Mel's Rogue 9/15 conservative Pit Bull Australia

Melanie, I'm so sorry to hear about Rogue. Is he able to sniff and pee outside? Or has he lost bladder control?  If he has lost bladder control please get in contact with your local DVM vet and let him know of diminishment of neuro functions…the legs and the bladder.  If he is unable to pee on his own you  will need a hands on lesson to manually express the bladder..this is a health issue that can't wait as you want to protect the bladder and avoid urinary tract infection (UTI). Bone up ahead of the lesson so you will get more out of the instruction. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm

Also read up about the two classes of anti-inflammatories. Carprofen is not a pain reliever, but reduces swelling over a period of days to weeks…swelling is what causes pain and it also damages the spinal cord. When symptoms are mild many vets will use a non-steroid anti-inflammatory (NSAID) such as Carprofen. When loss of neuro functions are involved such such as losing bladder control or not being able to move legs, many vets move to the most powerful of anti-inflammatories…the steroid class. Know your anti-inflammatories, know that a switch would require going without any anti-inflammatory to wash the body out before the other class is used. Be ready to discuss the pros and cons of a switch. In any event the stomach must be protected when any anti-inflammatory is being used. Read about Pepcid AC (famotidine) and do get that on board asap. IF there is to be a switch, then 2 protectors are often prescribed…and that is Sucralfate in addition to Pepcid AC. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsweling.htm

100% STRICT crate rest means eating inside the recovery suite. Rogue would only be out for vet visits and at potty time. The entire focus right now is minimal movement of the back/spine in order to protect an early healing disc and to protect the spinal cord as well.  www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm    www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm

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Getting him outside without carrying him, I realize he is heavy.. Some of our members with larger dogs put the crate close to the outside door to minimize the steps.. Do you have stairs leading outside? If so it would be a good idea to create or buy a ramp.    One of our members used a blanket to slide their dog outside.. Not sure if that is feasible in your situation.

--Let us know that Pepcid AC is on board.
--That you are manually expressing the bladder if he us unable to normally release urine.
--What you and your vet discuss regarding switching classes of anti-inflammatories.

It is pretty unusual to not have pain meds on board because a disc episode is quite painful.. Be observant for any shivering, trembling. Yelping. Being pretty quiet in his crate because it just hurts too much to move. More info on the typical use of pain meds with a disc episode. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpain.htm

The first step in conservative treatment which  can work is to be on 100% STRICT rest and out of pain. With the right meds on board the swelling will come down. It may take 1-2 weeks or even more like a month for an anti-inflammatory to get the job done. Hang in there with conservative treatment, all hope is definately not lost!

We look forward to hearing back on what the vet says.  Sending healing thoughts over the miles.

Dear Melanie,

I'm so sorry to hear of Rogue's difficulties. I just wanted to chime in regarding your question about carrying Rogue outside to do her business. I, too, had difficulty carrying my Cocker Spaniel outside. In fact, it's not a good idea to try to lift a heavy dog with IVDD as you can cause more damage unless you can lift them correctly. I know it's hard with a dog that's used to doing her business outside. But you could possibly try placing a pee pad right outside of the door of her crate, help her out of the crate onto the pee pad and let her do her business right there, if she will. If you end up having to express her, as Pauliana explains above, you can do that right on the pee pad. I don't know if you have stairs that you would have to carry her down to go outside, but if not, you can put casters on the crate and wheel her outside. Or put a ramp over stairs and wheel her wherever she usually goes potty. If you do try to lift her, be sure to keep her spine horizontal, carrying both ends. Here's a video showing how to properly lift and carry:


Blessings to you both.