# newly adopted hav is yelping/trembling...experience with this?



## cece1978

We just adopted a rescue havanese. He's roughly 1-2 yrs old. 

I had another dog, a lab/pit mix we lost to cancer earlier this fall (was her doggy mummy from puppy to 12 yrs old. we went through a leg amputation this summer, to prolong her life after a cancer diagnosis. we did all we could, but by October, she was suffering too much, and there was nothing the vet could do. I include this for two reasons: 1.) after going through that with my kiki, i trust this vet very much. 2.) we aren't posting from square one. we've been working on this issue for a couple of weeks, and consider ourselves pretty attentive dog owners. we don't hesitate to seek veterinary care, and have been working on this issue for nearly two weeks.)

our new guy, Zangy, is the sweetest dog. he's got all the great traits that havs are known for. he's awesome, and we fell in love with him right away.

the rescue group we got him from didn't know very much about him. he was picked up as a stray in california, and admitted into a high-kill shelter. the rescue group saved him, and transported him up to wa state (where we adopted him.)

we don't know his history, whether he was abused, came from a puppy mill, neglected, etc. i don't know how long he was a stray, and how traumatizing that may have been.

for the first couple of weeks, he was fine. he was healthy and adjusting well. then suddenly, he started to have yelping fits. obviously a serious cause for concern. we got him to the vet, and we can't get him to exhibit the behavior at the vets. we did xrays from different angles, and have run blood tests. the first set of xrays showed a bit of constipation, but no blockage. with some miralax, we were able to get his movements back to normal. we were hoping that he was just a vocal/sensitive dog, and the discomfort of constipation was the problem. no such luck. the second set of xrays show no constipation or bloat. yet he continues to have yelping episodes.

the vet does not see any indicators of hip dysplasia, joint inflammation, or spinal problems (discs, etc.) He's got that long hav back, and i thought it must be a back problem. nope.

no infections. no other symptoms (no vomiting, diarrhea, discharge anywhere.) blood tests don't show anything.

vet would like to do ultrasound or special blood test to rule out pancreatitis. it looks like we are going to opt for the ultrasound w/in next couple of days.

we spent close to $4000 on our other dog recently (even with pet insurance), as she needed surgery, and treatment. we aren't well-off, but we did use whatever money we could scrape up, and it financially exhausted us for awhile. my husband had been looking for a job that whole time. we really need to make good decisions about what to opt for, in finding out and treating what's wrong with our new little guy, so we don't spend money on the wrong tests if it can be helped. this is why i'm wondering if anybody else has any similar experiences, or suggestions? it's pretty heartbreaking to witness his yelping episodes. we want to do everything we can for him.

he's become withdrawn, and only wants to respond to me. his legs shake and he yelps. he rests his head on the wall, kennel, me, etc, almost as if he doesn't like to lay down. he's up to date on his shots.

we're going to keep ruling out physical diseases/disorders/injuries. could this be mental? do havs have a tendency to be very sensitive breeds? i'm just wondering if any abuse in his past can manifest as ptsd-like symptoms? what does everybody think? could it be some nerve-related disorder? i am asking these same questions of the vet, but any possibly relevant info from others is very welcome!

thanks!


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## RoutineAvocado

I don't know anything about the medical stuff but one thing that could help your doctor is to video record the episodes when it happens so you can show the vet. This sounds stressful and I'm sorry you all have to deal with it.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Pucks104

Could there be neck pain? What specifically was he doing just prior to and during the episodes?


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## cece1978

Yep, i finally got a video of a yelping episode. i sent to the vet earlier today in an email. good suggestion though, thanks.

we can't really pinpoint what spurs an episode, which is why it's so puzzling. he definitely does it when we have to leash him up for a potty break (our backyard is landscaped and has no grass.) but he also does it randomly inside, with seemingly no movement. it's really bizarre.


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## StarrLhasa

Are you using a harness or a collar to attach the leash? Some toy-sized dogs can have issues with their tracheas -often from pulling on the leash.

You have been thinking about back issues for Zangy, and there are other people who have posting here and on other forums about dogs who needed Chiropractic adjustments for their Havies due to pinched nerves. I wish I could remember if the Xrays showed anything.

I want to thank you for adopting him and the rescue for saving this dog. It sounds like one of the little guys from San Bernardino City Shelter which kills dogs at the drop of a hat, it seems.


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## krandall

StarrLhasa said:


> Are you using a harness or a collar to attach the leash? Some toy-sized dogs can have issues with their tracheas -often from pulling on the leash.
> 
> You have been thinking about back issues for Zangy, and there are other people who have posting here and on other forums about dogs who needed Chiropractic adjustments for their Havies due to pinched nerves. I wish I could remember if the Xrays showed anything.
> 
> I want to thank you for adopting him and the rescue for saving this dog. It sounds like one of the little guys from San Bernardino City Shelter which kills dogs at the drop of a hat, it seems.


Funny you should mention that, Starr! I was just going to respond about my experience with Kodi 2 years ago. Kodi didagility demos at a big pet expo, where he performed great all afternoon and seemed fine. The next day, he was moving like an old dog, hunching his back and crying when he was picked up. My first thought was that he had somehow injured himself, but x-rays showed nothing. This started an almost two week hunt for what was wrong with him. We even took him to the nearby university vet hospital to be seen by a board certified internist. There, they ruled out pancreatitis (which can make them hunch and can be extremely painful) and also couldn't find anything wrong with his spine. They put hom on tramadol for the pain and sent us home.

Fortunately, my obedience trainer suggested that i take him to a vet who works in a holistic/alternative medicine vererinary practice, and as a lot of experience with performance dogs. Her specialty is chiropractic. She went all over him, and immediately found that he had pulled muscles in his inner thigh. After the first time she treated him, he was remarkably improved. She gave me a number of exercises to do with him at home to stregthen that leg and also strengthen his core. (Important in long backed dogs to prevent future injuries) I had to take him back for about 3 weeks in a row, then we started to lengthen out the time between visits. Now he goes every 6 weeks for a "tune up", but he probably wouldn't need this if he didn't work so hard.

Tammy had similar problems when Tillie hurt her back. (If I remember right, she was growling when the kids touched her the wrong way) a chiropractor got her problem sorted out too! I'd definitely try to find a good veterinary chiropractor to take a look at Zangy.


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## pjewel

The chiropractic approach sounds like a great next step to take. It's so hard to watch this little ones in distress, when they can't communicate with us to let us know what's wrong. I pray they find his problem and he gets some relief.


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## tra_po

I'm sorry to read this - it sounds like it's very tough on both of you. I hope you can get to some answers. Wish I had them for you.


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## andra

And just to add that some chiropractors for animals and even groomers will give owners a break when they find out the dog in question has been recently rescued  I know this because of the first dog that I adopted from the shelter (which looked like a havanese mix with terrible matting and filthy) and grooming/cleaning was really an immediate concerns and when I explained my situation to the groomer that I called, she came to my house and gave me a discounted rate (which I did not request or even anticipate--I just wanted to help my gal ASAP because she was filthy and she was my first dog so everything was new to me).


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## lfung5

I'm sorry to hear what you're going through you ruled out disk problem but my dog was yelping and shaking due to a bad disk I'm her neck. I give her supplements and limit her walks and her pain is now gone. If I walk her too much she starts yelping again. When your bathing him and he puts his head back does he scream?
I hope you get to the bottom of this.. Good luck!


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## Anna6

My chiropractor sees dogs. Maybe it is worth it. I am sorry to hear Zangy and your family is going through this along with everything else that your family just recently went through.


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## Lila

I don't have any advice but I'm sorry to hear this. I hope it can be figured out soon for all of your sakes. I sure wish they could talk to us.


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## Suzi

Thanks for being such a good mom and taking such great care of your rescue Havanese. Do you have any pictures? I think you have already had good advice. Do you remember anything he did after the first two weeks like jump off something or get picked up funny?


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## Audogs

Where in WA are you? We are in Spokane and have a fabulous veterinary acupuncturist.


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## cece1978

hello all!

i wanted to give an update on our little guy, zangy. he is doing really well! yay! luckily, it doesn't seem to be anything physical. instead, he was just having some anxiety, i think. i just wasn't sure what was going on, and whenever he had a yelping session, we would respond as very concerned doggy parents. i talked to the vet, to make sure that if it was something physical, that handling him wouldn't cause him painful damage. the vet said he would be ok, bc they didn't think it was an organ problem. so, next time he had a yelping session, i scooped him up and cuddled him tight. i had been bending down to pet his head, and letting him run off to be in his kennel. after i did it a couple of times, i instructed my household to do the same. worked!

he is now a completely healthy little guy!

i'm at work right now, but just wanted to give a quick update for anybody interested. i will be back to the forum soon! we love having our little havanese, what a great breed!

and thank you to everyone who responded to me so quickly and so helpfully. i felt really supported, and really appreciated it.


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## whimsy

so glad thing are working out for you and your little guy!! Great news!


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## krandall

Great news! We want regular updates on your little guy!


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## tra_po

That's great! Hope it continues. Thanks for the update.


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## sandypaws

So happy that you found something that works for you and that he has nothing physically wrong with him. Thanks for the update. Keep us posted and send pictures.


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## snowhite

So very glad he's ok. :clap2: Sounds like he just needed some lovin' and security.:hug: An easy fix with you!


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## Colbie

I love happy endings. So happy it worked out


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## Hsusa

so glad it worked out.


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