Pet Care

[ole gray]

We have a thread for Pet Pics etc. however I thought we might benefit from some advice on pet care. So share your knowledge on helpful tips to keep our furry friends healthy. 

 

I'll kick this off with a question.  Does anyone know of a good dog lift type harness , vest, strap, etc.?  My dog is having a knee problem and she will be needing help at times especially getting up into our car.  She's a large dog (weighed in at 94 lbs at the vet yesterday) so the device would have to be sturdy. 

[tommc23]

My sister just got one from.her vet for her boxer. I will ask her about the brand of it.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[tony@CIC]

There are a number of harnesses available at the pet stores. I found they vary in fit and comfort level, so what may work for one won't for another. We switched our girl from a collar to a body type harness when she was a puppy. She pulled and lurched so much (trying to chase squirrels) I thought she'd choke herself.

 

OG lifting 94 lbs will be a considerable strain on your back - at the very least. Is there another option until your dog heals?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

There are a number of harnesses available at the pet stores. I found they vary in fit and comfort level, so what may work for one won't for another. We switched our girl from a collar to a body type harness when she was a puppy. She pulled and lurched so much (trying to chase squirrels) I thought she'd choke herself.

 

OG lifting 94 lbs will be a considerable strain on your back - at the very least. Is there another option until your dog heals?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

No options because we have to take her out for potty trips.  We have her on pain meds and anti inflammatory drug however she has a really hard time getting up without yelping.  I'm thinking there is no option other than knee surgery.   They have several lift devices on the market and the one I am thinking about is:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0184VF6DW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3FR4WX81NXC8M&psc=1

 

At least it could be useful to help getting her to the car and in/out

[tony@CIC]

No options because we have to take her out for potty trips. We have her on pain meds and anti inflammatory drug however she has a really hard time getting up without yelping. I'm thinking there is no option other than knee surgery. They have several lift devices on the market and the one I am thinking about is:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0184VF6DW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3FR4WX81NXC8M&psc=1

 

At least it could be useful to help getting her to the car and in/out

That's looks pretty good for lifting in and out of the car. 90+ lbs is still a lot though. I'm thinking how hard it is to like a bag of 60 lb mortar mix. Although if she has to go through surgery you'll need something for at least a week or two of recovery.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

That's looks pretty good for lifting in and out of the car. 90+ lbs is still a lot though. I'm thinking how hard it is to like a bag of 60 lb mortar mix. Although if she has to go through surgery you'll need something for at least a week or two of recovery.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

 

I'm a gym rat and lift weights all the time however lifting a 94 lb dog is totally different than lifting a 100 weight on a barbell.  Not the same technique and very awkward.

[tony@CIC]

I'm a gym rat and lift weights all the time however lifting a 94 lb dog is totally different than lifting a 100 weight on a barbell. Not the same technique and very awkward.

Wonder if your vet has a solution - maybe there's even a rental program for some kind of device. We did go through this when our puppy had knee surgery - but she only weights 20 lbs. so wasn't an issue lifting her. I was surprised how quickly she healed. Her biggest issue was the cone which she hated (to keep her from going after the stitches)..

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

Wonder if your vet has a solution - maybe there's even a rental program for some kind of device. We did go through this when our puppy had knee surgery - but she only weights 20 lbs. so wasn't an issue lifting her. I was surprised how quickly she healed. Her biggest issue was the cone which she hated (to keep her from going after the stitches)..

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

Our vet knew I had three surgeries on my right knee and said your dog will recover much better with less effort than you did.  They definitely don't like the cone heads 

[cksurfdude]

OG - take a look at pet ramps. We have two big dogs .. an older Lab about 75 lbs and a Retriever at about 85-90 lbs. The Labbie can't really jump into the back of my car anymore .. and my wife is always cautioning me about hurting my back when I lift him .. so I got a pet ramp for him. There's different styles at different price points; the one I ended up with folds in half and has artificial turf on top. A few training passes with it flat on the floor and he seems ok with it.

[ole gray]

OG - take a look at pet ramps. We have two big dogs .. an older Lab about 75 lbs and a Retriever at about 85-90 lbs. The Labbie can't really jump into the back of my car anymore .. and my wife is always cautioning me about hurting my back when I lift him .. so I got a pet ramp for him. There's different styles at different price points; the one I ended up with folds in half and has artificial turf on top. A few training passes with it flat on the floor and he seems ok with it.

 

 

I like that idea alot!  I'll check into picking one of those up as it could be a huge help.

 

She hadn't peed or pooped  in a couple of days and we were beginning to worry.  We got her in the back seat and took her to the UGA vet school in Athens. As soon as we got her out of the car she peed in some pine straw.  I got her to move down a few more yards and she peed again.  Headed back toward the car and she pooped so we did not need to take her in for a catheter.  One of their vets can out asking if we needed any help and we told her thanks for the dog scent and pine straw as she was finally able to relieve herself. We talked about scheduling surgery and it would be at least three weeks.  We will get on cancellation list tomorrow just in case someone can't make it in and we can move Roxie up .  Also will be checking on other orthopedic facilities near or location.  Whew this has become quite the stress maker 

[ole gray]

Update on our dog's medical condition.  We took her to the University of Georgia Veterinary School today for a consultation.  After x rays etc. the Vet thinks the problem may not be so much a knee issue as a neuro spinal nerve problem.  Our dog has a hot/tender area on her back towards her tail which indicates possible nerve damage which could be causing the leg pain.  Her leg exam did not indicate a total knee tear and her hips both looked good without arthritis issues. Sooooo they kept our Roxie and will be doing an MRI tomorrow to see if the issue is more related to nerve or other damage as opposed to the knee. She is staying in the doggy hospital overnight so we will head back over tomorrow for the diagnosis. 

[cksurfdude]

Update on our dog's medical condition. We took her to the University of Georgia Veterinary School today for a consultation. After x rays etc. the Vet thinks the problem may not be so much a knee issue as a neuro spinal nerve problem. Our dog has a hot/tender area on her back towards her tail which indicates possible nerve damage which could be causing the leg pain. Her leg exam did not indicate a total knee tear and her hips both looked good without arthritis issues. Sooooo they kept our Roxie and will be doing an MRI tomorrow to see if the issue is more related to nerve or other damage as opposed to the knee. She is staying in the doggy hospital overnight so we will head back over tomorrow for the diagnosis.

Oh boy....... Fingers x'ed ....

[tommc23]

Hopefully no surgery is required

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ole gray]

Today we will learn for sure if our dog Roxie's knee is the primary culprit or the MRI will show issues with her back that is causing her right hind leg to go lame. The doc said yesterday although the right knee probably had a partial tear the back could be contributing significant concerns to her overall health. 

 

This has been expensive to say the least. 

 

1st visit post injury was $83.00

2nd visit was $212.00 which included a cold laser package.  

3rd visit included consultation for $400.00 bucks which included x ray plus another 1200.00 for MRI

 

All this for diagnostics.   The MRI today could possibly save the $3000.00 plus surgery on her knee if the back (nerves) being pinched is causing the lame leg.  If the MRI does not exposed nerve damage then we are back to  possible surgery for the knee. 

 

I sure hope my dog  receives a solid diagnosis  today so we can get the actual procedure done and move to the recovery stage....    

 

No new clubs for this old boy this season!    Seriously if the vet can get our dog back to a somewhat normal life we will be happy campers. 

[tommc23]

Today we will learn for sure if our dog Roxie's knee is the primary culprit or the MRI will show issues with her back that is causing her right hind leg to go lame. The doc said yesterday although the right knee probably had a partial tear the back could be contributing significant concerns to her overall health.

 

This has been expensive to say the least.

 

1st visit post injury was $83.00

2nd visit was $212.00 which included a cold laser package.

3rd visit included consultation for $400.00 bucks which included x ray plus another 1200.00 for MRI

 

All this for diagnostics. The MRI today could possibly save the $3000.00 plus surgery on her knee if the back (nerves) being pinched is causing the lame leg. If the MRI does not exposed nerve damage then we are back to possible surgery for the knee.

 

I sure hope my dog receives a solid diagnosis today so we can get the actual procedure done and move to the recovery stage....

 

No new clubs for this old boy this season! Seriously if the vet can get our dog back to a somewhat normal life we will be happy campers.

Keep us posted sir

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ole gray]

Keep us posted sir

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

They kept our dog for observation tonight and we will be back at to see her tomorrow.  She had some buckshot or BB's showing up in her x ray prior to the MRI today.  My wife and I were very concerned because it is not good to do an MRI with metal in your body because of the strong Magnetic pull.  We made sure they informed the MRI tech of her condition.  They said they had four experts looking over the x ray and she should be fine.  With them keeping her overnight it concerns me.   

[tommc23]

They kept our dog for observation tonight and we will be back at to see her tomorrow. She had some buckshot or BB's showing up in her x ray prior to the MRI today. My wife and I were very concerned because it is not good to do an MRI with metal in your body because of the strong Magnetic pull. We made sure they informed the MRI tech of her condition. They said they had four experts looking over the x ray and she should be fine. With them keeping her overnight it concerns me.

OG this isn't what you want to hear but that makes me think it's a nerve issue and they are looking into different treatments. It would be nice to be wrong though.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ole gray]

OG this isn't what you want to hear but that makes me think it's a nerve issue and they are looking into different treatments. It would be nice to be wrong though.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Yep I think you might be on to something.  We'll find out tomorrow and thanks for checking in on us! 

[tony@CIC]

OG hope everything turns out well. We never really had dog health issues before our current puppy so never even considered pet insurance. Next we're going to go that route. Our puppy's knee surgery was only 2k but it was unexpected. However, they are worth it. We call our puppy our 'fur child' but thankfully she didn't have the issues our kids did during teenage years .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

OG hope everything turns out well. We never really had dog health issues before our current puppy so never even considered pet insurance. Next we're going to go that route. Our puppy's knee surgery was only 2k but it was unexpected. However, they are worth it. We call our puppy our 'fur child' but thankfully she didn't have the issues our kids did during teenage years .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

Yea I'm thinking anybody who is looking at getting a new dog/puppy should consider pet insurance.  I wish we had it now however if it comes down to the knee on our dog, they said a large dog has a good chance of blowing out the other knee so most insurance companies won't cover the same condition on opposite leg. 

[Canucklehead]

Always call around for insurance and find out details. Some companies cut you off after the pet has cost so much. With some you have to pay a deductible every time something needs to be done vs. just once per year.

 

Let's hear some positive results OG!

 

Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk

[ole gray]

OG this isn't what you want to hear but that makes me think it's a nerve issue and they are looking into different treatments. It would be nice to be wrong though.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

You were exactly right! We discussed the MRI today and what they found which was a disc issue on her back towards her tail.  Its the reason she was having severe pain and losing feeling in her leg.  The doc put her on some steroids and very restrictive rest which means no excessive movement etc.  We are to watch her closely for 7 - 10 days and report her progress. If the disc area does not heal on its own with proper rest and meds, we will progress to surgery to repair the damaged area.  Today after being at the vet hospital for two days she is moving much better!  It's a long and slippery road to recovery and we are not out of the woods as the MRI  showed significant pinching on nerves. 

[tommc23]

You were exactly right! We discussed the MRI today and what they found which was a disc issue on her back towards her tail. Its the reason she was having severe pain and losing feeling in her leg. The doc put her on some steroids and very restrictive rest which means no excessive movement etc. We are to watch her closely for 7 - 10 days and report her progress. If the disc area does not heal on its own with proper rest and meds, we will progress to surgery to repair the damaged area. Today after being at the vet hospital for two days she is moving much better! It's a long and slippery road to recovery and we are not out of the woods as the MRI showed significant pinching on nerves.

My sister's boxer just went through this same or near same thing. Her dog is walking better and the steroids helped a lot. Still not 100% but better, and they were advised that surgery is not always a guarantee to fix her dogs issue. Hopefully no surgery is needed!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ole gray]

My sister's boxer just went through this same or near same thing. Her dog is walking better and the steroids helped a lot. Still not 100% but better, and they were advised that surgery is not always a guarantee to fix her dogs issue. Hopefully no surgery is needed!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

My dog was scary good today. I had to keep her from over doing it. I had her harness and leash on and she was moving around with some pep in her step. No doubt she was happy to be home.

 

So your sister's dog had the surgery and seeing good results? That's awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Rickp]

My dog was scary good today. I had to keep her from over doing it. I had her harness and leash on and she was moving around with some pep in her step. No doubt she was happy to be home.

 

So your sister's dog had the surgery and seeing good results? That's awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Awesome, been following this and hoping for the best.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[tommc23]

My dog was scary good today. I had to keep her from over doing it. I had her harness and leash on and she was moving around with some pep in her step. No doubt she was happy to be home.

 

So your sister's dog had the surgery and seeing good results? That's awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

No surgery needed the meds worked. That's good news and a good sign that surgery shouldn't be needed if the meds are working that well.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[tony@CIC]

My dog was scary good today. I had to keep her from over doing it. I had her harness and leash on and she was moving around with some pep in her step. No doubt she was happy to be home.

 

So your sister's dog had the surgery and seeing good results? That's awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

OG great to hear. Once she loses a bit more weight she'll probably feel even better. Meds are always better than surgery

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

No surgery needed the meds worked. That's good news and a good sign that surgery shouldn't be needed if the meds are working that well.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

We have to keep our dog under control meaning no jumping, chasing cats, squirrels, rabbits, or treeing coons.  This is going to be a chore as the better she feels the more active she becomes.  It's going to be leash only when going outside for eight weeks. That's going to be a tough however doctors orders and we sure don't want her to get back in the shape she was.  The doc said the MRI showed the right side of her spine was where the nerves were being pinched however the left side showed some too.  The right disc is where it was pinching so bad he said it showed up completely black where the nerves are suppose to come through.  Anyways one day at a time with our fur buddy and we will work hard to provide her relief.  .  If she has a relapse where her leg goes limp in the next 7 - 10 days, back to the hospital and surgery will be performed.  When a dog loses total feeling (stage 5) in their leg/legs is when they lose their potty functions. Toting a 90+ lb limp dog out twice a day for bathroom duty would be tough duty. 

[ole gray]

OG great to hear. Once she loses a bit more weight she'll probably feel even better. Meds are always better than surgery

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

We are on a strict diet to get our gal down to 80 lbs.   No doubt she will feel much better and that heavy belly won't be pulling down on her spine. 

[Canucklehead]

Awesome that she's doing better OG. Hopefully the steroids work!

 

Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk