Trouble Update

Whoa...a fast and furious couple of weeks for me.  Trouble accompanied me and Jet to the Oregon sheepdog finals.  I kept track of her Prednisone, Pepcid, Tramadol, and Robaxin time schedule for her pills for her back problems.  I also carefully monitored her fluid intake, meals, and poop.  Why monitor her poop?  Because I had her on Prednisone (steroids).  I kept her on 2.5mg BID (twice a day) for 4 days until I noticed a black runny type stool.  I weaned her immediately to 2.5mg once a day for 2 days and then stopped the Prednisone.  I upped her Pepcid (antacid) for a couple of days.
Thankfully, we are home and she has normal formed, brown stools now.  Yea.  She is at about 75% as far as doing better.  Hey, that beats 5%.  She "was" so bad when this first started she couldn't stand on her own without falling over.
Trouble really enjoyed Angie's cold laser therapy at the finals.  Jet snuck in there for some therapy to his shoulders. .  She had two therapy sessions.  And, I enjoyed chatting with Angie about this and that.  She showed lots of tenderness to her thoracic lumbar region.  When she finished her first therapy session, she shook, wagged her tail, and said, "woof woof."  That was only the second time I heard her bark.  And, if you now JRT's, that's abnormal for sure.

Laser therapy

Her voice is still strange sounding...not sure why, but she will bark if she wants something.  She is carrying her head and neck a bit tilted, almost like it is cervical problem...may be a little of both.  She is lots less tender to touch along her thoracic/lumbar spine now. She was feeling so good at the finals, she wanted to peek down some gopher holes. :0)
I kept her with me at the finals everywhere I went.  If she wasn't with me, she was kept in Jet's soft crate.  While I did my volunteer time in the information booth, she slept in her little bed like the Princess she is.  She actually has us all wrapped around her little paws.  Hey, she's a jack :0)

 

At the info booth

 

Under the VIP tent

 

Taking a break

We are home now and she has been quarantined to the kitchen with 14 yr. old Xena, the labrador for friendship.  We will keep her on crate rest for another 6 weeks at least.  When she needs to go out and do her business, we hand carry her to the front yard. 
When we first arrived home, Wayne took her by leash to an area to potty her and she got bit by a red ant in her back foot. Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Lady Luck hasn't been on your side.  But, we are sure happy that you are feeling better!