Diarrhea and pain.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Derek and thanks for your question.

Changing the flavor of food can certainly cause diarrhea, but obviously shouldn't cause the problem with her leg.

I'm a little bit concerned about the fact that she had trouble lifting her backside. This may mean that there is a problem with her back such as a problem with an intervertebral disc.

Or, another possibility is if she has had an injury to her pelvis. Usually for this to happen there would have to be some sort of significant trauma like being hit by a vehicle.

It's hard to say whether there is a connection to the diarrhea. It's possible that she is stressed because of the back end injury and this caused the diarrhea. However, as she had diarrhea for a couple of days first, I think the two problems are not related.

So, the next question is whether she needs to go to see a vet on an emergency basis. This is always hard to say without seeing her, so here are some things that may help with your decision:

-Does it seem like she is having significant difficulty whenever she tries to walk? If so, then this is definitely painful. Dogs will do all they can to hide their pain.

-How is her appetite? If she is not wanting to eat then this is a sign of pain and she should be seen sooner.

-Are her back feet knuckling at all? By this, I mean that if you knuckle her foot so that the tops of her toes are touching the ground, does she immediately place it back? If not, this can be a sign of a serious back problem and an emergency visit is definitely necessary.

Unfortunately I don't usually recommend giving anything over the counter to help with pain until we know the cause as sometimes we can do more harm than good.

I wish I could help you more with this decision! I'd love it if you could let me know how things work out.

I will be going offline for a few hours as I am heading out to a family barbecue, but if you have more concerns I will answer them when I check in tonight.

Hope everything is ok!

Dr. Marie.




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Dr. Marie replied:

Sounds like a good plan. I hope she is feeling better soon!