teekay Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Just posting while I wait for the vets to open. Something is wrong with Luka. He is very reluctant to move. When he does walk he is holding his head very low to the ground. It looks like he's terrified but it can't be that. I'm thinking he may be in pain? When I examined him he didn't want to lie on his side or lift his leg so I could palpate his belly, but he didn't whine or yelp at all. He was absolutely fine yesterday, we went training. All good. There was no jumping involved. He went out and had his dinner last night while I put my son to bed then came in and sat by my daughter on the rug while we watched tv. He was a bit more cuddly than normal but my daughter had had a bad day so she was just enjoying the cuddles. She gradually realised something was wrong. I was worried about a tick but have checked him all over and can't find one, doesn't mean there isn't one of course but when he does get up and walk he seems to be walking fine except for the holding the head low. He also has rushed to the front door and barked when someone came to the door late last night which, for once, I was pleased to see Keeping everything crossed it is something simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Hope Luka is ok. Can't shed any light on what might be wrong, but have heard something about holding the head low but can't remember in what context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Good luck at the vets teekay, I hope it's nothing serious. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Poor boy, he sounds as though he has pain .... so hope it's nothing drastic . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Good luck at the vets today Hope he is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Do you have access to a chiro? Hanging the head can be seen in a dog that has thrown its neck out. Fingers crossed it turns out to be nothing xo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Vets appointment at 10. Just had a gentle walk round the garden doing poo patrol. Luka followed me round and every time I bent down he snuck between my legs for a cuddle. Poor boy is definitely not well. I did get a bit of excitement and bum wiggle when I came back from dropping my son off at school which was lovely. Twiddling my thumbs now waiting for 10. Will keep you posted. I do not know of any chiros DeltaCharlie, but will look for one if that's what's needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara8430 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Good luck at the Vet, hope he is feeling better after Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 This sounds like neck pain ! It might simply be due to muscle spasm which can be brought on by many different causes. It can also be a sign of an intervertebral disc problem. Best to get him seen by a vet before you try a chiro. Make sure that he doesnt have any issues with his spine because a disc can be excruciatingly painful. Chiros can do great things for muscles but discs are another thing and need a different approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinabean Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) Good luck at the vet Teekay. The only time my dog was acting in a similar manner (in particular hanging his head low) I took him straight to the vet. He had apparently wolfed down a chicken frame without chewing it up properly. This became evident as we approached the clinic and he threw up the entire mess on the backseat. He was completely fine and perky by the time the vet saw him. The car seat, well, not so great. Has Teekay eaten any bones etc.? Edited July 8, 2013 by trinabean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Well, would you believe he brightened up about 15 minutes before the appointment? We went anyway and it was an absolute disaster. Luka is nervous of strangers so I have worked with him, visiting the vets for a quick visits, weigh in, treats etc. getting him used the place and the vet. He had his vaccinations a few weeks ago and was fine. Today there was a locum vet there and Luka would not let her go anywhere near him. Growling, barking at her Very disappointed and feel like all the months of counter conditioning has all been for nothing. I guess we'll keep trying, We talked about muzzling him but, as he seemed brighter she was happy to leave it for now and see how is the rest of the day. She did watch me examine him under her instruction and nothing seemed to be sore. Couldn't take his temperature though. At least she didn't charge for the consultation :) I guess i will give him his breakfast now and just keep a watch on him. I think I will invest in a muzzle and introduce it to him slowly though, as if he does ever need to be examined it would be a good idea if he was used to one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Good luck at the vet Teekay. The only time my dog was acting in a similar manner (in particular hanging his head low) I took him straight to the vet. He had apparently wolfed down a chicken frame without chewing it up properly. This became evident as we approached the clinic and he threw up the entire mess on the backseat. He was completely fine and perky by the time the vet saw him. The car seat, well, not so great. Has Teekay eaten any bones etc.? Ewwwwwww nice timing. Couldn't wait til you got out the car eh? The last Bone he had was Saturday. He just had kibble yesterday because we had run out of bones. It's a mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Well, would you believe he brightened up about 15 minutes before the appointment? We went anyway and it was an absolute disaster. Luka is nervous of strangers so I have worked with him, visiting the vets for a quick visits, weigh in, treats etc. getting him used the place and the vet. He had his vaccinations a few weeks ago and was fine. Today there was a locum vet there and Luka would not let her go anywhere near him. Growling, barking at her Very disappointed and feel like all the months of counter conditioning has all been for nothing. I guess we'll keep trying, We talked about muzzling him but, as he seemed brighter she was happy to leave it for now and see how is the rest of the day. She did watch me examine him under her instruction and nothing seemed to be sore. Couldn't take his temperature though. At least she didn't charge for the consultation :) I guess i will give him his breakfast now and just keep a watch on him. I think I will invest in a muzzle and introduce it to him slowly though, as if he does ever need to be examined it would be a good idea if he was used to one. Yes, I can definitely believe tha the brightened up right before the appointment! It's always the way, specially if it's the emergency vet late at night.. I immediately thought that it sounded like a neck or back issue too - but I'm glad that he seems to have brightened up. Do you think your vets would be amenable to you bringing him in there every week or so, without him actually seeing a vet? Just in the interests of more counter conditioning type thing? My vets actually suggest this for dogs that are really fearful, and are happy for people to bring their dogs in just for a pat and some liver treats to create positive associations with the place :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Well, would you believe he brightened up about 15 minutes before the appointment? We went anyway and it was an absolute disaster. Luka is nervous of strangers so I have worked with him, visiting the vets for a quick visits, weigh in, treats etc. getting him used the place and the vet. He had his vaccinations a few weeks ago and was fine. Today there was a locum vet there and Luka would not let her go anywhere near him. Growling, barking at her Very disappointed and feel like all the months of counter conditioning has all been for nothing. I guess we'll keep trying, We talked about muzzling him but, as he seemed brighter she was happy to leave it for now and see how is the rest of the day. She did watch me examine him under her instruction and nothing seemed to be sore. Couldn't take his temperature though. At least she didn't charge for the consultation :) I guess i will give him his breakfast now and just keep a watch on him. I think I will invest in a muzzle and introduce it to him slowly though, as if he does ever need to be examined it would be a good idea if he was used to one. Yes, I can definitely believe tha the brightened up right before the appointment! It's always the way, specially if it's the emergency vet late at night.. I immediately thought that it sounded like a neck or back issue too - but I'm glad that he seems to have brightened up. Do you think your vets would be amenable to you bringing him in there every week or so, without him actually seeing a vet? Just in the interests of more counter conditioning type thing? My vets actually suggest this for dogs that are really fearful, and are happy for people to bring their dogs in just for a pat and some liver treats to create positive associations with the place :) Yes, Alkhe, that is what we have been doing but then once he had his jabs I stopped going. Silly me, I should have realised I need to keep it up as a regular thing. Don't think it would have helped too much this morning though. He was actually really keen to go in the place. It wasn't till he saw the vet and, more precisely when she stood there looking at him, that he freaked out. Would have been very interesting to know how he would have reacted if it had been his normal vet. I want to get him desexed in the next couple of months so will definitely be going back and visiting lots. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) Hope he continues to improve, could have just been an upset tummy and feeling better now. Years ago I had a dog who was terrified of going to the vets - the cure was the dog pool...she could not wait to get there when she discovered the pool. Everyone she met along the way were no longer an issue since she had the ultimate reward for entering the building. Is there anything really exciting at your vet that would help overcome fear of being there? Edited July 8, 2013 by Andisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 This sounds like neck pain ! It might simply be due to muscle spasm which can be brought on by many different causes. It can also be a sign of an intervertebral disc problem. Best to get him seen by a vet before you try a chiro. Make sure that he doesnt have any issues with his spine because a disc can be excruciatingly painful. Chiros can do great things for muscles but discs are another thing and need a different approach. My first thought was neck pain too. Whatever it is, I hope he's OK. Penny gets neck pain sometimes now from an injury I caused trying to save her from an attacking dog, I instinctively yanked her behind me and cricked her neck. That was about 3 years ago now and she's had several episodes where she's in awful pain and her neck goes into cramping spasms. I massage it gently and go all along her spine, starting from her head all the way down to her tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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