Bailey Trauma

Last night, our almost 7-yr.-old doxie, Bailey, tried to play chase with my daughter. Something happened to cause him to let out a series of pitiful, high-pitched squeals. He barely could move without crying & definitely could not jump up on furniture or tolerate us lifting him even gingerly. Hannah was so upset & didn't want to leave him to go to bed. I was laying on the living room floor with him & my husband said he'd try to carry him upstairs because I couldn't sleep that way if I wanted to move in the morning. The worst part was not being able to tell where the pain was coming from or how to avoid causing him more pain. Bailey was snug up against me all night in bed & whimpered several times when he tried to adjust himself. He was able to walk fine, albeit slowly, & didn't hold any paws up. When I came home from getting Hannah on the bus, he was not where I left him. I traced his steps upstairs, where my husband was still sleeping as he is on night shift this week. There was Bailey, looking quite Basset Hound like with his ears hanging down guiltily & the biggest, saddest eyes rolling up at me. How he made it up the steps is beyond me, but he's a tough cookie to keep grounded. He had a similar episode less that 2 years ago where he literally blew out a knee jumping (but that was on a Sunday & required a trip to the emergency clinic & a seriously hefty fee).

This morning I called the vet & explained the situation. We got an appt. at 10:00, but the examination didn't cause a single squirm. Figures. Bailey was a typical nervous wreck & did had a fever, so they took 2 x-rays to check his spine & discs & a blood test to check for Lyme's ...$255 later, nothing major was found, which was good but costly. On the 2nd film, there was one area of his lower back that seemed to indicate he may have a muscular problem (possibly from spasms). He was prescribed an antibiotic & muscle relaxers, so he's been resting fairly well the rest of the day. This is a shot of him lounging outside in the sunshine this afternoon. This evening, he's got a bit of his spunk back, which feels comforting to us all. The trauma of him hurting & not knowing how to help him was so upsetting. How we love this little guy!