Senior Chihuahua Trauma from Fall

[ivegrgas]

Name: Xia
Age: 12-13 yo
Female/Spayed
Chihuahua Mix, about 8.5 lbs
Raw food diet, vaccinated early in life but nothing recently

Xia is in very good health overall. On Sunday, around 2:30 in the afternoon she fell from my arm and hurt side of her body. The impact was big. She yelped, peed and pooped on the spot. Her tummy and ribs are very painful. It has been about 18 hours since this happened. During this time the most prominent symptom has been lip smacking. She is alert but has not taken any water and food during this time nor did she pee or have a bowl movement. So, BEAM is very low. I have treated with her constitutional remedy (Sil) at first, and then this morning I tried Arnica. I am getting ready to take her to the ER. I welcome any advice. Thanks.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Ive!

I'm sorry about the trauma that you and Xia had yesterday.

What did she do for the rest of the afternoon and evening on Sunday?

Please let us know what they say at the ER.

 

[ivegrgas]

Hi Dr. Jeff -

On Sunday and Monday Xia mostly rested and seemed alert but she did seem to be in pain, judging by her occasional sighs and little noises that she made. I have been holding off going to the ER just because I was unsure how they would handle her and if it would be added trauma. On Monday evening she got excited about dinner, and went to jump up, but then yelped loudly because that sudden movement caused her pain. Finally on Tuesday morning we went to see her regular vet and the x-ray showed three broken ribs and punctured lung. Per the local vet, there is little that can be done surgically for these types of wounds. Apparently they need to heal by themselves. The key is to keep Xia from making any sudden movements, she needs to be as calm as possible. Recommended drug treatment:

Buprenorphine - an opioid to calm her down and reduce her rate of breathing to allow ribs and more importantly the lung to heal itself.

Meloxicam - an NSAID, to reduce inflammation and pain.

T-Relief - a blend of various homeopathic remedies that is labeled as pet pain relief.

I administered all the drugs as prescribed simply because what local doctor recommended seems logical, give Xia an opportunity to heal the lung and not re-injure herself. Xia has calmed down from the drugs and she seems to be in less pain (but not completely pain free). Her breathing has slowed down but now every breath she makes a slight noise that makes me uneasy.

 

[ivegrgas]

I also gave one dose of Ledum 1M 15/Q-tip.

 

[GinnyW]

Here I am, not the homeopath again, but I would look at Symphitum, which not only works for pain but also for healing of fractures. Arnica is fine for immediate relief, but Symph. really does heal the bones. You did well to keep her away from the emergency guys, and she will heal just fine. Does she crate well? She should be fine with staying still on her own, but you want to avoid sudden or accidental moves, and the crate can certainly facilitate that. The homeopathics should obviate the need for any more drugs, too.

You're doing great, Ive - love to you both!

 

[ivegrgas]

Here I am, not the homeopath again, but I would look at Symphitum, which not only works for pain but also for healing of fractures. Arnica is fine for immediate relief, but Symph. really does heal the bones. You did well to keep her away from the emergency guys, and she will heal just fine. Does she crate well? She should be fine with staying still on her own, but you want to avoid sudden or accidental moves, and the crate can certainly facilitate that. The homeopathics should obviate the need for any more drugs, too.

You're doing great, Ive - love to you both!

Thanks, Ginny. We never used the create. In one of our previous homes (we moved several times) she used to go in the create and sleep on occasion. She has not done that in the past few years. I mostly use it to keep her toys. I may need to resort to it, but I am trying to minimize stress for her.

I will look into Symphitum. Thank you for the words of encouragement.

 

[ivegrgas]

Just a quick update for those who might find this thread in the future, I am happy to report that we used the drugs for only one day and now in retrospect I wonder if they were even necessary. The opioid was prescribed for its calming effect, and although Xia was not active, I do not think she was "calm." She was very alert and her breathing was at times very rapid. It is impossible to know if the NSAID had any effect when paired with such potent opioids. After that first day we are now only using homeopathic remedy and Xia's BEAM is improving.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks so much for the update Ive!

It's great to hear that the resilient Ms. Xia is improving.