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<DIV>In addition to my five I have been 'hound sitting" my ex's two for the last
month. Tuesday, Gracie who is about 9 went out before breakfast, after
breakfast and then slipped out while I was letting another in. When I went to
get her she went to step up the one step into the house and began
screaming in pain. I quickly palpated her, checked pads, toes but found nothing.
She refused to leave the laundry room because there are two more steps so I made
her a bed and got an apt for the next day.She could walk but any attempt at
steps had her screaming. Vetlady Linda listened to my description and said
its probably Lymes. She said when there is no known trauma and a sudden
joint pain(in this case about 20 min) that is the usual cause. She checked her
spine, legs and toes and Gracie just sat there. Then she pulled on her
hips and Gracie went beserk, screaming with bared teeth about an inch from
VetLinda's nose! I grabbed her collar and said "she didn't like that much".
Anyway, she is on doxycycline for 30 days, Tramadol and Rimadyl. Vet Linda said
if it is Lymes she will have a great improvement in 24 hours. She was right,
Gracie is wagging her tail again, going up the one and two steps without
screaming and eating like a horse. It turns out that looking at her records, she
tested positive for Lyme in 2006 but because she had no symptoms she was
not treated.</DIV>
<DIV>My other option would have been to knock her out and get xrays to rule out
disc/leg problems which would have been a HUGE vet bill. </DIV>
<DIV>Something to keep in mind if your basset develops sudden pain but can still
stand and walk.</DIV>
<DIV>Kathy with Spanky, Elwood, Sonny, Crackers, Loki, step bassets Gracie and
Drummer and Ginger the pointy eared dog next door who I am also watching
but in her own house.</DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient <A title="http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007" href="http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007" target="_blank">used cars</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>