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Post by Lee-Ann & Richie on Mar 5, 2021 19:13:09 GMT -7
[Original subject line:Another Dog...another disc episode ]
Date today is March 5th 2021
I have an 11 year old dachshund that has previously gone through both back surgery and crate rest on 2 separate disk episode occasions. Dodgerlist was a lifeline for us 5 years ago when we went through that. We still have our sweet boy but 2 years ago also rescued another dachshund. Today we are discussing Richie, my 9 year old rescue.
Richie had a dental procedure last week and everything went very well. Three teeth removed but a good recovery. Today I noticed he was having trouble with his back legs. He seems to be slipping and shivering. We are in Canada and we have recently has a lot of ice and snow and so I wondered if he maybe slipped outside. I took him to the vet tonight. We were told he likely has 'something neurological' and could have surgery if needed but there is literary no surgeons available this weekend in our area. 2 vets on staff called around and everywhere is full and covid is making things a bit more difficult.
We opted to try crate rest.
In a crate presently, taking Gabapentin (gen) 100mg, Prednisone (gen) 5mg Tab, finishing up an antibiotic for his dental last week, and he also takes 10mg of fluoxetine daily for severe anxiety
NO discussion of Pepsid AC from our vet.
Richie weighs 19lbs
[Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
19 lbs
Prednisone as of 3/5: 5mgs 2x/day for 14 days, then a test taper for: _pain / _neuro
gabapentin 100mgs 2-3x/day
fluoxetine aka Prozac®
needs GI tract protector, Pepcid AC, on board w/Pred! ]
He is quiet now with the odd grunt. His anxiety concerns me as being in the crate has previously been a trigger. We are determined and fully understand he needs to stay in the crate except for trips to the bathroom. its 9pm here so my husband plans on spending the night on the couch next to the crate to monitor him in case he needs anything
My name is Lee-Ann. My dogs name is Richie
Today he has eaten fine. H was on a soft diet this past week because of the dental procedure. I've had trouble this week getting him to drink so I've been adding water to his food which works. |
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
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Post by PaulaM on Mar 5, 2021 22:12:37 GMT -7
Welcome again, LeeAnn. Thank you for giving Richie a forever home! Sorry to hear he is having a disc episode. Richie can be quite a good candidate to heal his disc during 8 weeks of conservative treatment. And with time very likely will self repair the neuro diminishment. MONTIOR NEURO functions 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. 1. 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. Surgery can still be successful in the window of 12-24 hours after loss of deep pain sensation. Even after that window of time, there can still be a good outcome. Each hour that passes decreases that chance. Precious hours can be lost with a vet that gets DPS wrong. Trust only the word of a neuro (ACVIM) or ortho (ACVS) surgeon about DPS. A quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery: dodgerslist.com/2020/02/10/surgery-vs-conservative/PEPCID AC While on pred, an acid suppressor is a good idea. Richie does not need bleeding ulcers on top of dealing with a disk episode. Dogs don't speak up at first signs of stomach damage like a person would. By the time we notice black or red blood in the stools, things can quickly go from bleeding ulcers to a life threatening perforated stomach. Proactive vets don’t wait til there are red flag signs of: 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. 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: "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
Excellent reading about use of anti-inflammtories during a disc epidode: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/18/steroids-vs-nsaids/ QUESTIONS 1- Prednisone: how many times a day do you give? For how many days til the taper starts?2- Gabapentin. How many times a day do you give 100mgs?3- Is all pain full in control with just one pain med on board? It is the resolution of inflammation/swelling that provides the relief from pain. It can take prednisone a range of 7 to 30 days (excluding any taper days) before all swelling is gone. In the meantime it is typical to use a multi modal pain medication treatment every 8 hrs for required comfort (tramadol-general analgesic, methocarbamol- muscle spasm pain, gabapentin-nerve pain).4- What is the soft diet composed of? Changing food while on big gun meds can cause confusing loose stool same as serious GI tract damage from pred. So if his normal regular kibble is being soaked as the soft diet that would be good good. Clarify what you feed.4- Is the fluoxetine keeping him calm. Dose in mgs? How often given? |
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Post by Lee-Ann & Richie on Mar 6, 2021 6:24:37 GMT -7
Here are the answers to your questions: Thank you for your help.
QUESTIONS
1- Prednisone: I currently have a perscription to give Richie two 5mg pills a day for 14 days then to give one a day for one week.
2- Gabapentin. I pill ever 8 to 12 hours
3- Richie does not appear to be in any pain but he is anxious about the crate.
4- What is the soft diet composed of? I actually started him back onto his regular kibble today and added a bit of water. It's been a week since his dental so I feel pretty good about that.
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Marjorie
Moderator~ 
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,722 
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Post by Marjorie on Mar 6, 2021 8:02:37 GMT -7
Hi, Leeann Gabapentin is most efficient when given every 8 hours (3x/day) so do give it 3x/day, especially since there is only one pain med on board. If fluoxetine is not helping Richie relax in the crate, do speak to the vet about changing the sedative until you find what works for Richie. Here's our page with tips on how to calm Richie during crate rest. dodgerslist.com/2020/02/24/tips-to-help-with-recovery-suite/Healing prayers for Richie. |
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