Saturday, June 6, 2009

All is not well with Isabelle

This morning Izzie would not get off the bed and come downstairs.  After about an hour I went up to see what was up.  She was lying there looking pitiful.  Didn't seem to be running a temp.  I picked her up and she yipped.  She walked to the stairs with me and then turned back to the bedroom.  I got her to come back to the stairs and tried to pick her up again, but another yelp and I decide to see if she would follow me down, which she did very slowly.  I let her out into the back yard and she just lay in the cool grass, then moved under the stairs to the deck.  I got really worried when she wouldn't come back up the four steps, so I called the emergency vet.  I had to help her into the car and she lay on the floor the whole two hours it took to drive. She didn't want any water.

The vet decided it was her back.  Isabelle doesn't complain and the only clue was she turned and flinched a bit when poked there.  She does have a bit of arthritis and 81 mg. aspirin usually helps, but I was told it wouldn't help her back that much.  She got an injection of pain killer and some pills (muscle relaxant) to take for a week.  If that doesn't work she'll need x-rays to see if there's a tumor there.  Again she just lay on the floor of the car all the way home.

When we got home she went under the bed.  She's just come out, but is now sitting at the top of the stairs and doesn't seem to want to walk down.  The doctor says she needs to loose weight slowly.  She's at 27 pounds and she should be around 20.  It's going to be hard at coffee hour, since she loves cheese and everybody gives it to her.  I think a few plain dog biscuits will have to do.  I've also been told to give her MSM and cook for her, but give her vitamin supplements. She already eats "Happy Hips" (chicken jerky with glucosamine and chondroitin) She'll like the cooking bit, since her favorite meal is roasted chicken, pasta and broccoli.  

I think I need to carry her down the stairs: she's whimpering.  I promised her a little walk, but still had to carry her down the stairs.

Prayers for Isabelle.  Please.

7 comments:

Brian R said...

Prayers rising

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

Prayers ascending!

Anonymous said...

Awww...prayers and hugs (soft ones) for Izzie

motheramelia said...

Thank you Brian, Goran and Tracie. Izzie has had two doses of the muscle relaxant and seems to be a bit better in that she can now navigate stairs, slowly. I pointed out to someone where she seemed to hurt and touched the spot and Izzie jumped, so I obviously found the right place. She did go to church with me and although offered a piece of cheese did not eat it. She's still off her food, which is not a bad things seeing as she need to diet.

Lapinbizarre said...

Saw this over at Mimi's earlier today. My oldest dog (12) has bad joint problems now, but a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin tablets, a supplement called Glycoflex (if you try it, buy this on line, not through your vet - you will find that it's far cheaper) and a "natural" pain relief supplement called PhyCox, have restored a good measure of her mobility (for a time, two or three months back, she could not get to her feet without assistance). Your vet should be able to advise you on these.

Thinking of you and Izzie and hoping that things are looking up.

motheramelia said...

Lapin. She can at least do the stairs again, but boy is she slow. She used to race me up and down the stairs just a few weeks ago. I'm calling our vet tomorrow morning.

Suzer said...

Prayers for Izzie. I hope she feels better soon. It's so hard when our beloved pets are suffering. They often don't complain as much as we would. :)

Healing prayers headed Izzie's way.