Poor Scout is in the doggie hospital :(. On Monday evening I noticed that she seemed to be arching her back and acting like she was in pain. I coaxed her out of her crate and did some gentle pressing on her spine and thought I might have gotten a reaction. I called Kevin in and at that point we couldn't get her out of her crate for anything. She wouldn't even come out for a cookie! So we weren't sure what was going on at that point. Tuesday morning she seemed better--perkier--and handled the porch stairs with no problem. Then she got more lethargic throughout the day and refused to go out again. I went to Curves in the evening and Kevin said he'd made a vet appointment for her because it was clear something was up. Wednesday morning he took her in and came back without her.
It's definitely another back injury--her 4th now. The vet said her reflexes were there but weren't as quick as he would have liked. He put her on IV fluids and IV steroids and wanted to keep her for a few days to make sure she's still (which is not easy to acheive when you have a Digory running around). We went in to the office to talk to the doctor this afternoon, thinking we might get to take her home, but once there we agreed to let her stay until Saturday. He showed us her x-rays and there's definitely some sort of damage between the last back bone and the first tail bone. He said a reinjury was guaranteed, but the best we could do was medical management (steroids and painkillers, and lots of crate rest for a flare-up). If she loses control of one or both of her legs we're looking at possible surgery, but for now that's too aggressive and unwarranted.
It's a good thing we've got Digory around to keep us company, but the house sure feels empty without her. Send good thoughts to a small dog!
Posted by Shelby at March 30, 2006 09:38 PMScout definitely has my thoughts! When our family dog Sissy (beagle/lab mix) injured her back, it was determined that a bone infection was the cause. And it was in the same place - where the spine meets the hips. Today she still has problems with it, but it's mostly arthritis and it did heal with lots of rest and TLC. Hopefully Scouter will be fine very soon!
Posted by: Annastazia at March 30, 2006 10:03 PMPoor little Scout......I know what it's like to have a sick baby. I hope she feels better really soon.
Posted by: Katrina Rosiak at March 31, 2006 03:19 AMdear Shelby, i wish you good healthy for Scout and much power for you to stay this days without Scouty. Well, I know how it feels... my little girl has fieber and she cry all the day..if tomorow will be not better, i will go to hospital with her....
best wishes, Ira