Advice please: how to get a dog into a car?

Ozzy had his Xrays (and dental) yesterday and it was good and not quite so good news.

It didn't come as any surprise that he does indeed have hip dysplasia on one side but the good news is, it is manageable with pain relief and joint supplements. The vet doesn't believe he's at the stage for hip replacement but may be a possibility 5/6 years down the line.
The not so good news is that he has a spinal condition which requires a specialist assessment and so the vet is sending a report to Fitzpatrick Referrals requesting a more thorough investigation (possibly MRI or CT scans).

How did his vet visit go, @pamsdish ? Oh yes, this vets business is a very costly business! For us, yesterday's little assessment alone added up to over £1,000 so interesting times ahead for us it would seem.

On a much lighter note, when we arrived in the morning as soon as the nurse took his lead, he promptly sat down (stubborn mode) and turned is back to her, basically refusing to go I did mention to her that he is adverse to anyone touching his collar and he does serious Elvis lips as a warning if anyone should do so. She noted that down, tried to encourage him again, he wouldn't budge. So, I had to walk him out to the back room and she took him from there.

We'd already decided to spend our day in that area, shopping and such like but, numpty turnip that I am, my phone was still on silent mode and unbeknown to me I'd missed a few calls from the surgery *oopsie*. First I knew was when son called up on his Dad to say the vets had been trying to get in touch and needed to speak to me as soon as possible. Transpires once they had put him in the kennel, the little so and so wouldn't let them anywhere near him, baring his teeth, doing Elvis lips and low throat growling. Please would I go in and be with him so they could sedate him Worse than kids! Did make me chuckle though.

 

Norty boy, doing Elvis lips!! Sounds like my Izzy, who sits down and refuses to move when I take her to the kennels. They have a trick for that though... the floor tiles to the kennels are very smooth, and they keep them very, very clean. So when she sits down, they just slide her into the kennels area!!

I can relate to back problems too. Our old lad, who will be 12 years in 2 days !! has two semi-fused vertebrae sections, where a bone bridge has grown beteeen the two vertebrae. We are very fortunate in our vet is an acupuncture specialist and also does laser and physio work. So with direct anti-inflammatory treatment, acupuncture and powerful laser work, we have got him walking again. We have to be so careful though, as the sciatic nerve is at risk of being compromised by the largest bone bridge... Poor lad often doesn't know where his back feet are, but walks on the assumption that they will follow!

I hope that the treatment is not too invasive for Ozzy, or your wallet!!

 

Aww, bless his heart! But he's doing very well to be celebrating his 12th birthday: Happy 12th Birthday for tomorrow
Totally amazing to have got him walking again, you must have been so relieved and thrilled all at the same time. I've found your post quite inspirational, thank you.

 

Vet visit last Monday, "Murphy" walked the plank like a veteran, unfortunately when we weighed him he has gained weight over a kilo, 46.6k his owner insists she is not overfeeding him, her son who lives with her, long boring story, works, and he refuses to give him treats anyway, she blames her very poorly, and so very naughty, 3 year old granddaughter, visits about once a month, she cannot afford the diet food and his meds, vets curl their lips at her choice of food, she won`t speak up, I end up telling them it`s specialist food or the meds, we know his weight is making him worse but if she still gives him treats, she insists she`s not, it`s a vicious circle.
Hope all goes well with Ozzy and his meds are keeping him pain free for now.

 

Just curious @pamsdish I don't suppose she gives her dog Dentastix by any chance? The reason I ask is because I would give Ozzy one after his breakfast and one after his tea. Back in March a vet nurse nutritionist nearly fell on the floor when I told her that. Seems (nutritionally speaking) one a week would be considered enough because they are highly calorific! Poor Ozzy was getting fourteen a week Since I've stopped giving them to him, his weight has gone down by 3kg so far

Also, not too far from me there is an animal sanctuary which offers walk in clinics for people who are on a low income and I wonder if there may be something similar where you are?

 

Also wheel chair hoist, bit unsightly for a proud dog though.
Some jap import cars have a side loading electric chair that lowers, for every problem there is a solution just depends how far you go to solve it.

 

Elvis lips and sliding - too cute!

 

Part of me thinks that because he is not doing these activities is because it causes him pain. Dogs keep those things hidden. at 60 lbs. he might need a low dose of a pain pill 20 mins prior to asking him to do something. Call your vet for that discussion. At 60 lbs, you could with planning, lift , using your legs, go in tight to his body on the side, hug him close and lift and place. Keep your back straight. Depends on the car area you expect him to load into. I have had a hatchback or a SUV, so the back area is wide and a clean shot for such things. Good luck.

 

Thank you @redstar
It's a hatchback.
He's a little bit more than 60lb he's actually 60Kg (so, around 132lb).
You are quite right, we managed to get him to the vet and after exploratory X-rays 2 days ago we now know he has left hip dysplasia but what wasn't expected is that he has something wrong with his spine. My vet is making a referral to a specialist for further tests.
The specialists are a good hour and a half drive away - and as we now know that Ozzy is indeed in pain - I will take your advice and ensure he has his pain medication a good half hour before I have to manhandle him into the hatchback for that particular journey.
Thank you for your kind advice and the time you took to give it. Much appreciated.

 

Reasonably certain he gets at least 1 a day will inquire tomorrow.

 

@"M" , sorry did not remember the Kilo after the 60 earlier, just recalled the 60. Anyway. glad he has been to the vet. So if he weights about 132lbs. that is about as big as one of my GSDs . Sorry for what I heard about you guy. its hard to get information about it. we all want to do the right thing.

 

I've had the phone call from Fitzpatrick referrals and an appointment has been booked for an MRI scan on 2nd June. They were a little bit vague insomuch as he will be there between 4 - 6 hours but if surgery is required it will be overnight. Not too sure at which point we will be told one way or another

We've been given an estimate for between £2500 - £3000 but, yet again, I'm not sure if they are estimating the inclusion of surgery or .. not? Either way, they want 50% of that on arrival and the remainder on collecting him!

I'll call them tomorrow and ask those questions

 

I hope the MRI scan went well for Ozzy, @"M" - fingers and paws crossed.

 

Thank you!

It was a long, long day. Ozzy didn't *want* to get into the car, but, he didn't want lifting in either, so he braved a jump.

The staff at FP Referrals are absolutely brilliant! Our consultation took an hour when we arrived and was very thorough. While the MRI was happening we went off to town and told to expect a phone call for consent to Ozzy having an Epidural for a steroid injection into his spinal areal. That never happened. The call we got was to collect him.
Then followed another one hour consultation where the scans were explained to me in full. In short, as well as bi-lateral hip dysplasia, one of his vertebra has not fused where it should have done when he was a puppy, causing movement in the spine and he has Lumbosacral degenerative disease. The reason no steroid injection was given is because the area is so inflamed there was nowhere for it to go!

So, in the short term, it is to be managed with pain medication, minimal exercise (no running/jumping/steps) and he needs to go for a physio assessment to design a rehabilitation program. Thereafter, it will be hydrotherapy to build up his core strength and the muscles in his right hind leg and if he doesn't improve, then surgery will be the final step.

He's got quite a journey ahead of him with all of that but, thank goodness, we now know about it and can do something for him. Poor boy has been in pain a long time and we simply didn't know; they hide illness so well.

I have to take him back next month, so it will be interesting to see how rest and medication have worked as the first step in his journey.

 

Oh Blimey Doggy hugs