Really Scared -- Think we are losing one

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Rob

New member
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
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2
We took Chi Chi to the vet, when we noticed she had trouble moving hind legs. He gave her x rays. No broken bones, no constipation. She does have a deteriorating disc between her vertebrae though. We have been giving her Critical Care, and Meloxicam. It's only day 2, but she seems to be in more and more pain. Grinding teeth too, tonight. Moving her hindquarters seems to be a burden, her little legs are moving, but there is more dragging I think.

The good news, the vet didn't see anything yesterday to make him think putting her down was the best option at this time. It was only one disc and she is only 7.

Having said that, seeing her move the way she does really has me scared that she won't recover. But I am trying to be optimistic and thinking that after a week of the Critical Care and medicine she'll bounce back. Any one have a similar experience or have any idea how these things usually go, how long the meds start to make a difference?
 
Wanted to Update You on Chi Chi's health.

She exercised some today. She is getting quicker, but still struggling and in spite of the pain meds seems to be in pain at times. She's eating food, though it is hard to tell how much. She is also still getting Critical Care. Personality-wise, she is still our girl though you can tell she's not in top form. She's pooping and peeing some. I would like to see more, but still happy that she is going. Her urine so far has not been dark or pungent.

I am breathing a little easier, though still quite concerned. Honestly, I don't care if she doesn't move like before she got sick. I know arthritis never is completely cured once it's there. I just want her to be able to move without a great deal of pain. Three doses in and some relief, but not total yet. Is it reasonable to expect that by the end of the prescription, the meloxicam will have taken away a lot of the pain? We are also looking for options for herbs and dietary supplements geared for joint pain.
 
How is Chi Chi now? Hopefully she is better. Anti-inflammatories can help relieve some of the pressure on the disc, which can be causing neurological symptoms. This is not treating the underlying cause of the disease though, but sometimes all we can do is treat the symptoms while we search for more information.
 
I had a senior chin with an arthritic knee that was on Dasuquin, a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement, for YEARS. Our vet had us use one half of a capsule of the cat formula (yes, I know it is fish-flavored, but we were able to make it palatable by mixing it in a little bit of mango-flavored Walmart-brand drink mix). By adding this supplement, we were able to wean her off of daily meloxicam and use only as needed. Another thing we did for her was give her a cuddle cup with a Snugglesafe heating pad that she could sit on if she wanted to. Hope your chin feels better soon!
 
i havnt had a chin with bad disks, but i myself do. I can say for sure they never heal. Its a matter of what treatment is available for a chin and the quality of life afterwards. I know i personally had fluid that leaked out of the ruptured disk. They had to go in and clean that out. Which after several days of a good bit of pain and unable to move well, really did help.

Pain meds alone are not a solution. It might help for the time being, but being on them long term and rly screw up the body more.

Messed up disks depending on location and severity can send pain down through the legs. Maybe that is effecting her as well, i dont know.

Id call a few vets and see what they have to say in terms of available treatment. I honestly am not sure myself.
 
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