foot achilles or hip

My dog max woke up with a pain two weeks ago and holds his left leg up all the time . He prefers to rest most of the time . Ive examine him the best i can. My best quess is ruptured achilles as there seems to be a swollen spot behind the hock. As i was rubbing him i noticed the bone by his butt was sticking up oddly. When i touch paw he starts to growl as he does at the hock and hip. I give him coated aspiran 81mg. once day tried antibotic (antibiotic) for 5 days til ran out . No money lost job so surgery ruled out, tying to heal him best i can at home with rest. I was sure it was the achilles but after feeling his hip area im more confused.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I am very sorry about your job.  I am hearing a lot about this lately, of course.  Hang in there.

The lameness could be caused by one of the tick borne diseases, a tear, partial tear or other injury to a joint, tendon, ligament,or muscle, or it could be caused by arthritis since your dog is 11 years old.  There are less common causes such as immune-mediated disease also.  Since you cannot have surgery it doe not matter where the problem originates from, but we must make your dog comfortable.

Rimadyl (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory), Tramadol (for pain),  and the anti-biotic Doxycycline (for tick disease) are not expensive and can be used together.  Please call your vet and explain about your lost job.  Maybe your vet can prescribe these medications for your dog at low cost or give you a prescription.

Good Luck!