It was nearly 2 weeks ago that Dandy displayed difficulty pain in her back and difficulty walking. After a strict regimen of crate rest and medication, she appears her normal self. She tears out of the crate every day for meal times, bouncing out the door to chase after some imaginary critter. She is even challenging Doogie to bouts of play. Of course this goes against doctor’s orders, since it hasn’t been a solid 4 weeks yet. I am looking to improve her back health with supplements (now that the meds have run out circa last weekend) which will hopefully maintain her. It is an unfortunate consequence of her breed to suffer the same condition repeatedly, especially since she has experienced 2 recurrences of disk problems and is squarely in her middle years.
Tag Archives: ivdd
Conservative treatment
It’s been 48 hours since Dandy’s visit to the specialist. Dr Rushing had recommended a CT scan and immediate surgery, since it is very likely that Dandy has had a recurrence of a herniated disc. However, the prohibitive cost of both items plus the timing of the last surgery (it’s only been about 10 months) has eliminated surgery as an option. Dr Rushing has therefore prescribed the alternative, medical management. This is often known as the conservative approach to treating IVDD; the doc suggested that the success rate is 50/50 if going this route. Given the quoted cost of $4100 for surgery and hospitalization, medical management is the only option at this time.
Dandy is still mobile however. She still has deep pain sensation and is able to eliminate normally; it is only her gait and speed that has changed. She does whimper/whine when she is experiencing pain or discomfort more than usual. The doc prescribed Tramadol (for pain and swelling) and Gebapentin (for neuropathic pain). We are looking at 4 weeks of crate rest and restricted activity. The IVDD resource recommends 8 weeks of crate rest. So it will be a long wait to see if Dandy can recover from this second onset of IVDD.
She is again residing in a split crate with Doogie; and she has to be carried everywhere, including outside to potty. She has seemingly accepted this treatment and willingly gone along with it. I think she needs the human contact most especially, since she is definitely anxious with what is going on with her body. Of course, being the typical food lover that she is, her appetite has not been affected in the least bit.
No more Frankenweiner
Following a week of progress, Dandy visited the vet on Monday to get her staples out. She has made some “literally” good strides with her leg over the weekend, I’m rather scared to say. She behaves as if she didn’t have IVDD surgery at all: threatening to jump on and off furniture, chasing after neighbor pups, and generally being a dog on a mission to get her way. However, she also enjoys just being around the humans and knows when to relax on her dog bed when we’re watching TV or playing WoW.
Which is more than I can say for Doogie…the pee monster. I’m still grumbling over last night’s marking incident in which he wet 2 sofa cushions, 2 toss pillows and a faux fur blanket. What a BRAT!
On the road to recovery
The past week has been challenging. Watching your beloved furkid just waddling around like a drunken loon is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes comical. After the first few days of pain subsided, Dandy is in high spirits–being the kissy puppy that she is. She is also behaving like the normal haughty princess she is…whining and crying to be out of house arrest. She’s eager to tear our of her crate and get outside at every opportunity. If she spots a toy, she’s dashing for it, ready to tear it apart. In the last 3 days, it’s been quite fun trying to keep this eager pup in check.
For about a week, I was extremely concerned that her right back leg might not improve. She has less muscle mass in that leg, and perhaps that is why it is taking more time for her to regain mobility with it. It’s been painful to watch her run on her right knuckle–I’ve resorted to hoisting her back end by her tail, to give her a little more mobility when she is using the bathroom. Dandy is getting regular her physical therapy, twice to three times a day, favoring the right leg in particular. Today, she seems to be displaying progress with it, since she seems to be dragging it less than normal.
Since she seems to be in less pain these days, I’ve decreased her Tramadol intake to twice daily. But I’ve learned to make sure to give her a half teaspoon of peanut butter with her pills…she has managed to spit out her meds on a few occasions.
Good news, the crate divider panel I ordered finally arrived today! Doogie will be happy to share the crate with her again.
Dandy at Home
After a pit-stop at Sonic (in which Dandy did not deign to share her popcorn chicken with me), Dandy came home. She seemed much relieved to be home, she waddled into her crate and burrowed under the blankets. Doogie too was very much excited to see her, forgetting to eat as he rushed back and forth from the crate to greet her.
Dr Hayashi instructed strict crate rest for the next 4 weeks. Dandy has been prescribed Tramadol and Previcox and physical therapy 2-3 times daily to get her back legs stimulated. One thing I am glad for is that Dandy still has good bowel control, she is able to go to the bathroom when I take her out.
She will have to wait two weeks to get her staples out. Doc also recommended getting some blood work done because of elevated liver numbers. Until then, doctor advised withholding the Previcox.
Dandy also has a recheck scheduled at the hospital in 4 weeks. Doctor was optimistic, but at the same giving some realistic warnings. While Dandy has some use of her back legs, there is no guarantee that she will regain full use of them. She may be clumsy from now on. She might get worse, she might get better. However, only time will tell.