Good day! I've never had a dog before and got Max as a birthday gift - the best gift ever!! Max was born on 2 March 2018. We live on a small farm and Max can go in and out the house as he pleases. We have a staircase leading onto our roof and Max very soon started climbing the stairs. He did it well and I was not concerned. A week ago I called him not realising he was on the roof and in his excitement to get to me, he fell coming down the stairs. He was crying after the fall and I could see he was in pain. I took him to the vet and x-rays showed no broken bones. The vet said it's only bad bruising and prescribed a course of painkillers to be taken for 10 days. The painkillers causes Max to sleep a lot - which is probably not a bad thing to allow his injury to heal. However, it is now 8 days on and Max walks with a slight swing of his right leg, no longer runs like he used to and sometimes cries in the night or when gets up after a sleep. Am I too impatient for his injury to heal or should I take him for a second opinion? We were at the vet two days ago for a vaccination and Max was so excited to meet all the other animals that he seemed absolutely fine and I did not want to mention anything to the vet and sound like an over-protective mother!! He is such a lovely boy and I hate seeing him not being the lively puppy he was before the fall. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Hello and welcome to you and Max. I would definitely take him back to the vet. Adrenaline (caused by the excitement of seeing all the other animals) will mask pain, and dogs will go a long time without showing they are in discomfort. You are not an over-protective mother, just normally concerned. It doesn't sound right that he is crying this long after hurting himself, especially not since he has pain medication. Good luck; do let us know what the vet says.
Thanks for getting back to me. Vet is working short hours during Ramadan. We live in Marrakech. Ramadan finishes at the end of this week so I will take Max first thing next week for another checkup and keep you posted. I love Max!!
Personally, I wouldn't wait but would take him back now - otherwise you will have to wait for another five days. Five days where he is in discomfort and pain...
Max and I went back to the vet this morning, he injected Max to make him relax and told me to return in 4 hours - the exact routine followed on our first visit after the fall. On my return in the afternoon he told me he had another look at the x-rays taken during our first visit and saw a small fracture in Max's hip bone which he did not notice the first time. He said as Max is still a puppy the injury might rectify itself and gave me 10 more of the same tablets (Previcox 57 mg) he gave me the first time. And then I had to pay the exact amount I paid for the previous visit - and quite a lot of money! I'm not stingy and I would like the best for Max but I would have thought I needed to pay for the tablets only and perhaps the calming injection?? He did not take a new x-ray today either. Perhaps vets are different than human doctors who don't charge for a follow up visit?? He told me if there is no improvement in 10 days then Max would need an operation. I guess I would need to keep Max as still as possible for now to give him the best chance to recover. I can't believe I made the poor boy go for walks because I thought he needed exercise to get better. No wonder he cried in the night.
Max looks beautiful! I'm glad you've taken him back to the vet - it seems a bit unfair that he's charged you for the consultation as he didn't notice the fracture when he first took the X-rays. Do you have a crate for Max? If so, it might be best to have him on crate rest for a few days, only taking him outside on his lead when necessary, otherwise try to restrict him as much as possible. Do let us know how he gets on - I hope he improves soon.
Poor boy - glad you have gone a bit of an answer though. Perhaps you should ask for an itemised bill, Helen. They should do this if you ask, and then you can see how they justify their costs. Trouble is, if you don't pay directly for your own healthcare (as in you use the NHS) its really a shock to find out how much things actually cost. We had Previcox for Lilly with her hips and used to pay around £45 for a box of 28 tablets. They do x-rays and sedation by weight I believe.
Thank you for thinking of Max. He does not have a crate but I am all the time at home and he loves hanging out with me. He also likes our cat who sleeps a LOT, so the three of us will take life easy for the next few days. Good advice re the itemised bill - will definitely ask for it next time as it would have been great to know what I got for my £120.
