Patrick's Louie 7/13 conservative NECK —beagle

Welcome Patrick, if surgery is a consideration for your family, then do discuss it with the neuro. When for whatever reason surgery is not an option, then ask for their best diagnosis of the disease. All vets think about the possible diseases it could be, then they rank the #1 thought as the diagnosis. There are other disease that mimic a disc episode. IF the vet is highly suspicious of another disease, then they want to run other tests, do an MRI etc. You know your personal finances best. Speak up if not financially feasible.

Look into Care Credit now It is best to know all your options, financially and where surgery would be done, ahead of time rather than scrambling for that information in an emergency. No or low interest credit for veterinary costs can be obtained from Care Credit. You find out online if you qualify: www.carecredit.com/faqs.html

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. √ 7/11 Pain caused by the tearing disc & inflammation in the spinal cord
2. Wobbly walking, legs cross
3. Nails/toes scuffing floor
4. √ 7/11 Paws knuckle under
5. √ 7/11  Weak/little front leg movement, can't move up into a stand
6. Front 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. 

   A quick overview of conservative treatment vs. a surgery:
dodgerslist.com/2020/02/10/surgery-vs-conservative/


Dr. Isaacs answered alot of questions we've had about surgery: "Surgery needs to be a decision an owner enters into recognizing the risk, but also recognizes the benefit. This way if something unforeseen occurs an owner can be comforted and at peace with the fact that surgery was the right decision and they did all they could for their dog." You will find it worthwhile to read the rest of his answers about surgery:
dodgerslist.com/2020/05/12/dr-isaacs-surgery-answers/

A disc episode compresses the spinal cord and causes a lot of bruising, swelling, and inflammation. 
    -- Surgery immediately relieves the pressure with severe paralysis by removing offending disc material.      
    -- Conservative treatment relieves pressure with an anti-inflammatory drug and takes 7-30 days.   

Just as with any traumatic injury, the body can self heal nerves and the disc.
-- The disc heals under Conservative treatment with very STRICT limited movement and time of 8 weeks.
-- Damaged nerves in the spinal cord heal with time after a surgery or conservative treament. Best to think in terms of months rather than days/weeks for this slowest part of the body to heal.  How conservative treatment works with very STRICT rest:  dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/

Patrick, please bring up any other concerns. Let us know the name of the anti-inflammatory you gave.  We want to help you to best be able to communicate with your surgeon, ask good questions, and be assured with the information at hand you are making the best choice between a surgery or conservative treatment.