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Old April 20th, 2011, 03:11 PM
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Scare with Shadow yesterday

Well I thought I was losing her yesterday afternoon. I was down the hall at the office and when I came back she had come from around the side of my desk and as she rounded the corner she fell over. She tried to get up and fell over again. By this time I was with her and had hold of her by the front of her chest. I was worried that she may have been having a stroke or something, although my gut told me it was probably her legs. She was just staring at me and her face was so confused. I could see her thinking Mom, what's going on? Help me. After a minute or two of holding her in one spot she got herself up and went and laid back down on her bed. I immediately packed up my stuff and left for the vets office with her. They took her in immediately and the vet ruled out stroke or neurological issues. He feels she has some swelling in her spine that may have pinched some nerves and caused her legs to go numb.

So we upped her dose of Metacam because she was only getting that every three days or so, and in a week we are going to start her on Cartophen shots (thanks Teri). I have noticed in the last while that her hind legs seemed weaker than they used to, we even had to start putting a carpet down by her food dish as her hind legs were sliding away on her. I'm hoping the Cartophen will help her with some of that hind leg control again.

It was so scary though watching her fall over and having no control over her legs. I seriously thought for a moment that that may have been the end of her, but found some comfort in the thought that if it was the end she would go in loving arms. Thankfully, it seems we're not done yet. Whew.
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Old April 20th, 2011, 03:21 PM
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Very scary, DD I'm glad she's feeling a little better and the cartophen will help! We're beginning to see some hind-end weakening in Lil Belle, probably from her spondylosis. I make sure she gets out and moves every day but I can see she's lost some muscle mass...

for Shadow and for many more years with her!!
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Old April 20th, 2011, 03:31 PM
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Wow, what a scare. Glad to hear she is doing better

for you and Shadow.
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Old April 20th, 2011, 03:42 PM
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oh poor Shadow and poor you DogDancer, that is so scary when it happens!! I'm glad she got up again, hopefully the new med will help her *hugs*
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Old April 20th, 2011, 04:04 PM
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DD,it is terrible getting old,I know from experience as does Shadow,I am glad she's doing better,I know she could not have a better mom
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Old April 20th, 2011, 05:59 PM
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I'm so glad that you and shadow aren't done yet!! and that she is feeling a bit better!!

for Shadow

for you DD,
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Old April 20th, 2011, 10:21 PM
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Poor thing I hope she is feeling better soon
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Old April 21st, 2011, 10:17 AM
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Thanks guys, she's doing okay now. Well same as before. No more falling over anyhow. She seems in good spirits. I'm looking forward to starting the cartophen shots to see if they help her out. I know she's getting old, and it's so sad to watch. I feel bad that I didn't get her onto the shots earlier, but with hubby being in hospital in Feb. we just sort of let her go a bit because she seemed okay. So, thanks again for the good vibes for my old girl, she gave this old girl a start on Tuesday for sure.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 10:51 AM
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Good luck with the poor old girl, DD. Hope the cartrophen works for her.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 11:09 AM
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I'm so sorry DD that Shadow is having these problems. It sucks seeing our babies getting older. Hopefully the shots will help.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:18 PM
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Wow that sure was scary for you and I bet it was scary for Shadow too. Hopefully the cartrophen shots work. Sending good vibes for both you and Shadow and keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't happen again
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:44 PM
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Thank you all again, I really hope the cartophen will give her back a bit of her strength/stability. I hope I haven't waited too long. The vet feels it will help. Will keep you all posted. She does go out for several walks a day, short and slow. I let her pick her pace and what way she wants to go, and how long she wants to stay out. She's pretty easy to understand what she wants. If she sits down and won't budge, she's ready to go home! She continues to lose weight very slowly, and I suspect like you Hazel that it is muscle mass she's losing at this point - her appetite is as good or better than ever.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:55 PM
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Awww, poor Shadow .

Have you ever done chiro with her DD? I think that based on the symptoms she is showing that it would be an excellent idea. There is a great husband/wife team in Fort Langley that I have taken both Lucy and Riley. The wife is more well known and has been doing it longer but harder to get in to see. I have seen the hubby who was great and both dogs loved him.

You need to have your vet fax over a referral form to them. The clinic name is Fort Family Chiropractic (they see people too). Email is frontdesk@fortfamilychiro.ca and PH:604-888-4844 FAX:604-888-4890.

After our first visit there Lucy went from not being able to do the stairs alone to no problem. We went weekly for about a month and then monthly after that.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 03:37 PM
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What a terrible fright for you!!!
I'm so glad she's doing better. She has a wonderful mommy and is in very good hands, though very full with everything you've gone through lately! Give her a big hug for me
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Old April 21st, 2011, 10:57 PM
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my fingers are crossed hope all goes well, brenda and the pins-1
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Old April 22nd, 2011, 11:07 PM
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Thanks again for all the pawsitive thoughts for us. Shadow is doing well today and I will talk to the vet tomorrow (Saturday) about starting the cartophen shots. Teri, thanks for the info about the chiropractors. I don't think we'll be going that route unfortunately, although I'm sure it would help her more than hurt her. Sadly, it's not in this summer's budget. If anybody goes to the Chiro it's got to be me!! Next month we're off to Mexico for a week for my son's wedding and I'm very worried about leaving the dogs behind, especially now with Shadow's leg problem. I have a good friend who will be minding the girls for me, but still I'm worried. She's worried too that something will happen while I'm gone. One more thing to worry about, I really do wish that the wedding was not in Mexico! Unfortunately, since I only have one child I do have to go (I sure hope he doesn't read this!). So sadly with the expenses of wedding and such chiropractic work for Shadow is not in the cards right now, but I will keep it in mind if things go downhill.
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Old April 23rd, 2011, 01:25 AM
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Hope all goes well with Shadow's vet visit tommorrow
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Old April 25th, 2011, 08:50 PM
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Hope things are going well for you and Shadow. I remember how scary everything was with my seniors. I also remember refusing vacations (what vacations?--we were broke from vet bills) because I was too scared to leave them. Hope the wedding is beautiful and everything at home uneventful. All my best. The senior years are bittersweet, but there is so much to treasure during this time.
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Old April 25th, 2011, 11:18 PM
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Thanks Growler and Scottiedog. The vet trip today was uneventful, just waited two minutes then he came in and gave her her shot and we were outta there! None too soon by Shadow's measure though. It was not our regular vet, so not much to say. We will see him next week when we go for shot #2. Of course it's too early to say if it's helped, but she hasn't had any negative reactions, so that's good. Scottiedog we stopped with regular shots some time back. We get rabbies shots but that's it. Yes the senior years are wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
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Old April 25th, 2011, 11:23 PM
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I hope you get good results from the cartrophen! How soon before you should start seeing results?
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Old April 25th, 2011, 11:53 PM
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Not sure how common it is but Cally started showing good results after just the 1st shot I could see it was easier for him to manage the stairs, after the 5th injection he was feeling well enough to jump into the back of the Jeep before I could stop & lift him in

Here is the Cartrophen Vet pdf info file

for Shadow
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Old April 26th, 2011, 01:06 PM
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mom and shadow! hope the shots help and she's feeling a bit better soon!
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Old April 26th, 2011, 05:50 PM
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DD I'm sorry to hear about poor Shadow, but I hope the shots will help him out. How old is he?
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Old April 27th, 2011, 10:13 AM
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Shadow will be 14 soon, so really we're not expecting miracles, more just looking to keep her as comfortable and mobile as possible. She does seem to be doing well, bearing in mind she's had only one shot so far. I see she's still stretching out her back frequently, so I suspect the vet is right about the swelling in her spine, but she's moving well. She wasn't much in the mood for a walk today, mind you it was pouring rain! I wasn't in the mood either.
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Old April 27th, 2011, 11:46 PM
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Yes, it really was an icky day today .

Hope Shadow gets some comfort from the cartrophen .
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Old April 28th, 2011, 12:05 AM
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DD, Shadow is obviously one of the lucky ones. Cartrophen worked for Trooper here, but not for Candy, and I'd be very optomistic if the first needle is already helping.
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Old April 28th, 2011, 10:20 AM
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When I saw the vet the first time he tested Shadow's reflexes in her hind legs and said they were very slow. I have noticed that once in a while she drags her hind feet and I hear the nails drag on the ground. I figured she just needed her nails trimmed. Now I know why that's happening. Last night was lovely and Shadow wanted to walk walk walk when we went out. When I told her enough was enough and headed back home I noticed about half way home that her left hind leg was pulling inward kinda funny. She kept walking, but I could see that she was struggling with the leg. I always take my cell phone with me when we walk in case she can't make it home I can call DH to come get us. We made it home though, and she does seem okay this morning. Silly girl! I try to let her decide where she wants to walk, but she forgets about having to go home too!
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