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Post by Mom to Louie on Jul 3, 2013 7:06:11 GMT -7
Hello - I am new to this site but I have found it very encouraging that so many have stories of full recovery.
Louie is our 8 year old Beagle, up until last Friday he was in great shape physically; he is very strong and has never been over weight. Friday June 28 Louie woke up (I have to admit he sleeps on the bed and jumps up and down from it) came downstairs and was his normal self. At about 10:00a I noticed he was having a hard time standing and walking, I thought he maybe had a pulled muscle never that he was on his way to being paralyzed. I called the vet and he was sleeping not moving much at during the day, not complaining. By the time I took him in the early afternoon he was in a lot of pain and could not hold himself up. She immediately told me that he needed surgery, we drove right to the Animal Hospital and he was taken into the ICU. The Dr. came and told me that he had Degenerative Disc Disease and that his best chance for recovery would be an MRI to confirm and immediate surgery totally over $6000. As much as it breaks my heart we just don't have the means for the surgery so we have opted for the strict rest option which they told me he had a 50% chance of recovery.
He is in a crate 24/7 except for bathroom in which we use a figure 8 sling to assist, he is on Prednisone, Pepcid and Tramadol. He currently still has deep pain and is able to urinate and defecate on his own. He can hold himself up for a very short time but is still extremely wobbly. He did have an accident last night but he has been drinking more water than usual, which the Dr. said was normal.
He is going to for a follow up to his vet Friday 7/5 but she has not been very opened minded to the fact that we chose not to do the surgery she just said last time he was in that he was not any better.
What signs should I be looking for that he is improving? Also, how long into the rest period should we expect to start seeing improvement if he is going to?
Thank you for your site.
Jessica
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,610
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 3, 2013 14:33:26 GMT -7
Jessica, welcome to Dodgerslist. We are glad you are here. Don't have a broken heart…. it is quite possible for Louie to heal just fine with conservative treatment since he still has bladder control. The key to a good recovery will be your ability to get up to speed on the disease, the care and the meds. This enables you to take charge, be wary of advice that can harm Louis and advocate for the treatment he does need and what to expect time wise for each of the 4 levels of healing ("improvement"). Please start your education here: www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htmCan you fill us in on these details so we can better support you: -- 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? 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. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm-- Eating and drinking OK? -- Poops OK - normal color, firmness no dark or bright red blood? |
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StevieLuv
Helpful Member 
Conservative Treatment 3x. It really does work!
Posts: 1,335 
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Post by StevieLuv on Jul 3, 2013 16:16:16 GMT -7
Hi Jessica, my name is Maureen. Conservative treatment is a perfectly reasonable treatment option and no-one can give you only 50% odds of getting better - not even a surgeon knows how things will turn out. When you get a moment from all of your reading take a look in the updates section, success after success both surgical AND conservative. So take heart, we are all here for you! Keeping you in thought and prayer  |
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Post by Mom to Louie on Jul 5, 2013 6:05:53 GMT -7
Hi and thank you for responding.
We are taking Louie to a different vet today to check his progress. But I have a good feeling, he has been a little more up beat and is seems to have much more control over his hind legs and has very little dragging. He will still sometimes knuckle his paw but can immediately flip it back.
To answer your questions below:
Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy? No - he actually does not seem to be in much pain although he does seem very tired after we go outside for a bathroom break.
-- What are the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mgs and frequencies? I will have to check the exact dosage when I am home but has been our plan for Meds is - prednisone twice a day for 5 days, then once a day for 5 days, then once every other day for 5 treatments. Also with Tramadol every 12 hours. We do also give him Pepcid with his Prednisone. As of yesterday we began ▼decreasing his Prednisone.
-- Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you do some happy talk? He is actually walking much better a little less wobbly and seems to have a little more control over his legs. We are still using the harness and a leash when taking him outside.
-- Eating and drinking OK? He is drinking plenty. At first he was not eating as well but in the past couple of days his appetite has gotten much better.
-- Poops OK - normal color, firmness no dark or bright red blood? His poop seems just fine at first it was a little runny but now has firmed up and seems like a normal amount and color.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,610
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 5, 2013 9:37:36 GMT -7
Jessica, Louie is a very good candidate to recover under conservative treatment as his symptoms are mild. On the taper is the time to be observant and assess for any hint of pain surfacing again.
Often it takes being at the anti-inflamamtory dose of prednisone ( 2x/day) for 1-2 weeks or even for some dogs more like a month before all the swelling is gone. It is prudent of a vet to try one course at 2x a day before tapering. Pred carries sides effects so you do not want to use it any longer than necessary. On the taper the dose is lowered to less than the anti-flammatory dose and that is the time to assess just how well reduction of swelling is going by observing for pain.
Rule of thumb is:
pain = swelling = more time on Pred needed.
If there is no pain on the taper then it goes to completion. Then no meds at all are needed any longer. To have a clear picture on a taper, pain meds are also stopped or back off too.
We hope to hear the taper goes smoothly without any signs of pain reappearing. Do keep your vet in the loop about pain and with the weekend coming up, have a plan B worked up with your vet on what to do if pain surfaces. ER vets are expensive, best to know what action to take until Monday if things do not go as planned with the taper.
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