Hi Esther,

Thanks for your question!

The symptoms you describe of your dog panting and pacing certainly sound like pain behavior upon first hearing them. The most likely source would be the musculoskeletal system or nervous system. Sometimes you can have pain from the gastrointestinal system causing some of these symptoms, such as the pacing and panting. I would recommend abdominal radiographs and blood work to look for any sources of disease related to the gastrointestinal system simply to eliminate that. Recurrent episodes of pancreatitis or gas distension could be a cause.

The treatment your veterinarian chose seems like a good one to me based on the thought of a musculoskeletal source of pain. She also added an anti-anxiety supplement as well. It’s a shame that there was no great benefit and instead caused negative side effects. The consideration exists to use different anti-inflammatories and pain medications to see if they work without causing side effects and consider low doses that gradually increase to avoid any adverse reactions.

My biggest recommendation would be to have a visit with a neurologist. You’ll find them at the referral centers around the city. They would have a much greater ability to determine the source of the pain and how it may relate to his known history of neurological challenges. I assume that you’ve had spinal imaging which would be especially important given the history but also the development of new clinical symptoms. I wonder if the Wobblers syndrome was confirmed by a neurologist and how recently because it could be an alternate diagnosis that has advanced.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Clayton Greenway