Painful Cocker
My cocker
spaniel is an eleven year old neutered male. He suddenly developed a
swollen body and cried constantly not able to walk. I took him to the
local vet and they did a urine check and blood work everything looked
fine. He was sent home undiagnosed but with anti-inflammatory. When the
medicine wears off he's miserable and crying and panting for breath.
Could this be arthritis? Can he live on pain medicine forever? What is a
cockers approx. Life span? He is a little over weight according to the
vet and his cholesterol was very high. His kidneys and liver functions
were checked out fine. Any info would be helpful. I spent a lot of money
on him and didn't get any answers.
Your dog is
seriously ill and needs an accurate diagnosis, and appropriate
treatment. If you veterinarian is unable to tell you what is ailing
your cocker spaniel, ask for a referral to a specialist in your area.
With the information you have given, and familiarity with senior
spaniels, he may have a slipped disk in his spine. A dog's
vertebral is a series of many bones which surround and protect the
spinal nerves. Intervertebral disks separate the bones to aid in
flexibility and keep them from knocking against each other. Trauma to
the back or neck can cause a disk to be squeezed out from between two
vertebrae, putting painful pressure on the spinal column. The disk may
shift in position, and vary in pain with different body positions.
Anti-inflammatory medications are usually a tremendous help in reducing
the swelling, and thus the pain. Your veterinarian may consider
performing a myelogram, or referring to a veterinary neurologist.
Cocker spaniels can live as long as fifteen to seventeen, and even
older. However, they average between twelve and fourteen years in life
span. High cholesterol blood levels is very common, due to the meat
based diet.
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