# 2 yr old Cocker Spaniel in pain after partial ligament tear/won't pee or poop



## CockerSpanielMom (May 29, 2012)

Hi there, 

Cooper is a very agile and playful guy with high energy level. Yesterday (may 27) we were out for our usual walk and I threw a treat for him to go get, which I had done hundreds of time before. Something went wrong and as soon as he turned to run towards it he started to yelp and whimper and shake. I sat on the grass with him until he calmed down trying to see if he had hurt his paw or anything. He let me press, poke, touch, move and after a few minutes he seemed fine and was walking normal, sniffing, playing, running. When we got back to the car he had difficulty jumping in, which he never did before. When we got home he was restless and couldn't settle down and at one point he began to whimper again. I immediately called the vet and took him him. The vet only examined him and moved his back legs and said that it looked like he had a partial tear on his left leg and sent him home with pain meds (Metacam) and said to rest him for 10 days. I gave him the eds as soon as we got home but that didn't see to help at all, he would whimper anytime he moved. 
I stayed home with him from work today and he laid on the same spot all day. I tried carrying him outside for a pee and poop but he didn't do. He just sat on the grass and when i could try to encourage him to move he would yelp and whimper. I phone the vet and asked if it was normal that he hasn't peed and poop in over 24 hours and was still in a lot of pain and they said it wasn't normal so they told me to come get a different pain killer and bring him tomorrow for an xray as it was already too late in the day for an xray today.
The problem is that the second pain med hasn't helped. I took him outside to see if he would go to the bathroom and nothing. He just sat there shaking and again yelped when I tried to gently encourage him to go. He ate about 1/2 cup of dry food today and drank a little. He is interested in food but only if I bring to the couch.
He is going back to the vet tomorrow but in the mean time while i wait I just want some thoughts about what could be happening?
Why is he not eliminating? Why isn't the pain medication not working? Why won't he move and lay on the one side all day? Any ideas would be great. 
Thank you


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well if he hasn't peed for over 24 hours at this point, his bladder is probably very painful at this point.

The other thing about pain medications is that there is a LOT of variation in how individuals respond to specific medications. For example, Advil may work for one person but not another person, who needs to take Aleve - even though they are in the same class of drugs, there's enough genetic variation between individuals to affect how they respond to the different specific drug. So your vet may need to try a different medication in that same class (i.e. Rimadyl, or Deramaxx... there are a lot of veterinary NSAIDs).

Also how an individual perceives pain varies tremendously between individuals. Just like people, some dogs have a very high pain threshold and others have a very low pain threshold. Anxiety and fear can actually physiologically make pain worse as well - not a psychosomatic effect but a very real effect on how the body actually feels the pain. Again, there are drugs that can help block that effect that could be added to a pain management plan.

Good luck. It's hard to see them in pain.


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## CockerSpanielMom (May 29, 2012)

i'm so sorry... I shouldn't have posted this here. I am new on this . 
Thank you for your reply, I am just in tears because tomorrow morning just seems so long... as long as I don't move him he sleeps but I know he's not well... It is very hard to see them suffer... ugh... I just wish he would at least pee...


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I responded on your other post, but one additional thought I had was that until the vet opens in the morning, you could try using a cold pack. 

If you have rubbing alcohol at home, mix half and half alcohol and water in a ziploc bag, and add some ice. It will turn into kind of a slush and last longer than just ice or ice + water. If you don't have the rubbing alcohol, just use water, it's ok it just won't last as long. Put a damp towel on the knee (I'm assuming that's where the tear is, if it's not put it on the affected joint) and then put your ice pack on top of that, it shouldn't touch the skin directly. Ice for maybe 10 minutes every 2-3 hours if your dog will put up with it.


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## missndee (May 29, 2012)

We had the same thing except it was a full tear and he ended up having surgery. He also was on pain meds. If what u have is not working tell your vet u need something different. Explain just like u did here. Our boy had trouble standing to pee also and didn't want to. We put our hands under his belly to hold him up so the weight wasn't on that leg and he finally went. We had to do that for a few days till pain meds got in him good. He is not laying on that side because it puts pressure on the area and it is very very tender when like that. I hope everything works out and make sure u let the vet know how he is acting. Don't let him run if he does get pain meds that help. That could cause it to tear completely. If he still has problems have him rechecked after the 10 days. It is very hard to see them like that and u can do nothing for them. Just hang out with him and give him a comfortable place to sleep. Also when putting him in the car u can lift him in and out so he doesn't have to jump on it. That is causing more pain , swelling, etc. for him so that is probably why he acted like he did after. We also had to bring food, water to our boy cause standing was painful. He was always very active and he just laid around also so that is normal. They just don't want to be up on it because the whole leg is hurting . They get scared as they don't know what is going on so just give him attention and keep an eye on him. I hope he recovers fully, good luck.


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## CockerSpanielMom (May 29, 2012)

Hi Missndee and Sassafras, so here's an update. Last night after I posted all I could do was wait so we put him in his crate. He stood there, facing the wall and didn't turn to get comfy and lay down. 20 min passed and he was still standing, shaking so I opened the side door to help him get out and made a bed in the living room where he and I slept, well, laid awake all night... he was in very obvious pain all night, at midnight he started to pant and it increasingly got worse. It wasn't hot. He did this until 3:30 am and each minute was the longest on my life. Finally at 3:30 he urinated while laying down, I could see he was releaved and I didn't care the blankets were dirty. I attempted to move him so i could dry him up and get and change the blankets and he yelped for about 10 minutes, loud, but settled down on a new clean spot and fianally slept. 
In the morning we went to the vet again. He yelped as I carried him to the car. At the vet he was shaking and panting but didn't yelp once! Isn't that how it goes? He walked normal without a limp and was such a trooper! They examined him again, he let the vet touch, poke, move and even squeese his anal glands as they were full. He also had an early ear infection starting (nothing to do with the actual issue but another disconfort to add to the list). Before the xray we took him outside and he pooped and peed!! YAY!!! They did Xrays and they were beautiful, nothing wrong with his spine, legs or hips. 
So we left with more pain meds: Tremadol 20 mg capsules (2 capsules every 12 hrs) + Robaxin muscle relaxant (1/2 tablet every 8 hrs) + the Metacam that he was on before (every 24 hrs) and now the Suloran for ear infection.
We got home and I gave him the tremadol+Robaxin and we both went to sleep since we needed it.
Just now (6:30 pm) I took him outside and put the lead on him and he pooped and peed again YAY YAY!  He still seems in pain (shaking) but I guess like you guys said, it will take a little while to get better. I will ice his leg a bit for 5- 10 min at a time and give him lots of pets. Cross your fingers that tonight he will sleep better and in less pain.
We still don't know exactly what happened to him but we will see if these meds will assist, if it is a partial tear they will not operate, just lots of rest and slow gradual walks after 2-3 weeks.
Thank you very much for the responses and for the words of support, I know it's silly but I needed that!


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm glad things are looking up.


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