self.

So my question is should we be taking him to the emergency vets or do you think it would be okay to wait until tomorrow to take him to his usual vet?

Thanks
 
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personally i would leave it till tomorrow and see how he is, if it gets worse then yes ring someone straight away, you could get some rimadyl to help with the pain, but then a vet wont be able to see how he is. di
 
If a dog is in noticeable pain, personally, I'd get him to the vet (consider whether you'd leave a child to manage the pain...). Alternatively you can give aspirin for mild pain; here's the dosage; keep in mind that a cavalier is VERY small and needs very little! Make sure the dosage is correct to the dog's weight to avoid a dangerous overdose.

http://www.placervillevet.com/aspirin.htm
 
Hope Dylan's doing ok:xfngr: sure you will be getting an appointment in the morning if he is no better. Its so hard knowing what to do, but your instincts will tell you what is right :)
 
Hi everyone. Dylan seems to be doing a lot better today. He is moving around a lot better. I tried to make an appointment with the vet anyway but they're closed for the bank holiday. I don't really feel like it's an emergency but will probably pop down to the vet tomorrow just to get him checked over.
 
It became apparent on Monday that it was actually Dylans back leg that was hurting him. We took him to the vet yesterday and it turned out that it's his knee that had popped out of place. The vet said that it is something that will probably keep happening. He said the only thing to do is give him pain medication. He also said that if ever the medication stops working we may need to consider an operation :eek:

Thankfully he seems to be doing much better now.
 
This is a luxating patella. Try doing a search on the topic on the board for further info, we have lots of previous threads on this topic and also there's a post in the Library section on luxating patellas. Many here have had dogs have this surgery.

Did the vet grade the luxation for you? Usually anything above a 2 would mean the dog really will need surgery. Generally the advice will be to keep the dog from jumping on/off things, running about too much, and definitely keep excess weight off (lean is better than any extra weight). Sometimes the knee will tighten up enough that you an avoid surgery. But if the dog needs surgery it does need to be done or can cause crippling arthritis when he gets a bit older.

BUT: as a matter of urgency, I would get a second opinion from a different vets or see an orthopedist -- I do not think an acceptable alternative to a needed surgery is just to give the dog pain medication!!! I am a bit surprised that was any vet's advice though maybe he just meant in the very short term as a once off. :( Also it is not desirable for him to spend his life on meds on and off, or continuously -- this needs to be addressed properly.

Please inform the breeder about this problem too. It is an important consideration for breeding and a reputable breeder will very much want such information to inform future breeding decisions (and to avoid the mating that has produced puppies with the problem).
 
Sorry to hear about Dylan - it's definitely best to get these things checked out and I really don't feel that any dog should be left on pain medication long term if it can be avoided. In my experience, if luxating patella is serious enough to require meds, then it is serious enough to require surgery.


Some vets are very anti aspirin - Dr Phil Zeltman kindly posts on here sometimes and issues a wonderful weekly newsletter - this was in a recent issue

An update on aspirin
My nurses would tell you it's impossible, but I may have found someone who hates aspirin more than I do!
I recently went to a conference on pain management given by Dr. Jamie Gaynor. Smart guy: he's a board-certified anesthesiologist, board-certified by the Academy of Pain Management, and a board-certified acupuncturist. He sub-specializes in pain management in Colorado Springs, CO.
He said that the only reason to use aspirin in a dog would be in extreme circumstances, such as "it's 2 cent aspirin pills or euthanasia."

In one study, aspirin caused bleeding in the stomach and intestine of 100% of dogs. The number one reported side-effect is anemia, or a low red blood cell count.

There are much better, much stronger, and much safer drugs that can be used in painful pets. Your vet can recommend what may be ideal for your pet's condition.

As a reminder, aspirin (and Tylenol) can be deadly in cats, so please never give it!



Dr Zeltman's website http://www.drphilzeltzman.com/
 
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