Welcome to Dodgerslist, Kelli. So glad you’ve joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve gleaned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you.
**Disc disease is not a death sentence! ** Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things:
www.dodgerslist.com/index/SDUNCANquality.htmIt sounds as though Woody is a very good candidate for conservative care since the only symptom besides pain has been wobbly walking. I understand that he has difficulty being crated.
What are you doing to minimize the movement of his spine? It is so vital to protect the spine from further damage, which could lead to more nerve damage, even paralysis. Too much movement of the spine and the not-yet-healed disc can rupture or tear more.
Possibly a play pen or ex-pen would work better for Woody. The area Woody is in should be no larger than enough for him to stand up, turn around and lie down with his legs comfortably extended.
If all else fails, a mild sedative can be given. It's better to sedate a dog during conservative care than to have him injure his spine more. More tips on calming during crate rest in the next post.
Please tell us more about your statement that Woody hurt himself during crate confinement last week.
Was there an increase in spinal pain or worsening of neuro function after that incident? If so, then the 8 weeks of conservative care must start over again from that date.
During the taper of Prednisone that is to start this weekend, has the vet also advised you to stop or taper off of the pain meds? Having pain meds during a taper of the Prednisone will make it difficult for you to determine whether there is still pain/swelling and therefore a need for another round of the anti-inflammatory dosage of Prednisone as the pain meds would mask any pain that you need to quickly see. Pain = swelling pressing on the nerves of the spine = more time on all meds. Should you see any sign of pain return at any time during the taper of the Prednisone, you'll need to immediately alert your vet so Woody can be returned to the anti-inflammatory dosage of Prednisone for a bit longer.
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:
❖1
What was the start date of the Prednisone and when was the second round started and the reason for that second round? ❖2
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 baths ◼︎no sleeping with you ◼︎no chiro therapy whys:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htm ◼︎no dragging or meandering at potty times. ◼︎no PT for conservative dogs during 8 weeks to heal disc ◼︎At home laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best. 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.
Carry to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a 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!
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/slingwalk.jpg  LARGE DOGS: If your dog is too big to carry, it is still important that the amount of movement to the potty place be minimized. Try a pee pad right outside the crate. Add caster wheels to a wire crate and wheel down ramp over steps to outside.
Transport to a vet is risky as it can involve too much movement of the spine.
Instead of a risky trip to the vet on 10/24, please speak to the vet about instead calling her on that date and giving a status update. Vets who understand the importance of strict crate rest will agree to phone status updates. We've seen far too many dogs injured more by making unnecessary trips to a vet for follow-up visits.
Knowledge is the power to fight the IVDD enemy and win!! The very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to get up to speed on IVDD soonest possible. Begin absorbing the must-have overall sense of meds, care and how the treatment works. Your dog will be depending on your ability to learn - excellent video series here:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/theater.htm PRINT OUT this link and tape to your fridge:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htm use the printout as your roadmap to avoid dangerous detours in your dog’s care
make notes/highlight to keep yourself on track
follow all the links in the next days to become the IVDD savvy pet parent your dog needs. Use the “search box” to easily locate topics over at our Main
www.Dodgerslist.com website:
www.dodgerslist.com/index/searchBOX.jpgHealing prayers for Woody.