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Question
My Chihuahua/Corgi mix is 3 years and 7 months old. Five days ago he started to act abnormal. He wasn't as playful as he usually is, showed no interest in his dog food, and did not want to jump onto furniture or use his doggy stairs. He even cried when I picked him up. I took him to the vet on day 2. They did an exam and could not find anything wrong. The vet told me to feed him turkey and rice and see if he gets better. He was still yelling in pain and avoiding furniture so I took him back on day 4 (yesterday). The vet checked him again and found no pain sites. She expressed his anal sacs and they were full so she said she thinks that caused his discomfort. He was curled around licking after they were expressed so she ruled out back pain. Last night he was grunting in pain while in bed and yelped this morning when I picked him off the bed to put him on the floor. He has an appointment at 5 this afternoon and the vet wants to give him pain medication but I'd like to find what's causing him pain, not just give him meds to suppress it.
What could this be and what tests should be done for him (blood, xrays, etc). He goes in annually for his physical and is up to date with all of his vaccines. He's eating, drinking, has normal stool, and is
not vomitting. Seems very comfortable while he sleeps but wakes up and seems like he's in pain but we cannot localize it. He does not limp.
Pain that is not localized could be nerve pain. Dogs and cats both can get a neuralgia in the area around the tail head on top. If he flicks his skin around the area where you would scratch him just at the top of his tail, kind of like a flinch or quiver, then he could have nerve pain there. Another place they get pain is in the sacrum.
I don't care if he turned and licked, if she hasn't checked his sacrum, then he could have pain there. It is very common in little dogs that jump up and off of furniture.And once his anal glands were expressed, his back pain was the least of his concerns at that moment.
The very fact that he is avoiding stairs and furniture are a big indicator of sacral pain. That would be the area where his hips attach to his pelvis.
An xray might show something, more likely not unless he knocked his pelvis out of joint. Instead of just a pain shot, she should put him on some Prednisone for about a week and see if that takes down the inflammation in the area that hurts. 9- 1 it's his lower back. If he is long like a corgi he has an even greater chance of injuring his sacrum but we see it in all kinds of small dogs.
These are just some ideas for you- I am not diagnosing that that is the issue here, but that is where I would start.
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| Comment | Thank you so much for your quick reply. We took him to the vet and the vet actually said almost the same thing you said. The vet believes it's either lower back pain due to muscles or nerves. He's now on a muscle relaxer and pain reliever. We're going to see how that helps him. If he doesn't feel better after resting for a week and taking it easy, we're going to do an x-ray. Last time he was under anesthesia he developed bloat and almost died so we're hesitant to put him under. Thanks again for your advice and hopefully he gets better soon! | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Jana Connell RVT, CVT
Expertise
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!
Experience
I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina.
I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.
Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.
Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT.
Certified Veterinary Dental Technician
Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).
Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.
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