My senior chihuahua fell. Why is she still in so much pain?

Question

My 17 year old chihuahua fell off the couch Thursday evening onto the hard wood floor. Howling, crying in pain. My Vet took xrays and said nothing broken or fractured. She has 8 more days of pain/ inflammation meds. In the meantime, her pain level has not decreased. She is constantly crying, howling. Her back area and legs very sore, and sides. Is this normal? Also trouble walking. I thought the pain would be gone by now. Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 17 years and 9 months old | 3.8 lbs

Emily Fukuzato, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi and thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach about Gaby. I am so sorry to hear that she got hurt. Since Gaby's pain level has not significantly improved on the medications she has at home I am just as concerned as you are. You did not mention the exact medications that she is on but I am wondering if an additional medication may help her. If Gaby had any sort of neck/back pain during her trauma, it may help her to add a muscle relaxant to her treatment regimen (methocarbamol/robaxin). You should give your veterinarian a call right away to see if this would be an appropriate addition to her current treatments. You mention trouble walking and this is concerning for either primary neurological or orthopedic problem related to her fall. Even though xrays did not reveal a fracture, there are many problems that may still not have shown up (herniated disc, pinched spinal nerve). Sometimes the pain from these types of falls is bad enough that these older dogs need to be in the hospital on IV pain control to get them feeling better. I would highly recommend to consult with your veterinarian and assess if Gaby's pain is bad enough to warrant treatment in the hospital or just possibly try an additional medication at this time. In the meantime please restrict her exercise and movement to a bare minimum so that she does not further injure herself. Best of luck to your sweet Gaby.

My senior chihuahua fell. Why is she still in so much pain?

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