Injured front leg/shoulder, anyone experience similar?

[Melissa & Porter]

On Friday, Porter stopped jumping and climbing stairs.  It happened slowly over the course of 5-6 hours.  I don't know when the original injury happened, but by evening, he could not get into bed with me :-( and I had decided to take him to the Vet in the morning.

My husband had to take him while I was schlepping the kids to Saturday morning stuff.  It just about killed me to not be the one to go, but I gave him detailed notes.  My husband conveyed back to me:
dx: soft tissue injury in right front quadrant
bloodwork negative for Lyme disease and "a variety of other things"
steroid injection for first 24 hrs, followed by Rimadyl (dog-advil) 500mg twice a day

What is freaking me out is how pathetic and lethargic Porter is.  I am so used to him stalking me all day long.  Now, he is lying in one place for hours.  Both nights since the injury, he has tried to launch himself onto the bed and stopped short...like 15 times.  I carried him up (at 65 lbs, he's well over half my weight) but I regretted it because I worried about him jumping back down and me injuring him in the carrying.

Has anyone else's dog had a front of the body injury?  How long til it healed? 

He walks almost normally, but sits or lies down asap, and watching him get up is heartbreaking.  That right leg trembles and you can almost imagine him gritting his teeth.

[Melissa & Porter]

Nancie,

Poor Gracie...nothing worse than hearing an injury. Remember my little ones falling off furniture or down stairs---ugh, makes you nauseous to hear the thuds or the melon-drop of a head hitting the ground....I digress, my 4 yr old got a concussion a month ago.

I hope Gracie is feeling good this morning.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Thank you...she seems to be fine today. Ran all over the yard chasing her ball!!! She never licks but she did do some licking during the night (I could feel the bed shaking) and it was her back leg where we would have our shins. I am guessing it is probably bruised and she knows it doesn't feel right so she licks it. No limping though. Geez, I have bruises all over my legs where she runs into me!!!! I won't lick them though...ha ha!

[Melissa & Porter]

Glad to hear Gracie is okay today!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Timbow had this happen to him at 5 months. Five xrays later our vet determined it was torn tissue/nerve damage. He had to be on "bed rest" for 2 weeks. It was really tough, but he was very lethargic too so it made it easier for him to sit still. Just have extra cuddle time with him and make sure he eats and stays hydrated.

[Melissa & Porter]

Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to put the water bowl near Porter. He's a sloppy drinker, oh well.

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

I have no experience with an injury like this (thank goodness) and I hope Porter heals quickly! Poor guy! Cooper did take a faceplant this morning while out running. He came down off a hill, and got tangled up in some grass and basically rolled end over end twice and landed on the trail. He looked at me, like what the heck? Got up and took off. I am watching for signs that he is sore, but so far so good. I found this post this morning, and thought, what odd timing!
Happy healing to Porter!

[Melissa & Porter]

Oh, poor Cooper. He must have looked hilarious--if you weren't busy worrying about whether he was injured. Thanks for the well wishes.

[LG & Sadie]

Strange timing-my Sadie went on a dog park romp....the kind where she gets really over stimulated and forgets good body mechanics ;-) and I wasn't there to nag a little...this morning while out with her and sitting under a tree taking in the breeze she kind of winced a little when I pet her over her left front shoulder. I am keeping her quiet today but if she is still sore tomorrow-I will take her in to have it looked at. It doesn't effect her gait at all, but it is clearly sore. I know from experience with Rimadyl Sadie was not herself....sleepy and more aloof...she also had little interest in food on the Rimadyl. I hope Porter is healing well and is back to himself in no time!!!! So sad when they are under the weather....

[Melissa & Porter]

Oh, I hope Sadie was just a little sore and is back to normal tomorrow.
Porter was perky this morning, but not so much for the rest of the day.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Hope Porter is feeling better soon. We have done some back leg injuries with Sophie. 1st one was the worse. She was on playpen confinement for about 6 weeks until she finally stopped limping and was back to normal. Our vet gave very little pain meds because she felt as long as she could tolerate the level of pain she would be more quiet and not reinjur herself. The other 2 times weren't nearly as bad as she was better in less than a week. Hugs from Lucy and Sophie

[Melissa & Porter]

Wow. Six weeks, poor Sophie. I am starting to realize that Porter really is going to need major R and R. His last injury was less than a week. Porter says thanks for the hugs.

[Melissa & Porter]

Hey all,
I am writing to report that on Friday, July 8th, Porter was finally able to jump on my bed again. He got his mysterious injury on Friday May 21. THAT IS SEVEN WEEKS! He had been jumping onto and over low things, and running up and down stairs for much longer, but something as high as my bed--impossible for almost two months.

He never took to the mini-stairs I bought for him. I could push and place his legs to get him up them, but he hated it, so I stopped. Treats didn't really work on the stairs and, believe me, I tried some silly techniques and got my bed nice and crumby.

My poor baby. I don't know what happened and if there will be any long-term ramifications, but let me tell you, when I came out of the shower on Friday morning and saw him lolling on my bed, I was ecstatic. He's done it daily or more since!