Fingers Crossed for my Vet Visit!

[croman7]

Hey everyone!
I figured I'd post my story on here and hopefully all your good vibes will help! I'll apologize now... i just looked over my story, and it's really long! :S sorry!
My little Cocker-Pug, Tovi, is sick Since Monday, he's been...weird... He won't come down the stairs (or go up them any more). He seems afraid of them. I tried touching his whole body to see if he's hurt, and it seems there's something near his right back leg (hip area) that's bothering him. Now, normally he's a very gentle dog, just lounges around all day and loves to follow people EVERYWHERE. He's not very energetic, but once you initiate play or a walk - he's thrilled to be doing it. but he'd also be content if you watched movies for a week straight as long as he could cuddle with someone. He's 3, going to be 4 in July. He has a very good appetite (ok, he's chunky...) and is the most loving dog in the world! He will allow ANYTHING without getting mad at people (the kids sit on him, pull his tail(the babies), dress him up, put him on a leash and lead him around the house all day,etc. every time they visit) so it's rare to see a reaction out of him, making it harder to tell what's wrong with him.

I first noticed he was acting strange when he wouldnt come downstairs with me Monday morning. I just thought he was being lazy, and didnt want to go for a pee just yet. So i called him a few more times, and looked up to see him sitting at the top of the stairs. I called again, and he reluctantly did 2 steps, and sat down. Since I had to go to work, I just carried him down. He walked back up to bed when I was leaving. He wouldnt come down later in the day for my bf...who had to carry him too. I rubbed him all over to see if he was hurting, and when i went over his hip area on the right side, he sort of gave me a funny look and grunted a little (he's half pug, so he grunts all the time, but this was a different grunt. like a "don't do that." grunt). I was thinking maybe he just pulled a muscle or something, adn it hurt to do stairs, so I was going to watch him for a few days. He ate dinner monday no problem. He was also drinking his usual amount. Monday night I slept with him in the spare bed. He tossed and turned all night. He was awake every 15 minutes (so was I) and every now and then he would breathe fast and heavy (almost like hyperventilating) which I understand is a common reaction to pain in dogs. It's also unusual for him to toss and turn. usually he's a log. He must have been adjusting to compensate for the painful side.

Tuesday morning he had to be carried down the stairs again. My bf watched him during the day. He said that he would still run to the window and bark at passing things like normal...he just wouldnt do the stairs! He went to my in-laws place during the evening because we went to the Jets game. They said he wouldnt jump up on the couch without them lifting him, and he laid still all night. He wouldnt eat for them. (sometimes he refuses to eat the food at their house because it's not the same brand...so this is only half-weird.)

Last night I slept with him on the couch, cuz I figured we'd try to keep him on the main floor rather than carrying him up and down (probably us hoisting him up isnt great for his sore area anyways, so we're going to avoid having to pick him up). I did have to lift him onto the couch. He slept through the night (or i think he did. Every time i woke up, about 4 times, he was asleep.) but this morning he wouldnt jump off the couch again. He's still doing the funny breathing every now and then, and if I try to pet the right side of him he grunts.

oh, i should also mention, his ears seem warm. i think he may have a mild fever. It's not ROASTING hot like where i'd need to panic, but he does feel warmer than usual. this happens often when he's not feeling well.

I figured that we would monitor him and take him in if he doesnt get better...and at this point i'm announcing defeat. I called the vet. We're going tomorrow. I HATE having to go to the vet. 99% of the time, my dogs wind up healing themselves, and i pay 500-800$ per visit just to rule things out. I had this happen with my other dog in the summer (they thought he had Parvo. We waited 2 days of diahrea before we took him in. they ran a bunch of tests... took 3 days for the results, and in that 3 days he bounced back and was totally normal. never did find out what he had, but tests came back negative for everything we tested. $750 for that bout of vet trips. soooo frustrating!) I'm of course worried that he did fall and hurt something inside, but since he was eating and drinking,and his poops and pees were normal (in size, color, frequency, etc) and no vomiting, we thought we'd wait a cpl days. He hasnt really shown any improvement, so I figure it's time to take him in. especially with the long weekend coming up... Emergency Vet is even worse for $$$! dont wanna do that!
SO! After this whole long drawn out story... I'm hoping you can share your good vibes with my puppy and myself. I hope he did just pull a muscle or bruise himself playing or something, and it'll heal soon. I didn't witness anything, but when the two dogs start running and playing, funny things happen. They race up and down the stairs like no tomorrow (the husky can jump up the stairs in 2 leaps!) it's entirely possible that they collided or slipped... they've also been known to run so fast around the corner that they lose their footing and slide into nearby walls. None of this has been witnessed recently, but you never know what they do when we're not around or not looking. I hope it's something like that...an accident that will heal on its own. or something fixable and quick, painless, and hopefully not too expensive. I also hope that it doesnt cost a ton of money to reach this diagnosis. Anyone with pets knows how stressful the vet can be. (and really, if you had the wrong vet, they could probably get you to spend unneccesary money to do unneccesary tests because they know how much we love our pets and how desperate we are to keep them healthy!... I hope my vet is kind and efficient and only does the tests necessary for a quick diagnosis.)

ANYWHO... Positive thoughts are greatly appreciated! Also, if anyone has had a dog with a similar reaction - what did you do? what did it wind up being?
Thanks in advance... Have a great day SCers!
~C

[Natalka]

Aw, so sorry he's got troubles. Hoping it's something minor, and that he's back to his same self in no time!

[VeeVee]

Sacha (my lil pup) and I wish Tovi the best! Keep us updated!!

[Lynn49]

I hope your little one is bouncing around very soon and that if anything is wrong, your vet will detect it and solve the riddle of why Tovi isn't feeling well. We worry about them so much when they're ill...I wish you and little Tovi all the best..Please keep in touch...

[walkonby]

My two Shih Tzu's send best wishes to Tovi for a quick diagnosis at the vet. I understand the worry over the vet costs, that is one unavoidable expense if we want a professional opinion. best of luck.

[croman7]

Thanks guys! I just came back from lunch and all your wishes from yourselves and your little furbabies made me smile I love SCers

[avoncallingu]

Best of luck with finding a cure for what ails you little doggie! Sounds definitely like he's done something to his hip. My two pooches and I send our good vibes - I hope he's calm at the vet. One of ours is fine - the other one had a scare and he HATES the vet. It's no fun either way being "probed" - but hoping that the care you are showing to Tovi brings about good results for him soon!

[glowworm2k]

Here's hoping for all the best for you and Tovi at the vet's office. I've certanily had my share of ups and downs with my two kitties (who are now getting into old age!), so I can really understand where you're coming from, both in terms of your concern for Tovi and for your wallet!

All the best!

[jknmomma]

My fur babies..Cooper and Deuce send our thoughts and prayers for a quick and speedy recovery

[toban]

I'm sending good vibes and best wishes to you and Tovi. It's difficult when a pet is sick. I hope the vet finds out the problem and Tovi recovers soon.

[MortgageQueen]

SoSorry to hear about Tovi's troubles. I know just how you feel. I had an issue with my kitty about a month ago (she stopped eating completely) I was worried sick but same as you wanted to avoid (often useless) costly tests. $550 later. .I brought her home and she started eating. . .little bugger!
Problem is. . . you just don't know, right? You just have to make the best judgement you can. You've obviosly been fretting about it alot. . so that tells me you made the right decision to take Tovi in. . REGARDLESS of the outcome.
I know we're all anxiously waiting to find out, so let us know when you can.
yours truly,
the SC support staff lol!

[darwinsmistake]

i hope everything works out and its something minor

keep you're chin up and good luck let us know

[Lynn49]

Anxious to hear the news about Tovi...what did the vet say? How's he doing?

[gameprogirl]

I hope he is ok Poor little guy, I hate when animals get hurt or ill.

[croman7]

Hey guys! I'm back! It went well. The vet did his exam, and said he suspected it to be an injury to the muscle. He prescribed some anti-inflamatories, and didnt ask to run any other tests! It came to $92. That's pretty good for a vet visit - possibly my lowest bill ever. Still sucks, cuz I didnt have a "spare" pile of cash for it, but i'll make it work. the good news is that i extended my shift at my part time job on sunday...it's a 15hr shift now, so that OT will easily cover the vet bill. Yay. Tovi had his first dose last night around 4pm, and by 6 he was willing to walk down the 3 steps to go outside for a pee (prior to that i had to nudge him to go down or carry him). We can already tell that they were helping his pain. he's still a bit of a blob, but the vet said to give him a week and he should feel better.
Thanks for all your good vibes, they seem to have worked!
The vet DID, however, give me heck for Tovi being porky. (Like I didnt know that..) But i was impressed...last time i was there, they just tried to sell me some diet pill thing. I said no. THIS time, he sent in a Vet Tech, and she asked me what food he's on. she went and calculated the calories that he SHOULD be getting in a day, and gave me a prescriped amount of food per day. she also allotted 63cals/day for treats. She was super helpful, didnt try to force me to change to their food, and gave me a measuring cup to measure his food. She also said to bring him back in a month, and we'll reassess how he's doing. Her changes only made him get about 1/3c less per day, so he likely wont be too bothered by it. She also said he can have fruits and veggies mixed into his diet if i feel like he's not getting enough food. Because he's half pug, she advised to be very careful about over-exerting him. She was saying that pugs have a hard time with breating at the best of times, so i shouldnt run him at all. she said walks were ok (which is what we were doing, but i did try to make him run every now and then). I am excited to start him on a better lifestyle. i've been trying for over a year to change his food, or up his exercise, but nothing ever worked. Hopefully measuring it specifically will help him. The vet says he wants him to lose 15lbs, but i have a feeling that's unrealistic. I think about half of that would be great. I dont want him to be overweight, but he's half spaniel half pug, and i think he favors the spaniels height... I think he'll be fine at about 42lbs (he's 50 now). EITHER WAY... Tovi will be fine from his injury, and he's on track to lose a few pounds and be extra healthy soon! I also found a stuffed monkey on clearance from Valentines day for 3.97 that i got for him, so he's happy about that too. Tundra steals it though, but that's how things go in our house! :p

:D Yay. Thanks everyone! I hope all your furbabies that wished Tovi luck get an extra special treat tonight! (a bone? an extra long walk? extra cuddles? a new toy?)
Happy Friday Everyone!!