Jessica's Holly 3/28ish? conservative

Jessica, we are happy you are here! To expedite getting things right for your dog, we have lots of good tips and ideas to share with you. Our long term hope is that you will take on the duties of self education to be able to understand the IVDD enemy and take an active roll in working with the vet, be an integral part of making decisions based on your readings. I hope as quickly as time permits, you will begin to devour each of the articles in our Disc Disease 101 area. Holly is going to be dependent on your abilities.
www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm

-- What was the date you saw the vet and 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for this current disc episode? Just so we are on the same page that means:  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.The purpose of crate rest  is to act as a cast of sorts to let the disc heal… only limited movement  of STRICT crate rest allows that to happen…there are no meds to heal a disc. Immediate neuro improvement may or may not come during the 8 weeks of crate rest… as nerves may take more than 8 weeks to heal.

-- Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy? If yes, then pain meds are have not yet been adjusted to meet Holly's needs.

-- How much does your dog weigh? What are the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mg's and frequencies?
      ★ Has there been a recent change in the dose of pred, how often it is given, what was the date on that?
      ★Anti-inflammatories can increase GI tract damage. Phrase the question to your vet this particular way:" Is there a medical/health reason my dog may not take Pepcid?" If there is no reason, we follow vets who are proactive in stomach protection by giving doxies 5mg Pepcid (famotidine) 30 minutes before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours. We ask that all members read about each med their dog is on or may take as a safety measure. This directory very good for learning about each of your dog's meds:
www.marvistavet.com/html/pharmacy_center.htm

-- Eating and drinking OK? How are poops today- normal color and firmness, no dark or bright red blood?

-- Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you do some happy talk? The very, very lightest least aggressive range of motion and leg massage is necessary for paralyzed legs during conservative treatment. The information highlighted in PINK pertains to a dog who can't walk once off all pain meds and no more signs of pain.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm

-- Do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted up? The only way for us humans to know if there is bladder control is with the sniff and pee test. Carry outdoors, set on an old pee spot to sniff it. See if urine is then released. Make sure the sling or your hands are not on the tummy area as that can press on the bladder. If urine comes out after sniffing, bladder control is returning. You should do a quick express check to verify there is full voiding until you are certain it is consistently happening. When bladder control returns, it can be more difficult to express.   Let us know what you observe.

-- If there is pain or neuro diminishment, dogs can benefit greatly with acupuncture or laser light therapy. These therapies can be be started right away to help relieve pain and to also to kick start energy production in nerve cells to sprout. So if this therapy is in your budget, seek out a holistic vet.
ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html
www.serenityvetacupuncture.com/index.php/faq_/ [one vet's overview/prices] Chiropractic is not recommended for IVDD dogs.

Jessica not wanting to move, not wanting to lie down can be a sign of pain. On the taper of pred is the time to be particularly observant for any hint of pain surfacing. So do you see any other confirming signs in addition to hardly every lying down such as shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, slow to move, tight tense tummy, head held high or nose to the ground, not normal perky self?

Are you reporting that her legs are now more wobbly? Or are you saying neuro functions have increased so that now she is wobbly walking?

Do you now have Pepcid AC (famotidine) on board to protect the GI tract?

There could be several reasons for loss of voice. Too much barking is one. We have had other reports of loss of voice with a disc episode, not common but it apparently can does happen. One neurosurgeon explained it this way.

There is a big giant nerve called the Vagus (red line in image) that runs right alongside the throat and down into the chest.  It is more common with cervical discs, but loss of voice does happen with a back disc. The voice is said to have returned. Just to be on the safe side do mention to your vet as upper respiratory infections can also happen and prednisone is a med that reduces the body's ability to fight infections.

Hi Jessica,

So sorry to hear of Holly's disc episode.. Have you seen any of the signs of pain that Paula mentioned in her reply to you?   Disc ruptures are extremely painful and dogs have a tendency to be stoic, which means they hide being in pain.. it's an instinct dogs have to not appear weak to other members of the pack.. I noticed she isn't on any pain medication.  Prednisone is an anti inflammatory that is being used to take down the swelling that is causing the pain..  Getting the swelling down can take from a week or two and in some dogs more like a month.. In the meantime they need relief from pain.. Pain slows down healing..

Also if she is in pain it means the swelling hasn't gone down and she should go back up to the twice a day dose of Prednisone.. The taper can be started again later when the Vet thinks the swelling might have gone down..  Please discuss with your Vet..

"The swollen, herniated disc puts pressure on the spinal cord and other nerve fibers in the area. This is painful and the pressure on the spinal cord prevents nerve impulses from passing between the brain and the rear part of the body. The animal may be unable to walk or control its colon or bladder. Severe damage to the spinal cord can lead to total paralysis." Quoted from Drs. Foster & Smith Pet Education.

What to expect during pain healing

1. PAIN control happens in approximately an hour when a prescription is customized to your dog for the dose, the frequency and combination of pain meds. There is no one-size-fits-all pain relief.

Make sure the medications are fully controlling pain from dose to dose with no break through in pain. Continued feedback to your vet is vitally important until the pain medications have been properly adjusted for your dog.

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, holding leg up flamingo style...not wanting to bear weight on the leg, just not their usual perky-interested-in-life self.

These are some of the more typical pain medications used to treat IVDD:

Tramadol as the general pain reliever. It has a short half life of 1.7 hours and may need to be prescribed at a minimum of every 8 hours.
Methocarbamol treats muscle spasms stemming from aggravated muscles due to nerve trauma related to the spinal cord inflammation.
Gabapentin may be added to the mix for hard to control pain. Veterinarians are finding this medication works very well in combination with Tramadol.

Prescription of an anti-inflammatory such as a steroid, Prednisone,  should be accompanied by a stomach protector such as Pepcid AC (Famotidine) to avoid serious gastrointestinal damage. For some dogs Pepcid AC needs to be accompanied with yet another protector, Sucralfate, when there are signs of GI problems of diarrhea, vomit, bloody stools.

Once pain is under control she will be able to comfortably lay down and rest in comfort.. Sending healing prayers Holly's way..

Jessica by electing to do water therapy before the full 8 weeks it takes the disc to heal, means you place more importance on muscles. You feel there is no need to protect the delicate spinal cord should the early healing and still weak scar tissue on the disc tear with too much movement.

Here at Dodgerslist are very strong on taking every measure possible to protect the spinal cord. Once the spinal cord would be damaged to a severe state there will be no chance of nerve healing, Holly will have been sentenced to be paralyzed for life. On the other hand muscles will always bulk up again when it is safe to to resume physical activity once 8 weeks of 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty for a full 8 weeks …. 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.

The only realistic way to protect our IVDD dogs from those who do not know IVDD and suggest well meaning treatments that are in reality harmful is for us to be well read, to know the disease our dog has. Our entire core of readings on IVDD is available for just the time it takes to read. www.dodgerslist.com/literature.htm

So our motto at Dodgerslist is to never give up hope for nerves to regenerate enough to heal by protecting them during the disc's healing stage of 8 weeks.. Holly's graduation day will be May 23. Hope you will reconsider doing the full 8 weeks of rest.