A member of my family

[TimmyBoston]

My cocker spaniel exhibited something very similar to that. They thought it was a pinched nerve and thankfully it's never come back. He was on the heavy side and when he lost weight, things eased up a lot for his back.


Good luck with your dog, I know how hard that is and they are members of the family. You all are in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[jkchuma]

Unfortunately the pet insurance companies will NOW consider it a pre-existing condition. When you apply for pet insurance you have to provide the complete medical history of your pet. When they contact your vet the will be told about all visits and symptoms.

I took my 8 week old Lab for his initial check up. I happened to mention that the pup seemed to be scratching more than normal. The vet made a note of that comment, even though he did not think that there was a problem.

When I obtained pet insurance, allergies were excluded on the policy as a pre-existing condition. I contacted the pet insurance company and asked what they were refering to, and I was told that the vet's medical notes made it a pre-existing condition!

I got a letter from the vet stating that he made no such diagnosis, but it did no good. As far as they were concerned the dog had allergies.

I wish I had better news.

I actually asked the vet about that and the pet insurance while we were there. They said it wasn't a pre-existing condition yet. They aren't convinced there is a condition.

My cocker spaniel exhibited something very similar to that. They thought it was a pinched nerve and thankfully it's never come back. He was on the heavy side and when he lost weight, things eased up a lot for his back.


Good luck with your dog, I know how hard that is and they are members of the family. You all are in our thoughts and prayers.

That is interesting because we have been feeding him too much and he's gained over 2 lbs. We actually started using a measuring cup now. Maybe there is some weight to the pinched nerve theory.

 

[Gruder]

For our cat we suspect that the seizures were caused by something she was getting into (my hunch is soap or cleaner from the shower pan, but I can't be sure. She had been wandering in there during the day to drink water -- the seizures ceased when we eliminated her access to the bathroom.) Might do some good to think about if there's anything new that your dog could be ingesting.

 

[tpoof]

well, I'm not sure what to think about it, I am a dog guy as well and have two of my own that I consider part of my family as well..
All I can do is offer prayers to you's that this will work itself out without any further incident.
monitor everything, it may even be something like a food reaction
best not to let your emotions run too wild though,
as leader of the pack your dog will look to you for strength and calm assertion
prayers said

 

[jkchuma]

For our cat we suspect that the seizures were caused by something she was getting into (my hunch is soap or cleaner from the shower pan, but I can't be sure. She had been wandering in there during the day to drink water -- the seizures ceased when we eliminated her access to the bathroom.) Might do some good to think about if there's anything new that your dog could be ingesting.

We keep the bathroom doors closed and he's not ingesting anything new. He's been eating Pedigree since we got him. I'll just see if it happens again and document those symptoms so we see how frequent they occur.

 

[J.B. Books]

I wish you luck. But if your vet has the incident in your dogs records there is a very strong possibility that an insurance company will consider it a pre-existing condition. M vet even wrote a letter to the insurance company stating that he had not make a diagnosis. It did not matter, it was considered a pre-existing condition as far as the insurance company was concerned.

In any case I do hope that your dog improves. That, frankly is much more important than obtaining pet insurance.

 

[Milkbone]

Well, I am very glad it seems to have worked out, they do become members of your family, don't they?

I have two that are approaching 15 years of age, the have been going to the same vet their whole life which makes a difference, as they have seeing the same few vets their whole life and it is great to have their history all there.

I did look into getting some insurance when they were puppies, but at the time it didn't really cover anything substantial and the cost outweighed the benefits. If you can find some that does though, I would definitely recommend it, as it can make a difference down the road, not necessarily for this episode, but for future health issues.

I am very happy to hear he is doing better, please give him a hug for me.

 

[82R100]

If I may weigh in here, it makes no sense to purchase medical insurance on a pet to save money. You can do it if you'd like the peace of mind that it will cover a sudden extreme expense that you'd have trouble handling without warning, but odds are it's not going to save you money.

Any way you slice it, the insurance company has to come out ahead in the long run, or they won't be there for your next pet.

Waiting until you see the signs of an impending serious condition isn't just human nature, it's really unethical [read: insurance fraud] and the insurance company has every reason and right to go over the vet records with a fine toothed comb to look for that, since probably most people applying for coverage of adult pets are doing exactly this.

To the OP: I'm relieved to hear that your worst fears have not been borne out. I understand that you love your dog very much. We, too, have pets and have, at times, spent large sums of money to improve their quality of life. I hope this problem turns out to have been just a fluke.

- Chris

 

[jkchuma]

I don't think I will get pet insurance for the fear that they would deny coverage if the time comes. It like most things was worth thinking about though. Now that we are watching closer he doesn't seem to exhibit those "symptoms" as much as I thought he did.

I can say this. He has been an amazing dog since we got him in July. Just having him around is nice since my wife and I work different shifts and don't get to see each other as much as we would like right now.

 

[J.B. Books]

Glad to hear that the dog is improving!

 

[jkchuma]

UPDATE:

Had to go to the vet again today. This morning he wouldn't move his lower half and wouldn't get off the bed. I called the vet and talked to a doc and they asked me to pick him up, then he stood on the bed, and they asked me to set him on the floor. After setting him on the floor he would walk but peed from what we think was because he was scared.

As soon as we walked in the front door of the vet he saw another dog and peed all over the floor. He would normally bark and run at the dog to try and play. The doc think its is a back issue. He has pain there and if his spine is compressed it may cause the back end issues he's been having.

I spent a nice chunk of change today on meds (anti inflammatory, muscle relaxer, and painkillers). He is going to confined to his kennel to force him to rest. I hate making him sit in there but it is the only way to be sure he won't cause further damage by trying to jump up on furniture.

Maybe he just tweaked it and it will clear up after several weeks of rest. I hope this is the case. I hope t isn't a disc issue. Were not out of the woods yet. Also, looks like maybe seizures wasn't what was happening at all.

I hope this doesn't break the bank for us.

 

[82R100]

Poor little guy.

Just make sure you visit him down there from time to time.

Good luck and do what you can to make him comfortable.

- Chris

 

[valmara1971]

PM on it's way with advice and support from SWMBO. Best wishes.

 

[jkchuma]

Thanks for the info and I will keep it in mind. Right now I'm hoping it isn't a pain that will stick around. Hopefully it isn't a partially slipped disc. One way or another I'm gonna get my little buddy fixed up.

 

[SRock]

Poor little guy. We'll pray for him and you. Hang in there.

 

[jkchuma]

He had a checkup today with the vet and he is doing much better. The little guy is confused about why we don't let him stand on his hind legs to greet us when we come home anymore, jump on furniture anymore, or why he has to sleep in a kennel at night but it looks like forcing him to take it easy is working. Another 3 1/2 weeks of this and he should be just fine. I think the long jump from the floor to the bed was hurting his back. We're going to keep up his meds until they're gone and finish out the rest as well as get some steps fro him to get on and off the bed with. Hopefully, as long as we are more careful our little guy will be A-OK.

 

[lamina]

Wonderful news indeed!!

 

[SRock]

wonderful news indeed!!

+1