In emergency vet’s office, Sophia waits to be examined / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

If you adore your furry best friends, as many of us do, you’re going to feel miserable for them when they’re under the weather. But what if you happen to be experiencing just the same ailment at just the same time?

“I feel your pain,” I whispered to our beautiful senior sweetie Sophia on Sunday night when the emergency clinic veterinarian gave us a diagnosis. And this time, I meant it literally.

It seems we’re both in the clutches of sprained backs right now. Mine is self-inflicted, the result of my own sheer stupidity—lifted something too heavy and from an awkward position to boot. As for what caused Sophia’s problem, we have no idea.

The vet guessed it’s probably a soft tissue injury such as pulled muscles, just as my own doctor guessed about mine. In Sophia’s case, the vet said that the alternatives—bulging disk or a tumor or a bone infection in the spine area—are relatively rare in dogs. My doctor said that if I had a disk ding-up I’d probably have pains shooting into the legs, which thank heavens I don’t.

Both docs felt that at least for the time being, x-rays might provide a more definitive diagnosis but wouldn’t change the treatment plan, so neither of us got them done.

How did this happen?

Sophia walked outside emergency vet’s office while we waited for blood test results / Photo: Katerina Loenzatos

Until recently, elderly Sophia was as about as active as an Olympic athlete. No kidding. This feisty Irish terrier mix, at least 12 years of age, could still go for hours, and nearly outrun the younger dogs and climb fences like a monkey. Then about five months ago she went nearly blind due to edema (swelling) behind the eyes, for which there’s been no successful treatment so far. That ended her athletic days. She could no longer see where she was dashing or leaping.

Instead, my husband takes her for leashed walks every day at an outdoor shopping promenade. She loves it. There, she gets a lot of attention and petting from complete strangers, which is apparently far preferable to our boring old petting and attention.

Hubsy carefully lifts her in and out of the car not only because of her blindness, but also because over the years we’ve found that letting dogs jump in and out of the car— especially on the way out when they land on hard pavement—can stress their joints.

At home, we don’t allow any of our pooches on the furniture, for the same reason. In one example, repetitive leaping down from the sofa onto our hardwood and tile floors gave our girl Kalypso a chronic shoulder problem.

So Sophia certainly hasn’t been making any damaging moves of those sorts.

Then how could her back have gotten messed up?  Amidst my 2,637 or so questions, I forgot to pose that one to the vet Sunday night.

Stepped off a curb?

Sophia resting in emergency vet’s office (Normally I bring along a little bed but was in such a hurry to get there that I forgot it, and instead just grabbed a towel from the car trunk.) / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

The next day I called back and spoke with the vet on duty at the emergency clinic. She said that even something as seemingly minor as stepping off a curb in an awkward way during those leashed walks might have pulled some muscles in Sophia’s back. Or perhaps one of our younger, more rambunctious dogs accidentally banged into her too hard at home.

She added that if we see Sophia begin to limp or drag a leg, that might be a symptom of a bulging disk rather than of a muscle problem. Again, this was similar to what the people doctor said about my ailment.

In any case, we never observed any event out of the ordinary—nothing that might have caused Sophia’s injury. Yesterday we just noticed that she was lethargic, didn’t want to get up from her bed, and her breathing was faster than usual. When I tried to gently lift her to her feet to take her outside for potty, she shrieked.  That’s when I knew we’d better hurry to the emergency clinic.

(Of course it was Sunday so we had to go the emergency vet. Why do these types of things so often happen when the regular—and less expensive—vets are closed?)

We know how it hurts

Walking Sophia inside or outside, we’re careful because of her blindness that she doesn’t run into things like walls and trees. Now we’re extra careful because of her back pain. / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

While the cause of Sophia’s back problem is unknown, what is known, and very clearly, is that she is in pain. The other certainty is that we must handle her with extra care so as not to worsen the injury, and to let her heal.

The fact that I’m going through similar symptoms right now, and that Hubsy has also endured the hell of back pain in the past, makes us both extra aware of things that might cause our girl discomfort.

Sudden moves, for example, can be agony.  Even if I just reach for a plate in the cupboard it has to be slow and methodical. Walking can be wicked if I don’t place each foot solidly, with no chance of a stumble. Tilting my head down to read or type or eat can bring on the ouch. Getting in and out of bed—another trial.

We’re taking Sophia out to the potty pen separately from the other dogs so that they won’t jostle her. We’re carefully guiding her as she walks to and fro around the house so that she won’t bang into things then lose her footing. We’re extra-gently lifting her to her feet from her bed when it’s time for food or potty. And we’ve elevated her food bowl so that she doesn’t have to bend her head down for it.

Sophia’s friends Diogenes (Dio) and Plato might accidentally jostle and hurt her so we take her separately in and out of the house for potty. / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

The only problem is that “we” often means only poor hubsy (a.k.a. The Saint), because my own annoying back situation means there are lots of things I’m not supposed to do, like bend over.  And lifting or even just supporting Sophia’s slender little 21-pound self just won’t work for me these days.

So while we’re both on Sophia duty, we’ve got division of labor. For example hubsy performs the Sophia tasks that involve significant use of a human back, while I handle the escorted trips back and forth from her bed in the living room to the yard for her potty needs.

Meds similar for dogs and for people

Sophia’s medications are not unlike those my physician suggested for me—a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. I opted out of the anti-inflammatory because my doc said it would help relieve the pain but not necessarily speed the recovery.

Weapons against back pain / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

I also opted out of a prescription painkiller, choosing over-the-counter ibuprofen instead, because it provides some anti-inflammatory action as well as great pain relief for me, with none of the side effects that I fear from a stronger drug.

But Sophia’s emergency vet felt an anti-inflammatory would help her heal. Because of her age, he wanted to do a blood test first to make sure her liver and kidneys could tolerate that medication. We went forward with that, and the results were clear, so now she’s on Tramadol for the pain and Prednisone to help with the inflammation.

Meanwhile an “alternative” remedy seems to be helping me. An herb called arnica, belonging to the sunflower family. I’m using it in both oral form (teensy round tablets made by Boiron), and in a topical crème (Topricin).

I forgot to double-check with the vet on whether or not it was OK to give Sophia the arnica tablets—I’ll phone the clinic tonight, thereby bothering yet another vet on a different shift—but I’ve given these arnica tablets to enough other dogs in the past that I can’t imagine they could harm her, and they might just help her, as they’re doing for me.

Exercise recommendations different for people and pets

Best weapon against back pain–exercises for stretching and strengthening / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

My doc recommended a certain set of back stretching and strengthening exercises. I think they’re working to heal my injury, or at least they sure feel good when I do them.

Sophia’s anatomy is a little different, of course, so those particular exercises wouldn’t work for her. However the emergency vet said that her mellow leash walks will be perfect while she heals, just as my doc told me that walking will be the best exercise for me because it both loosens and tones the back muscles.

I thought about asking Sophia’s vet if we should look into doggy swim therapy with one of the local practitioners who offer that, but then I decided it wouldn’t be such a great option right now. Sophia has never been a water girl—quite the opposite. One little paw gets wet at the beach and comes to us asking for it to be toweled off please.

The whole concept of swim therapy would just freak her out and make her tense (“You expect me to do what?”), thus probably bring more harm than good, at least until she’s a lot better.

No worse pain than watching our babies suffer

Sophia rests at home next to her longtime buddy Kalypso after our four-hour visit to the emergency vet. / Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

I hope she’ll get a lot better soon. The only thing worse than being in pain ourselves is watching our loved ones go through it.

Sophia is very much a loved one to us—rescued in 2003 from a dreadful situation on the Greek island of Kefalonia (long story to be told another time)—one of the sweetest, smartest, bravest girls ever.

“What a sweet, smart, brave girl you are!” I tell her 50 or so times a day.

Don’t know if that helps her heal, but it does help me feel better, for sure, when I lavish love on her, because that’s certainly what she has always done to me.

Dear reader, have you ever gone through the same health issue that your pet faces? And maybe even at the same time?  If so please contact Spicy at spicystoriesATyahooDOTcom. We might be able to share your story on this website and/or our Facebook page.

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Please note: Spicy Stories Save Lives proudly donates part sponsorship for many needy animals on the Greek island of Kefalonia, where we found Sophia.

Meanwhile, Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) provides free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year here. Please give to KATs via PayPal or bank transfer. Spay/neuter and education are the animals’ best hope for a better future.

Also please consider Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK), another group on the island who run a shelter and work miracles with terribly few resources. 

Spicy Stories Save Lives and the author of this article have no affiliation with KATs and ARK other than as a friend, volunteer, and donor.

Seen our book?  Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, available through Amazon.com.