Discussion
intervertebral disk disease
Anyone had a dog suffer from it?
Our 6yr old dachshund stumbled going down a stair on thursday morning and triggered it.
A disc ruptured and the material impacts the spinal cord.
Immediately took him to the vets as it was obvious something serious was wrong as he was dragging his rear legs.
They took an xray and referred him to a specialist vet.
He was taken there Thursday afternoon and an MRI was performed. Decompressive surgery was undertaken Thursday evening and the material removed.
He came home on Saturday and is currently on cage rest.
He is still unable to move his rear legs and is catheterised, although he can wag his tail and take some weight on his legs he has no feeling in the legs at present.
Anyone elses dog had the same?
How long did the recovery take, if they did recover?
Also, a heads up to check your insurance, ours covers £2k per year per condition which appears to be about a third of the final cost.
Anyone had a dog suffer from it?
Our 6yr old dachshund stumbled going down a stair on thursday morning and triggered it.
A disc ruptured and the material impacts the spinal cord.
Immediately took him to the vets as it was obvious something serious was wrong as he was dragging his rear legs.
They took an xray and referred him to a specialist vet.
He was taken there Thursday afternoon and an MRI was performed. Decompressive surgery was undertaken Thursday evening and the material removed.
He came home on Saturday and is currently on cage rest.
He is still unable to move his rear legs and is catheterised, although he can wag his tail and take some weight on his legs he has no feeling in the legs at present.
Anyone elses dog had the same?
How long did the recovery take, if they did recover?
Also, a heads up to check your insurance, ours covers £2k per year per condition which appears to be about a third of the final cost.
So sorry to hear this, serious condition and recovery variable. I am suprised he is home already though!! Have you been shown how to massage his hind legs and even some basic physio as this is vital to reduce risk of muscle atrophy.
I assume they will be referring him for hydrotherapy once his wounds are healed.
It's going to take time, extremely careful management and some luck but he's little and that's in his favour. Feed good quality food but don't overfeed esp as limited exercise but good quality vital for healing etc. Also need to ck he's defaecating as he could be getting constipated. Ck no pressure sores forming or scrages due to dragging feet.
How is he in himself? Important to keep his spirits up.
I have seen dogs make good recoveries from this surgery and others not so, I wish I could say he will definitely be fine but it's just not straightforward
. Having a dedicated owner like yourself could make all the difference though 
I assume they will be referring him for hydrotherapy once his wounds are healed.
It's going to take time, extremely careful management and some luck but he's little and that's in his favour. Feed good quality food but don't overfeed esp as limited exercise but good quality vital for healing etc. Also need to ck he's defaecating as he could be getting constipated. Ck no pressure sores forming or scrages due to dragging feet.
How is he in himself? Important to keep his spirits up.
I have seen dogs make good recoveries from this surgery and others not so, I wish I could say he will definitely be fine but it's just not straightforward
. Having a dedicated owner like yourself could make all the difference though This happened to our Lancashire Heeler in july, however we don't really know what caused it. I can only think he slipped downstairs in the night. He went to bed in our room fine, but when he got up in the morning his back leg had gone. By the time i got him to my vets at 8:30 his other leg had also gone.
I knew it was spinal from watching the same on an emergency vet programme, and had done some basic tests myself.
Its soo upsetting.
I got my dog referred and to Willows spinal specialist and got him there by lunchtime. An MRI revealed a high velocity rupture which had caused spinal ischaemia, but because the chord was only 1/3rd compressed we were advised against surgery. He however did have some feeling left to deeep pain response, and a tiny reflex left in the better of the two legs.
It was horrible to actually see a deterioration over 48 hrs from me leaving him there, and i was the most upset i've ever been seeing him paralysed from the waist down. The strange thing was i don't think he was too upset himself, and certainly wasnt in any pain - more a lack of anything.
We got him home on day 3, because he was managing to poop (albeit not under his own urge) and was weeing too randomly. Its upsetting for a dog to have these accidents, but a releif that the functions work. I was also showed how to check for a full bladder and how to help him empty the bladder. if the bladder is left to get over full it can leave weakness in the bladder wall.
At home he was more lively, and would still try and bark at the postman dragging his back end behind him.
Gradually over the first week he started to get one leg back in use pretty quickly (this was the last leg to 'go') the worst leg - the one affected from the outset, started to get the odd quiver in it.
I was taking him out as much as i could with a sling, just to keep him happy and also to see how well his legs remembered how to work and encourage new neural networks to develop. whenever he was sat with me i did physio massage.
2-3 weeks he had almost 1 leg at 70% use and the other at 20%, and also a tail wag of sorts.
Over 3 months he has learned to walk and run again, albeit with an odd gait when he runs. he dosent 'trot' any more as he cant get the stride right, but strangely he can do this fine when he has hydrotherapy. (he had a 6 week 12 session course of hyro - i really reccomend it for both physical and mental stimulation for them)
I now have my dog back to a good level. you can still tell he has a slight disabilty, but he has got his life back. I have to be very regimented with walks, as he still struggles with poops - he dosent get the warnign signs, so any stimulation will set him off. i therefore have to get out of my bed, and take him straight outside for one. he has the odd acccident which you can tell he is mortified, but i make sure i don't show any dissapointment etc, and always praise when he gets it right.
he cant walk backwards, he sits then turns. i make sure he has no access to the stairs and he now waits to be lifted on and off the sofa.
I'm sure your little dog will make more of a recovery over the next few weeks - gove it at least 6 weeks to see how far he will get.
Even over the 6 month period i am still seeing small improvements.
I have never cried so much in the early days, but that first tail wag again or improving walking can give you and the dog so much joy again. I think my dog coped better than i did, bless.
Make sure your dog isnt overweight, and i actually have got 1kg loss for mine to help with weaker back end - he whizzes round now.
All the best with the recovery for your chap - keep us posted.
My bill was 2k with no surgery, but the insurance people were great (pet protect) and covered the hydro too.
BTW - i have a spare dog sling if you havent got one already - pm me your address.
edit: i forgot to say, even if he dosent make a full recovery where he has independant support of his hind legs, small dogs liek your do great with those doggy wheels. that was my plan B if all didnt go well.
I knew it was spinal from watching the same on an emergency vet programme, and had done some basic tests myself.
Its soo upsetting.
I got my dog referred and to Willows spinal specialist and got him there by lunchtime. An MRI revealed a high velocity rupture which had caused spinal ischaemia, but because the chord was only 1/3rd compressed we were advised against surgery. He however did have some feeling left to deeep pain response, and a tiny reflex left in the better of the two legs.
It was horrible to actually see a deterioration over 48 hrs from me leaving him there, and i was the most upset i've ever been seeing him paralysed from the waist down. The strange thing was i don't think he was too upset himself, and certainly wasnt in any pain - more a lack of anything.
We got him home on day 3, because he was managing to poop (albeit not under his own urge) and was weeing too randomly. Its upsetting for a dog to have these accidents, but a releif that the functions work. I was also showed how to check for a full bladder and how to help him empty the bladder. if the bladder is left to get over full it can leave weakness in the bladder wall.
At home he was more lively, and would still try and bark at the postman dragging his back end behind him.
Gradually over the first week he started to get one leg back in use pretty quickly (this was the last leg to 'go') the worst leg - the one affected from the outset, started to get the odd quiver in it.
I was taking him out as much as i could with a sling, just to keep him happy and also to see how well his legs remembered how to work and encourage new neural networks to develop. whenever he was sat with me i did physio massage.
2-3 weeks he had almost 1 leg at 70% use and the other at 20%, and also a tail wag of sorts.
Over 3 months he has learned to walk and run again, albeit with an odd gait when he runs. he dosent 'trot' any more as he cant get the stride right, but strangely he can do this fine when he has hydrotherapy. (he had a 6 week 12 session course of hyro - i really reccomend it for both physical and mental stimulation for them)
I now have my dog back to a good level. you can still tell he has a slight disabilty, but he has got his life back. I have to be very regimented with walks, as he still struggles with poops - he dosent get the warnign signs, so any stimulation will set him off. i therefore have to get out of my bed, and take him straight outside for one. he has the odd acccident which you can tell he is mortified, but i make sure i don't show any dissapointment etc, and always praise when he gets it right.
he cant walk backwards, he sits then turns. i make sure he has no access to the stairs and he now waits to be lifted on and off the sofa.
I'm sure your little dog will make more of a recovery over the next few weeks - gove it at least 6 weeks to see how far he will get.
Even over the 6 month period i am still seeing small improvements.
I have never cried so much in the early days, but that first tail wag again or improving walking can give you and the dog so much joy again. I think my dog coped better than i did, bless.
Make sure your dog isnt overweight, and i actually have got 1kg loss for mine to help with weaker back end - he whizzes round now.
All the best with the recovery for your chap - keep us posted.
My bill was 2k with no surgery, but the insurance people were great (pet protect) and covered the hydro too.
BTW - i have a spare dog sling if you havent got one already - pm me your address.
edit: i forgot to say, even if he dosent make a full recovery where he has independant support of his hind legs, small dogs liek your do great with those doggy wheels. that was my plan B if all didnt go well.
Edited by mr2mk1chick on Wednesday 30th November 22:29
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