YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - what is wrong with my poor baby (aka yorkie) :-(

SnowWa · 03-26-2006, 02:53 AM

My Bichon tore his left anterior cruciate ligament - had surgery, etc., and then about two months later tore the other one. I elected not to have surgery for the second one and just let it heal (which is often done with dogs that weigh less than 20 pounds). Anyway - he is only four years old and definitely walks somewhat awkwardly or stiffly - but other than this has had none of the problems that your dog is having.

I think your dog's problem is neurologic - either his neck or his back. And, unfortunately -- since I have worked for years in radiology, orthopedics, and neurology, I can tell you that these are among the most difficult problems to diagnose - and sometimes can never be diagnosed for certain.

I had another little dog who hurt her back. I am sure that during a storm, a branch fell on her from a tree. She came home that day with a limp and limped for nearly a week. Her limp finally went away, and then she began to exhibit back problems. She couldn't lie down for more than a minute or two without getting up, moving across the room, turning around, lying down again, getting up again, etc. etc. Eventually, I was up with her night after night carrying her and holding her trying to keep her comfortable, which I couldn't do. She was on steroids for a while and they helped her, but her liver enzymes became elevated and she had to be taken off the steroids. Then we were back to my staying up with her night and day. Of course, she was x-rayed, but the x-rays were negative and showed nothing wrong. Then we were looking at CT scans and MRIs and possibly surgery - that would have cost $6000 or $7000 dollars. And, even with these tests, we may still not have found her problem or any surgery that might have helped her. She was diabetic, but doing fine, and I had just paid almost $2500 for another problem - I was trying to work with no sleep and I was really worn out. I had to work and I couldn't leave her alone any more. This was really a hard time for Dutchess and me.

I kept taking her back to the vet, and finally the vet said, "Carol, we may never find out what's wrong." I already knew this.

Finally the two nights came when she and I were up two days and two nights straight during which I held her and carried her most of the time. I was so tired and heartbroken and I couldn't stand to have her suffer anymore. She was even trying to sleep leaning against the wall because she couldn't lie down. I called my sister and she drove me to the vet and I had Dutchess put to sleep. It broke my heart.

I have two of the very best vets in the world, but they and I knew we were dealing with an especially difficult problem.... and pain pills and steroids do help a lot, but they don't cure the problem - and she couldn't take anymore steriods anyway.

I'm rambling. But, I think you should stick with your vet. You said that you like him. It wouldn't have surprised me with Dutchess if three different vets wouldn't have had three different opinions about her problem because there are so many things that can cause these sorts of problems -injuries, tumors, pinched nerves, and on and on and on. As a matter of fact, everytime my vets thought it might be one thing, something would happen, and then they'd have to start looking for something else.

My heart goes out to you. I really don't know what to tell you to do, but I certainly do know how you feel. It does break our heart when our little dogs are so uncomfortable and we can't find out what's wrong. I do know that if Dutchess could have tolerated her medications and steroids, I would have kept her on them for as long as possible....for as long as she could have stayed comfortable.

I sure hope they can find out what's wrong with your little dog and can take care of it. I'm afraid I'm not making you feel any better - but remember your dog's problem is certainly not the exact problem that my dog had. And, remember also that I know exactly what you are going through and am hoping for the very best for you and your little guy.

Please keep in touch - we all need to know how things turn out for you.

Carol Jean

03-26-2006, 02:53 AM	#7
SnowWa YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,992	My Bichon tore his left anterior cruciate ligament - had surgery, etc., and then about two months later tore the other one. I elected not to have surgery for the second one and just let it heal (which is often done with dogs that weigh less than 20 pounds). Anyway - he is only four years old and definitely walks somewhat awkwardly or stiffly - but other than this has had none of the problems that your dog is having. I think your dog's problem is neurologic - either his neck or his back. And, unfortunately -- since I have worked for years in radiology, orthopedics, and neurology, I can tell you that these are among the most difficult problems to diagnose - and sometimes can never be diagnosed for certain. I had another little dog who hurt her back. I am sure that during a storm, a branch fell on her from a tree. She came home that day with a limp and limped for nearly a week. Her limp finally went away, and then she began to exhibit back problems. She couldn't lie down for more than a minute or two without getting up, moving across the room, turning around, lying down again, getting up again, etc. etc. Eventually, I was up with her night after night carrying her and holding her trying to keep her comfortable, which I couldn't do. She was on steroids for a while and they helped her, but her liver enzymes became elevated and she had to be taken off the steroids. Then we were back to my staying up with her night and day. Of course, she was x-rayed, but the x-rays were negative and showed nothing wrong. Then we were looking at CT scans and MRIs and possibly surgery - that would have cost $6000 or $7000 dollars. And, even with these tests, we may still not have found her problem or any surgery that might have helped her. She was diabetic, but doing fine, and I had just paid almost $2500 for another problem - I was trying to work with no sleep and I was really worn out. I had to work and I couldn't leave her alone any more. This was really a hard time for Dutchess and me. I kept taking her back to the vet, and finally the vet said, "Carol, we may never find out what's wrong." I already knew this. Finally the two nights came when she and I were up two days and two nights straight during which I held her and carried her most of the time. I was so tired and heartbroken and I couldn't stand to have her suffer anymore. She was even trying to sleep leaning against the wall because she couldn't lie down. I called my sister and she drove me to the vet and I had Dutchess put to sleep. It broke my heart. I have two of the very best vets in the world, but they and I knew we were dealing with an especially difficult problem.... and pain pills and steroids do help a lot, but they don't cure the problem - and she couldn't take anymore steriods anyway. I'm rambling. But, I think you should stick with your vet. You said that you like him. It wouldn't have surprised me with Dutchess if three different vets wouldn't have had three different opinions about her problem because there are so many things that can cause these sorts of problems -injuries, tumors, pinched nerves, and on and on and on. As a matter of fact, everytime my vets thought it might be one thing, something would happen, and then they'd have to start looking for something else. My heart goes out to you. I really don't know what to tell you to do, but I certainly do know how you feel. It does break our heart when our little dogs are so uncomfortable and we can't find out what's wrong. I do know that if Dutchess could have tolerated her medications and steroids, I would have kept her on them for as long as possible....for as long as she could have stayed comfortable. I sure hope they can find out what's wrong with your little dog and can take care of it. I'm afraid I'm not making you feel any better - but remember your dog's problem is certainly not the exact problem that my dog had. And, remember also that I know exactly what you are going through and am hoping for the very best for you and your little guy. Please keep in touch - we all need to know how things turn out for you. Carol Jean __________________ http://tinypic.com/ipxhmb.jpg A Yorkie is worth a thousand words.