Megan, thank you for the extra info. THANK YOU for registering!
I'm so sorry you did not get the information about the single most important care during a disc episode — the 100% STRICT rest inside of a recovery suite. So Oct 6 will be the true start of true conservative treatment.
Please let us know you WILL be giving Robaxin (for the pain of muscle contraction) promptly 125mgs (1/4 tab) every 8 hrs as indicated on the bottle. For a 17 lbs dog 125mgs is the proper dose to keep the pain of muscle contractions away. You dog is still in pain and needs the other two pain meds for the other sources of pain on board pronto today (tramadol and gabapentin).
Pepcid AC has a very limited potential for side effects, the reason of release to over-the-counter status. If you are quite sure your dog has no liver/kidney issue where the dose needs to be less OR that he has no heart murmur or other heart disease, then keep your vet in the loop that you have started Pepcid AC (famotidine) 5mgs every 12 hrs as an acid suppressor during carprofen use.
Preventing worsening damge to the disc---#1 Priority is limited movement with a recovery suite. PERIOD.
--- Laser therapy will not prevent worse damage to the disc. The act of transporting your dog into a vet visit has GREAT POTENTIAL for unnecessary movement that could cause the disc to further tear and with that severely damage the nerves.
--- Laser therapy is to kick start damaged nerves to self heal. You report NO NERVE DAMAGE. So risking damage to the early healing disc for a vet transport and since there is no benefit to be gained — makes no sense to ask for laser therapy.
--- Laser therapy can help with pain. A MUCH safer way to manage pain is to actually give the right combo of pain meds to fully control pain via pain pills at home with dog safely inside the recovery suite. Makes no sense to ask for laser therapy to manage pain.
As damage to the spinal cord increases, there is a predictable stepwise deterioration of functions. When nerve healing begins, often it follows the reverse order. You are not reporting any nerve damage.
1.
Gunner is here ▶︎Pain caused by the tearing disc & inflammation in the spinal cord
2. Wobbly walking, legs cross
3. Nails/toes scuffing floor
4. Paws knuckle under
5. Weak/little leg movement, can't move up into a stand
6. Legs do not work at all (paralysis, dog is down)
7. Bladder control is lost. Leaks on you when lifted. Can no longer sniff and then pee on that old urine spot outdoors.
8. Tail wagging with joy is lost
9. Deep pain sensation, the last neuro function, a critical indicator for nerves to be able to self heal after surgery or with conservative treatment. If surgery is not an option (for whatever reason) then the best option is conservative therapy.
Always good to have a sense of the two treatments — quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery:
dodgerslist.com/2020/02/10/surgery-vs-conservative/Megan, getting an IVDD diagnosis can be an overwhelming thing. Kudos to you instinctively feeling you needed a 2nd opinion vet on 10/6! ! !
Just as not all family doctors can know every single disease one species (the human species) could get, not every vet can know all the diseases for the canine species, the feline species, birds, fish, snakes, farm animals they treat. PLUS your family vet practices many specialties in the course of a day: pediatrics, dentistry, surgery, internal medicine. Is it surprising, that keeping current and indepth knowledge of each and every disease for every species is probably not likely? However YOU can easily become a mini-expert on one very-important-to-you disease. Our goal, here, is to help you quickly get things right for your dog and for the long haul of many happy years ahead with your IVDD dog, to quickly get up to speed on IVDD. Be the IVDD savvy pet parent your Gunner will need over the course of his life.
To expedite your learning look for the blue link articles in our posts from Dodgerslist main website. When you can work your way thru the navigation bar. It covers all things IVDD. The Dodgerslist Website:
dodgerslist.comQUESTIONS
How many doses of the carprofen do you have left? That will tell us the date you run out of carprofen. This date is very important to us and to YOU.
Look forward to hearing pain meds have been adjust and their details of mgs and frequency. PLUS within in the hour of those meds being on board, Gunner is fully out of pain round the clock, dose right up to the next dose.
