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Post by Linda & Ozzie on Oct 18, 2018 7:47:05 GMT -7
Ozzie 10/16 conservative Ozzie was progressing nicely on crate rest after surgery and bringing him out to walk and then being allowed to sit with us and walk a bit more. He started walking wobbly again 2 days ago and knuckling his back legs. He is back all the time in the crate and we go in on Friday. If he gets worse we are to call. I'm not sure if this is a thing that can happen? Maybe I should ask this on a different forum since we are over here? |
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 18, 2018 7:52:20 GMT -7
Linda, crating at once is excellent. Waiting til Friday to get meds on board is a bad idea. The soon the meds begin work the less damage to the spinal cord. Loss of neuro function (wobbly, knucklling) IS AN EMERGENCY. Any vet who knows IVDD would know this and squeeze you in to get an anti-inflammatory on board. I will move your post to the conservative board. Let us know you will get Ozzie into the vet today asap. Exact names of med prescribed, mgs, frequency Pepcid AC?? Crate rest for conservative treatment is necessarily more strict. Let us know you are on the same page in making every effort to let the disc heal: STRICT means: - no laps - no couches - no baths - no sleeping with you - no chiro therapy - no dragging or meandering at potty times. Carry your dog to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a very, very few limited footsteps. Using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep a wobbly dog's back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash is to control speed and keep footsteps to minimum as you stand in one spot. An ex-pen in the grass is an excellent alternative to minimizing footsteps with the physical and visual to indicate there will be no sniff festing going on!  As damage to the spinal cord increases, there is a predictable stepwise deterioration of functions. When nerve healing begins, often it follows the reverse order. 1. Pain caused by the tearing disc & inflammation in the spinal cord
2. Wobbly walking, legs cross
3. Nails/toes scuffing floor
4. Paws knuckle under5. Weak/little leg movement, can't move up into a stand 6. Legs do not work at all (paralysis, dog is down) 7. Bladder control is lost. Leaks on you when lifted. Can no longer sniff and then pee on that old urine spot outdoors. 8. Tail wagging with joy is lost 9. Deep pain sensation, the last neuro function, a critical indicator for nerves to be able to self heal after surgery or with conservative treatment. Surgery can still be successful in the window of 12-24 hours after loss of deep pain sensation. Even after that window of time, there can still be a good outcome. Each hour that passes decreases that chance. Precious hours can be lost with a vet that gets DPS wrong. Trust only the word of a neuro (ACVIM) or ortho (ACVS) surgeon about DPS. So if surgery is an option for your family get to a neuro or ortho asap. A quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsurgery.htm#surgeryVSconservative |
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