Need quick help - Lyme and Limping symptoms
After more researching I'm now on the fence about taking Teddy Bear in for an MRI on Monday. Our local vet insisted that he does not have Lyme disease because most symptoms are not there -- and told me not to even bother having the blood test done. We live in a very high Lyme incidence region.
What triggered me second guessing this is that I read that if dogs have been vaccinated (Teddy was), they can still get Lyme -- and the symptoms are diminished.
When Teddy walks on hardwood floors, his rear legs slip out, and occasionally his front leg slides out to the side. He has a pretty bad "head bobbing" limp when he walks.
Does that "style" of limping seem at all like it could be Lyme -- or does Lyme cause more of a painful "holding paw up" type of limp?
Also, this limping and leg-slipping started 10 weeks ago, and has been pretty consistent. Would that rule out Lyme?
I'm thinking now of demanding a blood test before we go to the MRI. But if that sounds foolish, I can just stick with the MRI plan.
Help...
-Chris
What triggered me second guessing this is that I read that if dogs have been vaccinated (Teddy was), they can still get Lyme -- and the symptoms are diminished.
When Teddy walks on hardwood floors, his rear legs slip out, and occasionally his front leg slides out to the side. He has a pretty bad "head bobbing" limp when he walks.
Does that "style" of limping seem at all like it could be Lyme -- or does Lyme cause more of a painful "holding paw up" type of limp?
Also, this limping and leg-slipping started 10 weeks ago, and has been pretty consistent. Would that rule out Lyme?
I'm thinking now of demanding a blood test before we go to the MRI. But if that sounds foolish, I can just stick with the MRI plan.
Help...
-Chris
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maddy & Keke on
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I am not sre about Lyme but I will for sure go for a blood test to eliminate any worries.
Being cautious is not foolish at all.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I wish I could help provide some info but I have no idea on this one...have you looked up the symtoms for dogs with lyme discease on the internet or looking up the symtoms he has??? To me it sounds like something else possibly but I really have no idea! Please keep us updated and I wish the best for you both!
Jane
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I forgot one thing...do you have another vet in town that you could get a second opinion??? But other than your vet being frugal...why should he care if you want the blood test??? Does he have any idea what he thinks it might be??? BUT I would still get the MRI ASAP!
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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I've had an experience with Lyme before and actually saw the hardshell tick fell off the dog, I'll have to post a video of that soon (gross). All the symptoms are inline with the video. No appetite, weak, painful to get up, slipping, neurotic, depressed...etc.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on
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Hi -- I'm over in Litchfield County, CT, also a big lyme area. My vets are VERY aggressive about Lyme and would never refuse to do a blood test. The tricky (hard) thing about Lyme is that the symptoms are VERY variable, and some dogs show no symptoms. I have also been told that the vaccine, which is not 100% effective, can lessen the symptoms. The symptoms can appear, then disappear, then reappear. Or one day, your pup simply can't even get up (but had no symptoms beforehand). My older dog has tested positive twice, with no symptoms at all. However, in your case, the consistency and the slipping, head bobbing are not quite what I understand are "Lyme" type symptoms -- with Lyme, it's often a stiffness or lameness that moves from one leg to another. What else does your vet think it might be? Discs? At any rate, I would definitely go forward with the MRI but for peace of mind, I would insist on a Lyme test, too, and make sure they send it out to get a full titer, not just the in-house positive/negative test. A titer actually gives you a "level" of antibodies in his blood, and then, if you have the test taken again, you can see if the level is rising or falling, which can be key in a vaccinated dog. Poor Teddy, keep us posted on his situation and what happens with the MRI (and other tests!)
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Permalink Reply by Christopher on
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You guys are great -- thanks so much. Just having other Corgi folks here to talk to has been a tremendous blessing to me during the last days, struggling with my limping little boy.
We have an emergency clinic right down the road from me. They were not busy at all today so after I posted this question I decided to call them, and I brought Teddy in. The doctor there was REALLY nice and spent almost an hour with me and Teddy, answered all my questions and did the 'quick' Lyme test -- which came out negative.
She also agreed with me that Teddy has a definite pain response at the midpoint of his back, so likely a disc issue causing his rear legs from slipping. She felt pretty much "no way" it could be a degenerative disease at age four (like folks here said as well).
The only puzzling piece is why the front legs? She was stumped by that as well. He's dragging his front paws a bit, causing him to stumble over them, and his front legs also slide out sometimes on the hardwood floors. She didn't disagree with my theory that he could be trying to shift weight off his rear legs and his whole gait is just "messed up", causing the front leg involvement -- but we can't tell for sure, either.
So, still going to go to the neurologist on Monday -- but if he also agrees that it's likely a disc problem we may just try medication to see if the symptoms go away before rushing to do the MRI. I don't mind spending money on Teddy 'cause I love him so much -- but I do have to be careful about being wise about it (MRI is around $2000). Even if meds work we may end up doing the MRI, but it would be such a relief to find *something* that got him headed back to a normal gait, with no slipping or limping.
Thanks again...I think I'm actually going to get a good night's sleep tonight.
-Chris
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Sounds like a good idea to try the medications 1st. Wynn has had 2 knee injuries and was on a steriod which did help otherwise surgery would have been needed!
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Permalink Reply by Judi, Dawn, Soffie & Griffyn on
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Oh, poor Teddy. We hope that you'll get some answers at the neurologist Monday. Definitely keep doing your research. But be careful if it's a disc injury, you will want to keep his motion very restricted. For our Soffie (who is recovering from a torn cruciate ligament) we purchased a baby play pen to confine her activity. And we have put down rubber backed carpets over our laminate flooring to prevent slipping. She also sleeps in her crate at night to keep her from jumping up on furniture. We purchased a ramp, no stairs for her at all during recovery.
We will be keeping you and Teddy in our prayers!
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Thanks for the prayers!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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A specialist may have some ideas that the regular vet would not have come up with. You can have a wonderful vet, but the specialist will see more problems in a week than the regular vet might in a year.
Corgis are relatively prone to disc problems, from my understanding. Please do keep us updated as to what they find. Poor Teddy! I also don't know why front legs would be affected also, but I suppose as you say if he is shifting wait he might be getting sore up front too.
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Permalink Reply by Deanna on
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Christopher, I think the blood test, MRI, and any other test you can afford for your little Teddy Bear is the prudent thing to do as a concerned Corgi parent. I live in an area that's not so high in Lyme, but other just as deadly parasitic diseases. I used to live in a house with all hardwood floors, and my Corgi at the time also had the "slipping" problems you are describing. So, I was concerned as well about her having some type of affliction. My vet told me dogs can't get traction on hardwood, tile, linoleum, or any other similar flooring surface, and after time it will cause a displacement of the joints, and even back problems because they're struggling so hard just to get a foot hold to walk. If they're excited and run across those surfaces, the slipping could be because they've already caused a sprain or strain of some type. I immediately went out and bought a bunch of area rugs large enough to give her the traction she needed to get across the floors in the different rooms of the house. It worked!
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