Cali has been having a little problem with "limping" after getting up from laying down. The problem seems to be spotty, but it is definitely not going away and after another visit from a different vet and more x-rays we are all still baffled on what is going on with her! The problem is that after she has been laying for more than a few minutes, she is slow to get up and then acts like her left hind leg has no feeling in it. She will hop for a few steps on it and then she is fine after that and can walk and run like nothing was ever wrong. The new vet poked, pushed, pulled, twisted and did everything he could to try and get it to "hurt" but nothing.. numerous x-rays later and we still are clueless to what is going on. He said that he could rule out a lot of "serious" problems such as hip displasia but now we were more on to things that could fall into a rare category. He said her bones and joints are perfect from his perspective and the only thing he can see changing is her loosing about 4-5lbs. He has her on Rimadyl for a week to see how she does and so far I can already tell a difference like it is not bothering her as much. She is quick to get up and it does not seem to bother her as much. Has anybody else ever experienced anything like this before with their pup? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cali is limping again! Ideas?!
- Thread starter mikebdub
- Start date
Ann
Moderator
That's exactly the same symptom our Barkley exhibits when he has Lyme. Intermittent lameness is very common with it. Has Cali been tested for Lyme? Most vets can do a blood test and read it right in the office. Then a round of doxycyclene always improves the limp after just a dose or two for us (although they stay on it for three to four weeks).
In one instance, Barkley did not test positive but we put him on the doxy anyway and sure enough, that was the problem. He's had it so often that now he gets flare-ups without having a tick bite. I think the tests are more reliable now, but it's worth asking your vet about it.
In one instance, Barkley did not test positive but we put him on the doxy anyway and sure enough, that was the problem. He's had it so often that now he gets flare-ups without having a tick bite. I think the tests are more reliable now, but it's worth asking your vet about it.
Wow I did not know that! She had her heartworm test yesterday while at the vet and was given her Lyme vaccination also. Would the shot cure her if it was lyme? She has always been kept up to date on her vaccinations but I guess there is always a chance of her contracting it anyway. The weather has been so crazy here for the past few months that I guess it would be possible to be warm enough for the ticks to come back out again. I will definitely have to say something to the doctor and see what he thinks on Monday. She is due back in 2 weeks for another shot because he wanted to space them out a bit but maybe I can get it pushed up and have the test done as well. Thanks!
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
Lyme Lyme Lyme Lyme Lyme.
I don't know how the vaccine reacts if the dog is already symptomatic, I would think the vet would run a snap test prior to giving the vaccine. The ticks never went away, I don't think it got cold enough.
And once the dog has Lyme, it will have Lyme forever. You can manage symptoms, and get them to an almost zero titer (where my dogs are), but a flairup is always a possibility. Joints tend to the be the first thing to be symptomatic. My dog went lame on one front leg, we assumed (after x-ray) that he just dinged it while I was at work, then a week later he went lame on the other front leg AND refused a meal. Refusing a meal is basically a death sentence in my house, it means something has gone horrible wrong. Two pills later and he was a new dog. He did the full 30 days, and tested negative a year later, but it's always lurking.
I don't know how the vaccine reacts if the dog is already symptomatic, I would think the vet would run a snap test prior to giving the vaccine. The ticks never went away, I don't think it got cold enough.
And once the dog has Lyme, it will have Lyme forever. You can manage symptoms, and get them to an almost zero titer (where my dogs are), but a flairup is always a possibility. Joints tend to the be the first thing to be symptomatic. My dog went lame on one front leg, we assumed (after x-ray) that he just dinged it while I was at work, then a week later he went lame on the other front leg AND refused a meal. Refusing a meal is basically a death sentence in my house, it means something has gone horrible wrong. Two pills later and he was a new dog. He did the full 30 days, and tested negative a year later, but it's always lurking.
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
No, the shot won't cure her. All the shot does is mimic an infection to get the dogs immune system to create the necessary defense, hopefully without getting the disease in the process (the new Lyme vaccine should not cause disease). So if the dog already has active Lyme that it is fighting, adding a forced immune response could make them worse. The body can only do so much at one time.
If they checked for Heartworm with the Snap test, hopefully the rest of the tick panel was part of the test.
If they checked for Heartworm with the Snap test, hopefully the rest of the tick panel was part of the test.
Mignarda
Forums Enthusiast
If the dog has had the disease once, presumably the antibodies would be there naturally, and he would never get it again.
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
That is theoretically true for viruses. Not so with Lyme. It's the same with humans. Once you have it, you have it for life. Some dogs/humans can manage on thier own, some can't. One of my dogs went from symptomatic, to not symptomatic with a 30 day dose of Doxy, to testing 'negative'. My mothers dog has been on various antibiotics for several years and they just recently got her titer levels below 50.
Mignarda
Forums Enthusiast
Symptoms, perhaps; new infections, I tend to doubt.
I don't think anything other than a heart-worm test was given. I requested it be done yearly even though she is on preventative because of the amount of Mosquitos in our area. I will be on the phone first thing Monday morning to check though and if not i will have her right back in for a new test! She is acting normal (still limping a bit) and eating fine so I am going to try not to worry about it until Monday unless something changes. It's been over 24 hours since her Lyme vaccine so I feel pretty safe that if it is in fact Lyme, the "overload" would be out of her system hopefully. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for over the next day or so? Like anything bad that could happen? Thanks for all of the insight I will def have to do some research on Lyme's disease now!
Ann
Moderator
This is definitely not the case with Lyme. You, your dog, your horse, or any other creature that has had Lyme can have flare-ups and have the illness again even without a bite. Barkley had it for the first time at six months of age, and has had it every year since at least once, sometimes more -- usually without a new tick bite, and sometimes with a negative Lyme test. Fortunately, doxycyclene brings immediate improvement, although the symptoms become more severe as the dog gets older. Our Bandit had chronic Lyme from the age of two and by the time he was 13 his joints were so bad he could hardly walk.
There is a new test we're having done on Barkley this year that will tell us how badly his system is compromised.
As for the Lyme vaccine, I don't and won't ever get it. It masks the symptoms and the testing process and as Clantyre said, can make the dog worse. I don't know if your vet can test your dog at this point or if a test would even be accurate after the vaccine. If I were you, I would discuss giving your dog a round of doxycyclene to see if it helps the limp.