We almost lost our 15 month old Cockapoo and we fear it was due to this drug 'Metacam'. We brought our dog to the vet with a slightly sore paw, nothing we were overly concerned about as he was putting weight on the foot and in good spirits. Reluctantly we agreed to our dog being given an antibiotic and an injection of Metacam (we felt this was a bit unnecessary but we trusted the vets opinion and that we were doing the best for our dog). That same day the dog was groggy and lethargic. By that same night our dog was groaning with pain so we gave him half a painkiller prescribed by the vet. The next morning our poor dog couldn't move, he lay unresponsive and couldn't lift his body weight upright. He wasn't eating or drinking a thing! If we touched any part of his body he was in severe pain. Our dog is very energetic with a great appetite and we were very worried! We returned to the vet and found our dog was running a very high temperature. The vet was adamant that this was as a result of his sore paw and possible bone infection and was very critical of the dog breed. Our dog was kept in over night and medicated with paracetamol and an IV antibiotic. Within 24hours our dog was returning to normal. The vet insisted we do an x-ray and nothing showed up. Thankfully we were able to discharge our pet after two nights but found the vet very reluctant to talk about what and how much medication he had prescribed our dog. We have no way to ever know for sure the reason our dog fell unresponsive within a couple of hours but we can't shake the feeling that it has a strong connection with the Metacam he was administered on first meeting the vet. We have also noticed our dog's weight is not correct on his medication label - it is double his weight! Finally, when leaving the vet practice with the prescribed medications, the vet had to call us back as he has prescribed double painkiller doses. The vet carried out a blood test without our knowledge and still has not disclosed the result of this blood test. When asked to discuss our concerns the vet became extremely defensive and condescending towards us. We would love to put our minds at ease and find out if any other dog owners experienced this reaction to Metacam or if it sounds like a over dosage of Metacam?

The ortolani sign means there is hip joint laxity, a predisposing factor to degenerative joint disease associated with hip dysplasia. It is great that your friend has a vet who is familiar with both the test and the TPO surgery. Unfortunately I know that the surgeons here prefer to do the surgery at 6-16 weeks of age (sometimes they push it back a little bit, but not to 18 months for sure), because they feel there is limited benefit after that time. The surgery consists of breaking the bones in the pelvis in such as way that the head of the femur fits better into the hip socket. Well, that's the short version anyway. But if the bones are not growing the conformation of the hip is not changed drastically enough to prevent signs of DJD and hip dysplasia. Also dogs that already have any radiographic signs of DJD are not good candidates for the surgery, which is why they are usually very young dogs. The radiographic signs of hip dysplasia, including DJD, are usually apparent much earlier than physical/clinical signs such as pain or altered gait. It is very possible that since last year they have discovered that doing the surgery later is still beneficial, but I haven't heard that yet. Hopefully for your friend's dog is a candidate for the TPO because it seems to be the best option, and the only one (besides breeding non-genetically affected dogs) that is a preventative measure.

Good for you CR!! I had the bypass on 05/03/00 and you can bet your boots I'd do it again! Why I waited until I was 55 yrs old to have it-I'll never know. The best advise I can give you is to have ALL of your ducks in a row. By that I mean for your insurance company. If you have had to go to any type of Dr. for back, feet-whatever ailments that undoubtedly was due to your weight, call them & get a copy of any of your medical records of that visit. When I turned in my required info for the Ins Co-I added a great cover letter to them...explaining how I needed them to allow me to have this 'tool', to help me get my life back. AND..don't get discouraged if they deny you the surgery? There's an appeal board that will guide you & a great percentage that get approved after that! I weighed 325 lbs the day I went into sugery and lost 220 lbs by July of the following year! I had 12 lbs of tummy skin removed and literally got down to 105lbs but my surgeon made me put on 25-30lbs. Imagine that! Today, 8 years later, I weigh 134. I have enclosed a link for you..this is where I did my research, found my surgeon & a zillion other things-even you can see the big list of Insurance Co's that pay for the surgery. This site is a wealth of information as well as before & after pics..message boards, the 'library-full of everything, Q&A's, etc. If you register into the site? (it's free)..you can go to a list of states & you can find my name under Florida (Largo) and read my profile. All the best to you sweetie & I'm here if I can help you in any way. ((CR)) Here is a link that might be useful: Obesity Help

Patti - My mom, who turned 70 this past February, had major back surgery last October. My mom has had back problems for probably 30 years. During that time, she's worn a tinge unit, had I don't know how many pain shots and a whole host of other pain management treatments. She was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and the doctors told her years ago that the day would come when the pain management would stop working and she'd have to either live on heavy duty pain pills for the rest of her life or have surgery. She went for a pain shot in August 2007 and said she knew when she left the doctor's office that it wasn't working because in every case before, she had instant relief. She ended up having surgery the first part of October. I'm not going to tell you that it was easy for her - it wasn't. Mother is overweight which is a strike against her right there, but I will have to say that she did better than I EVER thought she would. My stepdad is a gem and was right by her side the entire time. She had a brace that she had to wear every single time she got up, even if it was in the middle of the night and she had to go to the bathroom - she had to put it on, and she had to do that until April. She said she has no regrets at all about having it done and her quality of life is so much better. We were at their house a few Saturdays ago for dinner and I saw her bend completely over to pour clean water in her dog's bowl - she didn't even flinch. I honestly think if my mother can do it, almost anyone can. I hope Denny decides to go through with it. Yes, it's hard at first, but once you get through those first few weeks, it gets better. And I will say that I was against mother having the surgery because I'd heard all the horror stories of back surgery from years ago. I have another friend that I use to work with - she's my mother's age, and she had the exact same surgery 2 years ago. She said it was the best thing she's ever done - she had hers done in October and the following April went on an around the world cruise. Good luck with the decision. Please keep us posted.