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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jun 23, 2019 21:02:14 GMT -7
Amie's Sampson 6/19 conservative NECK; Liver
Samson and our other weiner, Scrappy, had a head on collision doing a happy dance and zoomies about some small rubber soccer balls we had just given them. Samson cried out in pain. A week later, he cried in pain when my husband petted him under the chin and he began to have muscle spasms in his right shoulder and neck. The vet said it could be his ivdd but she believed it to be a “stinger” injury - over extended nerves in the shoulder. She gave us steroids, muscle relaxer, and pain meds and said to have him rest for two weeks.
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit weight? not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: taper dose- 2.5mgs 1x/day to reveal if any issues: _pain / _neuro no GI tract protector Pepcid AC on board! ]
After one week, the prednisone dose was cut in half. That, and any walking, causes the spasms to return - in both sides. He holds his front feet up one at a time off and on. His back is slightly hunched - this looks very painful. I believe it’s a cervical disc injury and crated him as of Wednesday. We’re calling the vet tomorrow and I’ll share exact doses then because he needs more anti-inflammatiey. I feel so sad for him - does amyone have any experience with this?
Amie
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 23, 2019 21:38:34 GMT -7
Aimie, so sorry your vet did not appreciate the pain was disc related. Not cratiing til 6/19 basically wasted the use of prednisone as the disc is being disrupted in ability to heal and form scar tissue. Holding up paw like a flamingo is likely due to root signature pain that can happen with a neck disc. www.dodgerslist.com/neurocorner2/rootsignature.htmSampson needs immediate attention to get proper pain meds on board and a stomach protector: --- Tramadol as the general analgesic every 8 hrs --- methocarbamol for the muscle contraction pain every 8 hrs. --- gabapentin for nerve pain every 8 hrs. --- Pepcid AC 5mgs every 12hrs to supress the extra acids pred causes. Let us know what the dose in mgs for the new course of pred will be. Since starting from square one, that dose shoud be something like 5mgs every 12 hrs. Let us know how many days the course will be before the taper starts. Here are the extras you can do at home to help with a neck disc: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cervical.htm
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Mary & Mila
Helpful Member
FEMALE— DACHSHUND
Posts: 218
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Post by Mary & Mila on Jun 24, 2019 3:27:01 GMT -7
Hi Amie,
Poor Sampson, it does sound like he injured the disc in his neck in the collision. Neck injuries can be a little more difficult to treat as the head is nearly always moving. My own dachshund Mila had two episodes, a back one at 3 yrs and two years later she had a neck one so I know from experience. Like Paula said the most important thing is keeping the meds on a 24hr dosage, so pain doesn't break through. Mila used hold one of her front paws off the floor as well, even when she was finished crate rest, only does it occasionally now though. Sampson, with strict crate rest and meds should absolutely make a full recovery. Wishing you the very best, Mary.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jun 25, 2019 20:33:28 GMT -7
The vet hospital we go to has two vets that we have a long history with and who know our fur babies well. One of them has had problems with the discs in his own back. Last time, we saw a less familiar person because they were super busy but this time we saw one of our regulars.
He said it’s definitely a cervical disc injury and that it’s likely to have blown out the side, placing pressure on that group of main nerves in his shoulder area. If he shows any neurological symptoms we’re supposed to call right away. The meds he gave that now have no pain breakthrough are:
1.5 ML Pet-Tinic 2-3 times a day as needed for pain 250 mg methocarbamol every 12 hours for muscle relaxation 10mg acepromazine every 12 hours to sedate (to reduce head movement) 2.5mg prednisone twice daily for 7 days; once daily for 7 days
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √6/25 pain not yet controlled / _neuro Methocarbamol 250 mg 2x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 2-3x/day? Acepromazine 10mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. no GI tract protector on board! ]
We have to be careful with meds because he has chronic gallbladder sludge (maybe from damage from that liver infection a few years back). If there’s something that you know will irritate his GI, I’ll call vet to advise on something helpful and safe. He has been taking 150mg of ursodi twice a day for his gallbladder.
I sleep much better knowing he has less pain, the vet assured us that he’ll heal, and Mary - your understanding and shared experience matters beyond words. Thank you for sharing that.
Amie
Btw - he weighs 14.5. He’s very trim after we learned that we could pad his food with green beans to help him feel satisfied from eating without adding excessive calories.
Why is it important that they not lay next to you in bed for a little while, as you read or something?
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Marjorie
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Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722
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Post by Marjorie on Jun 26, 2019 5:00:09 GMT -7
Amie, please confirm that Sampson currently has NO sign of pain at all. You mentioned that he now has no breakthrough pain but then you said he has LESS pain. Less pain isn't good enough - there should be no sign of pain from one dose of pain meds to the next. Pain hinders healing so have no patience with it. Methocarbamol only works on the pain of muscle spasms. Often with neck injuries, it takes three pain meds to get the difficult pain completely under control - Methocarbamol, Tramadol and Gabapentin. So if Sampson is showing any sign of pain at all, please do contact your vet to advise so the meds can once again be adjusted. There should be no more holding up of his paw or hunched back. Other signs of pain to be aware of: ◻︎ restless, pacing, can’t find a comfortable position ◻︎reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions ◻︎shivering-trembling ◻︎yelping when picked up or moved ◻︎slow to move ◻︎tight tense tummy ◻︎arched back, ears pinned back ◻︎ head held high or nose to the ground. ◻︎looks up with just eyes and does not move head and neck easily. ◻︎ not eating due to pain of moving jaw with a neck disc or pain of back disc ◻︎ holds front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight ◻︎not their normal perky selves Prednisone is known for causing GI distress. Serious gastrointestinal toxicity such as bleeding, ulceration, and perforation, can occur at any time, with or without warning symptoms. We follow vets who are proactive in prescribing a stomach protector BEFORE GI distress occurs. Please do discuss getting a stomach protector on board ASAP with the vet. This is very important. Dogs so often do the unexpected - dart off when a doorbell rings or they see something outside a window. The crate is the safest place for them during a disc episode. A bed slopes while a crate is firm. Think of the crate as a cast for the spine. It should only be large enough for Sampson to stand up, turn around and lie down with his legs comfortably extended. Too much movement and the damaged disc can tear more, causing more pain and possibly paralysis, and you'd be back to square one. Please confirm that you're on the same page with strict crate rest for a full 8 weeks. The hallmark component of conservative treatment is the very STRICT crate rest part (no PT, little movement). With little blood supply discs are much slower to form good scar tissue than it takes a blood rich broken bone to heal. Those weeks of a cast for a broken arm to heal is similar to the recovery suite being a kind of cast for the disc. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks provides limited movement to allow good strong scar tissue to form. Super tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite, the mattress and more! —> www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htmSTRICT means: ◼︎no laps ◼︎no couches ◼︎no baths ◼︎no sleeping with you ◼︎no chiro therapy whys: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htm ◼︎no dragging or meandering at potty times. ◼︎no PT for conservative dogs during 8 weeks to heal disc ◼︎At home laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best. Transports are always a risk to the disc of too much movement. Vet visits must be weighed risk vs. benefit for dogs with little to mild neuro diminishment. Carry to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a very few limited footsteps. Using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep a wobbly dog’s back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash is to control speed and keep footsteps to minimum as you stand in one spot. An ex-pen in the grass is an excellent alternative to minimizing footsteps with the physical and visual to indicate there will be no sniff festing going on! www.dodgerslist.com/literature/slingwalk.jpg  Knowledge is the power to fight the IVDD enemy and win!! The very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to get up to speed on IVDD soonest possible. Begin absorbing the must-have overall sense of meds, care and how the treatment works. Your dog will be depending on your ability to learn - excellent video series here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/theater.htm PRINT OUT this link and tape to your fridge: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htm use the printout as your roadmap to avoid dangerous detours in your dog’s care make notes/highlight to keep yourself on track follow all the links in the next days to become the IVDD savvy pet parent your dog needs. Use the “search box” to easily locate topics over at our Main www.Dodgerslist.com website: www.dodgerslist.com/index/searchBOX.jpgHealing prayers for Sampson.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 9, 2019 3:41:57 GMT -7
Yes, we’ve been and will continue to be committed to strict crate rest. The Pet-timic [Vitamin-Mineral Supplement] has Torbutol added to it.
No pain was breaking through until yesterday morning when some hard spasms hit (trembling and moaning; lifting paw). . Meds kicked in and he made it the rest of the day.
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro Methocarbamol 250 mg ▲3x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 2x/day Acepromazine 10mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate.]
I called his vet and the vet said we could add a third dose of the ▲methocarbamol. We gave him an additional dose at bedtime, hoping it would control the spasms in the morning. This morning the spasms were less severe, but present and he was trembling when he breathed in. He lifted his paw again. He fell over in his kennel (after morning meds dosage), then righted himself, but laid down and I’m positive that part is the extra muscle relaxer. I was (very) scared at first, but he’s calm and his muscles are like jello now. I’m not sure what to do at this point because the rest of the day yesterday he just looked like a dog healing - stiff gait at potty time, both feet on the ground, no pain or spasms. If I take him in today, I’m sure he’ll look the same. I’m at a loss. Mornings are horrible.
Amie
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Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 9, 2019 5:10:02 GMT -7
Did the taper of the Prednisone start on July 1 as planned with the last dosage being July 7? If so, that would be the cause of the increase in pain. Pain indicates that there is still swelling pressing on the nerves of the spine and still a need for the anti-inflammatory dosage of the Prednisone (2.5mg 2x/day). Please speak to the vet first thing this morning to advise of the pain that you're seeing and advocate strongly for another course of Prednisone for a bit longer, possibly another 7 days. It can take 7-30 days for the swelling to resolve so it's not uncommon for the first or even a second taper to show signs of pain.
Pain meds should never be given "as needed" but should be given consistently to keep pain completely under control. How often is the Torbutol being given - 2 or 3 times a day? Since the vet did give the approval to give it 3x/day, that's how it should be given.
Did you speak to the vet about getting a stomach protector such as Pepcid AC on board? It's very important to protect Sampson's GI tract against the side effects of the Prednisone.
There should be no reason to take Sampson in to see the vet today. Vets who understand the importance of strict crate rest will agree to take phone status updates.
Please let us know what the vet says after speaking to him this morning.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 9, 2019 5:16:33 GMT -7
I have been giving him ▲pain meds 3x per day. He’s taking prednisone 1x per day per the taper. Do you still think inflammation is the culprit? What do you think about the idea that he might be sleeping on it at night in a way that makes him sore in the morning? I’ll call the vet again.
...and yes, the vet ok’d ✙Pepcid but warned that it could decrease his immunity as stomach acid breaks down bacteria. She warned us to ise it sparingly (I haven’t spoken to his regular guy about it). We’re giving it to him.
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper retesting Methocarbamol 250 mg 3x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 3x/day Acepromazine 10mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. ✙Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
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Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 9, 2019 5:19:49 GMT -7
Anything less than the original anti-inflammatory dosage would not be effective on reducing the swelling so yes, I definitely do believe the increase in pain is due to the taper of the Prednisone.
What dosage are you giving of the Pepcid AC? 5mg 2x/day - 30 min. before the Prednisone and then every 12 hours thereafter?
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 9, 2019 5:25:32 GMT -7
2.5 mg prednisone 1x daily. Sorry, Pepcid is 5mg 2x daily.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 9, 2019 6:49:20 GMT -7
Aimee, the taper of prednisone is a test for pain. Your job at home is to connect the dots of less prednisone in the body (tapering dose) means there is not enough prednisone to work on resolving all painful inflammation/swelling. Have you alerted your vet to the signs of pain you observed on 7/8? Rule of thumb pain = swelling = back up at anti-inflammatory dose, pain meds and Pepcid ACLet us know what your vet is doing about getting back up on the anti-inflammatory dose of pred (2.5mgs twice a day). Actually typically vets are using the higher end of the anti-inflammatory dose at 5mgs twice a day. Since Sampson has liver issues this may be the reason she is using the lower, conservative end of the anti-inflammatory dose of pred. Do discuss if she'll consider using the upper range of Pred at 5mgs 2x/day.
It would be good to plant in your mind the way that prednisone works with a disc episode so you are more confident in discussing things with the vet, are better able to monitor things when there is another test for pain prednisone taper. GOOD READING: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsweling.htm
Let us know if your vet has Rx'd another course of pred to continue working on the swelling. ---How many mgs at twice a day dosing? --- For how many days til the next test for pain taper would take place?
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 9, 2019 15:50:12 GMT -7
The doc increased the Prednisone from 2.5 mg 1x daily to 5mg 2x daily. That increase is for 7 days. After that 2.5 mg 2x daily, then that same dose, every other day.
EDIT: I'm decreasing his ▼Methocarbamol back to 250 mg 2x per day. (since increasing didn't make a difference)
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper retesting Methocarbamol 250 mg ▼2x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 3x/day Acepromazine 10mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 9, 2019 21:02:00 GMT -7
Methocarbamol has a short half life and if not given promptly every 8 hrs likely to not help. The time to reduce pain meds is when the test taper begins. Most vets are using for Sampson weight the dose of 125mgs every 8 hrs. Discuss with your vet.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 23, 2019 3:10:09 GMT -7
Last week, prednisone was tapered to one 5mg per day and he was dine. It was time to taper to one 5mg every other day this week so we skipped Monday. He was shaking some this morning and looked like he was in pain. We only have 3 weeks left and I’m concerned about this working. We have been doing strict crate rest but the injury is in his neck and he holds his head up a large part of the day - shakes his ears sometimes. Since 5mg once a day was working last week, I’m going to ask the vet to go back to that. [Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper √7/23 pain / _neuro Methocarbamol 250 mg 2x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 3x/day Acepromazine 10mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
Amie
------ Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 10, 2019 at 3:44am NO pain or spasms this morning! Thank you for encouraging me to call the doc about the anti inflammatory! I’m so happy for Samson!
Amie
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 23, 2019 8:28:52 GMT -7
Aimee, I'm sorry that 14 days at the anti-inflammatory level has revealed not all painful inflammation is gone. Remember is may take somewhere in the range of 7 to 30 days up at the anti-inflammatory level (taper days do not work on swelling.)
So discuss with your vet about another course of pred 5mgs 2x/day to give it a chance to finish resolving all swelling.
The fastest most accurate way to assess for pain on the pred taper is to stop the pain meds. Were methocarbamol and torbutol stopped on 7/16 taper day — if not what date?
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 23, 2019 9:31:59 GMT -7
He’s crying more today to get out too. He’s struggling emotionally.
They [pain meds] haven’t been stopped. I’ll discuss with vet.
Amie
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 23, 2019 9:59:49 GMT -7
Aimie, to be clear, since you ARE reporting pain, then the pain meds would not be stopped but increased as required to provide full pain relieve, pred would be brought back up to the original anti-inflammatory level for a 7-day or so course at 5mgs 2x/day.
The time to stop pain meds would be on the next scheduled taper day so that it doesn't take so long to be correctly aware if inflammation is still going on.
If ACE is not working to help Sampson be relaxed in his suite, then tell the vet there are others such as Trazodone
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 23, 2019 18:21:27 GMT -7
After talking with doc, he’ll be on 5mg prednisone once a day for a while - a couple more weeks at least. We’re increasing the ▲Acepromazine by half.
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper √7/23 pain / _neuro as of 7/23 taper dose 5mgs 1x/day for undetermined days Methocarbamol 250 mg 2x/day Torbutol 1.5 ml 3x/day Acepromazine ▲15mg 2x/day Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Jul 31, 2019 9:55:38 GMT -7
Just to update.. increasing the acepromazine helped for a short while, but he started acting anxious so we cut the dose in half again. We increased the ▲methocarbamol (cut the pill in half, and half again) and decreased the torbutol to 1 ml. This seems to be his sweet spot emotionally, he has been much more relaxed. He still walks stiff when going out for walks, but has improved a lot.
His freedom date is supposed to be August 14th, but this time tapering the anti-inflammatory doesn't really align with that. I asked for the 5mg a day for this week as well, but tapering from there by the 14th feels quick - and then to decrease everything else. The vet generally gives me freedom to taper since we've been through this a few times but Samson needed more anti-inflammatory than before. What do you think?
(I bolded the changes to his meds)
Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper √7/23 pain / _neuro as of 7/23 taper dose 5mgs 1x/day for undetermined days ▲Methocarbamol ▲312.5 mg 2x/day ▼Torbutol 1 ml 3x/day ▼Acepromazine 5mg 2x/day completed prescription, was originally supposed to go in for ultrasound but that's delayed due to injury<---Ursodi 150mgs 2x/day (a bile acid; timing issues with aluminum containing antacids, sucralfate. Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14.5 lbs. not crated til 6/19 Prednisone as of 6/19 in taper dose as of 6/24: 2.5mgs 2x/day for 7 days, July 1 a test taper to reveal: √7/8 pain / _neuro as of 7/9 5mgs 2x/day for 7 days; 7/16 taper √7/23 pain / _neuro as of 7/23 taper dose 5mgs 1x/day for undetermined days Methocarbamol ▲312.5 mg 2x/day Torbutol ▼1 ml 3x/day Acepromazine ▼5mg 2x/day Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 8, 2019 9:03:07 GMT -7
Aimee, Sampson begain tapering pred on July 23 at 5mgs once a day. The next step in the taper is the every other day dose that signals the body to resume making its own steroid hormone, cortisol. Call your vet and get instructions on the every other day dose in mgs. So it may well be Aug 14th or very close will still be the graduation day.
Before graduation day (at minimum a couple of days prior), it is a good idea to be off all meds and no pain showing to give proof all inflammation is really gone.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Aug 15, 2019 17:47:16 GMT -7
Sammy is at 2.5 mg of Prednisone once daily and we’ll cut it completely out tomorrow [cold turkey stop!]. He’s still taking 5mg of Acepromizine twice a day to keep him calm. We extended his stay because he’s still walking stiff and he’s standing oddly flat footed. The vet couldn’t see him until Monday so we’re keeping him in the suite until we get an ok from the doc. He’ll be off meds by then.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 15, 2019 18:17:54 GMT -7
Aimee, do phone your vet tomorrow and get the directions for the must-do every other day prednisone dose. DO NOT put this off til Monday. Pred should not be cold turkey stopped. The last steps in the pred taper must end with every other day doses so that the body gets the signal to start again making its own steroid called cortisol. Cortisol is life giving in the fact that it regulates many systems of the body. Do your own reading about predinisone so you feel confident to advocate for an every other day dose. Let us know how many mgs and how many times you are do it.Here is the Mar Vista Veteriarian web page info on pred. "After two weeks or more of use, it is important to taper the dose to an every other day schedule so as to keep the body's own cortisone sources able and healthy." full article here: www.marvistavet.com/prednisone.pmlDuring the pred taper that started back on July 23, monitoring for reveal pain and/or new neuro diminishment what to be monitored for. As long as neuro diminishment has not taken a step backwards, that would be ok. Nerve repair may or may not be something that the body can do on its own in the short 8 weeks it takes the disc to self repair. Prednisone's job is not to repair nerves.
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Aug 16, 2019 7:55:10 GMT -7
Will do! He only skipped today and I have plenty to go to every other day! Thank you!
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 16, 2019 16:01:20 GMT -7
Aimie, let us know what the directions from the vet are for the every other day pred taper.
What is the dose in mgs. For how many times you do the "other" day dose
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Aug 19, 2019 16:41:19 GMT -7
We went to see the vet and Samson has the all clear - he's free! We're not sure why he's walking a little strangely still - doc thinks it's from muscle atrophy from the time in the kennel. He's back on gall bladder meds - that's a different story though. He'll be taking his prednisone (1.25mg 1x daily, every other day) until Friday and that'll be it.
Thank you all so much for your support during the hard times! Even as a veteran, I forget things when I'm stressed for him.
Amie
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 19, 2019 18:11:55 GMT -7
Aimie, it would be best to wait til after Friday to graduate. Off all meds before graduation is the best idea.
Let us know when the last pred day has happened and we can go over the ideas to keep in mind when doing a gradual introduction to family life over the course of a couple of weeks. Don't want your little couch potatoe to be running any marathons and overdoing things!
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Post by Aimie & Sampson on Nov 26, 2019 12:59:31 GMT -7
We did wait until Sam was off all meds and he slowly worked his way back to normal daily life. His walk never returned completely to normal and we noticed that his eyesight and sense of smell wasn't so great off and on. The vet said that his actual eye is working as it should so the source of blindness, and the vet clearly saw that Sammy struggled to see to catch a treat - and 20 minutes later did ok at it - but the source of blindness, he said, is brain related. He said that either via a stroke, an infection, or a existing tumor, Samson has a brain lesion. He said that the area that affects sight is just near the area that affects (controls?) sense of smell.
His gallbladder hasn't improved, but it hasn't gotten worse within the year or so of being treated with Ursodiol and prescription diet. He's functioning well so we're going to continue with medication. Doc says studies are showing that quality of life decreases for dogs who have the gallbladder removed.
I'm writing though, to see if anyone has had any experience with cervical injury permanently affecting sight and smell? I know Samson could just be a mess inside and we love him no matter what, I'm just wondering because of the timing.
Thanks,
Amie
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Nov 26, 2019 14:23:20 GMT -7
Eyesight and hearing problem caused by IVDD in the neck area is not something I am familiar with. One of our members who have had this type of experience may chime in.
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