Back to Normal

Mokie, the dog formerly known as mine, had a health crisis last month. Mokie now lives with my sister and her husband. Pam called me to say that, the night before, Mokie had gone out with her two Jack Russell Terriers for a pre-bedtime pee, and when they came in, Mokie made a beeline for his crate. Usually he sleeps in the bed with Pam and Dean and the two JRTs. Something was wrong. When Pam tried to investigate, Mokie retreated deeper into his crate, and wouldn’t come out even to eat. Given his usual appetite for anything resembling dog food, that was the clincher.

Pam and Dean examined Mokie, but couldn’t find anything obvious: no broken bones, bite marks, or swelling. But he was suffering intermittent jolts of pain, as evidenced by the occasional shrieks he let out as he moved or when they touched him.

We suspected the problem was Mokie’s back. Pam had mentioned that every so often when she picked him up, Mokie would let out a screech. It was so momentary that we failed to investigate further. There was also his past history as a victim of not one, but two raccoon attacks. The most recent occurred last September, when he got ambushed at night in the backyard (and was saved by Pam’s JRTs). The raccoon shook him like a rag doll, and though he seemed fine after a week or so of body aches, that was probably the start of Mokie’s physical trouble.

If this was the case, I didn’t want to take him to a conventional vet. I know from personal experience that the conventional medical response to back pain is x-rays – which typically reveal nothing – followed by pain medication and rest. Sometimes this relaxes the spasmed muscles enough that the spine can eventually realign. Often, however, it accomplishes nothing, and the animal simply starts moving guardedly in an attempt to prevent his misaligned spine from hurting.

We’re lucky; in California we have many complementary practitioners who work on animals. A very talented chiropractor with extensive training and experience with animals (and who works with several local vets) is located no more than five miles from Pam and Dean’s house, and she was able to fit Mokie into her schedule almost immediately.

Chihuahuas are notorious for biting their doctors, and Mokie was in so much pain, he was not planning on being the exception. I had to put a muzzle on him so I could hold him in place for the chiropractor. She tsk-tsked quietly as she gently palpated his spine and made numerous small adjustments. Within a minute, Mokie’s body went from feeling tense, like coiled steel in my hands, to relaxed (if shaky). His eyes softened and lost their too-wide-open look. After a few more adjustments, he took a deep breath and licked his nose. Ah!

We’ve followed up with more chiropractic, arnica, gentle massage, and a full veterinary exam. He’s back to his cheery, athletic self. But we aren’t likely to ignore earlysigns of trouble again.