To be clear this is not an April Fools joke….but it sure felt like it at the time!
The hubby and I have two very happy and (knock on wood) healthy pets, Dex and Chloe. Chloe is a six year old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. She has a minor heart murmur that is under control with exercise and healthy diet. Then we have Dex, a five year old yellow lab that aside from some digestive issues after licking grill goo is very healthy. Until last week…
While visiting my parents Dex developed soreness/pain while jumping up and down from surfaces. He yelped/cried when he tried. Not finding any outward signs of injury we kept him quiet for a few days to ease what we thought was probably a pulled muscle. And for most of the week he continued to show no interest in jumping up and down off the couch or bed. He did absolutely fine running, eating, drinking, and playing. Then last Saturday came…
After having their supper and evening constitutional the pups settled in for their naps. I took up residence on the couch to catch up on my DVR. I turned around to see my lab hunched on his back haunches, ears laid back, and shaking visibly on his pet bed. To say I freaked out is an understatement…I yelled for my husband who came running. Dex didn’t want to stand or move his back legs. They were stiff and shaking. My husband had to carry all 90 pounds of him to our car to take him to the Emergency clinic down the road.
Upon reaching the clinic and getting settled into the exam room, our dog for no apparent reason began acting normally again. The (very sweet and lovely vet) examined him and found no muscle, skeletal, or neurological issues. So 15 minutes and $100 later we walk out of the clinic with doggy NSAID pain relievers and orders to keep him calm for a week.
I was half mad at myself for freaking out and half relieved that nothing serious was wrong. After five years of doggy ownership, this was our first “emergency”. And it scared the crap out of me. Lord help my husband and I when we have human kids, lol.
Have you ever had a puppy false alarm? How did you handle it?
(This is Dex’s sad face because he can’t go for walks or play Frisbee for a week)
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 
I’m not a dog owner but I totally flipped out when one of my cats bit into one of those glow in the dark necklaces. The fluid in it got into his mouth. He started spitting and foaming at the mouth. It just means you love your baby!!! 🙂
Rachelle, did the vet do an x-ray of Dex’ spine? His systems sound like a disc issue. Every Chihuahua I’ve had has had disc issues from jumping up and down, and they exhibit the same type of systems as Dex did. This is common in dogs who are jumpers. If the vet didn’t x-ray the spine, I’d take him back and have it done, just as a precaution. However, all they will do is give you paid killers and tell you to keep his quiet for a while. You’ll notice he’ll start jumping up and down once the meds start working. With that said, you don’t need to take a chance, get his spine checked out. You’re a wonderful mom to your fur-babies and you’ll be an even better mom to a human baby. Our fur-babies give us practice, smile.
Glad your puppy is ok!
You bet! We once spent a whole Sunday in the ER Vet because our Josie was really restless, was turning around in circles and moaning. Scared us to death! She was constipated and after two enemas, made a speedy recovery. Cost us a couple hundred bucks but the nice vet earned it – he gave the enemas. ; ). Glad your baby is OK. Scary, though, I know.
They will age you sure as kids. Glad he’s going to be okay!
Its so ironic to read your post because my baby (mini schnauzer) Sammie has been experiencing similar issues…she won’t jump up on the chair or couch like usual but she jumps down and runs around like nothing is wrong. We had a similar scenario about 2 years ago and the vet said she probably pulled a muscle and would be back to normal in a couple of weeks. It’s been about a week so if she’s not ‘back to normal’ next week I guess we’ll be off to the vet again.
I can totally relate to you freaking out and I’ve often joked with my husband that I could never handle children because I’m such a basket case with my Sammie. I hope your baby is back to normal very soon 🙂
Awe… it’s tough when they can’t speak to let you know where it hurts! Hope Dex is his old self again by now! 🙂 ❤