Last night while out on our walk Nemo hurt his leg. Every time we go past this big business building with a beautiful lawn, Nemo wants to run. So I run along with him and we chase each other and goof around and whatever. He gets all excited does his zoomies, and gets a little winded. However last night he cut in a bit close on me and got tangled in my legs. I managed to not fall on him, but I think I might have stepped on him. My other theory is that his leg got stuck in a small hole, or mixed into one of the sprinkler heads for their sprinkler system. Either way, her rolled about three times and came up SCREAMING! Full on Shiba scream, as loud and horrible sounding as he could possibly make it. While he was screaming and sitting strangely I tried to figure out what the source of his pain was, and it his left rear leg. As he kept screaming and people on the other side of the street were looking at us I started to examine his leg. He let me hold it, and I checked it over well, no big obvious breaks or anything. So then I tested to see if he could move it, and was able to get a full range of motion out of it.
After sitting for a few minutes I asked him to get up to see if we could walk, at that time he was unwilling to really put any pressure on it. So I carried him home, probably about a 1/4 of a mile. Carrying a dog as big as a Shiba down the sidewalk will make you feel silly, but he seemed to enjoy it. Every now and then I would set him down to see if he could walk, and he was only willing to walk a little. When we got home I set him down and he walked into the house like he wasn't hurt at all. To see what he could do with it I had him do some tricks. He could still sit, down, stand, roll over, and even do an "up" on his back legs. His sit looks a bit funny and he is now always choosing to lay down instead of sit.
This morning I kept the walk short but he did not seem to favor it at all. However he did not attempt any morning zoomies today. He did chase down a cat a bit though. However I know it's still tender and sore because when he tried to jump up onto the bed he couldn't do it, broke my heart. So I picked him up and put him on there so he could sleep next to his Mom the rest of the morning. Usually he spends all day on our bed, but today we are going to put him in the room with the futon and his crate because it's lower to the ground and I don't want him trying to jump up there.
I'm hoping some of you who have had leg issues with your dog can help me out. What do they have to do to check if a ligament is torn? X-Rays? Does the vet just feel around? I want to take him to the vet, but if it's just a sprain, I don't want to put him through the stress of a vet trip. Also, if he were to need X-Rays for sure, then he will need to be full knocked out because he will not lay peacefully for such a thing. I'll probably call the vet today but was thinking some of you might be able to explain what happens since you have had to take your dogs to the vet for leg issues.
Also when I poke at him and stretch his leg to check range of motion and everything he shows no signs of pain, but he could just be acting tough.
Poor Nemo! I'm hoping it's only a strain. I don't have a clue on the leg problems and what to tell you.
I can't remember if I asked you before - do you guys have any mobile vets/large animal vets that would be willing to make house calls to reduce Nemo's stress?
Awww Poor Nemo! It sounds just like a bruise/strain. This happened to Sake once, and we waited a day or so and just monitored it. She was totally fine after 24 hours, so we didn't think anything else was wrong. Since he is letting you move his leg with no pain, I would say wait it out for today and just keep him monitored, if it doesn't improve then take him to the vet.
I agree with Kristin. I apparently have two of the most accident prone Shibas ever... Bella has hurt her leg several times with full on Shiba screams... As long as he is not limping or in obvious pain when you touch/move his leg, I would wait it out another day. If there is no improvement by tomorrow, I would go ahead and take him to the vet.
Oh man, poor guy. I'm sure the extra loud Shiba scream made you feel great. \
As for your question, for having as many issues as we have had with legs I am surprised that I am not sure how to answer the question...
With Ahi and her shoulder, they checked it by manipulating her leg under anesthesia. The moved her leg and measured the angles, comparing against the "good" shoulder.
With Kona, they just moved his leg around and then watched him walk.
We have always done xrays just to make sure the bone is ok and that will also help you tell if there is any buildup around joints that could point to an issue.
Thanks Brad. I figured it would just be a lot of the vet trying to manipulate Nemo's leg, and like Ahi he would need to be under anesthesia. Otherwise he'd just freak out and probably make anything worse.
Jennifer called me and said that he jumped off the bed to go out to the bathroom with her, with no problems. Then he also jumped onto the bed by himself after they came back in. She said he hesitated and thought about it, but could still do it. So for now we will just continue to monitor him.
This happend to Shao New right after we came back from Portland, I had to carry her back to the apt while carrying her poo and trying not to cry...and I think she appreciated it too.(we walked by a squirrel and i just watched her head bob up and down as we walked..probably saying "hey squirrel, I'll catch you later"....anyway, what happend was she fell hard on her right side after she saw my super and got excited, and this was the leg that had "possible" luxating patella and she couldn't move her leg for 30 min after i had brought her back in and was trying to pull herself with her front paws to a corner. She also didn't eat much for 2 days.
As you can see from the LI fun pics, she's fine now, and those pics were taken right after we took her to the vet who taught us how to massage her muscles should this happen again...and also that we would "know" if it was a fracture / broken bone. I guess it's a guy thing to "know" b/c the vet and my husband looked at each other like "silly woman, of course it's not broken".
Anyway, I'd try to keep Nemo from jumping up and down beds himself for a few days just to be safe.
Poor Nemo. I hope it's just a bruise and he'll be back to normal in no time. I agree that monitoring him for now will be the best course of action, and if he's already jumping it shouldn't be something serious.
Recently Hanzo's people told me how he had tumbled running in a yard and let out a scream then limped for a few days. He and Nemo are probably about the same age, from unknown backgrounds, and Nemo has the 4 leg advantage - but Hanzo ended up slipping a disc in his back from it.
I felt bad afterwards telling them to wait it out for a day or so then call the vet, but thats what I do... wait it out then check it out. If he's already jumping, like Rui said - hopefully that indicates it was a mild injury.
Nemo was doing pretty well last night, I think his leg is on the mend. He tore off after the cats a few times and it didn't seem to bother him. The only time I saw him pull up on it a bit was after chasing someone around our apartment, with them on the outside and Nemo on the inside. He starts by jumping on the chair and barking at them, then running to the bedroom, jumping on the bed and barking at them, and lastly running to the spare bedroom, jumping up on the futon and barking at them. So it was a lot of quick running and jumping. No issues on our walks. Last night he wasnted to Shiba 500 out on his flexi, but I wouldn't let him.
After he ran around barking at someone and came up limping a bit I closed everything off so he couldn't do that for the rest of the night and will do that for a few more days.
Well, it sounds like it may have just been something minor - that's good! Sometimes Ahi, or Kona, or Maui will just hurt themselves and be out of commission one day then fine the next. I guess they are like people and can just "pull something" or "twist something" the wrong way. lol.
Well Nemo seems to be back to normal. He ran some zoomies this morning in the house and out on his flexi and I let him do it. He didn't pull up on his leg at all. He has also been jumping on and off things in a normal way. Vet bill avoided.
Nemo was watching people out the window, while sitting in the cat bed. I fed him treats like crazy as he was well behaved and didn't bark at some little girls that were playing outside. We might be making some slow improvements.
Soooooo, apparently I need a hobby, or another dog or something because I have too much time on my hands. lol I just pretty much read through this entire thread...
First things first: You and Nemo are awesome. What a great pair. And Whizzer! He has my heart. I love that you have a 'crew' of shibas. So jealous lol.
Second: Your pictures are fantastic. You can really capture each dog's individual personality. Mylo is the least photogenic dog ever and I just can't capture his personality w/ a camera. He also looks like a pudge-face whenever I get a 'decent' pic. lol.
Third: I'm glad Nemo's leg is doing better. If I had read this thread a few days earlier I might have been able to offer some advice, but it seems everyone else did a fine job =0).
Does reading this forum all the time count as a hobby? or does that just make me a nerd? lol
Comments
After sitting for a few minutes I asked him to get up to see if we could walk, at that time he was unwilling to really put any pressure on it. So I carried him home, probably about a 1/4 of a mile. Carrying a dog as big as a Shiba down the sidewalk will make you feel silly, but he seemed to enjoy it. Every now and then I would set him down to see if he could walk, and he was only willing to walk a little. When we got home I set him down and he walked into the house like he wasn't hurt at all. To see what he could do with it I had him do some tricks. He could still sit, down, stand, roll over, and even do an "up" on his back legs. His sit looks a bit funny and he is now always choosing to lay down instead of sit.
This morning I kept the walk short but he did not seem to favor it at all. However he did not attempt any morning zoomies today. He did chase down a cat a bit though. However I know it's still tender and sore because when he tried to jump up onto the bed he couldn't do it, broke my heart. So I picked him up and put him on there so he could sleep next to his Mom the rest of the morning. Usually he spends all day on our bed, but today we are going to put him in the room with the futon and his crate because it's lower to the ground and I don't want him trying to jump up there.
I'm hoping some of you who have had leg issues with your dog can help me out. What do they have to do to check if a ligament is torn? X-Rays? Does the vet just feel around? I want to take him to the vet, but if it's just a sprain, I don't want to put him through the stress of a vet trip. Also, if he were to need X-Rays for sure, then he will need to be full knocked out because he will not lay peacefully for such a thing. I'll probably call the vet today but was thinking some of you might be able to explain what happens since you have had to take your dogs to the vet for leg issues.
Also when I poke at him and stretch his leg to check range of motion and everything he shows no signs of pain, but he could just be acting tough.
I can't remember if I asked you before - do you guys have any mobile vets/large animal vets that would be willing to make house calls to reduce Nemo's stress?
As for your question, for having as many issues as we have had with legs I am surprised that I am not sure how to answer the question...
With Ahi and her shoulder, they checked it by manipulating her leg under anesthesia. The moved her leg and measured the angles, comparing against the "good" shoulder.
With Kona, they just moved his leg around and then watched him walk.
We have always done xrays just to make sure the bone is ok and that will also help you tell if there is any buildup around joints that could point to an issue.
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Jennifer called me and said that he jumped off the bed to go out to the bathroom with her, with no problems. Then he also jumped onto the bed by himself after they came back in. She said he hesitated and thought about it, but could still do it. So for now we will just continue to monitor him.
As you can see from the LI fun pics, she's fine now, and those pics were taken right after we took her to the vet who taught us how to massage her muscles should this happen again...and also that we would "know" if it was a fracture / broken bone. I guess it's a guy thing to "know" b/c the vet and my husband looked at each other like "silly woman, of course it's not broken".
Anyway, I'd try to keep Nemo from jumping up and down beds himself for a few days just to be safe.
I agree that monitoring him for now will be the best course of action, and if he's already jumping it shouldn't be something serious.
I felt bad afterwards telling them to wait it out for a day or so then call the vet, but thats what I do... wait it out then check it out. If he's already jumping, like Rui said - hopefully that indicates it was a mild injury.
After he ran around barking at someone and came up limping a bit I closed everything off so he couldn't do that for the rest of the night and will do that for a few more days.
I'm glad he is doing better.
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I adore the middle picture.
First things first: You and Nemo are awesome. What a great pair. And Whizzer! He has my heart. I love that you have a 'crew' of shibas. So jealous lol.
Second: Your pictures are fantastic. You can really capture each dog's individual personality. Mylo is the least photogenic dog ever and I just can't capture his personality w/ a camera. He also looks like a pudge-face whenever I get a 'decent' pic. lol.
Third: I'm glad Nemo's leg is doing better. If I had read this thread a few days earlier I might have been able to offer some advice, but it seems everyone else did a fine job =0).
Does reading this forum all the time count as a hobby? or does that just make me a nerd? lol
Thanks everyone else too.