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Post by infinitysail on Oct 16, 2013 16:19:06 GMT -7
Hi,
We are in need of advice for our 12 year old Brittany, Loki.
Our situation is a little difficult as we are currently in a remote part of Panama, far away from veterinary help. Loki has been showing some symptoms that may or may not be IVDD. I would really appreciate it if this community can give us a sense of if we are on the right track:
First the background:
Loki is a 12 year old neutered Brittany, 38 lbs, and is generally very active. He did have two knee surgeries (TPLO), one 1 year ago and another 18 months ago.
As for our concerns:
Loki was recovering well from his second knee surgery until June, when he began limping and mild toe dragging. We put him on crate rest for 6 weeks and the limping went away. Even after it went away, though, he was showing signs of knuckling and toe dragging, though very mild. We took him to the vet in Panama, but they weren't helpful other than to suggest IVDD. They couldn't do a myelogram and the x-ray was inconclusive.
Since his symptoms had subsided, we gradually increased his exercise again successfully back up to two 45 minutes runs a day. Everything has been back to normal since the end of August, except for some mild toe dragging until today. Today, the toe dragging is much worse and he is not correcting his knuckled toe on one side at all. He is limping again as well.
All through this, he has shown no signs of pain, except for one evening in May, when he was reticent to get up after a day of particularly hard running. The next day he was fine. I suppose limping is caused from pain, but his limp has been pretty mild and doesn't slow him down when running or jumping.
We did a genetic test for DM, which came back as normal, so it is extremely unlikely, based on their information.
Peeing, pooping and appetite are normal.
Are these symptoms with no obvious pain possible with IVDD? All my web searches shows pain as one of the primary symptoms.
We need to figure out if we need to return to the USA for better treatment and if the plane ride could be problematic.
We will start him on strict crate rest tonight.
Thanks for any help,
Frank
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,598
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 16, 2013 16:49:12 GMT -7
Until you know for sure you are not dealing with a disc episode it would be prudent do 100% STRICT to prevent a supposed disc from further tears and to avoid severe neuro damage to the spinal cord. It takes 8 weeks for a disc to heal and form good scar tissue...so that is the reason for 8 weeks of strict rest when dealing with a disc episode. Nerves on the other hand can take months to a year+ to regenerate. Each breed can have diseases that we just do not know about. We only know one disease and and the help we offer is based on a diagnosis of IVDD. Something is obviously pressing on the spinal cord to cause the knuckling. IVDD is a painful disease both upon the first disc tear and the ensuing swelling that goes on in the spinal cord which is the cause of more pain. Where any meds prescribed? You may wish to read about FCE which can look like IVDD but rarely has pain associated beyond the initial pain. sevneurology.com/articles/fibrocartilaginous-embolism Xray would have ruled out fracture, tumor or an infection in the spine. If crating and rest is not preventing worsening of neuro functions, it may be a good idea to seek out a neuro (ACVIM) specialist to give you a diagnosis and what the appropriate treatment should be. |
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Post by infinitysail on Oct 17, 2013 9:30:30 GMT -7
Paula,
Thanks for the quick response. Loki has none of the symptoms this morning! We took him for a very short potty walk and he showed no limping and only mild nail dragging with no knuckling. Can IVDD symptoms come and go this quickly?
I should clarify that his sudden onset of symptoms yesterday that I described as knuckling was that while walking, 95% of his steps were normal and 5% were knuckled. When we performed the proprioceptive test of folding his toes under, he wouldn't correct it. Today, all his steps were normal, though with some nail dragging, and his response to the proprioceptive test was normal.
We will continue the confine him to the crate and keep our fingers crossed...
Frank
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Marjorie
Moderator~ 
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,724 
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Post by Marjorie on Oct 17, 2013 14:33:11 GMT -7
Hi, Frank
Is Loki on any medication for this? Usually with IVDD, steroids are prescribed to get the swelling down around the spine and pain meds are given to deal with the pain. Plus strict crate rest to limit movement of the spine. Sometimes the steroids will get the swelling down quickly, which relieves the pressure on the spine, resulting in quick improvement. Sometimes, without steroids and just strict crate rest, a dog's own steroid hormones will get the swelling down, but not usually as quickly as a prescription steroid.
If it is IVDD, 8 weeks of crate rest is required so a good scarring over the torn disc is formed. Even if the symptoms resolve quickly, the 8 weeks is still needed to heal the disc and if too much movement is done before then, the disc can re-tear and the symptoms will return.
We're keeping our fingers crossed, too!
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