Pain at night?

[April2]

I'm not sure any of you all would be able to come up with anything more than me but I'll give it a shot. Most of you know I have a Maltese mix dog, 13 years old who was diagnosed with Crohns over a year ago. I've really noticed him go down hill the last several months.
The one thing I noticed, in particular, is he seems to get arthritis in his legs or something. He walks stiffly at times, struggles to get up after sitting or laying and has trouble on stairs.

Well, the last two nights he woke me up in the middle of the night yipping as if in pain. I reached down and petted him (he sleeps by my bed) and felt him move around and yelp again. I picked him up and put him in bed with me and cuddled him for awhile and he fell asleep. He did this the night before and last night. I'm wondering if his legs are hurting him? I do have some doggy aspirin that I got from Petsmart that I give him when I think he's in pain or legs acting up, etc.
Do you guys think that's what it was? Or could this have to do somehow with his Crohns? He was yelping like you would expect if someone had stepped on him or something. It didn't last more than maybe 10 seconds or so and he acted fine after that. He's also acted fine during the day.
I'm just wondering what it was. We shall see how he acts tonight. I'm thinking of giving him some of that doggy aspirin BEFORE he goes to sleep but I hate to give it to him every night. I don't know if it's good to do that or not.

I'm also thinking about getting him a heating pad to sleep on because his hair has really thinned out I've noticed, just in this last month. I've got some doggy sweaters but I don't want him to be cold.

Any suggestions? And ideas as to why he acted like he was in pain out of the blue like that?

[April2]

Ok, I'll ask about the Rimadyl! Thanks Jaybay!

lonewolf, I wrote back to you. Thanks for the pm! You were a big help!

I'll keep you all updated on Willow. Poor little old man. :(

[Jaybay]

Hey April - sorry I didn't see your updates sooner.  Yes, you'll need to ask your vet about either rimadyl or deramaxx.  In extreme cases, some vets add muscle relaxers to the anti-inflammatory meds too.  Rimadyl is not very expensive as it's been on the market for a number of years.  Although, since Maltese dogs are small, you won't have to use much of either medication.  It's definitely time to see the vet for pain relief.  :-)

[lonewolf07]

I wrote you a PM.  Also read Jaybay's advice and agree with her.  They can treat arthritic dogs better than arthritic people.

[April2]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I wrote earlier that he was diagnosed with Crohns. That's me! I'm the one with Crohns. He was diagnosed with Cushings! Good grief. I guess I'm getting senile in my old age! Anyway, Willow was diagnosed with Cushings Disease.
I guess I've got Crohns on the brain right now for some reason. Just wanted to clear that up. It's Cushings Disease not Crohns!

[April2]

Jaybay, he's been limping the last couple of days favoring at first his right leg and now it's both. That's why I don't think he injured himself because it's both front legs. He also will occasionally collapse in the back where the hips are. He's been doing that for awhile. The front legs, though, he just started hobbling along the last couple of days. I've been giving him pain meds for dogs. Is there anything else I can do?
I've seen him limp occasionally before but it didn't last long. Once in awhile I've seen him stumble on to his face. Again, it was an occasional thing. This time it's lasted 3 days. I had to carry him outside today to go potty because he couldn't, or wouldn't, go down the stairs. Is there anything more I can do for him?

[April2]

Poor dog. The last few days he's been limping around. I think his legs hurt him again. I guess it's arthritis. I don't know what else I can do except give him pain meds (for dogs) which I've been giving him.

[April2]

Thanks Jaybay. Are these meds by prescription only or can I get them over the counter?

[Jaybay]

It's so sad to see our companions physically fail with old age the same way we do.  Sometimes it comes on quickly like your little Maltese; others decline so gradually you don't notice it until the condition is severe.

Your first guess is the most likely - arthritis in his hips.  Since your dog has chrones, I would hesitate to add an anti-inflammatory med without checking with your vet first.  My dogs have all responded very well to rimadyl and then deramaxx when the rimadyl couldn't quite cover the pain.  Both meds were used over many years with no ill effects, but again, they might further irritate the small intestine so check with your vet first.

Heating pads are a great idea, but don't use it all night.  Twenty minutes max before he goes to bed is fine.  If he has trouble getting out of bed in the morning, use the heating pad to help warm his muscles up before he gets to moving around.  Same thing goes for any other activity during the day like going for a walk or a play period.

One thing my severely arthritic dog loved was a massage.  Actually, all of them love it!  Go really lightly when you first start and pay particular attention to sore areas.  Your vet should be able to help teach you correct technique.  Hope that helps!  :-)