May have to up her pain meds...

[kimbersmom]

Last Tuesday Kimber had her acupuncture/chiro visit, which is always followed by 3 days of rest/leashed activity before returning to normal movements. That weekend, I noticed she was limping *hard*, and she didn't want to go for her walk. I emailed the vet and asked if this could be residual soreness from the treatment, but she didn't think so. She had noted at the visit that Kimber's back end seemed to be getting arthritic and since it was raining, thought the low pressure might be getting to her. She recommended giving Kimber the other half of rimadyl in the evening. DH was resistant (he knows well the side effects of rimadyl) and asked me to wait and see how she was on Sunday. The weather cleared and Kimber improved. But this week she's still more limp-y than usual, and she keeps licking her front paws and legs. I've repeatedly checked them and she shows no reaction to me messing with them, but I wonder if they are sore- maybe she's taking more weight on the front if her back is hurting?

And then this morning happened. Kimber sleeps in our bed with us and she always, always, jumps down from the bed herself. She hates being lifted and will struggle against it. But this morning, she hesitated at the edge of the bed and gave me puppy eyes. I opened my arms to scoop her up- which is when she usually squirms away and jumps down on her own - but this time she nestled right against me and put her paw over my arm. She didn't wiggle at all while I transferred her to the floor.

My heart tells me this is a sign that she's not feeling quite right, and I'll have to talk to DH again about upping her pain meds. I'm tearing up just thinking about this. My poor baby.

[Scoutpout]

oh Kimber...poor girlie. Have you discussed other longer-term pain medications available? i know you likely have. getting older really sucks, especially for what she's been through health-wise. what about massage? in conjunction with her chiro and acupuncture, would that help at least with the musculatory soreness?
and steps for "her" bed... fairly easy to train them to use the steps instead of jumping up and down, esp. if they're already hurting a bit, they see the benefits right away!

[barry581]

Awww Kimber I'm hoping this is something minor. Feel better soon sweetie.

[Dallas dawg]

Awwwww man, I hate reading this. Good thoughts to you guys.

[Sue-Ram]

I had mentioned in another thread that I had switched Ram for Hylasport to Recovery SA extra strength which is a natural product and it helps with pain and inflammation. With Ram it has made a huge difference with his ability to go on a long walk every day which is helping to rebuild the muscle in his leg. Prior to using the Recovery he would need a day or two to rest between walks.

I know different products work for some dogs and not others, and Kimber has had other issues but considering the side effects of prescription meds you might want to run it by your vet as a replacement for Rimadyl. I posted some links below from a horse forum with reviews that made me make the switch.
- Recovery SA

Recovery EQ
Supplement comparison--Cosequin ASU vs Recovery EQ
Tendon injury -Recovery EQ or Smart Rehab?
Tell me about Recovery EQ

[Maxx&Emma]

Poor Kimber. I would definitely ask the vet about some additional pain meds, especially Tramadol.

[kimbersmom]

My vet is open to other meds but since Kimber responded so well to rimadyl, she thought moving from 50 mg (half a pill) to 100 mg was the first thing to try. She assures me this should be safe, and since we use the generic (vetprofen) it's inexpensive. I'll certainly keep the other options in mind. Thanks so much for your advice and support.

[labsnewfy]

Poor Kimber. I know how you feel about the pain meds but maybe try the tramadol as suggested too along with the rimdayl to help make her feel better so she is able to rest.

[kimbersmom]

Tonight Kimber coughed like she had a hairball and DH joked about it, but it made me realize she's doing that more often these days, at least once an evening. And we've both noticed her bark is different; it's a bit hoarse. Add that to her decreased endurance and now I'm worried we're dealing with laryngeal paralysis. I hope and pray this is just me being neurotic...

[POPTOP]

Ah, poor Kimber.

We did have to do some juggling with pain/anti-inflammatory meds. Tramadol did help her.

Thanks for mentioning the generic of Rimadyl. Now that Mardi's on it, I'll have to ask my vet about that.

Sending gentle hugs and prayers. Hugs to you too.