Jane’s Winston 3/23 conservative Kng Chrs Span; GRAD 5/18

Hi Jane (?), we are glad you registered and have joined us all on this public Forum! We have lots of tips to share with you in caring for an IVDD dog which can make the rest period go smoother. Please tell us about your dog and specifically answer the questions below, too, so we know best how to help.

★1 How much does your dog weigh? Please list the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mg’s and times per day given?    Date Carprofen started?   For how many day to be given?
  Confused…please explain…Now that carprofen has stopped, why is the pain med gabapentin still being used?
  This page explains anti-inflammatory drugs, such as carprofen are used during a disc episode. And also why pain meds are stopped when the inflammatory is stopped:  dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/healing-swelling-inflammation/

★3 Did you specifically get a diagnosis of IVDD, aka: a disc problem, a disc herniation, a bulging disc, slipped disc?
-- Is the vet a general DVM or a specialist surgeon (ACVIM neurology or ACVS ortho)?

★4 you have been doing stricter rest as described below?
The hallmark component of conservative treatment is the crate rest part. With little blood supply discs are much slower to form good scar tissue than it takes a blood rich broken bone to heal. That 6 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.
   Super tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/
- no laps                    - no couches
- no baths                  - no sleeping with you
- no chiro therapy      - no dragging or meandering at potty times.

POTTY TIMES
   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!
dodgerslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Potty-leash-harness400-19kb.jpg

★5 Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions or slow to move, tight tense tummy, can't find a comfortable position. Arched back. Holding front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight, head held high or nose to the ground. Not their normal perky selves? Full pain relief is expected in 1 hour and stays that way dose to dose. If not in control your vet needs to know asap to adjust meds.

★6 Eating and drinking OK? Poops OK - normal firmness & color -no dark or bright red blood?

Jane, most often IVDD is diagnosed and prooved with being a breed prone to his disease, the way the dog acts at the neuro exam. AND if the Rx treatment provides improvement.

1. STOP THE NERVE PAIN MED GABAPENTIN!
the stop of carprofen is to assess if it has worked. With gabapentin still on board masking nerve pain neither you nor the vet knows if another course of carprofen is needed or all swelling is now gone.

2. DEAL with crate anxiety.
Using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser seems to work best.  It takes several days for these to start working - it isn't immediate but they are a much better option if you can avoid heavy duty prescription sedatives (ACE, alprazolam or traZODone). Of course always keep your vet in the loop on all things you give your dog.

Place a DAP pheromone diffusor at floor level where the recovery suite is:
--DOG Adaptil (DAP) wall plug in diffuser 48ml www.adaptil.com/

Use diffusor with one oral calmer from below:
1) ANXITANE® S chewable tabs contain 50 mg L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm, relaxed www.virbac

2) Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine. VetriScience Laboratories Composure, Calming Support for Dogs- 120 Bite Sized Chews one source on AMAZON

3. The single, most important part of the care is being inside of the recovery suite at your house. Vet neuro or local vet transports are only for the most dire need of an emergency.  You do not have any emergency going on now nor coming up in two weeks nor for a neuro consult much less an MRI need.

4. Upgrade your potty time safety routine
Protect your own back to not lift him unless absolutely necessary. 

-- Use an ex-pen if you have one to form a small area for potty time at front door of his crate in your home.
-- You will be inside the ex-pen enclosure at potty time.
-- Open the crate door.
If no ex-pen then you get harness and sling on him and let him learn to pee in the house!
-- Winston takes a few footsteps out to a pee pad you have pre-treated with a piece of urine soaked paper towel to encourage him to sniff and pee there.
-- Use a sling for his back legs if he is wobbly. His healing disc can't afford his butt tipping or falling over.

-- When potty time is over, Winston takes a few footsteps back into his crate. Consider tossing a small treat to the back of the crate to encourage him to go in.
--Fold up the ex-pen panels (if using) til next potty time. Clean up the urine soaked pee pad.  Refrigerate a small piece in a zip lock bag for next potty time.