Injured dog 😞

[SquirrellyMama]

Our 11 year old Maltese, Billy, had an "episode" which we think are seizures. I have talked to the vet about them, but since they aren't frequent we haven't medicated him. He hasn't had one that we've seen for months. Until last night 😞 I wasn't around so I don't know exactly what happened. He seemed fine when I got home, my husband hadn't seen anything unusual after the episode.

We went to bed around 9pm and around 9:30 Billy started screaming. A screaming dog is scary. I honestly thought he was having a heart attack. I don't know why except I had no idea what was wrong. We went back to sleep and at 11pm the screaming started again. I held him until he calmed down.  We went outside and I noticed him limping.  We went back to sleep until 4am when the screaming started again. He calmed and I took him outside. He was limping again, but by the time it was time to go inside he ran away from me. He loves for me to chase him. 

I had to work all day, but my husband was around since he's working from home. He said that Billy was limping some, but wasn't too bad until the afternoon. 

I have noticed that if he is lying down, but awake he will limp when he gets up. After a few minutes he starts walking a little more normal. 

If he is asleep he screams when he wakes up. He then limps but eventually walks more normal. 

I don't think anything is broken since he has been running around, tail wagging. I wonder if his leg is slipping out of joint. Could he have torn a ligament? Would he be in constant pain?

My vet can't get him in while I am off tomorrow and my husband will be out of town.

I was thinking about keeping an eye on him through the weekend. We have Carprofen for him from when his arthritis acts up in the winter.

I just feel so bad for him. Poor little guy. I am also tired. A screaming dog wakes you up, all the way up. 

Kelly

[Selkie]

Screaming indicates severe distress/pain. Is there an emergency vet in your area? I would want him to be seen right away if it were my dog.

[mmasc]

I don’t know what might be wrong, but I’d definitely want him seen ASAP. I’m so sorry he’s not feeling well. I know how tiring and distressing that can be. 

[Kebo]

Since the symptoms come and go a bit, I would recommend that you videotape as many different episodes of it as you can.  Some dogs become very stoic and their limping/pain doesn't show in a vet's office.  

[SquirrellyMama]

There is one I can take him to tomorrow morning before I have to work again. I was hoping that since the screaming incidents were short lived and he was acting normally the rest of the time he wouldn't have to go to the emergency vet. The emergency vet stresses me out. They are connected with the vet school and they want to run every test imaginable that don't pertain to the problem. 

Kelly

[SquirrellyMama]

4 minutes ago, Kebo said:

Since the symptoms come and go a bit, I would recommend that you videotape as many different episodes of it as you can.  Some dogs become very stoic and their limping/pain doesn't show in a vet's office.  

That's a good idea. I am sure there will be things to record tonight and tomorrow morning early.

[Kebo]

7 minutes ago, SquirrellyMama said:

There is one I can take him to tomorrow morning before I have to work again. I was hoping that since the screaming incidents were short lived and he was acting normally the rest of the time he wouldn't have to go to the emergency vet. The emergency vet stresses me out. They are connected with the vet school and they want to run every test imaginable that don't pertain to the problem. 

Kelly

Totally understand!  No one wants to go for an emergency visit.  A screaming dog does sound pretty urgent however.

[ktgrok]

One thing that can cause screaming and limping but not be obvious is a torn toenail. 

Or a mat in the fur in the groin hat pulls when they move a certain way. 

But otherwise yes, a knee can pop in and out of place. 

He could b in pain more than you realize, as they are usually pretty stoic. 

Definitely give the carprofen for now. 

[Carrie12345]

Under the list of possibilities, the knee joint would definitely be on my mind. My chi mutt fell off of dh on the couch and SCREAMED for several minutes.  Yes, it was terrifying. Our vet (yes, with emergency care) couldn’t see us for several hours. The dog didn’t scream again after that, but he wouldn’t really move.
We got an x-ray that showed nothing broken, and were told it was likely a slipped knee, which I can actually relate to. We were also told if it happens frequently, he could need surgery.

He’s recovered well. (He’s about 6, so not very old, but he’s no puppy.) The first week or so was a lot of limping and several days of pain meds.  

[Pawz4me]

One of my dogs, not avatar dog but the one we adopted last year, has a luxating patella (loose kneecap that slips). It never seems to bother her more than the nuisance factor, and it's most definitely not because she's stoic. (She's quite the drama queen, to the point that one of her nicknames is DQ and we don't mean Dairy Queen! 😉)  But all dogs are different. I don't think it would be common, however, for a kneecap to slip while the dog wasn't moving? Hers never has. Is it possible Billy's arthritis has gotten worse (that would be my most likely guess)? Or what about muscle cramps? As someone with both RA and an ever increasing amount of OA -- If he were mine I'd definitely get started on the Carprofen, and I'd keep it up regularly until I got into the vet. At his age he probably needs it regularly anyway.