treen
New Member
Posts: 6 
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Post by treen on Oct 21, 2013 11:11:53 GMT -7
Hi all,
I just joined this forum yesterday after it was confirmed my sweet mini dachsie Isa has done something to her back. Isa is 6 years old and weighs 15 pounds. She has had a slew of health issues over the past year and was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism (I say finally because she has had weight issues we have not been able to get a handle on for 2 years and despite her thyroid been tested in the past we were told it was normal). Since she started on thyroid meds 4 months ago, she has lost 5 pounds and has been a much happier dog with a great deal more energy. She was also diagnosed with pancreatitis, urinary crystals and high cholesterol. The urinary crystals have improved a ton since being on special food and her pancreatitis is still there, but better. Unfortunately just when things were really looking good, she had a sudden episode of acute pain on 10/18 at 8 am. My husband woke me up freaking out that Isa was shaking, walking backwards and crying, her tummy was rock hard and she seemed to be protecting it. It was absolutely heartbreaking. We immediately took her to the vet who suspected it was an acute episode of her previously diagnosed pancreatitis. We are well aware of back issues in dachsies and have rushed her to the vet twice in the past when she had any sign of pain as we were always so paranoid of her having issues. However, she was always fine as soon as we got to the vet and we just looked like anxious parents freaking out for no reason. I'm not sure why this time around we let the vet convince us it was pancreatitis. Anyway, we had blood work done and we went home and gave her tramadol for the pain. However, she did not get better at all and was still in way too much pain. I took her back to the vet 24 hours later. Her blood work had returned and confirmed pancreatitis again, which the vet was still convinced was the reason for her pain. We started her on special food for the pancreatitis seeing as her urinary crystals were much improved (the food for the crystals and for the pancreatitis are different and we had to clear the crystals before we could deal with the pancreas). We took her home again and by that evening it was crystal clear that we were not dealing with pancreatitis at all. While eating her dinner her back legs seemed weak and she was wobbly. We immediately crated her. I phoned the vet, but unfortunately being as it was Sunday night, he was not in the office. We took her back to the vet the next morning and she had 7 xrays done of her back. The xray report found "mineralization of the T11-12 interverebral disc. The T11-12 and T12-13 intervertebral disc spaces are slightly narrowed. There is also potential narrowing at L4-5". An MRI was recommended, but we are choosing to forgo that at this time and treat her back issues conservatively with 8 weeks of strict crate rest.
So we put her on crate rest the evening of 10/20. Yesterday we started:
weighs 15 pounds
prednisone 10mg twice a day for 5 days, then 5 mg twice a day for 5 days, then 5mg once a day for 5 days then recheck.
misoprostol 25 mg twice a day (for her stomach)
Tramadol 40mg every 6-8 hrs.
Currently, Isa is able to wobbly walk. We do have her on strict crate rest, but she takes a step or two when outside to do her business. She wags her tail and seems way more comfortable. No more shaking etc. She seems bored out of her skull though and looks so sad that she is being kept confined in her bed. Thankfully, my girls (I have another mini) have always been crate trained and typically go in their crate every night and when we are out.
Her appetite is great, she is drinking fine too. She is able to go to pee okay, although she doesn't seem impressed she can't wander around the yard looking for the perfect spot. She hasn't pooped since yesterday morning though, which is unusual for her. She typically goes every morning and evening.
My questions are:
Is it safe to have my other dog in the crate with her ever? They do not fight or play while in bed and typically just sleep.
How can I prevent her from moving around so much in her crate. She loves to burrow and does that to the blankets when trying to get comfortable. I'm worried she is going to cause more damage.
Is there differing levels of outcome depending on where the injury is in the spine?
Being that she never became paralyzed and could always bare weight on her legs, is her outcome for a fully recovery better?
Thank you! I am so glad I have found this site. It is very helpful!
Trina
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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 21, 2013 11:56:27 GMT -7
Trina, welcome to Dodgerlist. I'm sorry to hear on top of all the other health problems now a disc episode. YOur commitment to the 100% STRICT crate rest and only a few footsteps at potty time will help to keep the mild symptoms from progressing to severe ones. She is a good candidate to recover with conservative treatment. This page will give you a nice over view… with this disease knowledge is key to fighting and winning : www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htmWhat did the vet say to monitor while on pred since she does have confirmed pancreatitis, what were the pros and cons that made him go with a steroid? Tramadol can be constitpating… are you giving every 6 or 8 hours? Pumpkin is a magical fruit - its high fiber can firm up stools and help with diarrhea or loosen the stool to help with constipation. The amount of water in the diet makes all the difference. To loosen the stool, add equal parts water to each kibble meal along with a teaspoon of plain canned pureed pumpkin 1x a day. To firm up the stool add 1 teaspoon pumpkin to kibble and no extra water 1x a day. Note alternatives: really ripe mashed fresh pear, just take off the peel off; microwaved and mashed peeled sweet potoato. The recovery suite is only safe for a healing disc when Isa is the only inhabitant. Try putting your other dog's mattress or crate adjacent and touching so they can be together safely in that manner. Have you found our treasure trove of all things IVDD…perfect core readings for getting up to speed : www.dodgerslist.com/literature.htm |
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treen
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by treen on Oct 21, 2013 12:03:55 GMT -7
Thank you Paula!
The vet initially was going to prescribe medicam and when I asked him about prednisone, he went to his office and came back saying he had done some reading and thought prednisone would be a good choice and [prednisone] was okay in cases of pancreatitis. Her liver enzymes are within normal limits as well.
Thank you for the tip re: pumpkin. I will pick some up today. She is on a low fat wet food diet right now for her pancreatitis, so she is getting extra moisture there.
Is there a benefit of steroids over NSAIDS?
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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 21, 2013 12:19:10 GMT -7
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treen
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by treen on Oct 24, 2013 14:27:45 GMT -7
Thanks Paula.
Isa has been on strict crate rest for almost 5 days now. When should I expect to see improvement? She is still very wobbly and her back legs fall over when we take her out for a potty break (we only allow her to take a few steps as otherwise she won't go). I know it is still early, but when typically do they start regaining some use of their legs?
My aunt used a sling to assist with holding her dogs back end up when out for potty breaks, but if I try that she absolutely will not go. As soon as I take the scarf away she does. If she has the ability to squat and take a few steps is it necessary that I do that?
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StevieLuv
Helpful Member 
Conservative Treatment 3x. It really does work!
Posts: 1,335
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Post by StevieLuv on Oct 24, 2013 17:25:14 GMT -7
Hi Trina, my name is Maureen. There is no real schedule for when a dog starts regaining neuro functions - each one proceeds at their own pace. She is already showing great signs of strong neuro function, she can stand and wobbly walk (if only a few steps) and she has bowel and bladder control. Patience and the 8 weeks of strict cage rest will give her the best chance at full recovery. If she hates the sling and won't pee with it on, you can take it off when she is at her potty spot so that she will go. Make sure that you have some method of control so that she doesn't take off - a harness works well and so does creating a confined potty area with that push into the ground garden edging that looks like a little fence. Both keep her confined to as few steps as possible. Keep up the good work - she sure is a pretty girl by the way  |
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treen
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by treen on Oct 24, 2013 18:38:35 GMT -7
Thank you Maureen,
I'm happy she is showing great signs already. We have her on a leash with harness when we get to our yard we put her down and don't allow her to take more than a step or two. She had not pooped in 4 days, but finally went today (in her crate, but I'm just glad she went!).
Thanks again for answering my questions so quickly!
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Post by Pauliana on Oct 24, 2013 19:58:17 GMT -7
Hi Trina!
Glad to hear that Isa finally pooped. Believe it or not it isn't unusual for them to be constipated during a disc episode, especially with many of the medications being constipating. We all are very relieved when they finally go that first time! Once my Tyler finally went after 5 days, he had no further problems with constipation..Hope that is the case for Isa as well.
Welcome aboard!
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treen
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by treen on Oct 24, 2013 21:39:27 GMT -7
Thank you Pauliana! I'm so happy I found this group and am thankful for all the support. It is such a hard thing to watch your baby go through a health scare  I am giving Isa pumpkin now, so hopefully that will assist in keeping her regular. I also discovered that she will drink more fluids if I mix a bit of low sodium fat free chicken broth with water. I feel awful for her though, she is seeming quite sad today. I have now given her a kong with some of her normal wet food in it to give her something to do for awhile. |
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Post by Nancy & Polly on Oct 24, 2013 23:07:34 GMT -7
Make sure to keep your own attitude as cheerful as possible around her. Dogs pick up on and reflect our emotions.
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