Ollie At The Vet=No Serial Episode Today

~ beetleypete

After a perfectly uneventful walk today, Ollie began acting strangely. He would not lie down and sleep as he usually does, and instead stood around, panting.

It hasn’t been remotely hot here today, and I also noticed his tail was uncurled. So something had happened. It was one of those times when you wish a dog could talk. I gave him a good examination, but could find no obvious injury. His skin has flared up again recently because of the hot weather we had, but that never stops him lying down.

He kept coming to me for strokes and reassurance, and at one stage I realised he hadn’t had his dinner. But when I prepared that for him he refused to eat any of it.

When Julie got home from work he was pleased to see her, but nothing would persuade him to sit, or lie down. He continued to pant constantly, so we became concerned and rang the Vet. Luckily, we were able to get an appointment at short notice, and took him down at 4pm. He jumped into the back of the car easily enough, but when he tried to lie down on his bed in the back, he screamed and yelped. That meant he remained standing all the way to Swaffham, so I had to drive extra carefully.

Her diagnosis was inconclusive. Possibly a sting or insect bite, due to her noticing a small swelling on one of his back legs. Perhaps a back strain, as he was not happy when she examined his back. While he was there, she suggested antibiotics for the skin condition, and a steroid cream. Though this had nothing to do with why we had taken him of course.

To try to ease his pain immediately, she gave him an injection of a Morphine-based pain killer, and prescribed tablet painkillers containing a ‘dog-dose’ of Codeine. Julie asked her if he might be able to lie down later to sleep, and her reply was “I don’t know”. His regular Arthritis tablets were ready, so that at least saved me a second trip tomorrow.

We got back at 5:20, and Ollie is still standing up, still panting, and still refusing to eat or drink anything. I have a feeling we are going to have a very troublesome night with him later.

The bill for the 10-minute consultation and prescribed drugs was an eye-watering. £237. ($285)
It takes a long time to train to become a Vet, but it’s worth it once you qualify.

As a result, there will be no epsiode of the serial ‘The Prodigy’ today. Sorry about that.

96 thoughts on “Ollie At The Vet=No Serial Episode Today”

  1. I’m catching up on your posts now, Pete, so I know things got better. But so sorry to hear about Ollie’s troubles. It is so worrying because they can’t communicate and tell us what is wrong…

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  5. Oh, no! This is definitely a time you wish dogs could talk. It sounds like the vet did a thorough exam. I hope the meds have kicked in and Ollie is better. Please keep is updated.

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    1. Yes, that is normal for a Vet visit with lots of medication, Shaily. It is still a considerable amount to us though. We have a separate savings account to pay his Vet bills. One reason why so many people here continue to abandon dogs or hand them in to dog shelters is the spiralling cost of Vet bills.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  11. I am so sorry to hear that dear Ollie isn’t feeling well. I suspect that he is somewhat more than just a pet. My heart and prayers go out for him and I am so hoping that he finds relief from his pains soon …My hopes and best wishes go out to you as well, Pete because I know how much you love dear Ollie and I am sure this is not allowing you to have much peace or rest either.

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    1. Thanks, John. Ollie is family to us, and it has all been very stressful, especialy as I was also feeling quite ill at the time. We are both considerably better this morning though.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. He did finally drink and lie down on Thursday night, but not until after 10:30pm. Then yesterday he ate his food, and slept all night. Fingers crossed that the worst is over.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  22. Ollie’s well being is more important. It is so frightening when an animal is in distress and you can’t figure it out or how to help. I hope the medications will give him some relief so he can sleep. Thinking of you and him. XX

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    1. Despite her being unwilling to give a firm diagnosis, the combination of drugs she prescribed seems to have helped. He ate some dinner yesterday, and slept soundly all night.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  24. Sorry to hear about Ollie, as dogs can’t sweat they had a pretty torrid time early this week. We sponged our dog down, had a fan and a doggie cool coat, despite all this Rupert is still feeling fragile. Hopefully it’s just the heat and Ollie will be better by the weekend. Thinking of you.

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    1. It does seem to have been some kind of mucular injury, as once the painkillers started working he was able to lie down late on Thrsday night. He also ate his dinner yesterday.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  25. It might be Ollie’s bite, or his back, Pete, dogs injure easier than we think.

    I got the following from Google:

    Heavy panting is one sign your dog may have suffered an injury. Other signs of pain or trauma in pets include enlarged pupils, reduced appetite, a reluctance to lie down, restlessness, anxiety, and licking or biting at the pain site. Dogs may mask their pain with normal behaviors, such as wagging their tail.

    Excessive panting is a common symptom of discomfort or pain. In fact, dogs who are uncomfortable often exhibit panting well before more obvious indicators of pain, such as whining or limping, arise.

    If he’s not improved by morning, I’d recommend you insist on a back X-ray or at least a more thorough examination / second opinion if there’s more than one vet.

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    1. Thanks, Chris. The combination of painkillers and antibiotics does seem to have calmed him down. He ate some dinner on Friday, and slept all night. He seems a bit happier this morning too. I rang the Vet on Friday afternoon, and she said we had to let the tablets have time to take effect, and to bring him back next week if we are still worried. She did not think x-rays were appropriate, for some reason.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  32. having faced this recently – prayers with Ollie and his staff
    The tail and off feed is a concern
    Could a mild temp bath (supported by your hand/towel under belly to support) help relax and soothe – maybe encourage swelling in leg to dissipate?
    Sometimes dogs cannot face the getting down or getting up movement pain – can you carefully pick him up and the two of you ( pone will have to hold head and soothe during process) place hime on side on a puffy pillow? Outs preferred hard surface -, but each dogs has preferences for bedding and sleeping.
    We used to put bales of hay on each side of cows or horses for them to lean on when ill and trying to rest on the farm. They do make slings for sick horses – you might be able to make one out of a towel or something, but the problem would be you holding it up all the time!
    Fingers crossed and healing energy sent!
    Please keep us updated.

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    1. Thanks, Karen. He finally slept at 10:30pm on Thursday. Then last night he ate his food, and seems much improved this morning.
      (Sorry for the late reply, I found your comment in the Trash folder for some reason.)
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  34. I am so sorry to hear that Ollie is uncomfortable and in pain. I do hope the meds work and he is better soon. We do worry about our dear fur babies. Sending hugs to all of you.

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  35. I do hope you find some relief soon for Ollie. He is obviously in severe pain with certain movements, sort of like a kink in his back or one of his legs?? Your vet bill really hurts when you have no answers.

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