Welcome to Dodgerslist, Felicia. 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.htmYou have a pain emergency that must be dealt with ASAP this morning. Please immediately contact your vet and advise of the signs of pain that you're seeing. Pain hinders healing so have no patience with it. Often times it takes three pain meds to get the pain of IVDD completely under control - Tramadol as a general pain med, Gabapentin for nerve pain and Methocarbamol for the pain of muscle spasms. Buddy is on Diazapam instead of Methocarbamol which we sometimes do see as alternative. Meds should never be given on an "as needed" basis but should be given consistently to keep pain completely under control. Diazapam should be given 2x/day, not as needed. Gabapentin works best when given three times a day as it has a short half life so do discuss that with the vet. Tramadol works well when given with Gabapentin.
Buddy is not being given an anti-inflammatory dosage of Prednisone so do speak to the vet about that ASAP. A dog of Buddy's weight should be taking 5mg 2x/day. If that is what was prescribed originally and is now being tapered, it is NOT time for a taper since Buddy is still showing signs of pain. Pain means there is still swelling pressing on the nerves of the spine and still a need for the anti-inflammatory dosage (5mg 2x/day) for a bit longer.
Buddy is showing red flag signs of GI distress (diarrhea) due to the Prednisone. Buddy needs to be started today on TWO stomach protectors - both Pepcid AC (Famotidine) and Sucralfate. Please speak to the vet ASAP this morning about adding both. Finding wet bedding indicates that Buddy has lost bladder control. If he had bladder control, he would be able to hold it until taken outside unless he is not being taken out often enough. He may have some control if he can release urine outside but he may not be completely emptying his bladder and it overflows in the crate. 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.htm Please speak to the vet about getting a hands-on-your-hands demonstration on how to express the bladder TODAY.
Buddy may be suffering from nerve root signature pain. Something is irritating the nerve root as it exits the spinal cord to travel down the leg. Severe leg pain is one of the main symptoms. Please speak to the vet about that possibility today. More info here:
www.dodgerslist.com/neurocorner2/rootsignature.htmNeuropathic 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 do not allow Buddy to walk fast or to drag his hind legs. 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.
Clean up Buddy by gently wiping his belly and legs with a cloth dampened with cooled decaf green tea. Green tea neutralizes the acidity of the urine and leaves a nice fresh scent.
Did the vet say anything about this being a neck injury? Holding head down may be due to a neck injury but that usually affects the front legs. There are some extra things that you can do to help a neck injury and it wouldn't hurt to do them even if this is a back injury - soften hard kibble, raise food-water dishes - more info here:
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.jpgTo summarize what you need to speak to the vet about today:1. Getting Buddy back on the anti-inflammatory dosage of Prednisone (5mg 2x/day)
2. Getting Buddy's pain completely under control by adjusting/adding pain meds
3. Getting Pepcid AC AND Sucralfate on board today
4. Getting a demonstration on how to express Buddy's bladder
5. The possibility of this being nerve root signature pain.
Please let us know what the vet says after speaking to them this morning. Healing prayers for Buddy.
