Levi has bursitis, we think. He had a slight limp for nearly a week before I took him to the vet. He showed no other sign of being in pain, and the limp came and went. Every time he got up after resting for a while, he limped the first half a dozen steps and then stopped. I thought he'd get better day by day, but he didn't.
I'd checked his feet carefully, of course, and mashed and squeezed up and down his legs without any indication from him that anything was sore. Actually, it didn't surprise me to think he might have injured himself. He spends most of his awake time gamboling around the house, jumping from the floor to the sofa and down again, racing from room to room, flinging his tennis ball, then sliding across the floor in pursuit of it. He frequently crashes into furniture, and one would think that might be kind of painful.
The vet's office is only about five minutes away, but after that short ride, Levi gagged and threw up three times between the car and the vet's front door. Carsickness, she said. I'd suspected as much because he always looks unhappy when I take him for a ride.
While the vet examined Levi, I told her about his rowdiness in much the same way I just explained it to you. She laughed and said, "Boys will be boys," then leaned closer to Levi's big head just in time for him to let out a huge belch. Yes, indeed, boys will be boys.
The vet and her technician walked Levi outside, but he didn't limp for them. She's guessing bursitis is the problem because she felt him resist slightly when she tried to move his left shoulder joint. We're treating him for that first, and if he hasn't improved somewhat over the course of this second week, we'll do x-rays just to be on the safe side.
My job, in addition to giving him his daily meds, is to keep him from "getting completely crazy" (the vet's words) when he gets in rip-roaring gymnastics mode. Would you care to guess how that's going? Would it give you a clue if I told you this puppy now weighs 83 pounds?
As the microphone once picked up Nancy Reagan whispering into her husband's ear mid-speech, and as he immediately repeated to the gathered crowd, "We're doing the best we can."
Oh so sorry to hear of Levi's pain! Mabel went through "growing pains" (as our vet called them) her first year... hoping it's something simple like that!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Holly. He seems to be doing better today than he has in a week and a half, so I'm optimistic at this point.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, Hope Levi will feel better soon ---and hope that you can keep him from getting rowdy... (Good luck!!!! ha)
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Glad the meds are working and he'll soon be back to his rambunctious self, caroming into furniture. I don't envy you the job of trying to keep him from overdoing it.
ReplyDeleteBetsy and Janet, I called for help in the form of Oliver, my daughter Kim's Shih Tzu, who is Levi's best bud. They do a lot of running together but not so much leaping and jumping of the kind that really puts stress on Levi's shoulder. Seems to be helping.
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