Neck Pain, Should he see a specialist?

[SandyES00]

We got our dog Milo from a shelter when he was two years old and he is now 7.  He has always been slightly ornery and never a huge fan of other dogs, but he would play with them.  He gradually started to play less and less, and on the rare occasion where it does seem like he might interested in another dog, he only tries playing for minute or so.  He is also quite fearful of a large number of things, and this also seems to have increased over the years, particularly since our dog Daisy, a boxer, passed away (he would actually play with her.) He now growls quite frequently, even when we pet him and sometimes startles at a touch.  A veterinary behaviorist diagnosed him with anxiety and he is now on 15 mg of prozac per day. I have recently started wondering, however, whether there might be a more physical reason behind his.

In 2004/2005 sometime, Milo started limping, so I took him to the vet and they said that he simply had a sprain and gave pain medicine and he had restricted play for a while, and was fine.  Since then  Milo has had several instances where he seems to have hurt his leg or shoulder, and he holds his paw up and sometimes hops.  We took him to the vet several times for x-rays, but only recently did our veterinarian suggest that it could be a cervical disc problem.  She put pressure on his neck and he showed signs of pain, but you could tell he was afraid and trying to hide it.  He didn't show pain when she moved his neck from side to side though, so she said it was mild.  She is treating it with rimadyl when necessary, but it's hard to tell if it helps.  I'm just wondering if Milo should have any further imaging or testing shoudl be arranged just to make sure.  He hides pain, and I dont want him to be in pain and me not do anything about it.

[Misfits4Me]

I'm thinking disc problem, too. The sudden aggression (IMO) is pain! You mention that he didn't eat all his food. Usually, what is stated on the can or bag for his size, is way too much food to feed, anyway. But, I'm wondering if it's a disk problem in his neck, maybe it hurts too bad to lean down to eat it all???? Try raising his food bowl and see if that helps. Also, I don't believe 7yrs. is old enough to be slowing down......
Sometimes, disc problems DO NOT show up on an xray. If possible, have your Vet refer Milo to a Neurologist. They will recognize the symptoms and be able to help you. If you have a Veterinary Teaching School (At a University) near you, the price for a thorough workup is much less. Also, their surgeries are half the price as you would pay at a specialty clinic. The first thing they will tell you is to get some weight off, period. I'm not a fan of weight control food, but that's another story. I do have a favorite food that does manage weight wonderfully or even get them to lose a few pounds when needed. Iv'e had real good luck with it and it is oh so good! I won't post it here as food always causes controversy on a dog forum. However, if your interested, PM me. I have it shipped to my door and the shipping is free. Arrives in 3 days! I cannot get it anywhere near me so I order it online... Another thing, the place to find wonderful info. on disc disease is on Dachshund websights & forums. They are the #1 breed to suffer from it. The good news is it can be managed with crate rest and anti-inflammatories during episodes. Good luck to you both....I hope some of this helps you and please report back with updates....Karla

[Red931]

Why don't you try asking the Vet that examined him to prescribe a mild pain medication for a couple of days and see if he improves and also get an updated X-Ray and compare it to the old one.

It may be just some inflamation.

Please keep us updated on what you decide.

[SandyES00]

Milo is a jack russell corgi mix, so since corgis have a bigger chance of having a disc problem, i am more concerned.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Sandy , What breed is Milo??? Just Curious......Karla

[SandyES00]

Thank you for your replies.  This is a difficult issue for me, as I hate seeing him unhappy.  We are continuing to pursue the behavior route, so I haven't given up on that yet.  It's just so hard to tell if he is in pain, and I would hate to have him living in pain and us not even realize it.  

When we had x-rays taken, they were at a different vet.  My new vet didn't even think about taking x-rays when I explained his symptoms and by squeezing his neck, found that he did have some pain (he definitely cringed), but who knows.  It may not be that bad since he can move his neck in every other direction just fine.  He does walk slow (but he's getting older, but only 7), and he only eats half of what he is supposed to (we give him as much as he is supposed to, he just doesn't eat it.  It's also weight management and he doesn't lose any weight, it's weird--things were the same when he was on regular food too though).

I make sure to give him lots of extra love, but it makes me sad when he growls at me.  Even flinches when I go to pet him sometimes, which is weird because I've never hurt him and he didn't do this for the first couple years.  He is not aggressive, just grumpy.  Thank you again for your comments.

[ginger899]

(A small Spiritual addition to what I've just said...strangely, dogs often protect us when we are feeling ill or weak, and bear our sorrows with us with what appears to be compassion. They have come a long way from "Nature Red in Tooth and Claw" I think, through their relationship with us. And equally, they appear to teach us many virtues.)

[ginger899]

Any kind of nagging pain or discomfort can make a dog more serious and even a bit 'grumpy'. But if after the X-rays you say the vet took, it was only afterwards that the vet thought it might be a disc problem -it doesn't sound as if it is very severe, or it would have shown up on the X-rays for sure.

You COULD ask your vet to do an MRI scan, to be certain of any damage, and its full extent. That is a possibility.

Dogs will, and often do, hide their pain. It is genetically programmed into them, from ancient times when they were Pack animals. In a pack (of wolves, for example) a member showing pain or weakness can be harassed by the others. It's an instinct with most dogs, to be as stoical as possible when they are in pain.

[Red931]

If Milo didn't yelp and just seemed afraid when the Vet pressed on his neck it could be related to his anxiety issue. The issue with his leg could be related to arthritis from the original injury. One of my shepherds had a severe sprain at a young age and did the same thing that Milo is doing when he got older. I would lean more towards that as being the problem.

If you don't have a problem with the expense, I would take him just to make sure. I always rule everything out but I also have insurance.

Milo's anxiety getting worse since Daisy passed away is not unusual for dogs. They have emotions just like we do. You say he had a bit of a social problem, (probably because of whatever he had been thorugh the first two years of his life before you got him) and he finally had a friend. He misses her.

I feel very sad today after reading this. Give Milo a big hug for me and post his picture up on your profile and he will have a ton of friends around here.

Best of luck to you and Milo.