Welcome Kristi! We can best help when we know all the facts, so looking forward to you filling in missing details.
Clearly the medications are not yet correctly Rx'd. Best option is to PHONE the ER vet and describe what you see. Any vet at the ER place will have access to your dog's file and would be able to adjust meds over the phone. Pain meds are very often adjusted over the phone because vets who know IVDD know 100% STRICT rest is critical to getting the disc to heal. Vehicle transports in are risky to a disc trying to heal.
2nd best option: Your own family vet would require a transport in, an exam to be able to adjust or Rx meds. Pain is an emergency to take care of asap today the best way that get's the job done.
Be specific for us and for your vet. Describe the pain that you're seeing.
SIGNS OF PAIN:⚙︎ shivering-trembling ⚙︎ yelping when picked up or moved
⚙︎ tight tense tummy ⚙︎ arched back, ears pinned bac
⚙︎ restless, can't find a comfortable position
⚙︎ slow or reluctant to move in suite such as shift positions
⚙︎ not their normal perky interested in life selves
➕if a neck disc:
◻︎ head held high/ nose to the ground
◻︎ looks up with just eyes and does not move head and neck easily.
◻︎ not eating due to painful chewing or in too much overall pain
◻︎ holds front or back leg up flamingo style not wanting to bear weight
100% STRICT REST requirement to heal
STRICT means:
◼︎No laps ◼︎no couches ◼︎no baths ◼︎no sleeping with you
◼︎No chiro therapy whys:
dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/◼︎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.
◼︎ Avoid dangerous detours. Follow the "Roadmap." Tape it to your fridge. D/L and print out:
dodgerslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Roadmap-for-Fridge.pdf ◼︎ DOGs with BLADDER CONTROL:
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 a 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!
Support both ends of dog when lifting and carrying to protect the back.
HOW ARE MEDS USED DURING A DISC EPISODE
Resolution of spinal cord inflammation/swelling provides the relief from pain. It can take an anti-inflammatory (steroid or a non-steriodal NSAID) a range of 7 to 30 days before all swelling is gone. Therefore an anti-inflammatory is not considered to be a pain med during a disc episode. Pain meds receive pain in 1 hour when correctly prescribed
The best pain medications control is using more than one approach to address pain from multiple fronts (tramadol-general analgesic, methocarbamol- muscle spasm pain, gabapentin-nerve pain). All three pain meds need to be prescribed three times a day (promptly every 8 hours.)
Advocate for the three pain meds plus a stomach protector such as Pepcid AC (Famotidine) to protect against the side effects of the anti-inflammatory.
There should be no sign of pain from one dose of meds to the next. Have no patience with pain as it does hinder healing. Look for your dog to be acting their normal, perky self when pain is fully under control round the clock.
-- An informed owner is a dog's best defense when taking an anti-inflammatory. What your job is, how to arrange for a Plan B with your vet.
*
NEURO FUNCTIONS
Not clear what you observe re: stilted walking. If your dog is in such pain, she may not want to move to go potty. Also things depend on what meds she is on. When we have details, we can best speak to why she likely has bladder control but peed in her bed.
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. If surgery is not an option (for whatever reason) then the best option is conservative therapy.
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. So if surgery is an option for your family get to a neuro or ortho asap.
A quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery:
dodgerslist.com/2020/02/10/surgery-vs-conservative/QUESTIONSName of dog?
Weight of dog? What mix of breeds is likely for your dog?
Has your dog been in a recovery suite since 3/12 ER visit?
Name of muscle relaxer? How many mgs is the dose? How often given?
Name of the other two pain meds? ?mg ?x/day
If one of the other meds is actually an anti-inflammatory, then Pepcid AC needs to be on board. If an anti-inflammatory (steroid or non-steroid NSAID) is not on board, then that can be a reason pain is not being controlled. Let us know the details on how the ER vet has adjusted meds this morning/today/asap! Please do register and log in to post.
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