Welcome to Dodgerslist, Michelle.
No one has signed any death warrant and please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Niner can heal from this but it can take some time. There is no reason for you to be terrified of any vet. Knowledge is what will take away your fears. Please don't look back at mistakes you think you may have made. We have all had to learn about IVDD. The more you know, the better you'll feel and the better you'll be able to discuss things with the vet. We're here for you and Niner and will help you through this. Neck injuries CAN heal with conservative care.
**Disc disease is not a death sentence! ** Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things:
www.dodgerslist.com/index/SDUNCANquality.htmFirst, you have a pain emergency that must be dealt with ASAP. Please immediately contact the ER hospital. Any vet there can look up Niner's records and adjust pain meds. There is no reason for Niner to remain in pain until Monday. In addition to the Gabapentin which deals with nerve pain, Niner needs Tramadol as a general pain med and also Methocarbamol in oral pill form to deal with the pain of muscle spasms which often accompanies neck injuries. Pain should be completely under control within one hour of giving new meds and should remain completely under control from one dose of meds to the next.
Galliprant has proven effective with arthritis but it's not the anti-inflammatory of choice for IVDD, especially for a dog with all four legs showing signs of nerve damage.
Please speak to the vet about switching to a stronger anti-inflammatory (steroid) such as Prednisone or Dexamethasone. Usually a 4-7 day washout period should be done when switching from the NSAID such as Galliprant to a steroid such as Prednisone but when deemed a medical necessity, which this is,
a switch can be made within a washout period with the addition of TWO stomach protectors - both Pepcid AC and Sucralfate.Even if such a switch is not made and the vet wants Michelle to stay on Galliprant,
Pepcid AC must be added to protect Niner's GI tract from the side effects of the anti-inflammatory. Ask if your dog has any health issues to prevent use of Pepcid AC (famotidine)? (doesn’t need it, we wait til there is problem…are NOT answers to your question!) If you get a “no health” issues answer, then go to the grocery store to purchase over the counter Pepcid AC containing one single active ingredient (famotidine).
canigivemydog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/can-i-give-my-dog-pepcid-ac-300x300.jpg 
Doxie weight dogs: 5mg Pepcid AC (famotidine) every 12 hours. NOTE: Pepcid AC (famotidine) for dogs is 0.44mg per pound, 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours for as long as your dog is on the anti-inflammatory.
www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.htmlNeuropathic 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.pdfPlease confirm the dosage of Gabapentin. You gave a range of 25 to 50mg - I do hope you're giving 50 mg. How often are you giving that? You said every hour but please confirm that as that can't be correct. Gabapentin works best when given every 8 hours (3x/day).
For how many days has the Galliprant been prescribed for?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.
Are you finding wet bedding or does she leak on you when lifted? The only way to tell whether Niner has bladder control is to carry her to a spot when she or another dog has peed before, support her and see if she can release urine on her own. While she's in pain, that will be very difficult to do. Once her pain is completely under control, you should be able to test for bladder control.
Overflowing bladders need to be expressed to avoid UTIs. Review video then get a hands-on-top-of-your-hands expressing lesson.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htmIs the ER vet a general DVM or a specialist surgeon: ACVIM neurology or ACVS ortho?Transport to a vet involves risk of too much movement of the spine and vet visits should be kept to only when absolutely necessary. What is the reason to take Niner to your general vet tomorrow? A diagnosis has already been made and Niner is receiving the crate rest care that she needs. Any adjustments in meds can be done by phone. Med records can be sent by the hospital to the general vet if he wants to take a look at them. The only reason to take Niner in tomorrow would be if you in fact need a hands-on-your-hands demonstration on how to express the bladder.
With a cervical issue, there are a few other things that should be done, such as raising the food and water dishes so your dog doesn't have to bend neck, moistening hard kibble to soften, etc.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cervical.htmIf 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.jpgHealing prayers for Niner. Please let us know what the ER vet says after speaking to them.
