CavyMom
Well-known member
Hi, I was an active member on this forum a year or two ago, and got busy with other things on my life and didn't get on much. I'm now back to seek the expertice and advise and am praying some of you may be able to help me find a way to help my beloved Amber.
Some back ground - In February of 09 I took Amber to a UKC dog show in Utah, she did beautifully but upon returning home (at the time in Las Vegas, a good 8 hour drive) I first noticed Amber just wasn't right. She was hiding in her crate when I got up the next morning and I became very concerned, Amber always slept on the bed, I'd never known her to hide like that! When I tried to get her to come out and gently tugged her collar she just screamed, when I coaxed her out she was holding her neck funny, and seemed painful everywhere. I took her to the vet that said it was just a pinched nerve, put her on steroids, and she did improve for a while, but has never been the same since. Usually a few days on Rimadyl, and Tramadol as well for really bad episodes has her back to normal in 2-3 days.
Amber has always been a fly chaser (usually imaginary, ESPECIALLY if she's outside - She'll spend HOURS chasing nothing at all if I don't make her come back inside!), air licker, and air scratcher. All I've read now can be big red flags for SM.
Now fast forward 16 months, my poor Amber is once again having a very bad episode, usually these have been triggered by something (to active the day before, a trip, a change in our routine, etc), but this time nothing at all has changed, and I can't touch my dog anywhere above her shoulders or she just screams, and it's just killing me! I can't stand seeing my dog in pain like this, I love her to much!!! This dog is my heart dog, she has been my loyal and loving companion since the entered my home, I've got her on the Rimadyl and Tramadol as I have in the past, but it doesn't seem to be helping her much, and all the vets here seem to want to do is treat the pain, but I'm not convinced this is just a pinched nerve, especially after a year and a half and it hasn't gone away!
What are others opinions, does this sound like SM? Is there anything I can do for my dog? Is there a way I can find a vet that would know the symptoms and could help me determine if that's what is causing Amber's pain and discomfort? I have a kind of tight budget right now, I can't afford thousands of dollars for an MRI, but I will spend what ever it takes to get to the bottom of Amber's problems and get her some relief! I am so afraid if I can't find a way to help her soon I'll be left with no choice but to put her down, I can't just let her suffer, but that is the LAST thing I even want to consider, I love this dog more then anything else and want to help her, but if there is nothing that can be done to relieve her pain I will not just keep her alive in pain and suffering like she is! I took her to the vet today, and he just told me to continue with the Rimadyl and Tramadol. I've gone to several vets over the last 16 months, and none of them have offered me anything better to help her, I don't want a quick fix, I don't want a pain killer, I want an answer to the CAUSE of her pain so I can seek out treatment options to improve her quality of life!
Some back ground - In February of 09 I took Amber to a UKC dog show in Utah, she did beautifully but upon returning home (at the time in Las Vegas, a good 8 hour drive) I first noticed Amber just wasn't right. She was hiding in her crate when I got up the next morning and I became very concerned, Amber always slept on the bed, I'd never known her to hide like that! When I tried to get her to come out and gently tugged her collar she just screamed, when I coaxed her out she was holding her neck funny, and seemed painful everywhere. I took her to the vet that said it was just a pinched nerve, put her on steroids, and she did improve for a while, but has never been the same since. Usually a few days on Rimadyl, and Tramadol as well for really bad episodes has her back to normal in 2-3 days.
Amber has always been a fly chaser (usually imaginary, ESPECIALLY if she's outside - She'll spend HOURS chasing nothing at all if I don't make her come back inside!), air licker, and air scratcher. All I've read now can be big red flags for SM.
Now fast forward 16 months, my poor Amber is once again having a very bad episode, usually these have been triggered by something (to active the day before, a trip, a change in our routine, etc), but this time nothing at all has changed, and I can't touch my dog anywhere above her shoulders or she just screams, and it's just killing me! I can't stand seeing my dog in pain like this, I love her to much!!! This dog is my heart dog, she has been my loyal and loving companion since the entered my home, I've got her on the Rimadyl and Tramadol as I have in the past, but it doesn't seem to be helping her much, and all the vets here seem to want to do is treat the pain, but I'm not convinced this is just a pinched nerve, especially after a year and a half and it hasn't gone away!
What are others opinions, does this sound like SM? Is there anything I can do for my dog? Is there a way I can find a vet that would know the symptoms and could help me determine if that's what is causing Amber's pain and discomfort? I have a kind of tight budget right now, I can't afford thousands of dollars for an MRI, but I will spend what ever it takes to get to the bottom of Amber's problems and get her some relief! I am so afraid if I can't find a way to help her soon I'll be left with no choice but to put her down, I can't just let her suffer, but that is the LAST thing I even want to consider, I love this dog more then anything else and want to help her, but if there is nothing that can be done to relieve her pain I will not just keep her alive in pain and suffering like she is! I took her to the vet today, and he just told me to continue with the Rimadyl and Tramadol. I've gone to several vets over the last 16 months, and none of them have offered me anything better to help her, I don't want a quick fix, I don't want a pain killer, I want an answer to the CAUSE of her pain so I can seek out treatment options to improve her quality of life!