Welcome Ashley! Gumball has an Rx for a
5-day course of steroid prednisone. This means the date for tapering the pred dose and x/day begins on Tues 10/22! Please share with us the details on the taper.
-- The taper is a kind of test to find out if pred had completed its job to resolved all painful swelling around the spinal cord. It normally will take 2 or more courses adding up to a range of 7 to 30 days. All vets must take a guess, and then see what the taper reveals. Taper days are too low to work on swelling, they serve another important purpose to signal the body to make its own steroid hormone.
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Let us know if the two pain meds (gabapentin for nerve pain, traMADol as the general analgesic) which block sources of pain will be stopped on 10/22 or backed down. No pain meds (no blindfold) at the taper start lets you quickly observe for pain and if pain contact the vet.... expect another pred course. All pain meds back on board plus stomach protection (omeprazole).
-- PLAN AHEAD: Let us know if pain should surface and the vet is not open what your plan B is. Could be extra pills on hand, an Rx you could fill at your local 24hr pharmacy.
Get up to speed on how the anti-inflammatory prednisone works during a disc episode here:
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dodgerslist.com/steroids-vs-nsaids/Gabapentin.
Let us know you are NOT giving gabapentin as needed. Let us know you prompty give 200mgs every 8 hrs (3x/day) until the taper begins on Tues 10/22.
Is all pain currently fully in control right up to the next doses of gabapentin and traMADol?
Do you have a written report from the Neuro that you can upload. This would help in our understanding of all the details.
You ought to only trust the word of a neuro about deep pain sensation. Most general vets are not able to correctly identify with toes pinching. Stop pinching those toes.
Instead do some happy talk to him. See if his wriggles his butt or tail stump.
★8 Describe what you observe currently about neuro functions. Can Gumball....
-- wobbly walk?
-- Move the legs at all?
-- Wag the tail when you specifically do some happy talk? MONITORING NEURO FUNCTIONS
As damage to the spinal cord increases, there can be a predictable stepwise deterioration of functions if excessive back/neck movement are allowed during STRICT rest.
Nerves do heal in the exact opposite order nerve damage occured.
1. 10/16 Pain with initial tear of disc and ensuing swelling
2. __ Wobbly walking
__ legs cross
3. __ Nails/toes scuffing floor
4. __ Paws knuckle under. Dog is slow to correct or can't right the paw(s) at all
5. _?_ Weak/little leg movement, can't use legs to reposition in crate
_?_ can't move up into a stand
6. _?_ Legs do not work at all (paralysis, dog is down)
7. _?_ Bladder control is lost. Leaks on you when lifted.
Can no longer sniff and then pee on that old urine spot outdoors.
8. __ Tail wagging with joy is lost with specific happy talk
9. __ Deep pain sensation, the last neuro function, a critical indicator for nerves to be able to self heal after surgery or with conservative treatment.
Just as with any traumatic injury, the body can self heal nerves and the disc.
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The disc heals under Conservative treatment with very STRICT limited movement and time of 8 weeks.
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Damaged nerves heal with time after a surgery or conservative treatment. Best to think in terms of months rather than days/weeks for this slowest part of the body to heal.
BLADDER CONTROL confirmation
I'm concerned if bladder control has been lost or not. Please help us with details:
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Did the neuro give you an expressing lesson and tell you to express at home?
-- With prednisone on board you should be expressing the bladder if the neuro said control had likely been lost every 2-3 hours while you are just learning this new skill AND while on prednisone.
How often do you express the bladder?
Just finding a soaked pee pad is not proof of anything and is a health issue to fix. Lack of expressing urine can result in discomfort, potential bladder wall injury, and UTI infection.
Expressing, once you perfect this new skill, gives you the ability to feel the shape of the bladder to know it is pretty flat and empty. An empty bladder extends the hours before it refills. As he stays dry at 2-3 hrs, then you can move up to every 3-4 hours, etc.
Do not hesitate to go back to your local vet or the neuro's hospital to get another hands on top of your hands type of expressing lesson. It is a health issue to express a dog who has lost bladder control Does his poop just plop out in the crate, loss of poop control? Excellent video and tips for not only expressing the bladder as a health issue but also for poop expressing to avoid Gumball's anxiety in finding poop where he sleeps.
🚩https://dodgerslist.com/bladder-bowel-care/
