Pay Attention to Subtle Signs

  Posted on August 1, 2011  by Joy of Living  No comments

Yesterday, when Jessie was laying down I heard her yelp.  I thought maybe Marty had done something to upset her, so I stopped what I was doing for a bit and sat down on the couch with her.

She got up and when she moved a certain direction she yelped again.  No Marty in sight, so I knew something wasn’t right.  I figured I would wait until today, see if it got any better….or worse.  She was okay eating breakfast, ok on our walk, but then when she was circling to lay down she yelped again.

At that point I called to schedule a vet appointment.  Good thing I did, the vet, after reviewing x-rays said he was surprised she could walk.  This was very upsetting for me to hear.  He went on to say it was good I got her in when I did, by doing so I may very possibly have prevented permanent damage to her back.  Failure to act promptly in a case like Jessie’s could very possibly mean back surgery.

Turns out she has a couple of inflamed vertebrae that are pressing on her spinal chord, the pressing is the source of pain that was causing her to cry out.  She’s going to be getting a series of anti-inflammatory meds via IV that will hopefully reduce the inflammation, and subsequently reduce her pain.

I’m sharing this story to encourage you to pay close attention to subtle changes in your pet’s behavior that could signal a serious problem.  Prompt attention could mean the difference in a speedy recovery vs. a long, painful and probably very expensive course of treatment.