dachsund slipped disc in neck

[kathielgriffin]

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Sent at: Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:38 pm
From: kathielgriffin
To: Bobbie

Hi Bobbie
I have a 4 year old dachsund that I have been told he has a slipped disc in neck. I was told by my orginal vet that he was trying to slip one. He was then put on prednisone. However he said dont crate him. Two days later we were out of town and he started yelping in the middle of the night. So loud that the police were called. We took him to a emergency vet cost us over 400 dollars. She was a young vet and said he had a slipped. I ask her to xra y she refused. putting him also on tramadol and robuxin for pain. He is still yelping in pain. Also the vet in Tampa said to crate him 6 to 8 weeks. Our vets said not to.
I took him back again and the vet put him on valium. Which I not given. I am very confused about what to do. I have also been research vet schools on slipped disc in the neck in dachsunds. And it says to give them 500 mgs of vit c twice daily for they rest of his life. And he should be back to normal. I am scared to give the valum after reading about people putting there pets on it and they woke up the morning and there pet never walked again. Can you help me with info on valium. I thought of only giving it to him in the evening. He seem to start out slow in morning. But then wals around the rest of the day. When the sun sets that is when he stars all his yelping and shaking. My vet also refused to do xray. He said he doesn't need that to diagnose. I am new on the computer and dont know how to post this for help. If you could tell me what to do to post this I would appreciate it
Thanks
Kathiekathielgriffin

Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:26 pm
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[Dianne]

Listen to the vets in Tampa and immediately crate rest him. Vitamin C will NOT make the neck/back pain go away, or heal his neck/back injury. I can't speak to the other medication prescribed for his pain. Someone else with experience about that will be along later.

Please consider getting another vet to look at your doxie as soon as possible. Slipped disk injuries can lead to paralysis and incontinence. I know. My dog is paralyzed.

Read this tonight: http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/CrateRRP.pdf and put him in a crate rest where he has water, but cannot walk around. Walking will further injure his back.

Please Get him to another vet or a neurologist for possible back surgery.

I'm so sorry that you are going through this, but quite a few doxies have back problems during their lives. There are a lot people on this bb who understand what you are going through.

Dianne

[Bobbie]

On the website of the Disabled Dachshund Society you can download a handbook for owners. It will also have lots of helpful information.

But I agree- right now you need to rest him completely, and find a good specialist who can diagnose and decide if he should be treated now. You may be able to avoid having him go down completely if he is treated properly now.

[CarolC]

Hi Kathie,

Here is info on Valium:

http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/drugs.html

I have a 4 year old dachsund that I have been told he has a slipped disc in neck. I was told by my orginal vet that he was trying to slip one. He was then put on prednisone. However he said dont crate him.

The prednisone was a good idea, but he should have been crated.

Two days later we were out of town and he started yelping in the middle of the night. So loud that the police were called. We took him to a emergency vet cost us over 400 dollars. She was a young vet and said he had a slipped. I ask her to xra y she refused. putting him also on tramadol and robuxin for pain.

An x-ray is not a good test to look at a disk. X-rays look at bones. Disks are not hard like bones, they are soft. Disks do not show up well on x-rays. There are other tests to look at disks. Like CT scans, MRIs, or myelograms. The vet should have offered you one of those tests. Or she should have told you where to go to get tests. It is OK that you did not have to waste money on the x-ray, but it is a shame no other tests were done.

Tramadol and robaxin are good.

He is still yelping in pain. Also the vet in Tampa said to crate him 6 to 8 weeks. Our vets said not to.

I would give him the pain medicine.

I took him back again and the vet put him on valium. Which I not given. I am very confused about what to do. I have also been research vet schools on slipped disc in the neck in dachsunds. And it says to give them 500 mgs of vit c twice daily for they rest of his life. And he should be back to normal. I am scared to give the valum after reading about people putting there pets on it and they woke up the morning and there pet never walked again.

I would not try vitamin C for a dog in this condition.

The good news is, valium does not cause paralysis. If a dog has a bad disk and needs surgery, and the owner chooses not to do surgery and decides to give valium instead, that can cause paralysis. But it was not the valium that did it. It was the fact that the dog needed surgery and did not get it.

Another thing that causes paralysis is letting a dog move around when he has a bad disk. Some people have a dog with a bad disk and they him valium, but they do not put him in a crate. Then the dog becomes paralyzed from moving around. It was not the valium that did it. It was because he was not crated.

Valium may be helpful, but it is no substitute for surgery or crating.

Can you help me with info on valium. I thought of only giving it to him in the evening. He seem to start out slow in morning. But then wals around the rest of the day. When the sun sets that is when he stars all his yelping and shaking. My vet also refused to do xray. He said he doesn't need that to diagnose.

This is a serious situation. If it was my dog, I would crate him immediately and not let him walk at all. I would get him to a specialist as soon as possible--tonight or tomorrow. I would not wait. This is an emergency.

Your dog may be very close to being paralyzed. You do not dare let him move around. It sounds like he needs pain meds and possibly muscle relaxers and possibly steroids. He may need surgery. He needs to be evaluated by an expert. The local vet did not help you much. The emergency vet did not help you much.

There are several ways to find a specialist. Ask your local vet to refer you to a neurologist or specialty surgeon. Call the nearest veterinary college. Ask the emergency veterinarian where the nearest hospital is that can do an MRI, CT scan, or myelogram, and can do spinal surgery.

[Cindidoxiemom]

I encourage you to join Dodger's list. It is a forum made up of over 1500 people whose dogs have IVDD. Most of them are dachshunds. I have three dachshunds, two of whom have IVDD and one who is paralyzed. Taking the right action now is of the UPMOST importance.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Dodgerslist/

[Paul Coover]

We have 9 dachshunds total.

We have 2 dachshunds that are paralyzed and use wheelchair carts. We also have Riley, a dachshund that we adopted as a downed dog but he recovered. Here is his story:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/gallery/riley11/

We also have Johanna, a dachshund that was left paralyzed from an attack with a baseball bat.












Here is a link to when Johanna and I were on the news in Boston in August of 2006.

http://www1.whdh.com/features/articles/specialreport/BO25472/

Pork Chop has a slipped disc in his neck that has left him paralyzed.













Handicapped and disabled dogs can live very happy and healthy lives, as I hope you can see. Remember, being disabled doesn't mean being destroyed!

It is important to keep a good, positive atitude right now. I know it is very difficult, but it is so important right now. Your dog will feed off of your energy, and you want to give them the best possible chance to recover as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Good luck!