Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722
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Post by Marjorie on Mar 22, 2019 7:14:46 GMT -7
I'm not sure what the neurologist meant by saying that if you get to the end of the Prednisone, she would want to do something different in terms of medication. If Ray is able to taper off of the Prednisone without signs of pain returning, that would mean the swelling has resolved and at that point, no meds are needed. Glad to hear that the Gabapentin and Tramadol are also going to be tapered during the taper of the Prednisone, which starts on 3/24.
Prayers for a pain-free taper off of all meds. Please continue to keep us updated.
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Post by Tony & Ray on Apr 10, 2019 15:22:55 GMT -7
Ray has been tapered off painkillers and prednisone as scheduled in prior note, and is in continued crate rest with no apparent ill effects or pain. He continued to be somewhat difficult to keep quiet when I'm home, and on recommendation of the neurologist's technician I obtained CBD oil made for dogs from Innovet, and started him 4/2/2019 on 3-4 drops as needed not more frequently than every 6-8 hours. This was by far the most effective calming agent of the laundry list of things I've been doing. Today I had a followup visit wth the neurologist. She questioned me about his progress and examined him. He had only a slight weight gain so food handling has been good. She wrote in the notes that on presentation Ray was very sweet, alert and appropriate. He was ambulatory with no lameness, weakness or ataxia. Proprioceptive placing was normal in all limbs. Segmental reflexes were intact. Cranial nerve examination was normal. There was no pain in spinal palpatation, and he had excellent range of motion of his head and neck. He is to continue trazodone and CBD oil as needed during activity restriction period. He is to remain on strict crate rest thru 4/15. Then he should be on "house arrest" where he is crated as before when I am not home, his rest breaks 5 minutes no wandering, carried outside and in as before, and when I am home he is allowed to be outside the crate under supervision, preferably on his leash and harness to prevent him from jumping, running etc. No stairs (I'm in a single story home), no jumping or hopping up or down over doorstepways. In a month 5/13/2019 I can gradually increase walks by 5-10 minutes weekly. I should monitor for any weakness or pain worsening and contact the vet immediately. I am to revisit the neurologist in 6-8 weeks.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 10, 2019 16:34:10 GMT -7
Tony, very good news that off pred and pain meds and you observe no pain. So the swelling in the spinal cord area is gone!!!! Wonderful to hear his neuro function is all normal. I would caution you to be very, very careful if you are going to short cut giving the full 8 weeks for the disc to form good secure scar tissue prior to April 20-- even if it is 5 days early. We've not seen harm in doing the 8 weeks of rest, but there have been some who did not and had a relapse to the disc and had to start all over again with 8 week count for crate rest and meds. With Ray having the ability to be quite mobile, you may want to take a look at how you want to make your home back friendly for those times he is allowed supervised time in his home out of the suite and ideas for training. "After crate rest, then what" www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmIf you haven't already, consider some home modifications so that you can reduce the stress on the spine in the future. No more stairs, ramps up to furniture, or blocking furniture all together. All those ideas and more are in this link: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htm
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Post by Tony & Ray on Apr 28, 2019 14:17:30 GMT -7
Okay I waited until April 26th to begin the house arrest. Ray was quite happy to get out of the cage and go around with me but unfortunately he thought that having the harness on and and the leash and being out of the crate meant we were going for a walk and he keeps getting very excited. Poor guy. So we started off doing this I very short doses. I'm going to be extending it as a realizes that when he gets out of the crate with me on the leash "oh, it's just a walk around the house." Still remains a bit of an issue when he's in the crate and I'm home, his acting out but he's doing a bit better with that. Also I have him out and laying next to me, not moving and he's very receptive to that, he's been very good about not jumping up running around or doing anything. That's way better than when he gets agitated in the crate. He's still taking the anti-anxiety medication, the CBD, I'm still playing musi, he's still getting chill dog essential oil. I am planning on having him in the crate when I'm not home from now on For the next four weeks he's on the house arrest protocol, and then we start doing short walks of 5 to 10 minute duration at first just around the yard, and then we'll go down the driveway and some other locations at a time when he's not likely to see people and get all wound up. Because of his tendency to jump up and down off furniture I already have most of the house and furniture blocked, so that's not really an issue. It will be some time before the ramp is re-deployed and he makes that decision on his own. I also have to modify the ramp to stop his habit of jumping off it the last foot or so. This is all following the explicit instructions of the neurologist from Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 28, 2019 17:01:59 GMT -7
Tony, very good precautions you have taken in making things as safe as possible for Ray in getting gradually back to normal family activity. It is so wonderful to have your neuro supportive and giving you ideas! Keep us posted as you have time, we always LOVE updates. At times there are members having difficulty locating a vet who can support them specifically with conservative treatment. Would you consider helping another trying to find an IVDD knowledgeable vet by adding your neuro to our directory: dodgerslist.boards.net/board/10/guidelines-posting vet recommendations: Name of Vet Name of Clinic Street Address City: State or country: Type of vet (general/board certified surgeon, acupuncture, etc.) Comments:
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 28, 2019 17:29:56 GMT -7
Tony and Ray, Happy belated crate rest graduation! Sounds like you have everything well planned for a back friendly home! We love it when members have a mind to pay forward and help another. We invite you to hop on to our educational bandwagon team in any way that makes you happy. Education about disc disease is our number one mission! We wish we did not have to hear of another dog that was put to sleep because of disc disease nor one denied the correct principles of crate rest to help them heal.
--- You've been there, and are doing it....if you see another member on the Forum needing support or information share what you know to be true or point them to one of our many IVDD articles. The "search box" on each page makes quick work to find the right helpful link: www.dodgerslist.com/-- "Share" our FB/twitter/ posts to widen the reach of IVDD knowledge www.facebook.com/Dodgerslist twitter.com/DodgersList -- Hand carry our literature and introduce us to your vet. When in conversation at the grocery store line or wherever you meet breeds most prone to IVDD (Dachshunds, Beagles, Poodles, Spaniels, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, and Chihuahuas) to give out our little cards. Ask Linda to send you our free packet: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/litorder.htm
-- We have store where you might find something you absolutely need! Our earnings go to paying for our webpage and literature to hand out. www.dodgerslist.com/store.htm-- Don't forget to add a photo to the Gallery and 1-2 sentence caption. Give inspiration to others just starting a scary IVDD journey. Directions about uploading to the Gallery here: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/2262/add-dog-dodgerslist-photo-gallery Sending best wishes on your new normal with Ray!
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