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Post by Sarah & Molly on Oct 16, 2020 13:16:36 GMT -7
QUESTIONS ☆ 1 Is there still currently pain? NO ☐ reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions or slow, ginger movements YES☐ shivering, trembling ☐yelping when picked up or moved NO ☐ tight tense tummy ☐can’t find a comfortable position, appears restless NO ☐ Arched back YES ☐head held high or nose to the ground NO ☐ Holding front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight NO ☐ Not their normal perky selves? YES☆ 2 12 LBSA.. GALLIPRANT 20MG 1/2 TABLET DAILY [date of NSAID stop?] PEPCID AC: Phrase a simple question that you expect a simple "yes "or "no" to it. Does my dog have any health issues to prevent use of Pepcid AC (famotidine)? NO (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). [Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 12lbs Crate rest started Oct 17 Galliprant 9/10: 10mgs 1x/day for 30+ days, then test stop for √10/16 pain/ √neuro negated due to no crate rest as of 10/17 restart on day count: 10mgs 1x/day for ? days then test stop for _pain/_neuro needs GI tract protector, Pepcid AC, on board w/Galliprant! ](NOTE: Pepcid AC (famotidine) for dogs is 0.44mg per pound 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours. www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.html ) ☆ 3 -- Eating and drinking OK? No nausea/not eating, no vomit? YES -- Poops OK - normal firmness & color -no dark black or bright red blood indicating bleeding ulcers? No diarrhea? YES ☆ 4 What breed? DACHSHUND What is your dog’s name? MISS MOLLY O'BRIEN Your name, too? SARAH ☆ 5 diagnosis of IVDD? DISC HERNIATION , GENERAL ☆ 6 saw the vet for CONSERVATIVE treatment? 9/10/2020 CONSERVATIVE ☆ 7 Can your dog specifically sniff and squat and then release urine which is bladder control YES - OR- do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted which are indication of an overflowing bladder and loss of bladder control? NO ☆ 8 Currently wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag YES
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Oct 16, 2020 14:09:33 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist, Sarah. We are 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. Is Miss Molly currently strictly crated? The most important thing you can do for her now is keep her under strict crate rest. 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. More information about crate rest is here: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/STRICT for a dog being treated conservatively means: - no laps - no couches - no baths - no sleeping with you, again too dangerous - no chiro therapy More information is here: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/ - no dragging or meandering at potty times. The dog should be in the crate 24/7 only out for pottying and needed vet visits.
Miss Molly is showing signs of pain; reluctant to move, arched back and not her normal self. IVDD is typically painful, and she does not seem to have been prescribed pain any pain relievers. Please call your vet as soon as possible, tell him the signs of pain you are seeing and advocate for pain relievers for Miss Molly. Pain will only slow the healing process. We have seen these three meds, working together, providing effective relief to many dogs on this list. Methocarbamol for painful muscle contractions. Tramadol Rx'd 3x/day as the general pain reliever Gabapentin for nerve pain also Rx'd 3x/day.
All anti-inflammatories, including Galliprant can cause excess stomach acid which can cause serious stomach damage. To reduce the chances of damage a stomach protector like Pepcid AC should be used. Please discuss the use of a stomach protector with your vet.
The usual dose for doxie weight dogs is : 5mg Pepcid AC (famotidine) every 12 hours. 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours for as long as your dog is on the anti-inflammatory.
Miss Molly seems to have a fairly mild case of IVDD with no neuro deficits like trouble walking. Many vets will provide an NSAID type medication for dogs with mild cases. Galliprant is an NSAID type medication. Galliprant was approved by the FDA in 2016 to treat pain and inflammation in dogs with osteoarthritis. Consider discussing with your vet if this Galliprant is the right NSAID for IVDD, rather than NSAIDs already on the market proven to be helpful with IVDD. Galliprant is sometimes prescribed for dogs that cannot tolerate other NSAIDs because of liver or kidney issues. The consumer information sheet on Galliprant can be found here: animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/app/search/public/document/downloadLabeling/207
You mention the date of the start of Conservative treatment as 9/10/2020. Is that September 10? I ask because we sometimes have members from countries where the date is written differently than in the US. Are you in the US? IVDD is less scary when we educate ourselves about the disease. 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.
We have an excellent IVDD video playlist: At the MAIN WEBSITE, use the orange SEARCH bar feature to easily access the treasure trove of more IVDD information.
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Post by Sarah & Molly on Oct 17, 2020 15:13:04 GMT -7
Molly saw our vet on September 10. She has been on the Galliprant since that date. We cannot afford another vet visit at this time. The one she [vet visit] had came out of our food budget.
After reading the guidelines for strict rest, we bought a second-hand playpen for her [Oct 16] yesterday. To help her adjust, we have put one of her sisters in with her periodically. Right now she is alone and begging me to take her out, too. She does move around in it quite a bit and seems to like making nests in her blankets.
My husband says he has seen [date?] Molly drag her left rear foot.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 17, 2020 16:04:10 GMT -7
Sarah, please call your vet in OR. Hopefully still open Pacific time.Call in all chips, things people owe you, call on family and friends, pawn something.This Sep 10th vet saw Molly, and should be able without a exam, be able to prescribe over the the phone an RX for pain meds (tramadol, methocarbamol, and gabapentin). Call the Rx into your local pharmacy. IT is a VERY long time to be in pain to have to wait til Monday. ER vets over the weekend are expensive. With help of friends/family or whoever, seek you to get your dog out of pain. Make known to your vet you are spending food money to be able to get Molly's pain attended to. -- reluctant to move -- Arched back -- and NOW (date?) seeing serious neuro diminishment happening of dragging left back leg COMMUNICATION speedSarah, timely back and forth communications will be important in learning how to best help Molly under the circumstance you have related. Bookmark a thread to receive an email alert when someone has replied Go to the CONSERVATIVE Board 1. Look for your dog's thread and checkmark it. 2. Look for the white ACTIONS button towards top. 3. Select “Notification Options" from the pull down menu — check mark “NEW POST” change from never to INSTANT email — press the SAVE button. Click the “x” to close the window 4. Next choose the “Bookmark” See the tiny book symbol now! ** QUESTIONSSarah, has the left rear leg dragging been observed since Sep 10? Or is this something new (what date was it first observed)? What about the pain, is this some new (what date did you first observe?) OR had the pain you described never been brough under control since Sep 10? Single most important care (100% very, very STRICT rest) means:- pad out the extra space in the play pen. See picture and how to here: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/ Only enough room to fully stretch out leg when lying down and to easily turn around in.- no laps - no couches - no baths - no sleeping with you - no PT - no chiro therapy - Molly alone with no other children or pets in side her recovery suite. - no dragging or meandering at potty times. -Had you been carrying her to and from the potty place as described below since Sep 10? - If not do you have the ability as of today to give her a safe to her disc Potty time as described below: POTTY TIME Take her outside alone (no other dogs or children around) Carry to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a very few limited footsteps. Using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep a wobbly dog’s back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash is to 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! **
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Post by Sarah & Molly on Oct 17, 2020 20:45:26 GMT -7
asking family/friends for financial assistance is not an option. we did that several years ago when i was in a coma and then when through three months of accute physical and occupational therapy. our social security is all that we have with which to work. now, i am confined to home and my dogs are my companions and therapists.
my husband says the vet noticed it [dragging back left leg]on sept. 10. i have not noticed it at all
the only times we have noticed pain is when we pick her up incorrectly. otherwise she seems okay
as to the following questions, i am doing the best i can with enforcement. my husband, however, has too soft a heart and won't leave her in her pen. all she has to do iswhimper and he picks her up and holds her in his lap with other dogs. he tells me we might as well just put her to sleep if that's all she gets t0 do. he won't hear me when i say is will only be for eight weeks if we follow the rule.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 17, 2020 21:32:10 GMT -7
Sarah, it is too difficult to read paragraphs of all CAPs. May I suggest to reply with a full sentence instead of quoting the question. Where you have used a pronoun, that phrase has been replaced: it [dragging back left leg] I can see you guys are in a pinch financially. So that makes it doubly important to not be setting Molly back in any way at home. That costs nothing. Do what you can to explain the damage hubby does to loving, unsuspecting Molly with being on his lap with other dogs. While she may not be thinking about chasing squirrels the idea is the same Molly's whine is her not knowing she is in the midst of disc healing! Tell your hubby a disc episode requires a loving "gift" of 100% STRICT rest. A broken arm and disc disease have something in common! ~ There are no medications to heal a broken arm and there are no medications to heal a damaged disc! ~ A broken arm heals with time of about 6 weeks with little movement of wearing a cast. No sane parent would allow a child to take the cast off, right!? A damaged disc heals with the time of 8 weeks with little movement in a recovery suite. No loving parent would allow too much movement that happens outside of the recovery suite, right!?
** Lap sitting is a REAL No! No! Help your hubby instead help Molly heal. No more relapsed discs anymore. Because of improper care, poor, dear sweet Molly has to start from square one on counting 8 weeks of crate rest as of 10/17. Not fair at all! Consider some of these ideas to keep Molly occupied in a safe-for-her-disc way: -- Put a garment you or hubby have been wearing and have not washed in the crate. -- Teaching self-calming exercises can also help your dog to relax more. You can make something as simple as eye contact a very rewarding behavior that also acts as a way for your dog to “ask permission” when she wants something. When dogs have a focus and an understanding about how to behave to get what they want, they are much calmer overall, less whining. To do this, each time your dog looks at you, say, something like, “Yes!” or use a clicker to mark the second he looks at you, and then give your dog a high-value food reward. [NOTE: for crate resting dogs, shift your body a bit] .... wait for your dog to look up at you again, say, “Yes,” and reward again. Do this exercise 10 or so times and then say, “All done,” and put the treats away. Come back later and do it again until you can see that your dog is really starting to make automatic eye contact in hopes you will say, “Yes,” again and give a reward. [NOTE: treats should be subtracted from the normal daily kibble ration so as not to gain weight during crate rest.] -- During the day try moving the play pen to the dinning room sliding door for a view out a window for what's happening outdoors. Only if she can be calm in enjoying taking a look thru the window. --Hours of Relaxation Music for Dogs Great for people too! 10 hours of calming rain sounds:
-- Make the crate or ex-pen more cozy by draping a blanket over part of the top. ** Critical to the disc's ability to heal is limited movement of the spine the recovery suite provides. Disc pain is torture, no loving pet parent does things to cause their sweet unsuspecting loved ones pain! Failure to provide a safe place to heal in is not an option!
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Post by Sarah & Molly on Oct 17, 2020 21:58:29 GMT -7
I will do the best that can answering questions. I have reading and writing difficulties from my coma.
Thank you for your encouragement and information. I told my husband that Molly needs to stay in her bed tonight, even if she barks and whines.
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Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722
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Post by Marjorie on Oct 18, 2020 5:06:54 GMT -7
I do hope your husband is now on board about strict crate rest. It might help to tell him to think of the crate as a cast for the spine. If Molly had a broken bone, you wouldn't consider it cruelty to keep her in a cast and you wouldn't consider taking off a cast until the bone had healed. Maybe thinking of it like that would help him.
I learned the hard way what not being strict about crate rest during an IVDD episode can end up doing. I was not given correct information about strict crate rest when my Jeremy first had an IVDD episode. I was told just to not take him for walks but that he could walk around a couple of rooms in the house. He went from just having pain to his hind legs being completely paralyzed so quickly. He had no deep pain sensation and needed emergency surgery. It took over a year for him to walk again and he has never walked normally nor did he ever regain bladder/bowel control. That was over 9 years ago. I'm not saying this to worry you but just to impress upon your husband how important strict crate rest is in order to protect the spine from further damage.
Please continue to keep us updated. We're here for you and Molly and will help you through this. Healing prayers for Molly.
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Post by Sarah & Molly on Oct 18, 2020 7:08:10 GMT -7
Molly spent the night in her.own bed.
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Post by Ann Brittain on Oct 18, 2020 8:07:56 GMT -7
Good! At first crate rest seems to be such a long time. But it goes by quickly and you'll be so happy if, when it's over, Molly is back to being her normal self.
Hang in there it will get better!
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