Clare's Boris 11/29 Conservative 9mo

I'm so terribly sorry to hear of Boris' difficulties - such a young puppy. I'm glad you found our forum and we'll help you through this. My name's Marjorie- what's yours?

$1000+ MRI's are used to plan out a surgical procedure or for a definitive diagnosis.  Neurologists can usually diagnose IVDD by symptoms alone.  If you are doing conservative treatment, then it is no matter to you which exact disc is problematic, as every disc will receive conservative treatment. With surgery, the disc is not fixed, but rather any escaped pieces of disc material are removed to decompress the spinal cord. Pressure to the spinal cord is what causes loss of leg and bladder control functions.  If you are thinking of surgery, here are the situations when surgery is a consideration.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsurgery.htm

The first thing that must be done is to get Boris' pain fully under control.  Did the neurologist increase the dosage of the Tramadol since it hadn't gotten the pain under control as of this morning?  Did the neurologist prescribe an anti-inflammatory today?  An anti-inflammatory is needed to get the swelling in the back down - the swelling is pressing on the spine and can cause more nerve damage.

Please let your dog know with your utmost confidence that things are going to be ok…because they will. With this disease, self education is critical not just so you make sure the right things are being done for the best recovery but for your own emotions. The unknown is simply a scary place. Get ready to fight this disease now and in the future by knowing all things IVDD. There is no better place to start than on our main web page with "Overview: the essentials" and then read all you can as soon as possible. Here's the link www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm

100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty for a full 8 weeks is the SINGLE most important thing you can do to help your dog-- it is the hallmark component of conservative treatment. Carried in and out to potty. No laps, no couch, no sleeping in bed with you, no meandering, scooting or dragging around during potty times. No baths, no chiro (aka VOM). In other words do everything you can to limit the vertebrae in the back from moving and putting pressure on the bad disc.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm

Can you give us a bit more in essential information about your dog:

-- Please confirm that you have today started doing the all important 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7.

-- Is there still currently pain? Signs of pain are holding the head in an unusual position, head held high or nose to the ground, shivering/trembling, not wanting to move much or moving gingerly, yelping, tight/tense stomach muscles, arched back, holding leg up flamingo style, not wanting to bear weight on the leg, just not their usual perky-interested-in-life self.  There should be no signs of pain from one dose of medication to the next; otherwise, the pain meds need to be immediately adjusted.  

-- What are the exact names, dose in mg's and frequency of all meds? Please get your vet's permission to give 5 mg of Pepcid AC (generic is famotidine) 30 minutes before each dose of the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours). Phrase the question to your vet in this particular way: "Is there any medical reason my dog may not take Pepcid AC?" If your vet says your dog has no health issues such as liver, heart, etc to keep her from taking Pepcid AC, then do get it on board.

-- Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you do some happy talk?

-- Can your dog sniff and squat and then release urine or do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted up?

-- Eating and drinking OK?

-- Poops OK - normal color, firmness, no dark or bright red blood?

The best way for you to help your dog is by learning about this disease. Here are some links to get you started. Please click on all of them to get a good background of understanding. www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm

Laser light therapy, acupuncture and electroacupuncture which sends a microcurrent of electricity to and from acupuncture points (which are really big nerve bundles), can be very beneficial at helping to re-establish the nerve connections in the body. Any one of these therapies can be started right away if in your budget... they not only help relieve pain and inflammation but will kick start nerves to begin regeneration. Find a holistic vet here: ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html www.serenityvetacupuncture.com/index.php/faq_/ [one vet's overview/prices] NOTE: Chiropractic is not recommended for IVDD dogs.

As for keeping Boris calm in the crate, he may adjust better than you think he will.  I know how hard it will be for you to see such a young puppy confined.  But he'll still have his home and your love and his food and he'll be fine.  Here are some tips that will help with calming Boris in the crate.  You can also try placing a towel over the top of the crate which creates a den-like feeling and helps dogs to stay calm.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/EmergencyCrate%20Training.htm

Once we have your answers to the questions above, we'll be able to support you better.  And we have a very helpful $3 DVD available - please see the link in my signature line.

Blessings to you and Boris.

Boris is on a very low dose of Tramadol. How much does he weigh? A 12-20 lb dachshund could be prescribed as much as 50 mgs every 8 hours IF the vet prescribes it so. You need to immediately contact your vet or neurologist and tell them of the signs of pain that you're seeing and ask that the Tramadol be increased. IVDD knowledgable vets know it can take being aggressive with pain med dose, frequency and the mixture of meds to control disc-caused pain. Methocarbamol addresses the pain from muscle spasms so often associated with a disc episode. Gabapentin is something that vets are finding works synergistically with Tramadol and is a good addition with hard to control pain. You must be Boris' advocate and stress that he is still in pain and needs more meds.

Tramadol has a short half life of 1.7 hours so is most efficient when given every 8 hours. Also it should be given consistently and not just when you see signs of pain. There should be no pain from dose to dose.

Tramadol is also very bitter. You can hide it in of a small mashed banana ball, a cream cheese ball, liverwurst ball or inside of a sticky marshmallow or glob of peanut butter and sealed so no taste of the pill is on the exterior. Use the three treat method. 2 treats with no meds inside PLUS the med ball. Give plain treat while holding med ball in front of eyes. The idea is your dog will be greedy after the first treat to get the 2nd. Immediately hold the 3rd plain treat so she will hurry to swallow the med ball to get to treat #3.

Tramadol can also cause nausea. So discuss Boris' lack of appetite with the vet. His pain might be affecting his appetite, too. I know my Jeremy won't eat if he has pain.

Please also discuss with your vet the importance of adding an anti-inflammatory to get the swelling in Boris' spine down. When there is pain, there is swelling and that needs to be addressed before it causes neurological problems. When there are severe neurological deficits, most vets prescribe a steroid. However, when the symptoms are milder, like you're seeing with Boris, they may prefer prescribing a NSAID. This page will tell you what you need to know about meds used with IVDD.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/drugs.htm

Please let us know what the vet says after speaking to them. Boris is a good candidate for conservative care but he needs the correct medications prescribed.

Thanks so much. Yes, I'm finding Dodgers List very comforting. Boris has his follow-up with the neurologist on Wednesday 12/11 and we plan to schedule the MRI, no matter how expensive. We want definitive answers about our sweet boy. He's still on strict crate rest and Tramadol, appears to be mostly comfortable.

Hi, Paulina. I'm Clare. He hasn't been definitively diagnosed with IVDD. He presented ataxia on the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving and has had normal movement since then, though we continue to crate him. His back is hunched and he doesn't want to bear weight on his back feet. The vet advised against inflammatories until we know more about what's going on. He's still on Tramadol. His follow up is with the best neurologist Colorado in the morning (Wednesday, 12/11, their earliest available) and I plan to schedule an MRI so we know for sure what's going on.

Hi, Paula. The followup was this morning and he confirmed that it's IVDD. We have six more weeks of crate rest to make eight. We're going to start acupuncture and cold laser therapy in the meantime!

Pain is fully controlled, yes! No anti-inflammatories as this episode is very mild. Root signature pain was not mentioned. We started acupuncture therapy today and he did great! instagram.com/borisvonsnicklefritz

Hi Clare! I'm Sabrina. Boris is an absolute dear! 

In preparation for leaving him at the vet's, it's a good idea to make a sign to put on his crate - with details like his med schedule, that he is on 100% Crate Rest, and maybe a picture of the correct way to lift him.

That way all the details are on his crate, and you don't have to worry about if someone on the staff hasn't been filled in on how to care from him during his IVDD episode.

I know that there are soooooooo many things to worry about with IVDD! But I've found that if I have something to do to be proactive about my dog's care, that helps to focus my mind on something much more positive!

))Hugs!((
-Sabrina

Way to go, Clare! I've been traveling so I haven't been online for a while, so I'm late with this - but I just wanted to say that you are doing such a great job looking out for your Boris!

))Hugs!((
- Sabrina