My intention was to post a delicious recipe for white chocolate chip cookies today. I guess that will have to wait until next Thursday! I want life to be happy and fun every day, but life isn’t always like that. That was my day yesterday.
Well, Within the last year, our dog, Bella, (yellow lab) was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Before her diagnosis, she would have these episodes- really weird episodes where she would seem unsettled, pacing around the house in circles. Not only pacing, but then she would have drool literally dripping from her mouth. She seemed to always be licking. The licking would happen for hours. She would lick her legs, she would lick her blanket and even lick her bed until it was soaking wet in areas. I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that this was strange and abnormal behavior.
After taping these episodes and showing my veterinarian, he concluded that our Bella was in pain and these behaviors were characteristic of dogs that are having pain. Luckily, Bella was scheduled to have her first dental cleaning in a few months and they would be able to take some x-rays while she was under anesthetic. The Vet determined from these x-rays that she did indeed have hip dysplasia- especially bad on the left side.
Fast forward to yesterday… Bella and I worked at the school (she’s a therapy dog) for about an hour. During that time, she had students read to her, pet her, and she even did a few tricks for them. Bella came home, was rewarded with her “after work treat” and then had her lunch. After lunch I could tell something was wrong. She started in with the licking and drooling. I knew then and there that she must have hurt herself doing tricks at school on the slick floors. What a bummer!!
Here are some signs that your dog might be in pain….they are good at hiding it sometimes!!
Behavior
- licking
- biting
- scratching
- refusing to play
- isolating themself
- aggression
- hiding
- not wanting to be picked up
- limping
- loss of appetite
- not wanting to leave your side
Vocalizations
- yipping
- whining
- whimpering
Tummy Troubles
- excessive salivation
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- constipation
Activity Level
- circling
- trembling
- lying still
- sitting while licking
Posture
- flattened ears
- laying on their side
- head hanging low
- wide-open glazed look
Because of Bella’s hip dysplasia, she now takes a rigorous course of supplements (Glyco- Flex Stage 3 and Fish Oil) and we have moderated her activities to keep her pain free. Obviously, we make mistakes sometimes and she over does her activity leading us to have to give her a dose of pain meds. (Previcox) What I learned from yesterday is that I need to bring in a rug to the school so that she doesn’t slip on the slick floor, so she can still do the thing she loves to do…..LOVE PEOPLE!
I hope this post helps you identify pain in your dog, so you can help them…I hate to see animals suffer!!
Click HERE to see the video I took yesterday…
and yes, after an hour, she did settle down and napped all afternoon!
Stay tuned next week for a delicious cookie recipe!
Hey Jill, thanks for posting this information. It’s been a couple of years since we had a “best friend” in our home, I’m sorry you are experiencing this with Bella. Did you know YL oils are safe for animals? Many holistic vets even use them in their practice. PanAway would be excellent to help relieve her pain and discomfort just like it would people. Hope all goes better now that you’ve pinpointed the source of her behavior :).
Hi Sue! I have Pan-Away! I just don’t know how to use it in this instance? Any suggestions?? Thanks!
My senior Corgi, Chester went through the same thing. We sadly said goodbye to him the Friday before Thanksgiving. It was so hard to see our sweet Chester, who always wanted to please, and always did his best to continue on, no matter, live with diminishing capabilities. We provided him with as much comfort as possible, giving him medication and tons of tender, loving care. It’s always hard. He has a special place in my heart. Bella sounds like a real sweety. So wonderful she gets to be a therapy dog. Probably does her as much good as it does for others. Happy Birthday, Bella!
I ran across this blog and could not help thinking of our Sweet Chloe ( also a yellow lab), who passed away at the end of January. ( 2015) I work from home and she was my daily companion….I miss her more than I can say, my heart is still aching and i’m still filled with such sadness.
She also had hip dysplasia, ( so very common in labs). We helped her through the pain she had during her last couple years the best we could. She lived a very happy loving life and was just a week shy of her 13th birthday when we had to say goodbye. Chloe was indeed the “BEST DOG EVER” and will never be forgotten. I still cry daily i miss so. Rest in peace my sweet sweet girl.