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Post by Kim's Oreo on Jul 17, 2014 6:16:41 GMT -7
Hello,
Oreo is a 9 year old French bulldog. Her problem started last Friday. I took her for her normal walk when i got home from work. When we got inside, she started to walk very slowly and had a hard time laying down. I noticed her neck and shoulders shaking. We took her to the emergency vet; they could not iillicit pain. Saturday, had a follow-up at our vet - same thing. On Monday, we took her back in. Our vet suspects ivdd in her neck (buldging disc$ Please forgive me if I do not have all info as i am on my phone.
The vet prescribed tramadol and methocarbonol. I believe the tramadol is 3xs a day and same as the methocarbonal. I will look at the bottle when I get home. My husband actually gives it to her. We have her on crate rest. We let her out to eat, pee and poop. The trembling is slowly starting to go away and she can lay comfortably now. She yelps only if she tries to stretch. My husband notices she does not like to walk much in the morning. In the afternoon and at night when we take her out, she does much better. She pees and pops ok, and eats fine.
This has been extremely hard on us. I just want to see her get better. She looks so sad.
Thank you, Kim
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Post by Jean & Mimi on Jul 17, 2014 7:18:14 GMT -7
Hi and welcome to Dodgerslist! We are so happy that you found us My name is Jean, what's yours? The first you need to know is that it IS in the cards for OREO to get back to enjoying life after recovering. 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. Are you ready? Here's the link www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htmAdd this comprehensive "must-have" $3 DVD on IVDD to your arsenal of educational resources. Friends, family and those who will be caring for your dog should also watch this DVD www.dodgerslist.com/store/DVDorder.htm Tape this flyer to your fridge so the whole family knows what things are emergencies: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/FridgeInfo81907.pdfIn order to help you more, could you please answer these questions? I tried to fill in what you already provided. ☐ What is your dog's name? Your name, too. Oreo
☐ What breed is your dog and did you specifically get a diagnosis of IVDD, aka: a disc problem, a disc herniation, a bulging disc, slipped disc? French Bulldog, doctor suspects IVDD 7/12.☐ What was the date you saw the vet and started the all important 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty for this current disc episode? …. STRICT 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)? You say he is on crate rest, but please provide the date. Also, Oreo should only be allowed out of his crate to potty. He should be eating inside his crate as well. When he is taken out to potty, he should only be allowed minimal steps to get the job done, no wandering of sniff-fests for the perfect place to pee. You could use a fenced in area to help give him a visual of how far he is allowed to walk. This photo might help.
☐ Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant to move much or slow to move, tight tense tummy? You indicate that there are still signs of pain, specifically when he tries to stretch or in the am.☐ How much does your dog weigh? List the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mg's and times per day given? What was the start dose if a steroid, date of taper? Please include the all important stomach protector such as Pepcid AC. Phrase the question to your vet this particular way:" Is there a medical/health reason for my dog 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. Tramadol: /3x per day Methocarbamol:
I don't see that there is any anti-inflammatory on board. Can you please check on this? Typically we see vets either prescribe an NSAID or Steroid to help reduce the inflamation of the disk. If there is no anti-inflammatory on board, please discuss this with your vet as soon as possible. It will help reduce the swelling which will aid in pain reduction and allow healing to take place. Here is link to better understand swelling and the treatment options: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsweling.htm☐ Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you do some happy talk? ☐ Can your dog specifically sniff and squat and then release urine or do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted up? I believe Oreo is ok with urination.☐ Eating and drinking OK? Poops OK - normal firmness & color -no dark or bright red blood? ☐ 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. With your vets diagnosis of problems with a neck disk, it is important that her recover suite be set up properly. Unfortunately, neck disc episodes can be much more painful than back disc episodes. Here is a helpful link to setting up a great recover suite and one for additional tips on dealing with a cervical episode. Recovery Suite - www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htmCervical Tips - www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cervical.htm#painWe look forward to your responses so we can better assist you. (((HUGS))) to both you and Oreo and I hope he is resting comfortably
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Post by Kim's Oreo on Jul 17, 2014 20:16:57 GMT -7
My name is Kim, and we live in Hampton, VA OreoFrench Bulldog, doctor suspects IVDD 7/12. We started strict crate rest Tuesday, 7/15 She has a tense tummy when we pick her up to take her outside Weighs 23 lbs i believe. I will have to pull her paperwork. She was prescribed the following: 23 lbs Robaxin V - 1/2 to 1 tablet twice daily - husband is giving 1 twice daily Tramadol - 1/2 to 1 tablet twice daily - husband is giving 1 twice daily Pepcid AC 5mg 2x/day I called the vet and asked about an ant-inflamatory. I will have you know, that she was on rimadyl this past week before she got worse It did not seem to help. Which is why the vet prescribed the other two. I also asked the vet about pepcid, and she said she can be given 5m twice daily. She walks very gingerly/stiff in the AM. In the PM, she walks better. She is a Frenchie, so she does not have a tail to wag, but it does "move". Her ears also perked up this evening. I believe Oreo is ok with urination. She squats as well. Poop normal; no blood or dark blood Update: My husband and I went out tonight, 7/17, for about 4 hours or so. When we came home, Guinness, our other Frenchie barked when he heard us. I heard Oreo yelping... We let her out to make sure she was ok. She was trembling once again. My husband gave her her last dose of meds for the night and she calmed down. Is it possible when Guinness barked, it agitated her and she got up to quickly (she is in her crate, on crate rest except to go pee/poop)? This really scared us both We both were crying. Tomorrow, my husband is going to call the vet for an update. I am to the point where I want a referral to a neurologist TOMORROW and for her to be seen tomorrow, if it means screaming and yelling at someone.
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Post by Pauliana on Jul 17, 2014 21:41:48 GMT -7
My name is Pauliana, what is your name? We are a friendly group and go by first names.. So sorry to hear about Oreo's cervical disc episode, they can be so painful. First of all, Tramadol has an exceptionally short half-life in the dog (1.7 hours) making it pretty useless unless it is given at least three times a day. It is not a good choice as the “sole source of pain meds”. It is quite good when it is used alongside an NSAID or in conjunction with gabapentin and also Methocarbamol (Robaxin) Speak with your vet about the dosage given 3 times a day or every 8 hours. It's much harder to get pain under control with the neck discs because the head/neck moves every time the dog moves, and it doesn't get the rest, so pain management has to be more aggressive. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpain.htmHere is some tips for caring for Orea during her cervical disc episode: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cervical.htmRimadyl is an anti inflammatory and it can take from 7 days to 2 weeks and in some dogs more like 30 days to get the swelling down..Once the swelling is down, then the pain goes away.. Rimadyl has some pain relieving properties but it's main job is to take down swelling. It wouldn't be likely to provide enough pain relief on it's own and that's why it didn't seem to help..It's important for her to be on an anti inflammatory because the swelling presses on the nerves and causes nerve damage and loss of function.. Once the swelling is down, then other pain medications can be stopped also.. Swelling=Pain. Then continue crate rest for the remainder of the 8 weeks. I think it is a very good idea to take her to a Neurologist and have him go over her medications and treatment plan. Here is an article about how to find and choose an IVDD Vet. It also has a search feature to find a Vet in your area: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/VetchkList.htmI know how upsetting it is to watch your Orea go through this.. You are her best advocate, it's a matter of finding the right vet to support you in caring for her.. Sending you comforting thoughts and prayers.
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Post by Kim's Oreo on Jul 18, 2014 13:07:03 GMT -7
Oreo goes in for an MRI on Monday. The specialist saw something on her xray.. She said it could possibly be a mass, infection, inflamation or disc disease. Or, simply a disc. She also prescribed previcox once a day and EFA in addition to her other meds that I posted.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 18, 2014 14:37:48 GMT -7
We'll be anxious to learn what the specialist diagnoses with the aid of the MRI.
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Post by Kim's Oreo on Jul 18, 2014 15:08:16 GMT -7
Has anyone else on here had the same where the vet saw an abnormality? They said is near the C-6 vertebrae.
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Post by Pauliana on Jul 18, 2014 20:20:26 GMT -7
Hi Kim, My Tyler didn't have an Xray, his vet opted for a CT scan and then he went right into surgery. The results of spinal radiographs can sometimes be misleading. The normal disc, and most degenerating discs, are invisible (as are the spinal cord and nerve roots) on plain x-rays. Only if the disc has calcified will it be evident on plain x-rays. Thus it is common for a disc to displace and produce no radiographic clue as to its precise location. Moreover, remember that disc calcification is common, even in degenerating discs that have not displaced (i.e. are asymptomatic). This combination can lead to an incorrect identification of the disc causing problems. It takes a practiced eye to read through the subtleties and artifacts on a spinal x-ray, and even then the exact diagnosis may be in doubt. Furthermore, obtaining good quality spinal x-rays requires the patient to be completely immobilized, and this usually means employing a general anesthetic. vetspecialistsofrochester.com/pdf/UnderstandingIntervertebralDiscDiseaseInDogs.pdf#zoom=100 Section on “Diagnosis of IVD Disease” tells what x-rays show and what they don’t and what they are used for. Will be waiting to hear Oreo's MRI results, and keeping positive thoughts and prayers for her..
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Post by Sara & Reggie on Jul 19, 2014 15:05:16 GMT -7
Kim,
I don't have any helpful advice but just wanted to commiserate with you that the first week can be so tough and my dog's cervical bulging disk was so painful for him. We thought the yelping (really sounded more like screaming) was the most upsetting sound. We didn't sleep for days until the pain meds were right, we saw the neurologist and he switched to a stronger anti-inflammatory steroid, and both of those started kicking in.
Hang in there! It does get (a little) better once they stop sounding so in pain. At 7 weeks through crate rest, my dog now just cries and whines because he is bored and wants out! (While so annoying, a much better thing to deal with than pain.)
Just wanted to say - I've been there!
Sara
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Post by Kim's Oreo on Jul 22, 2014 16:06:16 GMT -7
Update on "baby girl" Oreo: She had her MRI done yesterday. The vet called a little while ago, and said it is a disc problem. So, Oreo has to stay crated for a month and then she goes back for a check up. The vet wants her on the Previcox for the next 7 days. She said we can discontinue the tramadol and methocarbonol, since she is acting her normal self. I believe she is going to giver her the gaba(??). The vet said she believes it can heal on its own and not have surgery! I cannot tell you how relieved I am. She started acting like herself on Friday evening.. She is laughing again and giving kisses.
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