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Post by Erika & Sophie on Oct 13, 2022 15:59:39 GMT -7
[New NECK Disk episode 10/13
Erika's Sophie 10/13 conserv. NECK-Chiweenie]
Hi everyone so he’s had a pretty significant relapse [10/13] this week. We have kept her on minimal movement no jumping up or down etc. I can’t get her into the vet until Saturday but I gave her the normal .75 of gabapentin and 125 mg methocarbamol, along with 12.5 mg Carprofen [MED LIST/HISTORY- Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
12.5 lbs 4 y.o.
7/9/2022 disc episode w/ STRICT rest ; GRAD 9/3
carprofen as of 10/13 : 12.5mgs 2x/day
gabapentin 50mg/mL: 37.5mgs (0.75mL) 2x/day
methocarbamol 125mgs 3x/day
Pepcid AC (famotidine): 5mgs 2x/day! ]And she is still in a lot of pain five hours later. I can’t get in touch with the vet to find out if I can increase her dose at all. Any advice? |
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 13, 2022 16:09:56 GMT -7
Provide the details of the relapse (date what happened). Was it increased pain only? Neuro diminishement---- details please.
A neck disc of not wanting to move head much?
complete med details help us to understand things.
name of med. dose in mg and how often you give.
What was the date of the relapse?
Pepcid AC (famotidine) ?mg ?x/day
Gabapentin
-- is it a liquid formula?
-- 50mg/mL?
-- Are you dosing 0.75mL?
In general pain meds (gabapentin, methocarbamol and traMADol) are effective in pain control for 8 hrs.
Can you get into ER to get that pain in control by adjusting the pain meds. Adding in traMADol?
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Post by Erika & Sophie on Oct 14, 2022 6:12:18 GMT -7
*sophie not so he’s
Relapse happened [10/13] yesterday- I noticed her in bad pain when we woke up.
YES a neck disc of not wanting to move head much?
Pepcid AC (famotidine- 5mg 2x a day
YES Gabapentin liquid formula, dosing 0.75mL
i am going to try and get her into the walk in clinic [10/14] today.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 14, 2022 7:28:28 GMT -7
Please let us know what the walk in vet diagnoses. In my mind this does indeed sound as if it is another disc episode in the neck. Neck because you indicated not wanting to move head much.
If Vet does diagnose as a neck disc, then advocate pain meds at an aggressive approach of
--- dosing every 8 hrs.
--- covering each of the three kinds of pain
1. traMADol as the overall analgesic 3x/day
2. methocarbamol 125mgs 3x/day
3. gabapentin at least 37.5mgs (0.75mL dose) 3x/day
Let us know if you have been given the pain meds at 3x/day.
Gabapentin how many times a day?
methocarbamol how many times a day?
Remind us again, if at some point if it were to be indicated, would a surgery be an option for your family?
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Post by Erika & Sophie on Oct 14, 2022 9:10:50 GMT -7
Will do
Confirming that I have been giving the Gabapentin and methocarbamol 3 times daily(every 8 hours)
Unfortunately surgery is not an option for us. And we are pretty devastated at this point because we’ve been trying for four months to get her episode free.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 14, 2022 10:46:38 GMT -7
Advocate for the addition of a general analgesic such as traMADol with an aggressive dosing of about 50mgs every 8 hrs.
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Post by Erika & Sophie on Jan 29, 2023 9:09:06 GMT -7
Hi everyone. I feel terrible for never getting back to this post, I thought I had!
Graduated Dec 8, 2022  ** Anyway- we got Sophie’s pain under control with meds listed above & into the vet. She advised that I continue conservative treatment, meds as needed for pain and the steroid doses(tapering off). I would list details on all that, but since I’ve done this several times the last 5 months, I know the drill. Trust that I was dosing correctly  Fast forward to January 2023, and it’s like we have our old girl back. She hasn’t had another episode since this one. She is out of suite most of the day running around with brother and playing. We have made several adjustments-blocking off furniture, using baby gates and building ramps. She is very happy but extremely over weight! 19 lbs and her target weight is 10  Recently had an X-ray done. Her vet told me that the spot on her neck that was slipped before has built up some calcium. She said that’s a good thing for now because it’s restricting the movement to cause another issue. But it could be an issue later on with osteoporosis. I was a little confused by this is still don’t understand it 100% If you read this, thanks for listening! |
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Post by Ann Brittain on Jan 29, 2023 9:36:13 GMT -7
We're glad to hear that Sophie has improved so much. It's great that she's back to playing, but be sure to not let her over exert herself. Being overweight is a problem for an IVDD dog, so getting her back to a normal weight should be a top priority.
Years ago, our first doxie, Charile was bitten and shaken by a big dog. Thankfully he recovered from the injury and never lost the ability to walk. When the vet ex-ray his back it showed that two of his discs had "fused" together. He also commented that the calcification could help prevent further injuries. I'm not sure that's what going on with Sophie, but it could be a similar situation.
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Post by Erika & Sophie on Jan 29, 2023 12:17:06 GMT -7
I will ask next time I see her, thanks for that feedback. She is a firecracker for sure. Any tips on helping her lose weight?
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jan 29, 2023 16:21:42 GMT -7
Erika, After crate rest is over, then with more activity and a 10% reduction of food, a dog can begin to loose that extra weight over several month's time. Weigh her monthly to determine if the amount fed is appropriate. You will also be observing appearance to judge when she is at an ideal weight. It takes 3-4 months to safely drop excess weight by cutting food intake slowly and adding exercise that will be permissible after crate rest. Feed the amount for the proper weight the dog should be. At the end of crate rest, graduation, then you can start a diet if needed: A 10-15% reduction of food is not very much. For example, if you feed a dog 1/3 of a cup = 5 tablespoons =15 teaspoons, then you should only reduce each meal at a max of 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons. You could then add some lo-cal raw carrot, apple or frozen green beans, or a frozen broth cube to lick on to help with hunger at meal times or as a snack. Optimal weight?
• You should be able to feel ribs but not see them when pet is standing.
• Pet should have an hourglass figure when viewed from top. • Your veterinarian can also help you determine when your pet has reached an optimal weight  Check out the Diet strategies from the Dodgers Digest article “Overweight?” providing good tips for successfully reducing weight. And lots more information too to help you get Sophie back to a good healthy weight at this LINK: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/22/diet-nutrition/ |
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