I am just frazzled!!!!! Yesterday I called the dogs in from outside and Mike, my French Bulldog, came walking in really slowly. But he seemed fine. I left them in the house and went to the fitness center. When I got back he was walking really wobbly. It looked like his front legs could not hold him. It was too late to call my vet. I thought of calling the emergency clinic but they are so expensive plus I just had a feeling that it was something serious and I did not want to see any vet but mine. He did not seem to be in pain, he drank water , was breathing okay,...so I decided to wait until today.
Today I took him to see my regular vet. He was still walking the same way. She suspected back injury of some kind. She said that a mielogram (sp?) would cost $1200.00 and I had to go another clinic. She said back surgery would start at $2500.00. She decided to do some X-rays to see what they would show. She showed me the X-rays. The vertebraes in the top of his spine in the shoulder area are very different from the other ones.. They are smaller and shaped differently. She showed me pictures in a book and she thinks he was born with this defect. She gave him a shot and some steroid pills for the next few days. She says if it is an injury, like jumping off the recliner the wrong way, or the Springer jumping on him, he should get better in a few days. But if it is the bone malformation starting to press on some nerves... it could get worse.
He is a very over sized Frenchie. Even if I had that kind of money.. she said back surgery would be very hard on him, recovery would be long and difficult. And after seeing the X-rays she is questioning whether surgery could really help.
That was John's dog. We got him about 7 years ago around the time his son died. Michael was his son's middle name. If John were still here, I don't think he would want to put Mike through the agony of back surgery. The vet knew John pretty well. She agreed with me. I talked to my stepdaughter and she said," Thank God this did not happen while daddy was still here... especially while he was sick". I thought of that too.
So this is what is going on...Here's a picture if I can do this.
Today I took him to see my regular vet. He was still walking the same way. She suspected back injury of some kind. She said that a mielogram (sp?) would cost $1200.00 and I had to go another clinic. She said back surgery would start at $2500.00. She decided to do some X-rays to see what they would show. She showed me the X-rays. The vertebraes in the top of his spine in the shoulder area are very different from the other ones.. They are smaller and shaped differently. She showed me pictures in a book and she thinks he was born with this defect. She gave him a shot and some steroid pills for the next few days. She says if it is an injury, like jumping off the recliner the wrong way, or the Springer jumping on him, he should get better in a few days. But if it is the bone malformation starting to press on some nerves... it could get worse.
He is a very over sized Frenchie. Even if I had that kind of money.. she said back surgery would be very hard on him, recovery would be long and difficult. And after seeing the X-rays she is questioning whether surgery could really help.
That was John's dog. We got him about 7 years ago around the time his son died. Michael was his son's middle name. If John were still here, I don't think he would want to put Mike through the agony of back surgery. The vet knew John pretty well. She agreed with me. I talked to my stepdaughter and she said," Thank God this did not happen while daddy was still here... especially while he was sick". I thought of that too.
So this is what is going on...Here's a picture if I can do this.
