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Post by msheppard0831 on Oct 31, 2013 9:51:06 GMT -7
I am new to this site. My husband and I have a now almost 6 year Lab/German Shepherd/Great Dane mix named Molly. 15 months ago, at about 4 1/2 years old, we started noticing signs of what we now know is IVDD. Before we realized what was going on we thought that maybe she was just starting to mellow out and become an
"adult" dog. She was way less playful, used the stairs and jumped on and off the bed only when she had to. One day she jumped off the bed and yelped in pain, something that rarely happens. We took her to the vet who referred us to a veterinary surgeon at a specialty hospital who then referred us to a veterinary neurologist at their sister hospital. Within 2 days Molly was having and MRI and was diagnosed with an acute herniated disc (mid-back) and 2 bulging lumbosacral discs. The next day Molly was having surgery to repair the damage from the herniated disc and was given steroidal injections for the 2 bulging discs. Recovery went well and on schedule (6 weeks). My question now is are we being TOO cautious with her. At the time of diagnosis the veterinary neurologist said "I don't want to scare you, but start a savings account, this is going to happen again." Luckily for us, we have pet insurance (Pet Plan - gopetplan.com). This SAVED US FINANCIALLY. Molly is our baby and we would have done whatever necessary to get the surgery but this insurance company made the process so much easier! They covered 80% of the cost less a $200 deductible and I had a reimbursement check in one week. Anyway....our biggest concern is her pain level and quality of life. I feel like my husband and I have been treating her like glass since she recovered but she clearly wants more play time with other dogs. We are just scared that if she plays rough she likes she will injure herself, possibly worse than the first time, and we don't want her to experience anymore pain or possible paralysis. Prior to surgery she was starting to show signs of neurological deficits in her hind legs and likely would have been paralyzed in days without surgery. She no longer "knucles" since surgery but she is a bit of a klutz and loses her footing easily when running fast. Since recovering from surgery there has been no indication of pain (although the vet mentioned she may need nerve blockers indefinitely, we have never had to refill the prescription), she willingly jumps on and off furniture, gets her bursts of hyperactivity, etc. Are we being TOO CAREFUL with her? Is it okay to let her play rough with other dogs? Whenever we are out and see other dogs she gets so sad that she can't go run and play like the rest of them (she does still play - we just monitor her VERY closely).
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Post by yainey on Oct 31, 2013 10:02:04 GMT -7
What a good question! I'm wondering the same thing. I'm surprised that your doctor told you this would likely happen again- was there something about the multiple sites and your dogs particular case? I was under the impression that while our dogs who have had it once are certainly more susceptible- the actual chance of recurrence in dogs that ARE NOT doxies was rather low- 5-10%. Maybe that information is incorrect- be curious to see what the experts say!
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Post by msheppard0831 on Oct 31, 2013 13:44:34 GMT -7
The neurologist said when she went in she found that the discs were becoming calcified which is highly unusual for the breed/mix and size (88lb at the time - after a diet recommended by the DR. she is down to 80lb). She basically said that Molly just "has bad discs" and she was only 4 1/2 at the time which is she said was very young for this kind of injury.
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Marjorie
Moderator~ 
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,724 
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Post by Marjorie on Oct 31, 2013 17:19:47 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist. My name's Marjorie - what's yours? I'm glad that Molly has done so well after her surgery. You are absolutely right to be very careful about not letting her play with other dogs, if the play is rambunctious. One thing that you do need to be much more careful about is letting Molly jump on and off of furniture. The best place for an IVDD dog is on the floor. No more stairs and no more jumping up and down. That places too much stress on the spine. I'm going to share some links with you. I think reading them will help you get a better understanding of what we call the "new normal" and will help you to determine what Molly can and cannot do. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htmwww.dodgerslist.com/index/SDUNCANquality.htmdodgerslist.boards.net/thread/410/living-fear-ivddNever again and friendly activities at bottom of page: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmIVDD is a life-long disease and no matter what breed the dog is, any disc in an IVDD dog can rupture at any time. All we can do is to try and protect the spine as best we can. That doesn't mean our dogs need to live in a bubble. We just need to take certain precautions, as outlined in the links above. |
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