Injured? Help with areas to troubleshoot.

k9kreationz · Oct 6, 2016

This morning, Koji walked up the 6 stairs VERY slowly. Usually, he takes them really fast, so I'm concerned. I thought maybe he was just stiff from waking up or maybe something fell asleep (gone numb). But I just took him out at lunch and same thing. He also was walking very slow.

His gait looks normal. Maybe a little hoppy, but otherwise, no limping or favoring a leg, etc. I just did a check for range of motion on his legs, they all seem fine (as in, he didn't seem bothered that I was doing anything to him whatsoever).

I have to go back to work so I can't check anything further, but am hoping you might have an idea of what to check when I get back. Shoulders, spine, neck? How to check it? Range of motion? Etc.

Thanks!

Silaria · Oct 6, 2016

Hmm, how long ago did he get into your plumerias? It's possible you are seeing some lethargy from that. Not really sure otherwise.

Calliesmom · Oct 6, 2016

doubt it's plumeria- Jocu took care of mine a while back and I checked with the vet about it- said it wouldn't hurt him.....

Silaria · Oct 6, 2016

Yeah, but what I didn't mention was that he actually got into the dirt which had fertilizer in it, not the plant specifically. That's what made me think of it.

Caro · Oct 6, 2016

I can tell you what the animal physio has shown me to check if my dogs have any muscular issues that need massaging and stretching out.

Push your fingers gently over his back, shoulders and upper sides and see if there are any twitches. The twitches are muscle spasms, then you can massage out any spasms. Deska gets very slow when his back is spasming, and he gets the spasms because of the gait from his arthritis.

To check his neck, put him in a sitting position and then use a treat to turn his head from one side to the other - dogs can turn their heads to the side more than 180 degrees, almost the whole way to the side.

To check the thoracic spine have him lay down and reach forward for a treat (you may need to place your hand on his back to stop him getting up) he should be able to get at least his eyes past the tips of his paws. The neck and thoracic tests are also good stretches if he is having issues in those area, once you've massaged the area to loosen up the muscles a little.

Sorry, that's all I can think of. But you know, even if he doesn't have a muscle strain, a massage is still a really nice thing.

k9kreationz · Oct 6, 2016

Calliesmom said:
doubt it's plumeria- Jocu took care of mine a while back and I checked with the vet about it- said it wouldn't hurt him.....

Out of curiosity, what part of the plant wasn't lethal? I mean, Koji has eaten the entire plant before (trunk, leaves, wait, no flowers). And Silaria was correct, the other day, he got into the soil that had fertilizer on it.

Silaria said:
Hmm, how long ago did he get into your plumerias? It's possible you are seeing some lethargy from that. Not really sure otherwise.

I don't think so, but I'm not sure. My thought is this, even if he's lethargic and not feeling well, he still jump/runs up the stairs. Even with his sore bum he did that. I should check that. Nope, that looks normal.

k9kreationz · Oct 7, 2016

Caro said:
I can tell you what the animal physio has shown me to check if my dogs have any muscular issues that need massaging and stretching out.

Well, Koji got a nice massage and treats! LOL. I didn't notice anything, I even had him on his back all stretched out and he just lied there. His range of motion seemed fine and he didn't seem hesitant about anything. Ugh. Gonna have to keep an eye on him.

Calliesmom · Oct 7, 2016

fertilizer is a different story....depending on what's in it. I'd probably check with the vet about that..............
I don't believe that any part of the plumeria is toxic. when Jocu got mine, I googled all over- checked the lists on here and anywhere that I could find that had toxic plant lists and plumeria wasn't on any of them that I could find. which is why I then checked with the vet to be sure.....

k9kreationz · Oct 11, 2016

Well, he's back to normal. Three days of massage will make anyone feel good, right? I dunno, he seemed to get better and is back to his normal self.

Thanks for the suggestions. Still no clue what happened, but since he seems okay, I'll take it. I'll keep an eye on him in case it was something he ate.