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Post by lorencazan on Jul 24, 2013 11:20:43 GMT -7
My Chihuahua/Doxie mix went down in February. He had surgery 2/28, and at that point had no DPS, no movement, and no bowel/bladder control. He has since regained all of the above, but walks funny and his feet knuckle over. I had him in at the vet on Friday and they told me he has 3 bulging cervical discs and calcified discs in his back. Is there anything I can do to treat the cervical bulging discs? My vet really didn't say anything on it. Should he be on steroids? Crate rest? What can I do? I am at a bit of a loss. Thanks for your help.
from facebook: I have a 3.5 year old male doxie/chi mix who went down in february. He had surgery and is walking again, just not super well. He went back to his neurologist Friday and I got some information and just don't know how to proceed as not a lot of clarity was given. I found that he also has three bulging cervical discs and calcified back discs. What do these bulging disks mean? Does that mean theyre going to get worse and eventually put pressure on the spinal cord? Does this mean he should be put on crate rest and steroids? What can I do? I am at a loss. Thanks for your help.
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 24, 2013 12:10:13 GMT -7
Loren, welcome to Dodgerslist.
Was the reason for the Friday visit for a new symptom…pain? Shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy, holding leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight, holding his head high or nose to the ground? Is the wobbly walk and the knuckling just in the last day or so…something new.
Were any meds at all prescribed on Friday? What are their exact names, dose in mg's and frequency to give them.
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Post by lorencazan on Jul 24, 2013 12:14:58 GMT -7
Hi Paula,
The reason for his visit was to see what restrictions I should still have in place, or what I should lift. Can I let him swim? Run around? I wanted to check in and check up with the rehab doctor there to see if there was anything else I could be doing at home. He is showing no pain, and they did not send him home with any medications. The bulging cervical discs were mentioned during the visit but nothing more was said on them. After I left I began to grow more concerned as I thought about it...
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 24, 2013 12:47:49 GMT -7
The answer is YES, YES and YES! He had surgery in Feb, did his crate rest and after that 6 weeks of post-op crate rest should have been put on a program of gradual reintroduction back to physical activity. What was the PT? Swimming is a wonderful exercise..make sure he has a life vest. Running as long as it is is not with abrupt stops and zigging and zagging is good to strengthen the core trunk muscles which support the vertebrae. Are you doing water therapy at home so he can practice placing his feet right. The lower the water level the more challenge to his muscles… you can read more about that here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htmWho took the xrays to know about the bulging discs, the calcified discs…when was that xray taken? Or was it an MRI? More on calcified discs and what they mean: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CalcifiedDiscs.htm |
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Post by lorencazan on Jul 24, 2013 12:57:08 GMT -7
Hi Paula,
The PT that was prescribed was three leg stands, walking over poles, sit to stand on an unstable surface, etc. When I met with them they basically told me that because of the calcified discs and the three bulging disks in his neck, he can't run, can't play, can't play with his sister or his toys, no tug of war, no fetch, no running outside... They were unsure about swimming at first but said it would be okay with a vest and a snood to keep water out of his ears so he doesn't do shaking which could aggravate the discs. My mother lives on a lake and he grew up with a love for water and swimming. He LOVES it. I'll read about the water therapy. They told me the only water therapy that could be done would be at their facility, which comes at a whopping $85 per week, and is an hour and a half drive for me...I just can't afford it, especially after the incident putting me into about 8k of debt...oh the things we do for our furry babies.
Dr. Wolf at Animal Neurology and MRI Centers in Commerce, MI performed the decompression surgery as well as did the MRI, which is what showed the bulging and calcified discs.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 25, 2013 9:30:38 GMT -7
Did Dr. Wolf's surgery include fenestration the adjacent discs to hopefully prevent them from a future problem? Was the surgery in the neck or the back? Dr. Wolf wrote the article for us on rehab: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/rehab.htm |
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Post by lorencazan on Jul 26, 2013 4:44:48 GMT -7
I reached out to the vets office via email asking them this question. Also - this was in a previous email: "I spoke with Dr. Wolf, and he said that there are multiple, chronic appearing, degenerative cervical discs. There is nothing to do to make them go away. He said they may never change over his lifetime." I find it hard to believe there is nothing I can do to help this?  Thanks, Loren I wish I knew exactly what that meant.... |
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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 26, 2013 12:02:26 GMT -7
Hi, my name is Maureen. My Stevie has 8 other troubleosme discs in addition to the one that caused her IVDD episode. After taliking to the Vets (read driving them crazy with my questions) I have determined that 1) yes there are trouble spots that may or may not cause future problems, there is no way to be certain, 2) that there are things that I can do to help prevent reoccurrance, like strengthening her core muscles with walks and water exercise, and by making my house as safe as possilbe and 3) that Stevie is a dog that loves life, and she deserves to be allowed to run and play and do doggie things, and that the risk of re-injury in spite of all of my precautions is a risk that we will take, because she deserves to be happy. Hope that this helps a bit.  |
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 26, 2013 14:59:04 GMT -7
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