Tell Me Where It Hurts

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Postby maberi » January 28th, 2010, 10:35 am

I wish it was that easy...

Earl has been having a few episodes where he seems to be in a great deal of pain. The first one happened about 5 months ago and Heidi called me saying Earl seemed to be in a great deal of pain and didn't want to move. I had her take him into the vet to be checked out. They looked him over and did a bunch of range of motion tests and felt that he was having some pain in his front shoulder area but they couldn't determine the exact location. They ended up giving him some pain meds and told us to come back in if he didn't improve. After about a day of rest he was back to normal.

Yesterday Heidi called me at work and said that Earl was having another "episode".

His symptoms include:

Crying out when putting weight on his front end (going down stairs)
Hunched back
Sitting and not wanting to move
Glassy eyes (I'm attributing these to pain)
Sleeps a lot (again probably attributed to pain)
Still eating and drinking water

I've noticed Earl has slowed down a bit on our runs and is sleeping a bit more than usual (he is getting older).

I'd love to figure out what is going on with him but I'm not sure what the vet can do if we can't locate the exact place that is causing him discomfort.

Anyone ever dealt with anything like this? Sound like the beginning of arthritis? Could this be back or neck pain instead of shoulder pain? :|

Out of all of my dogs Earl is the last dog to show any pain even if he has really injured himself so it worries me that when these episodes occur he seems to be in so much pain.
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Postby Pit♥bull » January 28th, 2010, 10:48 am

Get xrays Matt... Trouble had the same symptoms :(
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Postby maberi » January 28th, 2010, 10:52 am

That was the vets suggestion if he didn't get better. Now that it has happened more than once I think it is for the best

Did they end up doing an xray of Trouble's top half and bottom half? Since I'm not sure where the pain is coming from I would assume they would need to do his full body
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Postby TheRedQueen » January 28th, 2010, 10:56 am

No ideas or advice...but good thoughts headed your way... :(
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Postby Pit♥bull » January 28th, 2010, 11:02 am

maberi wrote:That was the vets suggestion if he didn't get better. Now that it has happened more than once I think it is for the best

Did they end up doing an xray of Trouble's top half and bottom half? Since I'm not sure where the pain is coming from I would assume they would need to do his full body
The Vet discovered an unusual area (by feel) in Trouble's right front between the elbow and shoulder. Did an immediate xray and gave her a month at most. We didn't wait and got second opinion.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » January 28th, 2010, 11:20 am

I've got nothing to offer but wanted to send lots of good thoughts Earl's way!
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Postby TinaMartin » January 28th, 2010, 11:30 am

Poor puppy. I hope its nothing serious.
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Postby furever_pit » January 28th, 2010, 11:37 am

Poor Earl.
The xrays are a good idea. I hope it is nothing serious.
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Postby maberi » January 28th, 2010, 11:43 am

Thanks all, I'm having Heidi call the vet. She has the day off so she can take him in if they have an open slot

As we were talking last night we both noticed that Earl's water intake has increased quite a bit recently so I'm hoping it isn't anything serious.
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Postby Marinepits » January 28th, 2010, 12:10 pm

Awwwww, Earl. :(

It does sort of sound like maybe some arthritis or possibly some dysplasia. Katy had similar symptoms with her hips/back when her arthritis first started. Is he holding up either front paw or seeming like he doesn't want to put weight on either front leg? Hopefully the xrays will give you some answers.....
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Postby Malli » January 28th, 2010, 2:01 pm

My first thought was that it sounded like Oscar's Biceps Tendonitis, but then again, that is what I have most experience with front end lameness and discomfort.

Wes said back pain, and it did get me thinking, it can be very difficult to localize pack pain, did the Vet examine Earl for that?

Whatever the cause, I am glad you are taking him in, he does not sound like a sensitive dog and to be crying out in pain he must really be hurting.

I would suggest that you rest him for longer this time, at least 3-4 days and then slow leash walks after that.

maybe see if Heidi can ask for spinal xrays as well or ask what the vet thinks of the idea (if not too cost-prohibitive) and if you think he has been drinking more then bloodwork may also be a good idea to ask about.

Let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer.
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Postby maberi » January 28th, 2010, 2:25 pm

Heidi called me and said our vet was palpitating Earl's front end and she could definitely tell he is favoring his front left leg area. Earl growled at our vet which is completely out of character for a goofy Lab that loves everyone including her.

He is heading in for x-rays now. They are doing both his left and right side and his neck area as well. She spent a lot of time working his spinal area and rear end and didn't notice any painful areas along there. They are also doing a urinalysis

Hoping to know more in a few hours
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Postby Marinepits » January 28th, 2010, 2:33 pm

Fingers, toes, and paws crossed!
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Postby HappyChick » January 28th, 2010, 2:57 pm

I hope everything turns out o.k. for Earl. Poor guy.
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Postby BigDogBuford » January 28th, 2010, 3:02 pm

If he's panting a lot from being in pain, then his water consumption could be going up due to that.

Good thoughts!
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Postby TheRedQueen » January 28th, 2010, 3:48 pm

Good thoughts coming Earl's way...
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » January 28th, 2010, 3:50 pm

Lots of good thoughts for an easy fix for Earl! Keep us updated.
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Postby amazincc » January 28th, 2010, 4:19 pm

Awwww, Earl... :(

Tons of good thoughts going out to him... and update ASAP! :hug3:
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Postby maberi » January 28th, 2010, 4:46 pm

Well the vets do not think it is osteocarcinoma as it doesn't look like any they have ever seen before. They said that it appears Earl has an OCD (osteochondrosis) lesion on his shoulder joint area and possibly some soft tissue damage :|

Does anyone know anything about Osteochondritis Dissecans? Everything I read indicates it is something that develops in young dogs. Earl is almost 7 yrs old. Would something like this show up this late in life?

We are scheduling a follow up with an orthopedic specialist
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Postby TinaMartin » January 28th, 2010, 5:06 pm

Poor Earl. I hope its something that ends up being easy to treat.
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