Bobbie, hold off on wheelchair and any walking around.
The single most important care is limited movement of the back to allow the disc to heal and NOT make the spinal cord damage permanent.
Let us know you are on the same page about STRICT 24/7 rest
STRICT means:
- no laps - no couches - no wheelchairs
- no baths - no sleeping with you
- no chiro therapy - no dragging or meandering at potty times.
There is really no better education on each part of conservative treatment including the 4 phases of healing than this page. You will find a quick overall summary + links to give you the in-depth knowledge that an IVDD pet savvy parent demands.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htmSo that we can have an understanding of his medication treatment, would you supply the missing detals:
weight?
Name of steroid
round #1. as of date?: ? mgs ?x/day for how many days, BEFORE tapering
Name of steroid
round #2. as of date?: ? mgs ?x/day for how many days, BEFORE test-for-pain tapering
Tramadol
? mgs ?x/day Are you observing any signs of pain?
SIGNS OF PAIN
◻︎ shivering-trembling ◻︎ yelping when picked up or moved
◻︎ slow to move ◻︎ tight tense tummy
◻︎ arched back, ears pinned back ◻︎ head held high or nose to the ground.
◻︎ restless, can't find a comfortable position
◻︎ slow or reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions
◻︎ not their normal perky interested in life selves
+ pain from neck disc:
◻︎ looks up with just eyes and does not move head and neck easily.
◻︎ not eating due to painful chewing or in too much overall pain
◻︎ holds front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight
If the pain meds are not yet right, please contact your vet ASAP to report your observations so meds can be adjusted. Advocate for any of the pain meds be given 3x/day (every 8 hours) for round the clock coverage.
— Methocarbamol works on the pain of muscle spasms.
— Tramadol is the general pain reliever.
— Gabapentin works on nerve pain.
There should be no sign of pain from one dose of meds to the next. Have no patience with pain as it does hinder healing. Look for your dog to be acting their normal, perky self when pain is fully under control round the clock.
The guest board is a temporary Guest courtesy to get immediate help until you can register. I encourage you to register and login. That way all the features of the Forum are available to you, making it faster to reply and get an email alert about replies. It also makes is far easier for us to track your dog and give the best assistance. Illustrated what to expect during registration:
www.dodgerslist.com/forumads/RegisterFORUM/register.htm
