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Post by mjcy7d on Mar 26, 2013 20:38:18 GMT -7
My 6 year old charley had a back injury 2 weeks ago and has been through 2 steroid shots and a taper. At first she was just hurting and walking stiff, however over the past few days she is starting to show some ataxia and seems to still be in pain. She has been on crate rest since saturday. I have called my vet about her getting worse and he sent me to a specialist who will evaluate her for surgery tomorrow morning. I really would like to know people's results and successes with surgery vs. other options (acupuncture, massage, etc) and at what point is surgery the best option and worth it. Also, if she does end up completely paralyzed will she be incontinent and need a cart and what are the best models. Thank you, I am new to this situation and I don't know what's best for my baby.
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Post by Linda Stowe on Mar 26, 2013 21:19:31 GMT -7
Hello, welcome to Dodgerslist We're sorry to hear Charley is having a back problem. What breed is Charlie and what was the date you saw the vet and started 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7? -- Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy? -- What are the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mgs and frequencies? -- Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you do some happy talk? -- Do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted up? -- Eating and drinking OK? -- Poops OK - normal color no dark or bright red blood? It never hurts to get an evaluation by a specialist. We have an excellent article written by a boarded surgeon on what to expect with surgery. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/surgery.htmLets take one day at a time and see what the specialist says tomorrow regarding her condition. Chances are with or without surgery, she may not need a cart. |
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Post by mjcy7d on Mar 26, 2013 21:54:19 GMT -7
Charley is a minerature smooth haired dachshund. I saw the vet for the first time on march 15th and she got a shot of dexamethasone and was put on rimadyl 12.5mg daily. She seemed to be feeling so much better, back to her old self and then on Monday the 18th went stiff again and yelped when we picked her up. So I took her in to the vet on the 19th. He told he that it was her back and gave her another shot and d/c'd the rimadyl and put her on a steroid taper of 5mg prednisolone which she is now taking every other day. She still seems to be in a little pain when we pick her up to take her to potty. She has been on 24/7 crate rest since this Saturday, the 23rd. She walks very wobbly and falls down, but gets back up. She wags her tail and is eating normally and had not lost control of her bladder, however I can tell she is having problems pooping when it comes to holding the pooping pose and pushing everything out at once. Thanks for the help, I'm really glad I found this website.
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Post by natureluva on Mar 27, 2013 6:55:52 GMT -7
Hi there, my name is Lisa. What's yours? Usually, surgery is done on dogs that have an acute disc herniation with immediate paralysis or dogs that have tried the conservative treatment method (strict crate rest plus meds) and have had more than one round of meds and upon the taper, pain returns. If you are going to do conservative treatment (8 weeks of strict crate rest plus meds to mask the symptoms), Charley should not be allowed to walk at all. He should be carried to and from the potty spot and only allowed to take a couple of steps to do his business. Here is how to carry him: youtube.googleapis.com/v/kyD2IW5m0qY Here are three links to help you with crate rest and conservative treatment. It is the crate rest that heals the disc (time and limited movement) while the meds reduce inflammation and mask the pain: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm www.dodgerslist.com/literature/conservative.htm [conservative treatment] I am concerned that Charley has received an NSAID and steroids at the same time or back to back. NSAIDs and steroids cause excess stomach acid which can cause internal bleeding, ulceration, even stomach perforation. They should never be given together. In fact, they require a washout period when switching from one to another: "Drugs of the NSAID class should not be used concurrently as the potential for the aforementioned side effects increases. For similar reasons, NSAIDS should not be used in conjunction with corticosteroid hormones such as Prednisone, Dexamethasone etc. Pfizer recommends a 5-7 day rest period when changing over to Carprofen or to another NSAID from Carprofen. Aspirin poses an exception due to its strong platelet inactivating abilities so 10-14 days is recommended when switching to Carprofen from Aspirin. Allow at least one week between Prednisone and Carprofen." from: www.marvistavet.com/html/rimadyl.html" If Charley is not on a stomach protectant, I would immediately request Sucralfate from your vet, and also ask if you can give 5 mg of Pepcid AC 30 minutes before each dose of prednisolone. As Linda said, it is always good to have a specialist (Board Certified neurologist or orthopedist) evaluate your dog. Please let us know how that goes, and what treatment (conservative or surgery) you and the specialist decide upon. There are no guarantees with either surgery or conservative treatment. The difference between the two is that surgery immediately removes the offending disc material from the spinal cord, while conservative treatment takes 8 weeks of strict crate rest for the disc to heal. Post-op swelling takes about two weeks to go down and then you have a better idea of what kind of recovery your dog will have. Getting the surgery done while the dog still has deep pain sensation, or within 24 hours of the loss of deep pain sensation, seems to increase the odds of a walking recovery. Post-op care requires 6 weeks of crate rest, but the crate rest is more lenient. The dog is allowed out for potty breaks and whatever physical therapy the surgeon recommends. If your dog remains paralyzed, you simply order a cart and they have a great quality of life. Carts are not ordered until about 8 to 10 weeks after the disc episode, because some dogs take much longer to heal than others. Some dogs stand up a week into treatment or after surgery, and others, like my dog Goosie, take much longer. It took my dog 11 months after his surgery to walk again. The best carts, in my opinion, are from Eddie's Wheels. Again though, carts should not be considered during crate rest. If finances are an issue, consider applying for Care Credit. They offer no interest or low interest financing for veterinary costs. You can apply online and be approved the same day! Here’s the link: www.carecredit.com/faqs.html. Acupuncture and laser light therapy are excellent complementary treatments for IVDD, either after surgery or during conservative treatment. The best way for you to help Charley is by learning about his disease. Here is a brief tutorial on IVDD: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/IVDDcourse/index.html . If a dvd is more your style, we have an excellent one available for only $3 including shipping. It's great to have on hand to show to family/friends/petsitters so they will know what they can and cannot do with your dog and how they can help: www.dodgerslist.com/store/DVDorder.htm We look forward to hearing how the visit with the specialist goes. Best wishes, ~Lisa |
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