Why is my dog not barking and tail down after back injury & meds?

Yes this can be a side effect of the gabapentin, or tramadol if your dog is on that for pain. I would lower the dose by half and speak with your veterinarian about it to see if they want you to stay on the lower dose, stop the medication, or switch to another pain medication. As the healing progresses you shouldn’t need as much medication and hopefully you can discontinue it soon as these are unwanted side effects. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bode.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mia. Gabapentin has a very wide dosing range. The amount given will likely make her sedate, but should not cause her any long lasting harm. Give her next dose back on schedule if she is not too groggy. If so, you can wait an extra hour or two to give it more time to wear off. I hope this information helps!

I'm sorry to hear that Mayhem hasn't been feeling well. The signs that you describe - reluctance to use stairs, pain on manipulation of the tail, not pooping (likely due to pain while posturing/squatting), lethargy, and a decreased appetite - are all most suspicious for a sign of back pain. This could be a result of a soft tissue injury while playing, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), fibrocartilaginous emboli (FCE), among others. Regardless of the cause, it sounds as though Mayhem is quite painful and would greatly benefit from an urgent trip to the vet for an exam and pain medications. Do not give any pain medications at home (including aspirin), and only give medications prescribed by his vet as most human pain medications are not safe for use in dogs. I hope that he feels better soon!

I recommend to take Mia in to see her veterinarian and have her tail checked as well as her anal glands. Sometimes when pets have anal gland issues they will keep the tail down instead of caring it in the normal position. Small breed dogs can especially have this problem. Pets can also exhaust the muscles of the tail and this can cause them to not wag it as well. The doctor will thoroughly examine the area and hopefully determine the cause. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Try calling your veterinarian and explaining his lack of improvement. We try not to administer steroids unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, it is crucial to crate rest Barklie for at least 2-3 weeks. This means no running, jumping, or rough housing. He should only be taken out for short leash walks with a harness not a neck collar.

As long as he is improving and signs are diminishing, continue to treat as directed by your veterinarian. If he stops improving, worsens or seems more painful then have him rechecked by your veterinarian. Elevate the water and food bowls. Restrict activity as much as possible and leash walk using a harness to alleviate cervical stress.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the pain is still in the tail, it may be due to the nerves when they were cut during the surgery. This can sometimes lead to the development of what we call neuralgia, which can be targeted with other medications such as Gabapentin. If you have not tried this medication yet, I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian to see if this helps more. Neuralgia can last for quite some time and sometimes never goes away. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.