Julius Leg....Help us please!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Hi everyone---

Well Ryan called me today while I was at work this morning & said that Julius was not putting any pressure on his rear left leg. He was fine this morning. Ate a normal sized breakfast & had the appetite for it. He was put in his crate when Ryan went to school & two hours later when Ryan came back Julius was very slow & awkward about getting out of his crate. This is when Ryan noticed that he was not putting any pressure on his rear leg.

He has not shown any sign of limping ever before now. Ryan said that once Julius got out of the crate he felt Julius' leg applying a bit of pressure which Julius had no problem with. Then Ryan tried to bend the leg a bit & Julius yelped. :(

We have a vet appt. today at 2:15. It was the earliest that we could get. I tried to get an earlier appt. & the receptionist was a bit rude to me (sue me, I'm concerned about my dog. we'll be switching vets...but that's another story).

What are some of the things I should ask them to check???

I'm fearing it possibly could be lyme disease. I know it could be an over-reaction on my part but all I can think of is the lameness in the leg & he was a bit letargic yesterday & today he's confined to his crate until we go to the vet. I came home from work & am now home for the rest of the day & I opened the crate door to pet Jules & say hi & he made no effort to get out or move. He just moved his head over to look at me. It about broke my heart. :(

We did go on a walk yesterday & Julius was climbing up on these snowballs that Ryan was rolling & then climbing back off. It's possible that he might have sprained/pulled something then....but it's just odd that it hasn't shown up until this morning.

I'm just very worried for my boy. If anyone has anything that I should mention or tests that I should have run please post. Again the appt. is at 2:15. God, I'm so scared. Please keep Julius in your thoughts.

Brooke

[austin]

Please don't think the worst. You are doing the right thing in getting Julius to the vet immediately, but chances are great that he just strained a muscle when he was playing yesterday. The soreness often won't show up until the next day. Please let us know what the vet says.

Oh, and let the vet know about his receptionist, there is no excuse for being rude when you have a job like that. Most people are upset when they call, and the receptionist should by sympathetic, no matter what.

[MontanaRott]

Oh Brooke, I don't have a clue, just want you and Ryan to know I am thinking good thoughts and sending lots of positive energy your way. LET US KNOW as SOON as you can what you find out about your sweet boy.

Take care,
Shirley.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Thank you Austin. I was actually thinking about changing vets anyway since the one vet closer to our house deals with natural medicine as well as regular vetrinary care. Plus, it's a bit cheaper. This just sealed the deal though. I will mention it when I go.

Thanks for the reassurance. I think it's probably just a strain or a sprain also but it just scares me so much. I hate seeing him just laying in his crate not moving at all. Breaks my heart. :(

Brooke

[Brooke&Ryan]

Thank you Shirley. I'm glad that you're thinking good thoughts for Julius. He appreciates it. I might skip my afternoon class tonight if the vet visit runs late. Anything for my boy. I'll update when I get back from the vet or after class around 4:30ish. Thanks for being such a sweetheart. It's good to know that people are here for you....

I love this place.

:)
Brooke

[MontanaRott]

Originally posted by Brooke&Ryan
Thank you Shirley. I'm glad that you're thinking good thoughts for Julius. He appreciates it. I might skip my afternoon class tonight if the vet visit runs late. Anything for my boy. I'll update when I get back from the vet or after class around 4:30ish. Thanks for being such a sweetheart. It's good to know that people are here for you....

I love this place.

:)
Brooke

This is a wonderful place, with only one downside that I can see, now, in addition to worrying about our own dogs, we have to worry about all the pets we have come to know in cyber land! Just stay calm and as austin said, don't give in to negative thoughts!

[Brooke&Ryan]

I'm trying to keep taking deep breaths. I just went over to his crate to pet him for a bit & talk to him. He just layed there. It's just so hard. I wish he could just sit up & tell me, "Mom my leg hurts because I twisted it yesterday."

He's outside right now with Ryan trying to go potty. I don't think he can at the moment since his two ways of going pee are squatting (which he's not able to do because of the back leg) & lifting the leg (not able to do either).

I was just watching him outside & now I'm crying. My poor baby.

He's not putting ANY pressure on the back left leg at all. He's keeping it up in the air & kind of tucking it into his body. He'll be at the vets in an hour so it's reassuring.

Brooke

[spoteet]

I hope everything turns out ok with Julius. This limping thing seems to be going around lately. Give him a big ole hug:D

[alexav]

Prayers and good thoughts for Julius! :(

[Birdie'sMom]

Don't have anything to add, I just wanted to send some good thoughts for Julius. Let us know what the vet says.

[carolynnl4]

Oh I definitely know how it feels when your sweetie's hurting and they can't talk to tell you what's wrong and you feel so helpless because those stupid vet people JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!!

I'm so sorry and I hope it's something that can be cleared up quickly. Poor Julius!
We'll be thinking about him.
Carolyn

[Brooke&Ryan]

Okay---I'm trying to type this as fast as I can because I have to leave in five minutes for class.

We took Julius to the vet & the vet started examining Julius' leg that was bothering him. After he manipulated it for a bit he stated that he thought that Julius had torn is Cruciate Ligament. I was very upset.

So the doctor sedated Julius to give the vet a chance to better manipulate Julius' leg. After examining when Julius was sedated he said that he did not think it was the cruciate ligament that was torn. He got another vets opinion & they both agreed that they didn't think it was that. Well, that got a deep sigh of relief from me.

So while he was sedated we had them x-ray his hips to check for any signs of dysplasia if that could be the cause of his limping. They did the x-ray & saw no signs of dysplasia but the vet said we might have some issues later on in the future. They said that the part that fits into the socket is supposed to have a head & neck. Basically Julius' just goes straight up. It's hard to describe online. The vet said that we should probably start supplementing right now with Glucosumine (or in the near future) to offset or help anything that might happen later on regarding his joints.

So after the x-ray & the exam the vet basically thinks that Julius sprained, strained, etc. a muscle in the leg & so he is on crate rest for 5 days. He's only allowed outside to go potty & then back in he goes. :( I'm grateful though that it's not his cruciate ligament.

I was strong for my boy in the vets office until they sedated him. Then I had myself a cry for a few minutes. It just broke my heart to see him sedated like that. So he's sleeping right now & we got some medication to give him for a few days from the vets office.

Thank you everyone for your wishes of recovery & kind thoughts about Julius. They were deeply appreciated. Sorry if this is a bit of a jumbled message. I'm trying to fit it all in & now I'm going to be late for class. I just needed to give ya'll an update. I'll write more later...


Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

Glad it wasn't a ligament, they can be very painful for the dog. It's a good thing you are feeding Julius chicken backs now -- that is an excellent source of natural Gluco. Hope his recovery is rapid.

[Wookie'sMom]

Poor boy:(, 5 whole days with no walks or zoomies, whatever will he do? Drive Mom and Dad crazy?:D

[my2rotties]

I know my Diva has problems with limping after running really hard too. Just last month I had her anesthetized and xrayed fromhead to toe. They found nothing aside of what looks like a calcification in the leg that bothers her. They had a specialist look at it and it is far enough away from the joint, he does not know why she would be limping.

She is perfectly sound until after she has a really good day of running. I generally keep her quiet overnight and she is much better the next day. It is a great piece of mind having the xrays done though.