Samanatha, welcome to the Forum. Good to hear the prednisone and the pain med gabapentin have pain fully in control.
The treatment all depends on what is the first in the series of possible diseases. So if your vet felt that the most likely of the diseases mentioned would be a herniated disc, then the prudent path, the must do treatment is to limit movement of the back. Movement is what pressures all discs, and this bad one will be trying to form scar tissue where movement most always disrupts the tissue formation and causes a set back where you are back at square one!
So please let us know you are on board with true conservative treatment to allow the disc to heal
The centerpiece of "DISC disease" treatment is the healing of the disc via limited movement of the back via a recovery suite. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks provides limited movement to allow good strong disc scar tissue to form.
-- PLUS further guidance on conservative treatment on our "All Things IVDD page:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htm www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htmSTRICT means:
- no laps - no couches
- no baths - no sleeping with you
- no taking any footsteps on smooth surface floors
- no short walks, no physical therapy
- no eating outside of the recovery suite; attach food and water bowls inside the suite.
- 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!
Not all vets can have in depth knowledge for each and every disease for all the species they treat. But it is very possbile for you to get up to speed on the one disease your pet has. This helps you ease your mind from the scary edge of the unknown, it helps you to identify harmful advice and speak up on behalf of Charlee when needed.
Important info on how prednisone is used with a disc episode, that you certainly will want to know about is here:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsweling.htm Here are questions for you about Charlee's prednisone:
--- when the test for pain/neuro issues prednisone taper begins on Fri 7/28, which does your vet prefer?
1. backing off of the pain masking pain med gabapentin OR...
2. full stop of the pain med gabapentin?
-- How many mgs is each dose of Pred and how many times a day do you give?
-- Gabapentin: ? mgs ?x/day
On the taper you will want to monitor if there might pain not yet fully resolved and for increased neuro issues than the current able to walk but legs are weak. Swelling around the spinal cord tissue is what causes pain, causes neuro diminishment you observed 7/20
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.
√Weak legs, wobbly walking, legs cross
3. Nails/toes scuffing floor
4. Paws knuckle under
5. 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.
A quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsurgery.htm#surgeryVSconservativeThe importance of protecting the GI tract from prednisone!Proactive vets don't wait til there is lip licking of nausea, not eating, vomit, diarrhea leading to serious bleeding ulcers, red or black blood in stool due to the extra stomach acids anti-inflammatory drugs cause.
Pepcid AC (famotidine) blocks the production of acid. The usual dose of Pepcid AC (famotidine) with a disc episode for doxies is 5mgs 2x/day (0.44mg mg per pound every 12 hours.) Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects.
Ask if your dog has any health issues to prevent use of Pepcid AC (famotidine)? (doesn’t need it, we wait til there is problem…are NOT answers to your question!) If you get a “no health” issues answer, then go to the grocery store to purchase over the counter Pepcid AC containing one single active ingredient (famotidine).
HEALTH ISSUES: “Mar Vista Vet reports: Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects, the reason of release to over-the-counter status. The dose of famotidine may require reduction in patients with liver or kidney disease as these diseases tend to prolong drug activities. There have been some reports of exacerbating heart rhythm problems in patients who already have heart rhythm problems so it may be prudent to choose another means of stomach acid control in heart patients.”
marvistavet.com/famotidine.pml Samantha, 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