Pinched Nerve

[Dana]

Help!
Sunday night Murphy went for he usual pre bed walk and was stung/bit/scared by something?? He jumped and yelped. Prior to this we had had a great day and his BEAM was fantastic. I immediately checked him all over for any soreness, bumps or sensitivity bout found nothing. He seemed scared with his head down and tail between his legs but because I could not find any evidence of a sting or bite, I gave him some rescue remedy and a JSJ spleen flow (good for confidence) and we went to bed.
Monday morning I found him curled in a little ball outside our bedroom door which was open. He followed me down the stairs but did not want to go out. I had to coax him out to pee. I gave him a dose of Apis thinking maybe he was stung?. Later, we went for his normal "sniff walk" and he stayed by my side in a perfect heal off leash... he did not want to even walk on the grass. We got to his good friend Molly's house and when she came running to play with him he yelped as if he had been hit and hid under a bush. He would not touch his breakfast or even leftover pork chop.
I massaged his whole body again and found nothing. I rubbed him with Boost in a bottle EO. He did eat some cheese before dinner and was willing to eat some chicken last night. I gave him a JSJ kidney flow (4th depth is fear) and we went to be.
Today, Tuesday, he seems a LITTLE better. He ate his breakfast and some goats milk. He still does not want to go in the grass and darts around with his head down and tail between his legs. He really just wants to stay under my desk. A friend suggested we might have ghosts?? not sure I believe in that but I got a white sage smudge and cleaned the house.
I feel so helpless.... ANY suggestions???

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Dana-

I'm sorry to hear about Murphy's reaction on Sunday.

A few doses of one of the Awe-some As might help his body re-equilibrate. No matter the initial cause.

Hmm, but which one...?

 

[Dana]

I am starting to think it is a pinched nerve.... Aconite?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yup, and possible evaluation by a chiropractor.

 

[Dana]

Update: I changed the title of this thread as I am pretty sure that Murphy pinched a nerve in his neck.
The Aconite did not seem to help so I switched to Hypercium 30c. He seemed more comfortable after a single dose but then slipped a few hours later. I dosed again. Gave him a bladder & spleen JSJ flow. Thursday morning he did not want to go out.. dosed again. By Friday he was much better but still a bit tentative. Neil Wolff gave him a laser acupuncture treatment & a shot of B12 into his neck GB20. He said that his C6-C7 were very tight. ALL BETTER!!! within minutes of the treatment, my puppy was back Neil suggested I give him the supplement Dasuquin for a week of so. He also suggested I have Gabapentin & Amantadine on hand should this happen again.... thoughts?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Fantastic that he's all better Dana!

Dausiquin without MSM is fine to use for general support.

He might do better with the Penta Genesis.

Regarding the drugs, it certainly doesn't hurt to have them on hand.

 

[Dr. Sara]

Well managed, Dana! I'm sorry that I didn't see this thread sooner, though you, Dr. Jeff, and Dr. Wolff have managed Murph's problem quite well.
These big baby Berners (well, Murphy isn't so much of a baby any more) can definitely injure themselves more easily than small dogs. Their sheer size magnifies any odd movement that they make.
Gabapentin is effective for neuropathic pain. Here is a link to the page about it:

G thru I

Hypericum is also effective for neuropathic pain, and acts quickly and free of side effects. I would try Hypericum first if needed, and if you have the gabapentin on hand, it is fairly safe with few side effects, if needed.
I would hold off on the amantadine. Here is a link to the page about it:

A thru C

Amantadine is more appropriate for chronic, achy pain, and it hasn't been used as long as gabapentin. You don't need to have two meds on hand for back up, so I would choose gabapentin.
Joint support is definitely a good idea, as Dr. Jeff said. When a dog is big, they traumatize their joints just by existing. I start my girls on joint support around 2 to 2.5 years of age.
Stay well,
Dr. Sara