my bichon running on 3 cylinders

hi, I need advice.

few weeks ago, my bichon stopped using one of rear legs for no apparent reason to me. she was not involved in any accident. I took her to the vet and he could not find anything out of the ordinary. He prescribed an anti-inflamatory drug to her.

she made some progress but she is no back to normal. she still has not regain full use of her leg. it seems to bother her more at times than at others. she does not seem in pain ( she does not cry )

I talked to few pet owners and I was told that this condition appears often in small dogs.

Is there anything that can be done, besides expensive surgery ( which was not recommended by my vet ) to help my bichon.

thanks

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Originally Posted by epsi

hi, I need advice.

few weeks ago, my bichon stopped using one of rear legs for no apparent reason to me. she was not involved in any accident. I took her to the vet and he could not find anything out of the ordinary. He prescribed an anti-inflamatory drug to her.

she made some progress but she is no back to normal. she still has not regain full use of her leg. it seems to bother her more at times than at others. she does not seem in pain ( she does not cry )

I talked to few pet owners and I was told that this condition appears often in small dogs.

Is there anything that can be done, besides expensive surgery ( which was not recommended by my vet ) to help my bichon.

thanks

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I'm so glad you took my advice to post at this site. I know someone will be able to help you :)

My opinion you need to get a second opinion no dog stops using there legs for no apparent reason there could be numerous things wrong as we all know animals can pretty much get anything we do i wish you the best of luck keep us posted...But id be looking into a new vet they cannot just look at a dog and say that this is wrong they need to do x-ray's and if the dog needs surgery than it should be done even if it loosed it leg they do well!We are responsible to giving out pets the best care and have to do things whether they cost millions i would go without in a second if one of my dogs needed something..pls get a second opinion!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If your vet said that surgery was not a wise option, don't do it. It's always possible to get a second opinion if you really don't feel comfortable with your vet's diagnosis, but, honestly, you should write up a list of the questions you just gave us and give them to your vet to discuss. He knows your pup best and he's the one with years of medical training behind him ;)

How old is your Bichon? It sounds like she's getting some arthritis, but you can never be too sure because Bichons are highly susceptible to luxating patellas and even hip dysplasia. However, because your vet did not recommend any kind of operation, I'm going to guess your pup is just getting arthritic. If your pup is indeed arthritic, most will recommend supplementing her diet with glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and the like. I don't know if there are any differences between human supplements and dog supplements besides the dosage, so that might be an option (dog supplements are awfully expensive).

regardless there is reasoning why he is not using it.....test or something should be done.

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Originally Posted by Lori Jordan

My opinion you need to get a second opinion no dog stops using there legs for no apparent reason there could be numerous things wrong as we all know animals can pretty much get anything we do i wish you the best of luck keep us posted...But id be looking into a new vet they cannot just look at a dog and say that this is wrong they need to do x-ray's and if the dog needs surgery than it should be done even if it loosed it leg they do well!We are responsible to giving out pets the best care and have to do things whether they cost millions i would go without in a second if one of my dogs needed something..pls get a second opinion!

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I was going to say the same thing - get a second opinion. I have a small dog (21 pounds) and he used all 4 legs. Good luck.

I would say get a second opinion from a vet if you are uncomfortable with your vet's decision. If you are okay with it, then keep on going with what you are doing.
Whatever happens, keep us posted!

Steph and the crew

If you don't feel comfortable with your vet's lack of concern, I'd certainly seek another opinion. It must hurt or the dog would be using all four legs.

Scruffy didn't show any signs of pain, but he held his back leg up when he ran. After a few weeks, I realized something had to be wrong. When I took him to the vet, she said he had a luxating patella. Because I waited so long his muscles in his leg had grown very weak. For this and other reasons, he now is three legged. And does very well that way.

I don't mean to scare you. But I wouldn't let it go. SOMETHING is wrong.