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Post by Cathy L. on Nov 6, 2019 19:50:54 GMT -7
My sweet Angie has a back injury On Monday, November 4, my 8lb deer head chihuahua injured her back. We do not know how but she was unable to stand nor move her back legs at all! My son rushed her to the Emergency vet in our area and was told it was suspected IVVD but a neurologist would be needed to confirm that diagnosis. She was given a shot for pain and a shot of steroids as well and sent home to rest and heal. She was sent home with Prednisone 5mg for 5 days, 1/2 tablet for 5 days and then 1/2 tablet every other day until gone. She was also given Methocarbamol 500mg and we were told to give her 1/4 tablet every 8 hours til gone. She was also given Gabapentin Oral Solution and takes .08 by mouth every 8 hours. [Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
8 lbs
name? of steroid shot on 11/4
prednisone as of 11/4 (?): 5 mgs ?x/day for 5 days, then SAT 11/9 a test taper to reveal any: _pain / _neuro
methocarbamol 125mgs 3x/day
gabapentin ?mgs gabapentin in on mL?: ?mgs (0.08ml dose) 3x/day
no GI tract protector, Pepcid AC, on board w/prednisone! ]
she was unable to move her back legs at all when we brought her home. She is now moving her right rear leg and is able to bear weight. The left rear leg does not move yet. We have been keeping her in a small laundry basket with rolled towels and keeping her down as much as possible. We take her outside to go potty while supporting her in a sling. She is able to urinate but has not pooped since the injury. she arches her head back and stiffens her front legs when lifted. we do not have the means to get the MRI or have any surgery. Does anyone have any other suggestions of what we can do to help her. If she is a wheelchair doggie, she will be the cutest on around and will be loved deeply ❤️   |
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
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Post by PaulaM on Nov 6, 2019 20:57:38 GMT -7
Cathy, welcome to Dodgerlist Forum. I'm so sorry to hear you beautiful Angie is having a disc episode. Several things you can do to give her a safe place to continue doing the good healing you are already reporting. -- A laundry basket is an accident waiting to happen. They tip, the dog can jump out. The better, safer idea is a recovery suite (wire crate, wire expen, pack N Play). These keep the disc safe in its progress of healing and prevent dangerouse setbacks to a healing disc. Tips on setting up a recovery suite for Angie: 1. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingdisc.htm 2. Supplies to gather to make crate rest go smoother: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm-- It sounds like Angie still is suffering with pain still? Please look over this list and identify to us and to your vet any other signs of pain asap in the morning. Pain would indicate the pain meds are not yet right. If there is, indeed, still pain, then advocate for tramadol 3x/day to be Rx'd for Angie. —Methocarbamol works on the pain of muscle spasms. — Tramadol is the general pain reliever. — Gabapentin works on nerve pain. There should be no sign of pain from one dose of meds to the next. Have no patience with pain as it does hinder healing. Look for your dog to be acting their normal, perky self when pain is fully under control round the clock.
SIGNS OF PAIN: ◻︎ shivering-trembling ◻︎ yelping when picked up or moved ◻︎ slow to move ◻︎ tight tense tummy
◻︎ stiffens limbs, body when moved or lifted ◻︎ arches head back, ears pinned back ◻︎ head held high or nose to the ground. ◻︎ restless, can't find a comfortable position ◻︎ slow or reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions
◻︎ reluctance to poop due to pain
◻︎ looks up with just eyes and does not move head and neck easily. ◻︎ not eating due to painful chewing or in too much overall pain ◻︎ holds front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight ◻︎ not their normal perky selves -- STOMACH PROTECTION is a must!
Proactive vets don’t wait til there is lip licking of nausea, not eating, vomit, diarrhea leading to serious bleeding ulcers, red or black blood in stool due to the extra stomach acids anti-inflammatory drugs cause. Pepcid AC (famotidine) blocks the production of acid. The usual dose of Pepcid AC (famotidine) with a disc episode is 0.44mg mg per pound every 12 hours. Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects. 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).
HEALTH ISSUES: “Mar Vista Vet reports: Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects, the reason of release to over-the-counter status. The dose of famotidine may require reduction in patients with liver or kidney disease as these diseases tend to prolong drug activities. There have been some reports of exacerbating heart rhythm problems in patients who already have heart rhythm problems so it may be prudent to choose another means of stomach acid control in heart patients.” marvistavet.com/famotidine.pml
ACCURATE MED LIST
Fill us in on a few more details so we know best how to help
-- Prednsone pills started on what date?
-- Gabapentin liquid has how many mgs of gabapentin in on mL of liquid? That info should be on the bottle.
POtty time
The focus on conservative treatment is all about limtied movement of the spine to avoid redamaging the disc that is trying to heal. Carry her to and from the potty place. Good to hear you are using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep her back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash will 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!
 KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO IVDD!
Angie is going in a very good direction of healing and will be a good candidate for conservative treatment if you can commit to 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out of suite for a very, very few footsteps at potty time. Self education about IVDD is an owners best chance to ensure a good recovery, be able to discuss things with your vet, advocate for Angie and understand what the vet is telling you.
Also regarding the worry department— the very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to read and learn as quickly as you are able. Calm your mind by being “in the know” how long each the 4 phases of healing is expected to take. What treatments for which phase? At what point would a surgery be considered? This is the page to bookmark and return to in the next days to have a full understanding of the now and the future of living many happy years ahead with your IVDD dog. Here is the link to bookmark: www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm
REGISTER, LOGIN for best help
The guest board is a temporary Guest courtesy to get immediate help until you can register. I encourage you to register and login. That way all the features of the Forum are available to you, making it faster to reply and get an email alert about replies. It also makes is far easier for us to track your dog and give the best assistance. Illustrated what to expect during registration: www.dodgerslist.com/forumads/RegisterFORUM/register.htm |
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