On Friday, I spent 2,5 hours at the vet. Originally it was planned as a checkup for Charlie and to answer the ongoing question on whether he has back problems or not. But then I ended up taking both dogs with me...
Stöpsel had started to experience shortage of breath a week ago. Already as a puppy, he easily got hiccups and he easily choked on things. But this time it was different. It happened mostly, we he fell asleep in the evening or then in the middle of the night: From one second to another, he just couldn't breathe in any more. I could see him trying to breathe through his nose, but he didn't get any air. When it happened the first time, I patted him on the back, but that didn't help at all. I then figured that it was best to just calm him down by petting him - and after a few seconds, spook was over. He simply lay down again, continuing to sleep - leaving me sleepless and worried.
To cut a long story short, the vet presumes that Stöpsel has nasal mites. Most dogs don't suffer from any symptoms, but maybe Stöpsel's nose is more sensitive or then the infestation is already so heavy. Anyways, luckily, treatment is easy: He gets some "anti-mite drug" and that's it! And because these mites are rather infectious, Charlie has to take the same medication as well.
Btw, giving the drug to Stöpsel was very easy. I simply rolled the pill over the floor and he jumped after it and swallowed it whole - then wanting more. :-D In Charlie's case I had to push it down his throat... :/ Even though that sounds worse than it is! A vet had shown this "technique" to me, and at least it goes quickly and there is not an hourly struggle to make him eat the medication.
And Charlie's back? As expected, it was very difficult for the vet to examine Charlie. He is one ball of fear whenever we are at the vet and he is being handled. I really curse this so-called vet, who has caused all of this! Charlie used to be relaxed and friendly and trusting at the vet... but no longer. Nowadays he is shaking, gets stress-related dandruff and he growls and growls and growls and shows his teeth... It's awful to watch! I have to put a muzzle on him, otherwise he couldn't be handled at all. And than it has to be me, who holds him tight and extradites him to the vet... which is awful itself.
So considering that every single muscle was tightened in Charlie, the vet couldn't say much. Usually she would go through all the joints and try to flex them, but with Charlie she didn't dare to. She only noticed - like me - that he is very sensitive in his lower back. She then had me walking or running with Charlie, and she could see that he keeps this area very stiff. In the x-ray she could then detect a small abnormality in his last lumbar vertebrae. She suspects that Charlie has an inflammation in this area - what is causing it is hard to say from the x-ray pictures. But the therapy will now be to treat his pain and inflammation with a drug for the next 3 weeks. Charlie has to be kept on a leash and walks should be shorter than usual. And in order to "soften" the tense muscles in his lower back (due to the constant pain he must have had :( ), he will now get "laser therapy" twice a week. The latter was optional, and I might have not gone for it, but I know that it helped the dog of my colleague, so I'll have that "fancy treatment" also for my Charlie boy! :)
(The vet's favourite choice of treatment would have been acupuncture... but she realised that it won't be possible to stick a needle into Charlie - no matter how thin it may be. And yes, nowadays, also dogs get acupuncture and laser therapy... welcome to the 2010s!! ;-) )
Well, I will now follow the vet's orders as good as I can, and then we will see the vet again. If the symptoms haven't disappeared, Charlie needs to be checked more closely... But hopefully that won't be necessary!
In a way, I'm just glad that he indeed has some back problems. It means I haven't imagined his discomfort - and he gets help now. And who knows, maybe he even stops growling when being touched (one far day in the future) - when the pain is gone... :)
And the timing of going to the vet was good (if all together way too late... :( ). Because the meds he has to take now fall under the doping rules, and Charlie isn't allowed to participate in any competitions for the next month! The Rally-Toko SM would have been omitted for us - or then he would have won the whole thing... ;-) :-D
After the vet visit.
You would think that they are "angry" with me... but quite the contrary, both need even more closeness. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment