Pointless Announcements

Poor Stanley is having a bad day.

Woke up fine. Went outside around 8:30-9am. Usually, unless it's super nice outside, he's out there 10 minutes max and then wants to come in. Half an hour later I look out the back door to check on him. He's laying in the grass, looks like he's napping, so I leave him be. Probably half an hour later I check on him again, he's still laying there. My wife (I was working from home, she was off today) says she thinks something is wrong with him. She calls him to the door and he's walking very slowly with his head down and tail between his legs, definitely the opposite of his normal body language. But otherwise he seems fine. I tell her not to worry. He lays at my feet while I work, which is pretty typical on days I'm home. Over an hour and he doesn't move. I get up and he still doesn't, which is NOT typical. Usually if I'm out of the room for more than a few minutes he comes looking for me. Wife is more worried, so I call him over to me. He appears to be in pain, his shoulders, chest, and side are kind of quivering. I feel all over his abdomen, check out his legs, check his paws, check his ears, can't find anything. A couple times when I touch him on one side he kind of yelps a little, but I can't pinpoint an exact spot that it hurts him, and he has no wounds anywhere. Maybe he's limping slightly, but he's so hunched up because of pain when he walks I can't really tell. Another half hour goes by and he seems no better, and is extremely lethargic. He'll come if I call him, but immediately just lays down. No interest in playing or getting attention. I'm a little worried about an obstruction. I know he ate earlier in the day, but we don't specifically monitor when he goes the bathroom. We have a fenced yard, so he goes out when he wants and comes in when he wants. As long as we let him out some time after 9PM, he almost never cares to go out before 8AM the next morning. So I have no idea if he's puked in the yard or been able to have a bowel movement. I just know he appears to be in pretty severe discomfort. He's a super smart dog, but he's yet to grasp speaking English, so he can't tell me exactly what hurts.

So we call the vet and they say they can see him immediately. We get his collar and leash and he barely seems happy to be leaving. Usually he's bouncing off the walls when he hears or sees us getting his collar and leash. The vet checks him out, asks us all kinds of questions, and figures out that the pain response is worst when messing with his right shoulder. He tests range of movement and doesn't think anything is broken. Maybe some tendonitis or other soft tissue damage. He says we can do x-rays if we like, but he doesn't think they'll show anything. He doesn't think it's an obstruction because the stomach feels fine, though he recommends we watch him the next day or so to make sure he's eating and pooping without throwing up. He proscribes some Carprofin (anti inflammatory) twice a day. After the first dose Stanley is zonked out on the bed in the guest room, hopefully resting comfortably. My guess is that he was playing with the Rottie next door, running up and down the fence line together as they like to do, and he stopped and switched directions too hard and tweaked his shoulder. He's a 120+lb dog that is insanely fast and acts like a maniac when he plays. I can't believe his agility for his size, so I'm guessing he overdid it. Here's hoping that's all it was.


/rant. Thanks for reading if you made it this far, I know it's long for a PA, but I didn't think it was worth it's own thread either.

 

Awww, Stanley! Hope your furry friend is better soon, Borla.

 

Thank you.


I just went and checked on him. He wagged his tail a little when he saw me walk in the room. That's the first time since this morning he hasn't seemed to be in a lot of pain. Meds are probably kicking in. Poor guy.

 

Yeah, we've been fortunate so far. His hips and shoulders have been x-rayed a couple times and have always checked out solid. His parents are both in great shape too, no signs of dysplasia or the like. We're hoping the same for him. He just likes to run hard and jump onto and off things more than I'd prefer.


What breed(s) did you decide on?

 

Best wishes to Stanley!

* * * * *

Some days, it's a bit frustrating having a 55 sq. ft. kitchen.

Especially when you're paying $1.79 monthly per square foot. (That's about $100 per month.)

There's no dishwasher. There's not even a double sink!

 

Mine gets ticked when I actually refer to her as such.