First, let me say he is showing improvement! I've written a novel here but I'm hoping someone might spot something in his symptoms that could help us pinpoint where the injury might be and what kind of supportive care and then maybe rehab might be good for him.

Sunday night, I noticed some discoloration on his front leg at the wrist.  Like there was a circulation issue and it was colder than the rest of his leg.  I put water bottle on it for 5 minutes which he really enjoyed and the color went back to normal and we were good.  He showed no signs of discomfort but his bulging forearm looked bigger than normal but it doesn't feel swollen. 

Tuesday, we celebrated 22 months post amp.  His chest xrays were clear in January.  Nixon and I left Cookie at home (after she had a 4 mile walk) and went shopping and then to McDonalds for a McDouble, plain, hold the bun.  He chased a family around Petsmart to make sure they stopped to pet him.  He really wanted their youngest to love on him and he had to charm her before she got over her fear of such a big dog.  We pee'd all over the parking lot and several storefronts which was very embarrassing when he left puddles near the entrances but this is Nixon and he doesn't understand "No" when it comes to peeing on all the things.

So Wednesday, he was fine in the morning.  I came home from seeing my horse and he bounced around the living room like a madman as always.  I work a 4 hour shift from home and when I finished up, he was lame.  Really lame. At that point, we couldn't figure out what leg it was on.  He just spread all 3 legs out as far as he could, had trouble making left turns (he's a right leg amp) and just looked like he was in obvious pain.  I didn't have any pain meds to give him but he settled in and went to sleep without incident.  In the morning he was worse and had swelling behind his scapula.  I put an ice pack on it and he actually threw himself on top of it.  I called the vet and made an evening appointment.  Going down the ramp to the backyard was impossible unaided.  By lunch time, walking was impossible without assistance.  He took me to the car and refused to leave.  Nixon knows if you feel bad, you get in the car and go to the vet.  By 7:30, standing on his own was impossible.  His front leg just kept buckling, sometimes at the wrist, sometimes at the shoulder.  Our vet appointment was at 8.  Dr. Huff did range of motion tests, checked for neurological issues, and probed everything that he could.  Nixon had some issues with his right hind leg but after his spinal cord injury in 2010, this has been an ongoing issue.  As his human, I know the delay was a little longer than normal but have seen it much worse on other dogs.  (I can only imagine what it is like to have me as a client.  I give respiration rates, pulse, temp, cap refill rate, every little pant, groan, twitch, mark bruising with a sharpie and date it, etc)

His front leg just looks off.  The veins are bulging like a weight lifter and the color does appear to be off slightly.  His elbow is red and stays that way but it has been that way for a year.  We've debated getting him an elbow guard but had not so far.     We didn't take xrays at that point and just went with Previcox and laser therapy.  I was also sent home with Gabapentin if we didn't see any improvement.    Dr. Huff didn't do an chiropractic adjustment at that time.  He said we could bring him back on Friday if we saw a huge improvement for another laser therapy.  I wasn't able to get off of work to bring him back but we did see an improvement.

Nixon is eating normally.  He stood up yesterday and this AM when he heard me open the can of dog food but was unable to walk to the kitchen.  Water intake is normal.  Since he went on the previcox, the panting has stopped.  This was about 30 seconds of panting when he would lay down.  He enjoys gentle massage and TTOUCH.  He insists on circling 3 times before he lays down.  Even when he couldn't stand without assistance, he did this!  Every few hours, he's changing sides but he is reluctant to lay down without a body pillow to support him. 

He wants to pee where he wants to pee.  He's very alert and interested in everything going on around the house.  I should mention, this is the THIRD time in his life that he's been on bed rest.  My husband and I have done lots of 24x7 care for Nixon in the years we've had him and are both good at reading him and his wants and needs.  We are well trained humans.  Most of the time, Nixon makes very good choices about his care.  When he is unsure of his mobility, he wants me to assist him.  When he wants more freedom, I'm not allowed to help and my husband has to take him.  He wants us to set up his ramp on the front porch (we have a nice 8 foot ramp for a 3 foot drop)  and to use that to potty instead of going out back.  He's actually refused to use his piddle pads and wants to go outside.  Dr. Huff wants him to rest as much as possible so going out the front door is a shorter walk than out the back.

My husband wants to xray his remaining front leg on Monday.  We have xrays to compare it to so we can see if what kind of changes there are.  I'm sure with the way he bounces around, there are going to be changes to the joints.  We're thinking this is more a tendon/ligament injury than bone but my husband just wants to be sure there is no tumor due to the history.  We're pretty sure that it is his front leg and not a rear leg issue.  He normally stands up with his front leg first and then the back.  Now he's standing up with his hind legs first and then using his stomach to pull his front up.  Of course, using new muscles is a good way to strain them.  His wrist has not been giving out and he is starting to do the hop again.  He had been leaning all the way down on the support harness and just walking and letting us support his weight.  And this morning, he stood and shook his body which is another sign of improvement.

About two weeks before Nixon was diagnosed with cancer, I was talking with a friend about paying $1800 for an MRI on Nixon (and the emotional trauma he endured) that was inconclusive and didn't help with his recovery from his spinal cord injury at all.  I said I was not going to put him through any more if his health declined.  Then he got a tumor. I wasn't planning on amputation but Nixon showed me that just waiting to die wasn't an option.  We never were expecting him to live more than 6 months after amputation.  He's going to be 12 in August.  Now the focus is really about keeping him injury free and being able to do the things he wants to do.  We've been offered doing a CT scan before and I have said no but now, I'm thinking about it if this become chronic.

I know handicapped pets and DogLeggs make various braces, wraps, and supports.  Does anyone have any experience with them?  Should we get him an elbow support even though he doesn't have a hygroma?   How do I find a really good rehab vet who understands the needs of an amputee?  The last physical therapist injured him so badly, it took 3 weeks of bed rest to recover from.  And this was at research facility.