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My 10 year old lab has been having trouble with her tail.
Sent to Dog Experts November 08 12:32 PM

My 10 year old lab has been having trouble with her tail. I noticed it about a month ago that she was unable to lift or wag her tail. She cannot sit due to pain. If you touch or try to look underneath she yelps with pain. She has had swimmer's tail before, but was fine within a week. I have taken her to the vet three times in the last month and they put her on Rimadyl for a week and then prednisone. There are no changes in her tail. They want me to get an MRI, but that is so expensive. X-rays were taken and they didn't see anything out of the ordinary except for some arthritis starting to set in. Should I take her to another vet and can any other tests be given before I do an MRI?

Thanks,

Linda

Optional Information: Age: 10; Female; Breed: Black Lab
Already Tried:
X-rays, Rimadyl, prednisone, physical

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
November 8 12:37 PM (4 minutes and 29 seconds later)
         
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It sounds as though they have tried to cover all the basics before opting to do an MRI. You can if you choose to see another veterinarian but I feel like you would spend less money by having the MRI then going trough the same cycle you just went thru with this veterianian. If you do not feel comfortable with the diagnosis then yes I would get a second opinion but after all that you state has been done honestly an MRI is the next step in determning the cause of the tail trauma. It could be that is due to the arthritis and that the Rimadyl is not effective, so they may want to opt for another anti-inflammatory such as Deramaxx, as sometimes medications work for one animal and not for another.

Edited by calliecat on November 8 2005 at 12:39 PM



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