My dog is real sick.

[N80]

Thanks man.

 

[SCDolphin]

Any chance of a snake bite

 

[N80]

Any chance of a snake bite

Possible this time of year. But, no swelling anywhere.

 

[N80]

Whatever happens she'll get through and probably do it better than her dad. I know mine did.

I'm still amazed at the maturity with which she handled losing the horse.

 

[nolefan]

I hope Dash comes out of it okay. We had a Rottie that had an immune defiency disease that caused her platelets to crash every so often. She was diagnosed when she was around 6 yrs old. I don't even want to think about how much we paid in vet bills over the years but I would do it all over again. She lived until she was 11 and up until the end she lived a full life. Each persons situation is different and you have to do not only whats best for your family but for Dash as well. Good luck, I wish you and Dash the best.

On a side note don't hesitate to take him to a different vet for a second opinion.

 

[arrow]

George, If it means anything, my wife concurs with just about everything that has been diagnosed. She thinks it is a pinch injury with perhaps a clot which causes tremendous pain. If it is a clot, the pain dissipates as the area turns numb. She thinks there might be two injuries. One sustained at the front first then as Dash attempted to compensate, he hurt the spinal area just where the rib cage stops or ends. This is a very weak area for a dog and she has seen this type of injury quite a bit. She thinks it wise to go with the MRI at this point as it will give you an answer or you can just wait and see. If Dash is showing an improvement with steroids, that is a good sign. Anti inflammatories will also show improvement

 

[jas67]

... third (Black Female Lab) is still going but starting to get weak in the hind end at nine years of age and the fourth is only ten months old and going strong....

If your 9 year old is anything like my 8 year old Black Female Lab, she probably wants to play with your pup, or at least tries to.

 

[N80]

Nolefan, the local vet has already recommended that if he does not improve that we get him into a specialty care center.

Thanks arrow, I appreciate you asking her. The local vet gave us the brochure for the specialty clinic I mentioned above. They have MRI and surgeons that specialize in disk and spine problems.

It is hard to tell if there are two injuries or not. That's what I initially suspected because the front and back legs are involved. But, after doing some reading I found that neck lesions in dogs can cause back leg symptoms as well as front. This is possible in humans too (I'm a people doctor) but is very uncommon.

I'm hoping he will continue to improve on the prednisone but this facility in nearby Charlotte looks very sophisticated.

 

[Eagleview]

You probably don't feel like answering any more questions so you might just think about these , have you checked for a Tick ? First things to go are the back legs , they can just manage to pee with a bit of help . The anti venom works overnight and costs $200 AU .

Also , with what you say about neck injury , is your dog on the chain . Would it run to the end of the chain to chase a cat or something . Sudden stop at the end could twist the neck .

If it were me , I would first check for a Tick , if no Tick , I would wait and see what the anti inflammatories did in a week or so .