Welcome to Dodgerslist, Grace. So glad you’ve joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve gleaned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you.
**Disc disease is not a death sentence! ** Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things:
www.dodgerslist.com/index/SDUNCANquality.htmEMERGENCY: I'm very concerned about Guero not eating much. Not eating is a red flag sign of GI distress. When no washout period is done when switching from a NSAID (Metacam) to a steroid (Prednisone), Famotidine is not enough to protect the GI system.
Please speak to the vet ASAP this morning about adding Sucralfate. Sucralfate works in a different way to bandaid the damaged mucus lining and also promotes a healing environment. Sucralfate will require timing with other meds…so do your homework so you can discuss things with the vet:
www.marvistavet.com/html/sucralfate.htmlSucralfate is not merely a physical barrier to stomach acids. It thickens the stomach mucus to prevent bicarbonate from being swept away too quickly, which in turn encourages more acid-neutralizing bicarbonate production. Sucralfate also stimulates healing blood flow to damaged areas. This med also increases the body's hormone which plays a role in healing of damaged stomach tissues.
www.readabstracts.com/Health-care-industry/Mechanisms-of-gastroduodenal-protection-by-sucralfate-Acid-secretory-responses-and-parietal-cell-sen.html#b#ixzz1yG2OloZI [Dr. W.D.W. Reese on Gastric Mucosa]
Please confirm the dosage of Gabapentin and which dosage is currently being given - .5 or 1mg 2 or 3x/day? We usually see 30-50 mg 3x/day dosage of Gabapentin so the dosage you've given seems far too little. Please check the bottle.
These are the signs of pain that you should be on the lookout for - there should be absolutely no sign of pain at all with pain completely under control☐shivering, trembling ☐yelping when picked up or moved ☐reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions or slow to move ☐tight tense tummy ☐can’t find a comfortable position ☐Arched back ☐ Holding front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight ☐head held high or nose to the ground ☐Not their normal perky selves? Full pain relief is expected in 1 hour and stays that way dose to dose.
If not in control your vet needs to know asap to adjust meds.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.
It would be best not to wash Guero's paws in the sink. Wet feet at slippery feet and this type of washing can cause too much movement of the spine and is risky. To help with clean-up, make up a pot of decaffeinated green tea, let it cool down, dampen sponge or cloth and gently pat Guero’s belly and legs. The green tea neutralizes the acidity of the urine so helps with urine burn and leaves a nice smell. You can keep any unused tea in the fridge to be warmed up for later use.
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 
Neuropathic pain is not common but you should be aware of it. This kind of pain is abnormal, phantom pain sensations with severe spinal cord damage. Signs are obsessive licking of paw, leg, genitals, tail. Escalates to biting, life-threatening chewing off parts. Immediately put on an e-collar (or lengthwise folded towel around neck and duct taped closed) to prevent access to lower body. Contact vet immediately for Gabapentin or stronger Lyrica (pregabalin) for neuropathic pain. More info:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/neuropathy.pdfIf there is great pain or severe neuro diminishment, acupuncture or laser light therapy can be be started right away as an adjunct to pain meds and to kick start nerve cell energy production. Options: Acupuncture vet who does home visits to avoid back moving during transports. For transport to necessary visits, pad out the recovery suite extra space with a rolled up towel/blanket to prevent body shifts during braking or cornering.
CAUTIONS: ~~ Laser light therapy is contra-indicated with tumors which are detected via x-ray.
~~ During conservative treatment, anytime out of the recovery suite is a dangerous time for the healing disc. Movement of the back can increase a disc tear and escape of disc material into the spinal cord . For an animal with very mild neuro deficits, the risk of transporting to therapy has to be carefully weighed against what benefit is to be gained.
www.ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian/~~ Why Chiropractic is not recommended for IVDD dogs:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htmKnowledge 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.jpgPlease let us know what the vet says after speaking to them this morning about adding Sucralfate. Healing prayers for Guero.
