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Post by Kate & Willie on Jul 9, 2022 11:49:51 GMT -7
A short narrative: Willie started having leg weakness on 7/4, the vet called and let us know, we decided for conservative management at that time. He was placed into a smaller cage and started on Meloxidyl. Tuesday 7/5 we got a call from our vet letting us know his weakness had gotten a little worse. I believe it was that morning he started him on gabapentin. We had gotten back into town earlier than expected and we decided to pick him up from the vet early. We got there 20 minutes before the closed. They said he wasn't walking much when they gave him dinner, but I didn't understand it to mean no walking. They said he was excited to eat though. When we got home about an hour or so later our other doxie ran out the crate, but he couldn't get out. That's when I called our vet and he let us know that he had gotten worse from when he saw him last, earlier that day. We took Willie to the emergency vet for a second opinion. The ER Vet and the Neurology/surgeon recommended emergent surgery. We opted to continue with conservative management. They didn't really give us any new advice and told us to follow up with our primary vet the next day. Wednesday 7/6 is when we started steroids☆ 1 No, he never really seemed to have pain with this episode
☐ shivering, trembling Only when we went to the vet on 7/6 otherwise he is generally calm in his pen☐ tight tense tummy Occasionally ☐can’t find a comfortable position, appears restless Only when I walk out of the roomHe can't hold any weight on his hind legs☐Not quite sure how to answer this question, his normal perky self is cuddling with his sister or following me around the house. He seems content when his sister is laying outside his pen and/or I'm sitting close.10 lbs, 6 years oldMeloxidyl 1.5mg/ml dose 0.3ml one time daily: I believe it started 7/4 PM we stopped it 7/6 [WHICH ?] Stop 7/5 PM when we switched to prednisone)
Prednisone Start date: 7/6 at 1800, 5mg. 5 mg BID for 14 days then one tablet once per day for 7 days: First dose 7/6 around 1800. taper to start 7/24 steroid taper?
Gabapentin 100 mg BID (started gabapentin liquid on Tuesday 7/5 switched to capsules on 7/6 at 1800 due to Willie not liking the liquid)
Methocarbamol 125mg PRN every 8-12 hrs for muscle spasms or tightness (he has not gotten any methocarbamol yet)B.. 🔘 If on a steroid….what was the start date & dose? Date of steroid taper? Anticipate starting 7/24 🔘 OR.... date of a NSAID stop? Stop 7/5 PM
[Moderator's note: please do not modify
10 lbs 6yo
Meloxidyl 1.5mg/ml dose 0.3ml 1x day 7/4- 7/6
Prednisone as of 7/6: 5 mg 2/x day for 14 days 7/21 test taper: _pain /_neuro
Gabapentin 100mg 2x/day
Methocarbamol 125mg ?x/day; not yet given
Willie needs GI tract protector, Pepcid AC + SUCRALFATE, on board w/ switch to Pred w/o 5-7 days of washout! ] C.. PEPCID AC: Have not started this yet(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 ) ------ thumb.ibb.co/mEGRuy/91x_Aj_s00z_L_SY355.jpg☆ 3 -- Not eating, vomit, loose stool, bleeding ulcers, red or black blood in diarrhea. None ☆ 4 Mini Dachshund named Willie, my name is Kate
☆ 5 Yes, We took him to the emergency Vet 7/5 PM, we had been told he had leg weakness on 7/4 but when we got home after picking him up on 7/5 he had no hind leg function.
-- DVM? Yes -- or a specialist surgeon: ACVIM neurology or ACVS ortho? Saw one at the emergency vet on 7/5☆ 6 What was the date you saw the vet for CONSERVATIVE treatment? He was put in a small crate on 7/4 when the leg weakness started, he was boarding at our vet at the time (previously he was in a bigger run with his sister Ruby (mini dachshund aged 6). We continued it when we got home and after we took him to the emergency vet. Super tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite, the mattress and more! —> dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/
STRICT REST means:
- no laps - no couches
- no baths - no sleeping with you
- no dragging or meandering at potty times.
- no PT - no chiro therapy
Why Chiropractic is not recommended for pain for an IVDD dog: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/
☆ 7 He can't sniff and squat ( he was never good at this before) I do not find wet bedding. He does poop in his bed though. He waits till he's outside but it takes coaxing/ some bladder massage. He occasionally leaks when lifted.Get a hands-on-top-of-your-hands expressing lesson at the vet. dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/DOGs with BLADDER 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!☆ 8 He can't walk, he has deep pain sensation still as of the time of this post. It seems like he is getting more tail movement back (more than just the movement that comes with poop) but no tail wagging yet.   |
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Jul 9, 2022 13:51:41 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist, Kate. We are glad you’ve joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve learned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you! Learn more about us and how we team up with veterinarians: dodgerslist.com/about-team-dodgerslist/Disc disease is not a death sentence! Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/18/hope-quality-life/
An extremely important 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.
Any time out of the crate can lead to too much movement and puts Willie at risk for further damage.
Additional information on what makes conservative treatment work for many disc episodes
➤ Medications used during a disc episode: dodgerslist.com/meds-used-during-disc-episode/ ➤ What to expect for each phase of healing: dodgerslist.com/in-the-right-places here:
Willie was switched from Meloxidyl, which is an NSAID type of anti-inflammatory to pred, which is a steroid type of medicine without a 5-7 day washout. This can be dangerous because the high level of stomach acids caused by having both types of medicines in the body can lead to serious stomach damage. It is important that Willie's stomach be protected with Pepcid AC. Please speak to your vet right away about the Pepcid. Ask the vet 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).
The usual dose of Pepcid AC (famotidine) for dogs is 0.44mg per pound, 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours for as long as your dog is on the anti-inflammatory.
Please watch Willie very carefully for any signs of stomach upset like not eating, vomiting or diarrhea. If you see any signs, it is very important to let the vet know right away.
Willie is pooping in his bed and sometimes leaking when lifted. This indicates a lack of bladder and bowel control common in dogs that cannot walk. When a dog does not have the ability to empty the bladder, we help by expressing. Expressing is a matter of physics. That means we apply pressure to the bladder greater than the strength of the urinary sphincter and push the urine out. You can also express for poop. We have information about expressing here:
If surgery is a consideration for you, take a look at the difference between surgery and conservative care here:
Pain meds work better when taken on a regular schedule. The Methocarbamol was prescribed to be given as needed. If you see any signs of pain, please begin to give this regularly every 8 hours. It is much harder to stop pain once it is started than to prevent pain.
It is very scary when our dogs have IVDD. It becomes less so when we learn all we can about the disease. Lots of information at our main website: www.dodgerslist.com |
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 9, 2022 17:31:27 GMT -7
Kate, you have an emergency to get BOTH types of stomach protectors on board asap today. Call the ER doctor or whoever can quickly get you an Rx for SUCRALFATE tonight. When it is deemed an emergency to preserve nerve function with a switch from Meloxidyl to a steroid (prednisone), the 5-7 days of washout can be dispensed with. To reduce the double jeopardy of both Meloxidyl and pred being in the body at the same time, BOTH Pepcid AC & Sucralfate should be on board. It takes about 5-7 days for Meloxidyl to leave the body. |
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Post by Kate & Willie on Jul 10, 2022 17:24:59 GMT -7
I started him on 5 mg ✙Pepcid tonight (7/10). I'll give it to him BID starting tomorrow. I'll call the vet again tomorrow about Sucralfate.
[Moderator's note: please do not modify
10 lbs 6yo
Meloxidyl as of 7/4: 1.5mg/ml dose 0.3ml 1x day STOPPED 7/6
No 5-7 days washout, no Pepcid + sucralfate stomach protection
Prednisone as of 7/6: 5 mg 2/x day for 14 days 7/21 test taper: _pain /_neuro
Gabapentin 100mg 2x/day
Methocarbamol 125mg ?x/day; not yet given
✙Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day ]
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