Why can't they just speak??

fankino04

fankino04

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As some of you may know I have been having a bit of a time of it the last 3 and a bit weeks with my boy and his back problems. Having had much worsened symptoms due to side effects of a drug, then a huge improvement after the chiro treatment, x rays to double check, then a dodgy belly from a different drug, thought we were finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel then he starts having trouble emptying his bowels, read that the pardale can cause constipation (oh great!), but took him for his first walk today as the chiro said to pretty much let him choose how much exercise and he had been wandering around the house and garden lots the last few days (I think the uncomfortable belly from not going to the loo was making him unsettled), he wants to jog on his walk so I think fair enough if he's happy and might help get his bowels moving which it did 😁, now he's flaked out in the hall and I can't decide if his panting is pain or heat or what, why can't they just speak. (the panting did subside after a while so might be the weather as his coat is rather wooly where I haven't wanted to brush his tender back). So much to talk to vet about on Wednesday, I swear they think I have munchousen by proxy...
 
With the best will in the world Fankino, I think you should slow everything down a bit. My mature, but not elderly dog had a superficial wound on his paw at the same time as your boy started showing symptoms, nothing muscular, he had cage rest for ten days, only out for toilet breaks in the garden, he only got to start mooching/set his own pace in the garden/house a fortnight after it happened and then back to short walks after about three weeks. It has healed really well but only because I was careful. I have friends who are still struggling with similar injuries months after they happened because they wanted to get going again quickly.
Letting dogs choose their own pace when injured is not a good idea, some of them have no sense of self preservation, their drive will take them through any pain (or drugs will mask it) and then will suffer later. I know it's hard to keep them confined but it's really for the best in the short-term. The weather has also been really heavy and mine are both blowing after short periods of exercise.
 
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Thanks CC, I appreciate your point but the advice from the vets and chiro was to get him out since Thursday, I didn't take him out until this morning as he was still having the odd occasional "missed step" behind where he seemed to drop on his hind leg (didn't seem effected by it at all but it worried me so he had 2 - 3 spells a day out of his hall to wander round the garden etc then be put back on rest), unfortunately I think the lack of movement may be why he got bunged up then has been pacing through discomfort, he has done this before and I've had to run with him on the lead to get his insides moving again, so I took him out this morning in the hope that a more purposeful walk might be enough to get his bowels going again which it was so now I think he will rest better. He is not an overly active dog at any time, likes his own space and downtime and will just mooch so I know he won't hoon around the garden etc, he also has a very low pain threshold so will not want to get up if in pain as he demonstrated several times a few weeks ago when he was difficult to get out of the house to go to the vet. I will discuss exercise levels again with the vet on Wednesday though.
 
I'm happy with him walking around as much as he is comfortable with, I know from before the chiro treated him that when the OH has let him wander unattended after the onsior made him feel better that he would lay down and not move for the next day as he had overdone it so I'm pretty happy that I can tell from his response that the extra freedom over the weekend hasn't done him any harm but will definitely ask about something to help keep his bowels going.
 
I’ve always used liquid paraffin for canine constipation, I know how painful it is for me to run when I’ve had an injury so personally I wouldn’t be running an unsound dog under any circumstances
 
I wouldn't run him lev, I did allow him to have a very short slow jog (I was still walking) and it was enough to get him going again, he's 100% sound in straight lines just has the odd missed beat on tight turns (he doesn't need to turn tight but does keep circling of his own accord so mustn't be painful for him). I will ask the vet about liquid paraffin as obviously we use it when needed on horses so???
 
I use 1 tbsp pumpkin per meal but see how you go, I’ve never needed to use rhubarb but have heard it’s good. TBH my girls have canned pumpkin in their veggies on a regular basis as I feed raw
 
Thanks guys, I worry that paraffin might be a bit strong for him, he has a delicate stomach that goes the other way quite easily. On a happier note after yesterdays walk and short jog he was still happy and upbeat yesterday evening and straight up moving around this morning so lots of good things to discuss with the vet on Wednesday 😁
 
All positive from the vets yesterday, they say let him choose his exercise levels so jogging is fine, can't help with bowel movements as what is there is already very loose but with more movement he is going a bit more now. Been advised to take the meloxidyl out for now and see how he is just on pardale, approx another 6 weeks of recovery to go but all heading in the right direction finally 😁
 
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