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I had to take Raspberry to the vets tonight, she'd had a fight with Charlie (her brother)

i seperated them by grabbing the first thing to hand, her tail, she was a little restless

and seemed in some discomfort when i got home from my mums and i noticed she did'nt have much co-ordination in her back legs.

I took her straight to the vets who thinks it's possible that she could have slipped a disc & its pressing on the nerves at the base of her spine.



The vet advised me to leave her as she would need cage rest, anti inflamatories (sp?) and morphine for pain, and to wait 48 hours to see if she will be needing an operation on her disc.



I miss my little girl so much i feel bereft. :-1

:yh_hugs Oh, the vet will take good care of Raspberry, and we hope she will be feeling fine soon.

chonsigirl wrote: :yh_hugs Oh, the vet will take good care of Raspberry, and we hope she will be feeling fine soon.Thanks bunny, i just cant stop crying, silly i know.

I hope she is ok and back with you tomorrow. :yh_sad

You'll just have to cuddle a teddy for tonight.

abbey wrote: Thanks bunny, i just cant stop crying, silly i know.
It is NOT silly!! Not at all!



Trust the vet to do what your baby needs. Her nerves might settle down

and shrink back with the meds and she'll be fine!!



Hang in there, sweetie!! Sending LOTS of positive thoughts your way.





:yh_hugs :yh_hugs :yh_hugs

Abbs, I am sorry you're without your furbaby right now, but if I could be practical about this for a minute??



When the doc calls you back, don't let him tell you over the phone that yeah, Raspberry needs surgery. You want to go in and look at the x-rays they have taken. 98% of vets are on the up and up, but that 2 percent have no problem doing procedures that are unneccessary, and charging you up the wazoo for them. Even if you don't know what you're doing, ACT like you do. Is this a vet you normally use? Do you know him and trust him?

When you are looking at the x-rays, they should have taken one in a dorsal position. That's where Raspberry is on her belly, stretched out straight and the entire spine, (from the base of her skull to the tip of her tail) is visible. Each vertebrea should be symmetrical, shaped like a rounded off square, slightly squished together in the middle, with obvious black spaces between. Any deviation from that visual could mean a slipped or pinched disc, and it is obvious even to a person who has never viewed an x-ray before. If you don't see that, and the Doc insists on surgery, make him explain to you, in detail why, and how it will be done.

I don't mean to sound like you can't trust your vet, but make sure he's doing right by your dog. I worked, very briefly for a vet that insisted on procedures that were unneccessary, just to make money.



Good luck, babes, and let me know what happens, okay? :-4

She's your baby, Abbey, it's ok to cry and miss her. But the vet will take very good care of her, maybe you can visit her tomorrow and check on her!

*sneak her in her favorite toy from home*

Sorry to hear the sad news, Abbey. Hope Raspberry is back home and right as rain soon (why is rain always right? )

BabyRider wrote: Abbs, I am sorry you're without your furbaby right now, but if I could be practical about this for a minute??



When the doc calls you back, don't let him tell you over the phone that yeah, Raspberry needs surgery. You want to go in and look at the x-rays they have taken. 98% of vets are on the up and up, but that 2 percent have no problem doing procedures that are unneccessary, and charging you up the wazoo for them. Even if you don't know what you're doing, ACT like you do. Is this a vet you normally use? Do you know him and trust him?

When you are looking at the x-rays, they should have taken one in a dorsal position. That's where Raspberry is on her belly, stretched out straight and the entire spine, (from the base of her skull to the tip of her tail) is visible. Each vertebrea should be symmetrical, shaped like a rounded off square, slightly squished together in the middle, with obvious black spaces between. Any deviation from that visual could mean a slipped or pinched disc, and it is obvious even to a person who has never viewed an x-ray before. If you don't see that, and the Doc insists on surgery, make him explain to you, in detail why, and how it will be done.

I don't mean to sound like you can't trust your vet, but make sure he's doing right by your dog. I worked, very briefly for a vet that insisted on procedures that were unneccessary, just to make money.



Good luck, babes, and let me know what happens, okay? :-4Thanks BR,

The vet was an out of hours vet, but does'nt do the procedures there, he would have to refer her to a consultant to have the op, he never did an x ray, he did'nt think it was wise to just yet, he wanted to see if the anti inflamatory's worked before he did that, he did say that although her back looked fine she was tensing her muscles (they seemed rigid) because of the discomfort.

As for the cost, i have wabbit covered so not too bothered about that.



Just called the vets and the nurse said she was fine, vet had give her the shots she needed, i told her i was a little worried that she may get dehydrated as she pants a lot when she's stressed or in shock, she said she'd have a word with him and tell him of my worries.



The thing that really bothers me is, she never flinched when he pinched the toes on her right foot, yet yelped when he did the same to her left one.

Thankyou for your thoughts Pina, Val, Chonsi and OM.

abbey wrote: Thanks BR,

The vet was an out of hours vet, but does'nt do the procedures there, he would have to refer her to a consultant to have the op, he never did an x ray, he did'nt think it was wise to just yet, he wanted to see if the anti inflamatory's worked before he did that, he did say that although her back looked fine she was tensing her muscles (they seemed rigid) because of the discomfort.

As for the cost, i have wabbit covered so not too bothered about that.



Just called the vets and the nurse said she was fine, vet had give her the shots she needed, i told her i was a little worried that she may get dehydrated as she pants a lot when she's stressed or in shock, she said she'd have a word with him and tell him of my worries.



The thing that really bothers me is, she never flinched when he pinched the toes on her right foot, yet yelped when he did the same to her left one.
Do you have a choice about who does the procedure, if it comes to that?

There's plenty they can do to alleviate discomfort and it sounds like they are doing all the right things.

As for her foot...is it possible her brother got hold of her foot when they were fighting? Otherwise, it sounds just like a human who has a pinched nerve in their spinal column. When Bullet had that problem all the pain was on one side.

Cage rest and the pain meds and anti-inflammatory really is best right now for her, so try not to worry too much. Dogs bounce back from these things easily and quickly in a lot of cases.

BabyRider wrote: Do you have a choice about who does the procedure, if it comes to that?

There's plenty they can do to alleviate discomfort and it sounds like they are doing all the right things.

As for her foot...is it possible her brother got hold of her foot when they were fighting? Otherwise, it sounds just like a human who has a pinched nerve in their spinal column. When Bullet had that problem all the pain was on one side.

Cage rest and the pain meds and anti-inflammatory really is best right now for her, so try not to worry too much. Dogs bounce back from these things easily and quickly in a lot of cases.I really do hope so, thanks hon x :-1

Sorry Abbeykins.. I know how much you love Rasberry.. I have a feeling she will be fine...

You're probably bored with this but i thought i'd post an update.



Called the surgery this morning and the vet is concerned that Raspberry is leaking urine,

which indicates that she is'nt feeling the need to go to the toilet,

so he feels that it best that he refer her for surgery sooner rather than later.

I'm going to pick her up later and run her to Cheshire to someone who specializes in spinal injuries.

I missed my little girl so much last night. :-1

:yh_hugs :-4

Not bored at all, Abbey. Please do keep with the updates.

I'm not bored either, please let us know as soon as you find out what the specialist says. :-4

Ras had surgery this afternoon, the consultant called me 10 mins ago to tell me that it was a crushed disc.

He said that she was'nt out of the woods yet but 48 hours sedation and cage rest will help.

Thankyou all. :-4

Hope she makes a speedy recovery Abbey! :-4

Betty Boop wrote: Hope she makes a speedy recovery Abbey! :-4Thanks BB.

abbey wrote: Ras had surgery this afternoon, the consultant called me 10 mins ago to tell me that it was a crushed disc.

He said that she was'nt out of the woods yet but 48 hours sedation and cage rest will help.

Thankyou all. :-4


That must have been painful. I hope she's well enough to be with you soon, Abbey.

OpenMind wrote: That must have been painful. I hope she's well enough to be with you soon, Abbey.Me too OM, me too x :-4

I'm sure Suki is sending her daughter strength!!



:-4

valerie wrote: I'm sure Suki is sending her daughter strength!!



:-4Bad Val made me cry.

Thankyou :yh_hugs

Thought i'd update,



the vet called today and said i could bring my sweety home, i shot out of the house to get her,she still can't walk,

her hind legs trail behind her like a baby seal bless her, but the vet is optimistic that she'll be fine,

it should take about 6-8 weeks for her to be up to full strength.

Thankyou for your support guys.:-4

Oh, I bet you are glad she is home!:-4

abbey wrote: Thought i'd update,



the vet called today and said i could bring my sweety home, i shot out of the house to get her,she still can't walk,

her hind legs trail behind her like a baby seal bless her, but the vet is optimistic that she'll be fine,

it should take about 6-8 weeks for her to be up to full strength.

Thankyou for your support guys.


Great news - will she have to be kept in and quiet for long?

chonsigirl wrote: Oh, I bet you are glad she is home!:-4I know it sounds silly but i feel drained of energy, i've hardly slept since last weds.

I think i'll sleep tonight. :-4

abbey wrote: Thought i'd update,



the vet called today and said i could bring my sweety home, i shot out of the house to get her,she still can't walk,

her hind legs trail behind her like a baby seal bless her, but the vet is optimistic that she'll be fine,

it should take about 6-8 weeks for her to be up to full strength.

Thankyou for your support guys.:-4


Good news, Abbey.

Now you just need a little flat trolley to take her walkies.:-4

Bryn Mawr wrote: Great news - will she have to be kept in and quiet for long?She can't walk, and i have to hold her up to wee, i have to give her physio to make her legs stronger,

touch wood she gets better and wont be needing wheels to get around x

abbey wrote: She can't walk, and i have to hold her up to wee, i have to give her physio to make her legs stronger,

touch wood she gets better and wont be needing wheels to get around x


She'll get stronger quicker for being with you.

OpenMind wrote: She'll get stronger quicker for being with you. XX

Good to hear she's home, I'm sure she will be just as happy as you, and will recover quicker in her own house. :-4

I'm so glad to hear she's home!!



:-4

Good luck Abbey, it is a terrible time you are going through, I have been there a few times and always think it is worse for a pet than a relative, at least you can explain to a human.........my thoughts and hope is with you and hope all turns out alright.....keep us informed.

Thanks Red,

Raspberry's doing great, her legs are getting stronger every day (she had to learn to walk again)

She looks like a toddler runs a little, then falls on her bum.:-4



I take her back to St Helens on Thursday for her check up and i'm sure the vet will be pleased.

That is good to know she is walking again!:)

abbey wrote: Thanks Red,

Raspberry's doing great, her legs are getting stronger every day (she had to learn to walk again)

She looks like a toddler runs a little, then falls on her bum.:-4



I take her back to St Helens on Thursday for her check up and i'm sure the vet will be pleased.


GREAT,how old is she ?

redman wrote: GREAT,how old is she ?She'll be 8 this year, but i still think of her as if she's a puppy :-4

Good news Abbey:-4

abbey wrote: She'll be 8 this year, but i still think of her as if she's a puppy :-4




Oh, I thought she was a cat ?