Welcome to the Forum. Lauricella, is your first name? We are a small friendly group just going by first names. It is often the case that with a neck disc, it is mostly pain without damage to the spinal cord. That is because the neck canal is a larger diameter than further down the back. With the back's smaller diamater spinal cord canal more chance the nerves can be compressed with ensuring loss of nerve function as disc material invades the canal.
Would you fill us in on more information so that our comments can be exacting to Smidge's situaiton.
Pain
The pain meds are not yet right if you are observing signs of pain. Alert your vet ASAP to advise of signs you are seeing so meds can be adjusted. Advocate that any of the pain meds be given 3x/day (every 8 hours).
—Methocarbamol works on the pain of muscle spasms.
— Tramadol is the general pain reliever.
— Gabapentin works on nerve pain.
There should be no sign of pain from one dose of meds to the next. Have no patience with pain as it does hinder healing. Look for your dog to be acting their normal, perky self when pain is fully under control round the clock, right up to the next dose of pain meds.
Note seeing two or more signs of pain can often help to pin point what is axiety, being cold with actual suffering with pain.
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
◻︎ 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
◻︎ not their normal perky selves
MED LIST details tells us volumes of information:
--
how much does she weigh?
-- What date did pred start? What was the dose in mgs and frequency she came home on? for how many days before the prednisone taper begins?
-- since prednisone causes extra stomach acids, it is
common for Pepcid AC (famotidine) to be in use.
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.
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).
Surgeon's directives° What did the surgeon direct for number of week of crate rest which does include the at home PT he directs?
°
What is the at home PT the surgeon directed? When a dog can walk often, the PT would be a slow and controlled (leash and harness) walk to the potty place
Calmers
You may need to help Smidge relax in her recovery suite so that she is not overexerting herself and trying to escape.
Using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser seems to work best. It takes several days for these to start working - it isn't immediate but they are a much better option if you can avoid heavy duty prescription sedatives (ACE, alprazolam or trazodone). Of course always keep your vet in the loop on all things you give your dog.
Place a DAP pheromone diffusor at floor level where the recovery suite is:
--DOG Adaptil (DAP) wall plug in diffuser 48ml
www.adaptil.com/Use the diffusor with one oral calmer from below:
Oral calmers:
1) ANXITANE® S chewable tabs contain 50 mg L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm, relaxed
www.virbacvet.com/products/detail/anxitane-l-theanine-chewable-tablets/behavioral-health 2) Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine.
www.vetriscience.com/composure-soft-dogs-MD-LD.php 3) Rescue Remedy is a liquid herb combo to help with relaxation
www.bachrescueremedypet.com Consider some of these ideas to held Smidge relax:
-- Many members have found a pet stroller to solve the whining problem because the stroller can be wheeled from room to room as you go about your activities. Pet strollers, however, should only be used when you are directly supervising. More details on strollers:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/strollers.htm-- Put a garment you have been wearing and have not washed in the crate.
Teaching self-calming exercises can also help your dog to relax more by wearing your dog out with mental stimulation. You can make something as simple as eye contact a very rewarding behavior that also acts as a way for your dog to “ask permission” when she wants something. When dogs have a focus and an understanding about how to behave to get what they want, they are much calmer overall. To do this, each time your dog looks at you, say, something like, “Yes!” or use a clicker to mark the second she looks at you, and then give your dog a high-value food reward. [NOTE: for crate resting dogs, shift your body a bit] .... wait for your dog to look up at you again, say, “Yes,” and reward again. Do this exercise 10 or so times and then say, “All done,” and put the treats away. Come back later and do it again until you can see that your dog is really starting to make automatic eye contact in hopes you will say, “Yes,” again and give a reward.
[NOTE: treats should be subtracted from the normal daily kibble ration so as not to gain weight during crate rest.]
-- At night, try placing the crate on a sturdy bedside table to sleep next to you.
-- During the day try the coffee table or the dinning room table so there will be a view out a window and a better perspective on what is going on in the house from a high.
-- Make the crate or ex-pen more cozy by draping a blanket over part of the top.
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