26 replies to this topic

[kschneider]

When I got home from work yesterday my Harley didn't greet me at the door like usual, he couldn't get up off the couch.....he was like that all night. I tried helping him up so he could go to the bathroom and he growled and snapped at my face. When I took him to the vet this morning they did x-rays and bloodwork. His joints on all four lower leg legs, by his feet are very swollen, but other than that his X-rays were wonderful. The vet actually said he was very well bred...i got him from a rescue so im not sure where he came from.....So now we wait for the bloodwork to come back...the vet thinks he may have an autoimmune disease or an infection? For the past few months I have been giving him gycloflex, as he seemed to have sore joints, and when I took him to the vet last month they didn't see anything wrong with him. Today, the vet gave him antibiotics, pain pills, and steroids. But he's home now and still can barely get up, and when he does it takes him about 5 minutes before he can walk semi-normal. Has anyone had this problem?? He is only 5. I'm hoping the medication will help him with the pain soon...... I thought I was going to have to put him down today....I just don't want him to suffer......

[Nancy Robinson]

OH GOOD LORD
....does it ever end

I am sending a MOUNTAIN of PRAYERS
He must have really been in pain for him to
snap............
....and a dog will do that when they are hurting

Maybe Arda will know

Please keep us updated

Edited by Nancy Robinson, 24 May 2013 - 06:49 PM.

[kschneider]

Thanks I'm really worried about him....

[Arda]

Come on Sharen............Some input.

[Ken]

Lyme disease? That can cause swollen joints. If so it will show up in the blood work.

Keep calm and be optimistic. We're all rooting for Harley and you.

Ken

[kschneider]

Thank you. I hope something shows up in the blood test so we have some sort of answer....

[Karen A]

Lyme disease is the first thing that came to mind also. Make sure they run that test for him. I believe that joint stiffness is a later stage of the disease, but very fixable. Keep us posted.

[Cheri]

Tick-borne illness was the first thing I thought of, too, but I'm just a layperson and don't have any veterinary knowledge. I'm sure it could be a couple dozen other things, too. Just want you to know I'm sending best wishes for a diagnosis and quick recovery for Harley!

[LuvmydobeApollo]

Hopefully they did some tick testing, yes.. that is a possibility.. lymes,, ehhh there alot of tick diseases that cause problems... it could be an autoimmune disease also.. its hard to say. dont think of putting him down yet... lets see what the blood shows... they may have to run more blood, keep pushing until you get an answer. It doesnt sound neurological..... they may have to do a joint tap to get some answers...did he have a temp??? keep him quiet and lets see what blood shows... keep us posted!!!!

sharen

p.s. i work for a vet so if you want to p.m. with questions i will do my best to help !!!!! good luck!

[kschneider]

No, I'm not going to put him down, as he is doing a little better. Yesterday I thought I was going to have to because he couldn't get up or walk very well...along with the fact that he was in obvious pain....today he is doing better, with the pain meds and steroids, he is able to get up and walk although he still struggles...... He does have symptoms of Lyme disease, after looking it up online...but I have never seen a tick on him and he is treated with frontline......so I guess we will just have to wait and see......

Attached Files

•  image.jpg   136.36KB   1 downloads

Edited by kschneider, 25 May 2013 - 10:57 AM.

[dobermidwife]

Prayers for you and Harley. My thoughts also went straight to a tick borne disease. Please keep us posted on your boy.

[Cheri]

And of course there are a lot of different kinds of harnesses and slings designed to help a dog who is having difficulty getting up and walking. Maybe something like that would be helpful for a while. In a pinch, you could use a large bath towel under his belly as a sling. I'm anxiously waiting to hear the blood test results......

[Ken]

Any update on Harley? How did the blood tests go?

[kschneider]

I haven't gotten the blood test results back; the vet told me it would take 1-2 weeks because of the holiday. In the meantime, Harley has been on his meds for a week and is doing very well, back to his old self. My husband asked me the other day if the vet had put him on "crack pills", as he has been a little neurotic lol. Depending on the diagnosis, I am assuming he will have to be on meds long term. It is amazing how much it has helped...I am very curious as to what the results are...the whole experience has been bizarre. Thanks for asking, I will let everyone know when I get the results back

[Arda]

Everyone is waiting to hear. What you are going through may or may not be an answer to one or all of us at some time down the line. We are all still praying all will be ok.

[Nancy Robinson]

Thank you for the update

PRAYERS AND HUGS

[kschneider]

Just got a voicemail from the vet.....tests for tick related diseases came back negative. We are still waiting on arthritis test.......

[Annie Moon]

I'm glad he's back to normal... except for the crackhead behavior.

[Karen A]

Thanks for the update.....still hoping for the best news possible

[kschneider]

So I got the rest of the results today; Harley has high level of something I can't remember the name of, signifying he has some sort of autoimmune disease....lupus, rheumatoid, etc.....the vet doesn't know which one he has....so he is now on 5 different medications ($140 for a months worth)...she said its a process of elimination.....so we will just have to see how he does...she said he could go into remission. So there ya go; an answer, but not really :/