Nikki, welcome to the Forum! IF there is any suspicion of a disc episode going on, then the proper thing is to protect the disc from further damage when the spine moves which in turn can cause damage to the spinal cord's nerves (loss of nerve function to legs, bladder, etc.) That protection is the doing of 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out of the recovery suite for a very, very few footsteps at potty time. In fact carrying a 15kg dog to and from the potty place may not be the safest thing. Consider, a pee pad adjacent to the recovery suite for her to potty on.
QUESTIONS
It will help us work together with you and avoid offering ideas that could cause harm or lead the discussion in the wrong direction delaying help for your dog — please share a bit more detail with us:
any other observed 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, hiding away from others + 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
❖1 Bone up about how an anti-inflammatory drug is used during a disc episode in you get a diagnosis of a disc episode.
❖2 A. Please list the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mgs and times per day given.
B. Why were the two pain meds prescribed, how long has she been on them?
❖4 What is the date you can quickly get in to a vet to get a diagnosis and know how to treat, what meds, etc? If a disc episode, the hours matter in getting an anti-inflammatory, adjusting pain meds and getting Pepcid AC on board!
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 is 0.44mg mg per pound every 12 hours. Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects.
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 The hallmark component of conservative treatment is the very STRICT crate rest part (no PT, little movement). With little blood supply discs are much slower to form good scar tissue than it takes a blood rich broken bone to heal. Those weeks of a cast for a broken arm to heal is similar to the recovery suite being a kind of cast for the disc. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks provides limited movement to allow good strong scar tissue to form.
Super tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite, the mattress and more! —>
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htmSTRICT means:
◼︎no laps ◼︎no couches
◼︎ no stairs, no steps ever again
◼︎no baths ◼︎no sleeping with you
◼︎no chiro therapy "whys": __
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htm ◼︎no meandering at potty times.
◼︎no PT for conservative dogs during 8 weeks to heal disc
◼︎laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best at home via a mobile vet. Transports are always a risk to the disc of too much movement. Vet visits must be weighed risk vs. benefit for dogs with little to mild neuro diminishment.
❖6 Currently has there been any damage to the leg nerves? Does she wobbly walk? do nail graze the floor?
Education is the key to IVDD!
Our goal is to help you maneurver things that can be overwhelming with an IVDD diagnosis in caring for your dog. Getting quickly up to speed on intervertebral DISC disease helps you in understanding the why of what your vet advises and the ability to bring the right things to the table in working together to help heal the disc. You will be very amazed how quickly you can learn a lot about just one disease which a vet is not able to know in great detail for every single disease known to cats, dogs, birds, and many other species they treat.
Keep in mind the key word in the name of the disease is DISC. I encourage you to take a 4-prong approach to become an IVDD savvy pet parent. With knowledge you’ll be able to dialog with your vet in a way that allows understanding a prescribed treatment (meds, rest, etc), and when you do not understand, the ability to ask good, pertinent questions on behalf of your furry loved one.
#1 Dr. Thomas, Neurology (ACVIM) addresses veterianrians explaining why crating is the single most important care for a disc episode:
“The most important aspect of conservative therapy for disc extrusion.
The most important aspect is cage rest. For the disk to extrude, the annulus must tear. The annulus is a ligament. So, just like a sprained ankle will often heal if you stay off it, the annulus can heal if we can minimize the stress on the ligament. There is no medication that will speed this up. Medication treats only the symptoms, i.e. the pain.” Acute IVDD treatment. William B. Thomas, DVM, DACVIM, October 1, 2000. Veterinary Information Network Conference.
#2 How/why meds are used while the DISC is healing. A good review of the many things your vet mentioned about his diagnosis, the meds, rest, the rest that you may not have fully processed during that short vet visit.
#3 The very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to read and learn. Calm your mind about how long each of the 4 phases of healing will take. What treatments for which phase? At what point would a surgery be considered? This is the page to bookmark and return to in the next days to have a full understanding of the now and the future of living many happy years ahead with your IVDD dog. Here is the link to bookmark:
www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htmLook forward to your answers so we know best how to comment.
