Welcome to Dodgerslist, Joahnna. 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. Know more about us and how we team up with veterinarians:
dodgerslist.com/about-team-dodgerslist/Disc disease is not a death sentence! Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things:
dodgerslist.com/2020/04/18/hope-quality-life/First thing you need to find out from the clinic is whether BobaFett's pain is completely under control. Often times it takes three different pain meds to get the severe pain of neck injuries under control: Gabapentin for nerve pain, Methocarbamol for the pain of muscle spasms and Tramadol as a general pain med.
I see that Gabapentin is on board - ask how many times a day that is being given as it works best when given three times a day. How much does BobaFett's weigh? 9mg of Gabapentin is like giving nothing at all. We usually see 30-50 mg given three times a day. If released for conservative care, be sure he's given at least 30-50 mg three times a day.
Hydromorphone is a very strong opoid and should be doing a good job on pain. Most likely this med will not be given to take at home. It is very sedating.
Dexamethasone is a very powerful anti-inflammatory. Please check as to how many times a day this dosage is being given. If released to home, please check as to how many days this med will be given before tapering.
Whenever an anti-inflammatory such as Dexamethasone is given, stomach protection must also be given. Please speak to them about adding stomach protection ASAP. We highly recommend Pepcid AC (Famotidine). If BobaFett has no heart or liver issue, he should be taking this. If this is not a good stomach protector for him, please speak about getting another one on board, such as Sucralfate. Anti-inflammatories can cause severe GI distress. Check to be sure that BobaFett is eating well and has no nausea, vomiting or bloody poop.
Does BobaFett currently have any loss of neuro function? Can he still walk, knuckling or dragging of paws, move his legs?
SURGERYThe purpose of surgery is to take the pressure off of the spinal cord by removing the disc material causing the compression. Surgical decompression allows a normal blood supply to return to the compressed spinal cord and for neurologic recovery to begin by the body self-healing nerves.
CONSERVATIVESeeks to relieve swelling/compression of the spinal cord with an anti-inflammatory. Over time the hope is that disc material where it should not be will shrink back enough so that pain resolves and nerves can start to self repair.
Neuro surgeon, Dr. Isaacs answered a lot of questions we've had about surgery. You will find it worthwhile to read his answers about deciding for a surgery, after the surgery and lots more:
dodgerslist.com/2020/05/12/dr-isaacs-surgery-answers/
More excellent details about the difference between conservative vs. surgery:dodgerslist.com/2020/02/10/surgery-vs-conservative/
Keep in mind if for whatever reason, a surgery would not be an option, then the best choice is Conservative treatment.
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. Remove yourself from the dark scary unknown. Be in command of the 4 phases of healing, what to expect with pain, with swelling, disc and nerve healing. Get up to speed:
dodgerslist.com/healing-the-disc/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.htmHealing prayers for BobaFett and prayers for you and the vets as decisions are made on his behalf. Please keep us updated.
