Dot's Dudley 6/14 Conservative

I don't know if starting the meds was right or wrong, but I probably would have done the same thing in your situation.    I hope your able to get him into the vet first thing tomorrow. Just remember not to give Rimadyl with the steroid. 

Thanks for the quick reply!! Got him crated and next to my bed on an ottoman. Hopefully I can get the Vet on the phone in the morning and see what they say about his prednsione and whether he should just stay on them at this point since he did well on them the last time. I only gave him 1 dose. For now he still has bladder control, wags his tail, can stand but doesnt want to move much. Doesn't seem to be any knuckling so those are good signs. I'm just glad I was paying diligent attention and hopefully caught it early enough! Thank God I had the dodgerslist flyer on my fridge to confirm the signs!

I called Dudley's Neurologist this morning and got an appointment for him Monday morning at 11:30 am. She gave me the ok to administer his Tramadol, Pepcid and Prednsione . Prednisone 5 mg ... 1/2 tablet every 12 hours, Pepcid AC 10 mg at 1/4 tablet once daily and Tramadol 50mg 1/4 tablet every 6 -8 hours through weekend along with his crate rest. I work tonight from 3-10pm so I've already made him charts for his meds and have it timed for his last dose for today when I arrive home from work. Prayers are very welcomed and appreciated. We hate seeing him go through this again I'm just so thankful that this time around he's not dragging his back legs and can still stand. He's squatting to pee and hasn't popped yet today but I will try to get him to go again in a few.

Thanks Paula... I added his vets last year to that link:) I'm going to pick him up some chicken breast, sweet potatoes and some cans of Wellness. I do remember last time it messed up his appetite and he would refuse to eat at times when he needed food with his meds. I will be prepared this time!! I also remember the thirst and high volume pees and tons of washing his bedding. I guess this is the only good thing of his relapse... Almost made a full year but I remember everything like yesterday!

ok Paula...I added his specialist info. I do remember to take him out every couple hours which is not a problem for us...we have 3all together and have always let them out every 2 -4hours when we are home anyways. We have a fenced in yard and find that letting them out often prevents accidents in the house....we have been carrying Dudley to his potty spot then afterwards we pick him up and place him back in his crate.Last year the longest Dudley could go while on the Pred was 2 hours max or I was changing out his bedding. Still no poop yet today...I don't think its because hes constipated at this point but because his meds haven't kicked in yet. I have faith he will poop eventually so Im not going to panic yet. I may boil him some soft carrots since its all I have right now to help soften his poop

good news on the poop! For the panting you can place a fan near his crate but not pointed at him…to give some air circulation and make him more comfortable.

If no one can come home to give him potty breaks, can you put a pee pad in part of his crate so he does not have to sit in wetness?

Having a good morning with Dudley so far. Hubby took him out potty again and got pee and poop so we are doing well in that dept. I find that his appetite is getting weird again... Doesn't want his kibble... He wants the good stuff like steak and salmon! Lol! I've had to outsmart him some here... I take his kibble and soak it in hot water, add some veggies and a little chicken broth and blend in my Ninja. He's been eating it so I guess he likes it! I wanted to make sure he's getting extra fluids and his diet is complete this way. Maybe this idea can help someone else? Going to get some pumpkin today to add to it too.

Ask your Vet if anything found on a radiograph would change your treatment plan. If the answer is no, then skip the xray, and you can put your money into other treatments like accupuncture or laser therapy if it is in your budget. Sometimes a radiograph will confirm IVDD, sometimes not. If the treatment will be the same regardless of what may be seen on xray you can save your money - the xray would only be to satisfy curiosity. ("curiosity" doesn't sound right, but you get what I mean ) Keeping you in thought and prayer

Hi Dot, I agree with Maureen. If your vet (is this a specialist ?) can't give you a very good reason or why he might suspect something other then IVDD, I would skip that x-ray.

Yes, specialists like to do surgery. That is what they do and most do consider IVDD a surgical disease. Not all do, however, and we are finding more and more who will treat conservatively. Sometimes you have to be very direct and let them know that is what you want to do and ask them to help you do so. Most will but there are some still out there who still just want to do surgery. Like everything else, sometimes we have to look around to get what we want.

Love your attitude Dot.

Just got back from Dudley's neuro appointment. The Dr. Was able to confirm he is having a mild disk herniation without X-rays of course as expected they tried to sell us more X-rays and surgery option again but we declined. They weren't able to tell if its the same disc or a new one so they are guessing its T3 -L3. Treatment is the same regardless. They did mention since his last visit he's lost about 1lb......I told them that that's normal for him in the 10 yrs we've had him... He always fluctuates between 7 and 8 lbs... He's weighing around 7lbs as of this morning. Since he lost some weight they went ahead and lowered his prednisone to 2.5 mg 1/2 tablet every 12 hours for 7 days then 1/2 tablet every 24 hours for 7 days, 1/2 tablet every other day for 14 days then STOP
Tramadol was adjusted to every 6 hours instead of 8hours @ 50 mg 1/4 tablet
Pepcid AC 10 mg 1/4 tablet once daily
They also mentioned when they did his exam he didn't yelp when they pressed on his back however it is still arched and he did make slight noises that he was uncomfortable with handling him in general.
They also ordered only 4- 6 weeks crate rest ( but were still going to do the full 8 weeks because we know better!) he's been pooping and peeing every time we take him out so that's also a plus! Thank goodness we caught his relapse early and we retained all of our knowledge from the last time!!overall visit went as well as expected!! We go back for a recheck in 2 weeks...

I don't understand your question Paula....
I'm aware to keep a close eye on him during his taper. She adjusted the amount of Pred because he lost 1 lb. and according to the weight chart .she didn't really increase the frequency of the Tramadol... It was to be given every 6- 8 hours originally but told me to go ahead and just do every 6 hours since his herniation is fresh.

Gotcha yes I remember to taper on the tramadol too the same time as the Pred taper. I think the confusion was the way the question was asked..... Was difficult to comprehend. Thanks

Can someone refresh my memory.... How long does the arched back stick around?? Dudley's back is still arched/ hunched outside on potty breaks and I can't remember how long he had it last time. Does this mean his inflammation/ pain is not resolved? He doesn't seem to be in pain however I think his hunched back means he still does ... Thanks