Extra pain relief kicks in

Tramadol; added to the Gabapentin & Metacam gave Blue some much needed pain relief last night, though it took most of the evening to kick in.

Blue has created a wide audience who have been interested in his progress, so for that reason, rather than keeping people posted on his twitter account (Bluethegsd) through this blog we can chart his progress for others to follow, and read older posts.

Yesterday evening he was in a lot of discomfort, a few times he looked as if he was going to be physically sick, but once out in the garden, he was content to lay there, so for a while, he laid on the lawn in comfort, so there he stayed until he was ready to move.

Although people have a look of concern when you say about Blue being in a crate, it really is so beneficial for him, it is the best advice we have ever had, crate training as a pup has now been very useful to help him gain some comfort and switch off.

The crate to Blue is like an old pair of slippers, (except he does not chew it), anyone who is considering a dog, could do a lot worse than crate train their dog. We have loaned Blue's crate out to a fellow German Shepherd called Max and a Pug called Daisy, both owners were amazed at the benefits.

Back to Blue.

Yesterday saw Blue at times lifting his hind right leg to take the weight off, and at times he would be dragging it behind him, when sitting some times he leaves it outstretched to the side at an odd awkward looking angle.

Sue is constantly in dialogue with the Veterinary Consultant Ricardo, at Fitzpatrick Referrals through phone calls and emails. 

The complexity of Blue's case has delayed any decision on what to do next, would the mass be the primary concern or the spine, what would be the implications of dealing with one and not the other, could both be dealt with in unison, at the moment there has been the MRI and two CT scans to gather information. The overriding concern is that they are keen not to go in blind, it is highly likely that our little soldier is going to need some form of surgery before he is pain free.

Ricardo has said that keeping Blue at home on pain relief will be a lot less stressful than him staying at the Vets, which we are in agreement with.

Blue has been moulting a lot, this could be his summer coat is being shed, to be replaced with his winter coat, or it could be related to the stress and discomfort he is feeling.

As I write this, Blue has taken up a cosy spot, a bit of crate-free relaxation.