[Dailydrool] Snapping dog Murphy

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

> one drooler had a dog with a BB lodged near her spine.  They didn't  
> have  a clue it was there, and it caused a ton of problems.

This was our Elsinore. She had a pellet from a pellet gun lodged near  
her sciatic nerve. For some reason it started shifting around about  
eight months after we adopted her from Basset Hound Rescue of  
Alabama. It must have been an old injury because the rescue group had  
no clue it was in her either, and I know they would have noticed it  
if it'd been a recent injury and they would have had it treated.

When the pellet started shifting, her sciatic nerve was right in its  
way. Elsinore would stop in her tracks and just cry in pain and we  
couldn't figure out why. We had a veterinary chiropractor come out  
and adjust her several times, but it didn't help. Finally, I took her  
to the vet for an x-ray and there was the pellet. It's now in a  
little jar on the shelf by the kitchen sink. She still has the BB in  
her hip, but since it's not causing any trouble we haven't had it  
removed. The thought that Elsinore's pain might be caused by ammo in  
her body just never occurred to us.

I concur that Murphy should have his spine x-rayed to see what  
surprises it might hold. I'll keep my fingers crossed he hasn't been  
shot at and that there's no indication of disk trouble, which can be  
very painful. Being tested for Lyme disease is also a good idea.

But it may turn out that being patted on his back triggers old, bad  
memories and he can't help but have a knee-jerk reaction. My basset  
friend Owen was rescued from a tied-up-and-neglected situation four  
years ago, but he still can't stand for his collar to be touched. I  
found out the hard way. He turned around and bit me when I  
impatiently tried to hurry him along outside by pulling on his collar  
a couple years ago. I've never done that again. Now I just give him  
gentle but insistent nudges on his rump when I want to get him  
moving. Some behaviors you just have to be understanding about  
because the emotional scars will never go away. I wish I knew what  
happened to him to make him so upset when his collar's touched and I  
wish I could reassure him that I'd never intentionally hurt him.

If nothing's physically wrong with Murphy and it doesn't appear as if  
he's being reminded of past trauma and fear when he's being patted,  
then a veterinary behaviorist would be a good avenue to explore.  
These are specialists who've spent additional years learning about  
animal behavior, and because they're vets, they're able to prescribe  
medications if needed. I'd go with a behaviorist as opposed to a dog  
trainer for this situation. Your regular vet should be able to give  
you a referral to one.

Elizabeth