I don't know how he did it, but I suspect that there was too much hilarity yesterday evening when he and Kinsey got back (with my hubby Ronnie) from an agility trial in Arkansas. At which he did great by the way - got another leg toward his Standard title with a first place!
But anyway, Teddy had some excess energy from the trip - and his sister Topper was REALLY excited to see him and they played pretty hard for a while. I think Ted just landed wrong, or maybe zigged when he should have zagged... either way, by this morning he was one unhappy pup.
So he got an adjustment, and is on anti-inflammatories and feels somewhat better already. Still very sad though - here he is with his ice pack:
He'll have to be quiet for a few days, and will have to miss the agility trial this weekend. But hopefully he will be back to normal in a couple of weeks.
But no more of this for a long time:
6 comments:
Acupuncture!!! Hope he feels better soon. Mystery spine pain is not fun.
Last picture: FLYING DANES!!! We're all screwed. Now no one is safe from the slobber and gigantic paws.
Miss you Barb! Can't wait for Christmas when I come home and we can finally all hang out :-)
Thanks Jennifer! Teddy would definitely agree with you. He's better, not great. He's got an appointment with the acupuncturist but the soonest we could get in isn't for a few more weeks so we are trying to get him worked in sooner.
Kate: HA!! I never thought of that... I'm glad they can't fly!!
Hope to see you soon!
Hi! I found your blog through another blog (dont remember which) and was reading your old posts... Darwin (our 1year old blue female) is having similar back/spine problems (too much rough-housing with her doggy dad or fighting with her doggy mom while we were out of town). She's currently been perscribed rimadyl and tramadol... we've been giving her one tablet of each a day (rimadyl in the morning, tramadol at night) and I was just curious of your take on those drugs.
Thanks! Brooke and Darwin
Hi Brooke! and Welcome!
And I hope that Darwin is feeling better!
In my opinion (and remember I am NOT a vet!) tramadol is pretty much a wonder drug when it comes to pain management in dogs. It is a different class of medication from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Rimadyl, Metacam, etc. so it can be given with them safely. And it often is - the two medications together are often very effective.
The main side effects I have heard of from tramadol is that it can make dogs feel sleepy - this however can also be a reaction to pain relief if the individual is just exhausted from hurting.
If you do a search on rimadyl you will find pages and pages of articles and testimonials talking about how dangerous it is - and some dogs have died from taking it. However, don't panic! Rimadyl has also been the most widely prescribed nsaid for the past 10+ years, and millions and millions of dogs have taken it safely. The cases of death that I have read have all been due to liver failure, and no labwork was done before starting the dogs on the medication. so it is very possible that those dogs had pre-existing liver problems and the rimadyl was just the last straw.
To be safe, I like to do at least a check of liver and kidney function before starting one of the nsaid drugs and then again in a week or two. If they are on it long-term, bloodwork every 6 months or so is a good idea. Of course, depending on your particular dog's condition and history, your vet may recommend something different.
As for my dogs, I've never had any trouble with tramadol, rimadyl or Metacam. And they certainly have helped them recover from injuries, and made the lives of some of my old dogs much more comfortable.
As for Darwin, one tablet of each actually sounds like a low dosage at least with the size tablets I have gotten. If she is feeling better, great! But if she is still hurting, talk to your vet about increasing the dose. And if she hasn't had any bloodwork recently, ask him about that as well.
Good luck!
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