KurtNYC
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Tue Apr-12-11 02:47 PM
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My puppy is hurting -- every joint in his body - Lyme disease |
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Just kills me to think of him in pain. 10 months old and he doesn't want to walk or stand for very long. Had the vaccine, got Lyme anyway. Dosed up with penicillin and antibiotics now so hopefully he will feel better soon. Came home form the vet and I started crying. Just breaks my heart. He came right over and kissed me. Licked away the tears. HE is concerned about ME. :cry:
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hobbit709
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Tue Apr-12-11 02:54 PM
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1. I hope he gets better soon. |
ceile
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Tue Apr-12-11 03:15 PM
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I've never had a dog/puppy with Lyme disease. Does it last long?
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RobinA
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Tue Apr-12-11 03:18 PM
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was just diagnosed and she had the vaccine for the past couple years. She's older, so she's been slowing down some for awhile, but who knows how long she's had Lyme. I hope the Doxicyline works, but she could have been sick for awhile.
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KurtNYC
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Tue Apr-12-11 03:20 PM
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4. i hear it can be 2 to 5 months before they show symptoms |
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vet expects to see a difference in 2 days of treatment.
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one_voice
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Tue Apr-12-11 03:30 PM
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poor puppy! I hope he feels better soon!
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amerikat
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Tue Apr-12-11 03:52 PM
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6. A couple of years ago, I took a friends dog to the vet. |
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Lyme disease also. He couldn't even walk. He was back to normal in 48 hrs.
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KurtNYC
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Tue Apr-12-11 04:06 PM
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tomm2thumbs
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Tue Apr-12-11 05:22 PM
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8. sending wishes for healthier days ahead |
Lucinda
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Tue Apr-12-11 05:44 PM
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9. I'm so sorry. I've been dealing with people joint issues for a year now |
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and kills me to think of your pup in this kind of pain. I'm glad to read that you should see improvement fast.
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GoddessOfGuinness
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Tue Apr-12-11 06:05 PM
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10. The meds helped my dog very quickly... |
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The vet also gave him some pain killer for the first couple of days. Maybe your pup is too young to handle that....
I'm so sorry, Kurt! He'll feel better soon! :hug:
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KurtNYC
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Tue Apr-12-11 07:31 PM
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Edited on Tue Apr-12-11 07:38 PM by KurtNYC
i have been giving him one baby aspirin each day (he is 95 pounds -- paws like ping pong paddles) and it seemed to have a little impact.
add: Thanks to other posts here I am optimistic that he will turn the corner soon with the penicillin and doxy. The idea that the pain is not localized explains what I was seeing in his behavior -- shying away from touch and petting, more fussy about sleeping positions. The main symptom was limping and lifting the front right leg when standing, then reluctance to stand for even a few minutes. I thought it might be bruise, puncture or sprain but this is worse. Treatable but worse IMHO.
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murielm99
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Tue Apr-12-11 06:20 PM
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11. I was so upset when my dog got Lyme Disease. |
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She was only about a year old. I blamed my husband because he takes her out on the hiking trail every day, and he had neglected to get her dosed with Advantage. He is one of those people who puts off everything, no matter how large or small. I know there are a lot of ticks over there. I have pulled them off myself a few times.
Anyway, the dog started to get better after two of three days. I was so relieved.
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LibertyLover
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Tue Apr-12-11 06:25 PM
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12. Several years my older whippet was diagnosed with Lyme - |
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he had the antibiotics (and the vaccine just like your pup) and got better quickly. It's my husband who had the terrible time with Lyme. But even he eventually got better. Don't worry - he'll be better soon.
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xchrom
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Wed Apr-13-11 05:43 AM
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14. poor baby -- wishing you both better times. nt |
TorchTheWitch
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Wed Apr-13-11 07:26 AM
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15. My previous dog got it - it sucks |
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Once they're on the antibiotics the symptoms disappear very quickly. It's fairly common for just one course of the antibiotics to not be enough, so keep an eye out for symptoms again soon after he's finished the antibiotics. If you do see symptoms again very soon after he's done with the antibiotics just call the vet and they'll probably have him do a second course and that should take care of it. Apparently, doxycycline seems to work better than other antibiotics, but he may also have a bit of tummy trouble with them.
Be prepared for a lifetime of possible joint problems though especially on very humid or rainy days. Arthritis may set in at a young age, too. Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements do a really good job of helping out with this though it takes about a month to see any difference. If you notice any joint stiffness or soreness as he goes through life, the sooner you have him taking the supplements the better, and it's a good idea to keep them on them always. You might notice that he walks fine on grass or dirt but not so well on pavement. If that happens then he's getting joint problems. That's one of the first things I noticed with my dog long after he got the disease was that he seemed perfectly fine walking on grass or dirt but suddenly seemed just a wee bit gimpy on pavement... it was most noticeable when he made a quick transition from grass to pavement and vice versa.
Lyme also makes them a bit more susceptible to joint injuries throughout their life, so make sure he never gets overweight and try to curb too much jumping or pivoting moves.
Unfortunately, Lyme is one of those "gifts that keep on giving". Hopefully, because of his youth he'll bounce back better for the remainder of his life.
One of the best things for him for the rest of his life is hydrotherapy. Start teaching your dog to enjoy swimming and baths. Just standing in a full tubby of warm water can help a lot. If you have a shower massager having them in the tub and squirting all their joints especially the legs would be great. Swimming is really the best though, so if you have access to a lake or creek or even a baby pool in the warmer months that would be awesome. I was very fortunate that when my previous dog got Lyme that he loved baths and water in general, so I had him in the tubby for a soak and a squirt with the shower massager once a week or so. Unfortunately, since I lived in an apartment I didn't have anywhere to set up a little pool, but about a half a block away was a creek that he loved to play in and just enjoy standing in up to his belly for ages in the current. A lot of times I brought a book to read because he'd stand or lay down in the water forever, but I didn't care because it was so obvious that it helped him... the look on his face was just "aaaaaaaaaahhhh".
I really feel for you. Lyme symptoms come on so suddenly and they're so debilitating. One moment the dog is fine and a couple hours later they can barely move and you wonder it they had a stroke or something. Pretty scary.
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