Late Night Vet Visit

On Monday night, we took Collen over to the Emergency Clinic for an unplanned visit to the vet. That morning he didn’t seem to be acting as he usually does, but I wrote that off to him being more tired than usual. When I came home from work, though, I knew right away that something was wrong. He wouldn’t play, jump on the couch, or anything else he normally does. He was very tentative going up stairs and would bunny-hop his back legs coming down.

Of course, by this time I’m a wreck with the thought that something serious was wrong with him. After calling the clinic, we decided to take him in. Collen seemed to perk up a bit when he realized he was going for a car ride.

After examining Collen, the vet determined the problem was in his back near his hindquarters, a slipped or otherwise injured disc probably. Since Collen’s long and low, it is something he is susceptible too, like dachshunds and beagles (even though they aren’t long and low, but go figure). The good news, is he isn’t overweight, he’s young, and he doesn’t show any outward signs of impact on his back legs. So medication should take care of the pain and give the injury a chance to heal.

By the next morning he seemed to be acting as normal as ever. We’re keeping him in the kitchen area for a few days to make sure he rest and doesn’t try to jump up on anything. We’ll probably let him back into the hours soon and see how he does. We’re looking at getting some steps for him to be able to get up on our bed without jumping which is what he normally does. He’s a bit of a daredevil, leaping from ottoman to couch and so on, so we’ll see what we can do to convince him it isn’t a good idea.

I’m trying to get him to promise me he’ll never scare and worry me like that again, but so far no luck.