Back Problems?

[leighan]

Hi, this is my first time posting on here, although I've been appreciately reading all that you've posted for a good while now.
My question today concerns one of my 2 minis. He's tiny....7 1/2 lbs or so, and almost 3 yrs old.
He has avoided one "slippery" staircase in our house since he slipped once. Two nights ago, he somehow got out of bed without me noticing and I was awakened by him whimpering in the living room. He whimpers at the bottom of the staircase when he wants to be carried up.
My concern now is that he may have injured himself during that night. He's avoiding a small staircase now...one that's carpeted.
He's still running around, eating fine, sleeping fine, but he just seems more timid and tentative than normal. I'm wondering if he just scared himself that night, or if he could have some disc damage. Does anyone have experience with this? Would his symptoms be much more obvious?
Sorry for this LONG post.

[Courtney]

Welcome!! And your post is not long at all! :)

If he was acting a little off, it could be a very early sign of trouble. It does sound like he may have just scared himself, if he is not acting any differently and still moving around great. Does he let you pick him up and hold him? If so, he is probably OK. But again, I'm not a vet and I can't see him!

There is a lot of great info at Dodgerslist. http://dodgerslist.com/

Check that out and see if that helps, or let us know if you have any more questions.

Great to have you here!

[leighan]

Ah, you guys are INCREDIBLE! Thanks so much for the quick responses.
Yes, he lets me pick him up, and he does trot outside to go to the bathroom with his tail held high. I've even gotten him to play a vigorous game of tug. I think the fact that he's avoiding another short staircase, and the fact that he seems to carry his tail between his legs more often are worrying me. But. I'm REALLY neurotic about these dogs! And, it has been awfully cold and snowy the last few days and he does tend to act pathetically when he's cold.
I may just make a vet appt in case.

[Jen]

:welcome2: to the DLC!

Excellent advice given by Courtney. The two times my Tasha had back problems, she slowed down, didn't want to play as much, slept more, there were signs like that before she got all hunched up. Sounds like your little one may just have scared himself. You can read up on the Toe Test on Dodgerslist and try that. Let us know what happens!!

Could you place a baby gate in front of the staircase at night so no more night adventures can occur?

[Jen]

Tail between the legs? Hmm, it might not hurt to have him checked out.

[Rae]

good advice given, and you are right at home being neurotic about your dogs. Many of us are "crazy dog ladies" and that is perfectly acceptable here.

I agree about the tail between the legs but have to say that Duchie acts weird when there is snow to so :scratch: who the heck can know for sure?

A healthy respect for or even fear of those stairs might (in my not-a-vet opinion) be a good thing- it is sometimes the fearless ones who get hurt badly.

Good job, mommy, for noticing that he is not acting just exactly right. That can make all the difference in the world in early treatment when there is a problem. :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: and please keep us posted. I think a vet appointment for peace of mind is not a bad idea.

[leighan]

I normally have our door shut, but for human child reasons, we had it open on Saturday night. He was interested in the sleepover occurring!
I should mention that he goes down the long staircase fine, even since that night.
And, as luck would have it, my vet has no openings until next week. I guess I'll keep an eye on him, and if anything looks different, I'll beg for an appointment.

[Lisa]

:welcome11 :welcome7: :welcome11 to the DLC! I am very happy you have joined us and I am sorry to hear about your baby.

I think a vet visit is a good idea, also please don't play tug-of-war with him until you know for sure he is okay. It puts a lot of stress on their back and might further aggravate an injury. The link Courtney put up is awesome, they have so much wonderful back care information. Please keep us posted as to how he is doing though and what your vet says.

Jen's suggestion of a baby gate is wonderful as well.

We LOVE pictures!! So hopefully when everyone is feeling well we can see your little cutie pies. Again, so thrilled you have joined our little family! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[Lisa]

Ooops, I was typing at the same time you posted. Okay, hopefully he just got a big scare. Lots of healing rayz for him. :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

[leighan]

Thanks, I did go to the links. The problem is that I'm sure I'm making myself see all of the things to look for. Thanks for advising me against tug-of-war. I never thought about it as being more stressful should something be wrong. I was trying to use it to prove that he's fine! I'm going to watch him carefully tonight.

[Rae]

you are obviously a great mommy to your furkids, and I bet you are awesome with the hooman ones too. Best of luck for it to be a bad case of paranoia!

When Duchie had her fibrocartilaginous embolism, I did everything except measure and weigh her poops to see exactly what she was doing differently, then I could never remember if it was really really different or if I was just paying obscenely close attention!

hang in there and don't let it drive you crazy.

[leighan]

That's exactly it. It's hard to tell if he's actually acting funny, or if I'm paying hyperclose attention to everything. I seriously never worry this much about the human children! (I guess that's because when they want me to know something, it's loud and clear)

[leighan]

Oh, and here's a link to a picture of my crazy 2, wrestling, as usual. It was too big to load here.
http://www.claycazier.com/images/miscpics/DSCN0181%20(WinCE).JPG

[Patt]

:welcome10 to DLC. Great advice given, I highly recommend a vet visit S.A.P. Cute pic of your crazy 2!

Sending get well :rayz: :rayz: to your furbaby.

[Lisa]

http://www.claycazier.com/images/miscpics/DSCN0181%20(WinCE).JPG

Great picture! Your two are simply :awww: dorable.

[LUVMYGUNNER]

I would try to keep him as quiete as possible and I would have him avoid stairs for the time being--please do check in with Dodgerslist they have great info. Gunner and Petunia only have to do one stair going in and out and we have a ramp for them to go on the couch.

[JanUet]

The two times my Tasha had back problems, she slowed down, didn't want to play as much, slept more, there were signs like that before she got all hunched up. Sounds like your little one may just have scared himself. You can read up on the Toe Test on Dodgerslist and try that. Let us know what happens!!

Sorry to jump on the :welcome2: Wagon a bit late.........
:Welcome1: to the DLC family :cheer2:

Jen has given you Great advice, when my Sophie had a back problem. She slowed right down, slept alot and the biggest tell tale sign was she was all hunched up. I took her to the vet and had xrays taken and then put her on predisone. Her spine was fine and so was her back but she did hurt it(perhaps twisted it).
We still don't know how:confused:

Is there any changes in his behaviour? Please keep us posted.

[Laurie' s Dachshunds]

Hi, some how I missed you post last night.
:welcome2: to DLC as you already see, we are always helping one another out in anyway we can. I would take my lil' one to the vet to get checked out. You have minis? They are a little more fragile than 'tweenies or standards. Dogerlist has the best info. on back trouble.
You have 2 lil' cuties. Thanks for sharing their picture.
We hope you :hearts: it here & look forward to seeing more posts.

[oceangirls]

Hi Leighan! I am a little late on this too. You are the best judge of your pup's behavior... if he seems like he is uncomfortable or "guarding" since it happened, a vet visit sometime soon probably isn't a bad idea. He might have just pulled a muscle. I think as long as you keep him fairly calm for the next several days (haha easier said than done), he probably won't exacerbate the problem.

[lotsadox]

Great advice given. If you have access to a veterinary neurologist, I'd take her in. If nothing else a mylogram would ease your mind about the state of her back.

[leighan]

I took Hendrix, my mini, to the vet this morning.
As I suspected, he was in pain. The doctor determined that he had C5 neck vertebra injury- I'm assuming from trying to climb the "slippery stairs" in the middle of the night and then falling.

The vet said that this injury is common to all dogs; being a doxie did not make him any more prone to the injury in this area.
So, he's had an anti-inflammatory injection, was sent home with pills for the next week, and has to "rest", which will be easier said than done. I left him at home, confined in an exercise pen, since he's really unused to a crate. I'm only hoping that Roxy, his buddy, won't try to get into the pen with him.

Anyone have experience with making a dog "rest"?
Thanks again, all of you, for your kind words and help!!

[Nancy]

I'm sorry to hear the little guy is injured! i'm sure with rest he will be fine!

[Lisa]

Lots of rayz for your little one. :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz:

I think keeping in the X-pen is a great idea if he's not used to being in a crate. The meds might help make him sleepy too. The most important thing is jumping and stairs. If he has any stairs to go potty, carry him down them and place him on the ground, if you can afford a ramp to the couch (if he's a couch dog?) then they really can help a lot...same for the bed.

I know we have others who can offer you much better advice.

[lotsadox]

I agree with Lisa. Having been through major back problems twice with dachsies and several lesser episodes, keeping them confined with no stairs or jumping is essential for a good recovery. If he isn't used to a crate, it's better to keep him in an x-pen. I carried mine out to potty and put them on a leash when they were on the ground just in case a squirrel came by. I didn't want them running off and hurting themselves even more.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[leighan]

Oh, thanks, that's great advice. I'd planned on carrying him a lot. It's just when we're not home during the day that's the question. I told the vet that I was reluctant to crate him, because I thought it would be more traumatic for him.
I'm just glad that after today, someone can be home with him for the next 4 days. He's such an active little peanut....always hopping onto the furniture and jumping down when he hears the slightest noise. We'll have to be very vigilant!

[oceangirls]

I'm sorry he's hurt, but at least glad to hear it is a common injury with good prognosis.:rayz: :rayz: :rayz: :bigrayz:

[Frzframe]

I'm sorry he is hurting but you did good noticing so fast. Many :bigrayz: :bigrayz:'s to help the healing process.

Oh and :welcome2:

[Jen]

I'm so sorry to hear that it is an injury. :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for a quick recovery!

I've been thru back problems twice with Tasha, once with a month of rest, once with two weeks. We carried her to her potty spot, and carried her home (and her potty spot is 4 blocks from home, since we're in an apt). No playing with toys, and extra cheweys to give her mouth a little exercise, if her legs couldn't!

We do have a ramp for the couch, I highly recommend buying or making one.

[Lisa]

Also for his collar / harness, I am not sure what kind you use, but the hug-a-dox is excellent, you want something that won't put extra pressure on the injured area.

[Jen]

YES! Thank you Lisa. We've been using a hug-a-dox ever since Tasha's first back problem. Its much safer than a collar!

[leighan]

Thanks for the advice about collars/harnesses. We're lucky enough to have a fenced backyard, so it's not an issue except for occasionally.


I just went home on a break from work, and oh, NEITHER of them is happy about hendrix being in the pen! It's going to be a long, unhappy road for him!