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[MED LIST/HISTORY- Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
25 lbs 8.5 y.o
Conservative carprofen stopped due to GI damage and no Pepcid AC on board(?)
8/21/2023 post-op T13-L1, currently 1/27/2024 weak rear legs remain ] Hello!I should have posted back when Baily had
surgery on Aug. 21, 2023. I just want to quick say how appreciative I am of this board as it was comforting a nd helpful when I felt very anxious and had no idea there was even such a condition as IVDD.
Now that I know what IVDD is, when I look back I can see the signs and wish I had known more as then it may not have advanced to the "all in" surgery stage.
Bailey
hurt his back jumping up in a chair. Took to my vet who does not have a neurology dept. I never thought of a vet having neurology specialists (naive). They just prescribed pain meds. He very quickly (within hours) got significantly worse. It was then a Friday night and a whole frustrating experience trying just to figure where I needed to take him and how to do that since it was a weekend and of course specialists don't work over the weekend. I had to find an emergency hospital and places even like the University of Penn vet hospital had closed their ER over the weekend due to staff shortages. I kept him very quiet and still and on Monday morning got the Neurologist to see him and do an MRI and a few hours later we were in surgery hoping to stop paralysis in his back legs. Then a whole lifestyle change. I did not know what I was doing so had to figure out on my own (surgeons really aren't great on talking people thru stuff) and that is where your website helped.
I set up his cage as you recommended. Got the sling, got pee pads (running around last minute on some of this as if I was told by my dr I would have done it before he was released). He
wasn't eating so then we
had to stop the drugs early (carprofen, trazodone, gabapentin) as I think they were too much for him. It is not January and he is doing well and had his first grooming before Christmas. My
8 1/2 year old dog is acting like a puppy. We have had a ramp built to the fenced in yard, a small ramp made for the 1 step down into the living room. Have couch defenders on the sofas (previously it was decor by Amazon boxes). I have a human dog bed on the living room floor so we can have a nap there sometimes (yes I am crazy) and last I have a new adjustable bed and mattress much closer to the floor than my previous one and it has a ramp and we created rails around it so he can't jump on and off from some old dog cages. I know this is crazy but he loves me like no other so how can I do less for him. I have pet insurance so I was lucky to be able to afford the surgery. It was 10K plus all the lifestyle changes listed above that I chose to do. ASPCA pet insurance was amazing!
We are now doing great but I am
worried about re-injury as I am told that is a possibility. I am not doing what my surgeon said in the case of running. She wants me to take him out on a harness for the rest of his life. I have a fenced in yard where he can run and I have 2 other dogs. He hates the harness so we stopped that after about 8-10 weeks and he goes out with the others and does
run to chase squirrels which makes me nervous but he loves it and I want him to also enjoy his life.
Here is the reason I am posting/emailing. I have a surgeon 40 minutes away - Dr. Tracy - who is one of the 4 in the US that does
PLDA. He said Bailey would be a good candidate and he would do it now (about 4-5 months from his surgery) and while nothing is guaranteed, it should improve his chances of a reoccurence from 20/25% to about 5%.
I asked why only 4 drs in the US do this surgery and he really did not have an answer.
My original surgeon (who I could only talk to her assistant) said she though it
would be okay to do but was not like you should do it. My regular vet did not have alot of info on it. With not alot of people to talk to or get feedback on this I don't know if I should move forward or not? It is $4-5K but again my ASPCA pet insurance will pay for it under the terms of my policy (Love ASPCA!). I
have the procedure scheduled in 2 weeks. It involves anesthesia, 24 hours in hospital and then the recovery time is 2 week unlike surgery which is much longer. He may have pain during that 2 week period.
Since his original surgery, Baily does have a rounded back end and
very weak back legs but PLDA will not fix any of that. It is more preventative to hopefully stop from happening again especially as I worry since I let him run in the yard.
Does anyone have any feedback/recommendations/have been thru this? I need to make quick decision as his surgery date is weeks away and I don't know if I should cancel or not. His is acting like a puppy and is very happy and seems to be pain free. He will be 9 in August 2024. Do I put him thru this again when it does not 100% prevent a reoccurrence.
Help please!
Bailey is currently 8 years old and weighs
25 lbs. He is a
cockapoo. He is not currently on any medications except heartworm.
Diagnosis from original surgery: HIgh concern for slight T13-L1 IV space narrowing (compared to the T12-13 and L1-2 sites). DDX: Possible site of IVDD and extradural spinal cord compression causing the
reported pelvic limb neurologic deficits. TL MRI - acute left ventral
T13-L1 intervertebral disc extrusion with focal spinal cord compression but
without significant abnormal spinal cord signal change. Primarily
soft/liquid disc content is suspected although a gelatinous and semi-dessicated component is also suspected.
Treatments: Left T13-L1
Hemilaminectomy performed on 8/21/23.
I know this is wordy. If anyone every needs any support going through this, please feel free to reach out.
