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Post by honey0731 on Jul 10, 2014 17:36:17 GMT -7
Hello,
I have a 12 year old male mini dachshund weighs 15lbs that hurt his back 8 days ago which would have been 6/22/14 and could hardly walk with his rear legs mostly his right rear leg he would just kind of drag it and his back was arched and real wobbly when he walked. He was taken to the Vet on 6/23/14.
The Vet put him on
as of 6/23:
15lbs
prednisone (now stopped) for 6 days 1/2 tablet 2 times a day not sure of the size dose because it ended yesterday and thru it away.
Tramadol (now at night or as needed) 50 mg 1/2 tablet 2 times a day for three more days for a total of 10 days.
Methocarbamol (now stopped) 500mg 1/4 tablet 2 times a day for three more days for a total of 10 days.
Enalapril as of 7/9 once a day
The vet also said 2 weeks of crate rest. Today was the first week of strict crate rest and he is about 40% better than he was and is not in pain he is walking better and wagging his tail and is starting to lift his right leg to pee and does the little burn outs when he poops and his poop is normal as well as his appetite.
My question is can he recover 100% and should we keep him on the crate rest for the 8 weeks even if he seems better. I think this problem has been brewing for about a year now because he would have a day now and the where you could tell he hurt his back but the next day he would be alright.
He is to see the vet again in a week which would be 7/09/14
Update:
We went to the vet on 07/09/14 and they gave him an X-ray it showed he has advanced spondylosis or boney lesion on L-6-7 and some ambulation problems. It also showed he had lots of gas in intestines He is still taking Tramadol at night or as needed and started taking Enalapril once a day.
He is still wobbly when walking and they did not say anything about more crate rest which he has been on for 2 1/2 weeks now.
Should we continue the 8 weeks of crate rest?
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Post by Kari & Bella on Jul 10, 2014 18:50:44 GMT -7
One of the moderators will reply shortly with more detailed information but I wanted to give you my opinion. I just successfully completed my 8 weeks crate rest and I would absolutely suggest continuing with crate rest until you feel your dog is 100% better or as my vet puts it "the best they are gonna get". My Bella was walking after about 3 weeks into crate rest but I read a few cautionary tales on here of people not being strict with crate rest and their dogs having a relapse. In my opinion.... Better safe than sorry :-) good luck to both of you!
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,586
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 10, 2014 19:13:10 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist. My name is Paula what is yours? What is your dog's? Our only area of expertise we feel we have good information to share with you is the disease: intervertebral disc disease. So our care comments can only be limited to IVDD. It would be a good idea to not only read up on IVDD but also spondylosis. Spondylosis Deformans would likely have a different treatment than a disc than has torn due to prematurely aging discs of IVDD. A disc episode requires 8 weeks of 100% STRICT rest to let the disc itself form good secure scar tissue. Meds with IVDD are to get the swelling down in the spinal cord and give comfort from pain. Spondylosis is a disease of bony spurs forming along the vertebrae. These spurs may form a bridge from one vertebrae to another. The boney spurs might press on nerves roots coming off the main spinal cord and be painful and cause nerve damage such as wobbly walking. Is that what your vet is diagnosing? Meds used with Spondylosis would give relieve from pain and swelling of a nerve pinched by the bony spur. Often NSAIDs and maybe pain meds are used to live with spondylosis. With a disc episode meds are used only until all the painful swelling is resolved in 7-30 days and then there is no need of them. More on Spondylosis Deformans www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/spondylosis-deformans-in-dogs/2141Quick overview of a disc episode: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htmUntil you know you are not dealing with a disc episode on 6/23, you must continue 100% STRICT crate rest. Too much movement before a disc heals in 8 weeks, is what will cause a retear, pain and possible potential for permanent nerve loss (bladder, legs). Nerve healing is a separate healing phase from the priority of getting the disc healed with a disc episode. You may wish to consult with a specialist to rule out spondylosis. Xrays would not show bone pressure to a nerve root, but a vet might suspicion it. Xrays show hard tissue such as bone best and not soft tissue such as discs, nerves, spinal cord. You will want to read up on Enalapril and be "in the know" about which drugs should not be used at the same time. There are two classes of anti-inflammatories steroids and NSAIDs, that should never be used in close proximity to each other. Also read about Enalapril use either with NSAIDs and steroids. |
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Post by honey0731 on Jul 10, 2014 19:44:53 GMT -7
It was pretty cut and dry on the X-rays that there was bone spurs on L-6-7 and at a different angle on the X-ray there was definitely a build up of bone on the left side of his spine at L-6-7. There was also a shrinking of the space between the vertebrae in the lower part of his spine.
The Vet even said that this is unusual in dachshunds and usually happens in larger dogs such as Labs.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,586
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 10, 2014 19:51:33 GMT -7
Is your name Honey? What is your dog's name.
The narrowing on the xray could be something your vet might suspicion for a disc episode. Not proove it because xrays do not show the detail of soft tissue.
So the question still remains is the pain caused by a disc that has torn and now does not fill the space between the vertebrae, so that the space looks narrow on the xray OR is the pain caused by bony spurs maybe pressing on the nerve roots?
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