Herniated/Ruptured Disc: Medically Treating

[jewels02]

Hello!

I have a 6-yr. old min pin. The other day she ruptured a disc in her back and has lost all movement in her right back leg (left rear leg is a little weak, but improving).
The vet recommended I have her get an MRI and surgery (about $5,000, plus office fees, etc., which is on top of $700 spent before going to the nuerologist). Unfortunately, I cannot afford the surgery so I have to medically treat her.

I just brought her home today and she is horrible. She is on some pain killers and prednisone. I fell sooo horrible for her. She is unable to walk and hasn't gone to bathroom since we've gotten home (at least 7 hrs. ago). I know she is in soooo much pain .. I can see it.

I feel horrible. I don't want her to suffer. And who knows if she will be able to walk or have to loose her leg (because it is paralyzed at the moment). I am pondering putting her down... ya know, I don't want to suffer like this!!!!

Has anyone else gone through this (medically treating vs. surgery and the outcome)??? I'm devasted!

[Cindidoxiemom]

Two issues need to be dealt with IMMEDIATELY!

1. The pain....Pain can be controlled. If the meds you are using aren't working...call the Vet and get more or a different pain killer.

2. If your dog hasn't urinated then your going to have to do it for her. You need to express. The vet needs to show you how, but you can't wait until morning.
Read Paula's site about expressing. http://users.cyberport.net/~milnerwm/Expressing.html Not expressing will lead to UTI's.

3. COMPLETE crate rest. You dog should be crated 24/7 for 6-8 weeks...the only time she should be out is for you to carry her to the spot you will express her.

4. Financing for surgery. If you dog still has deep pain but is completely down...surgery probably is their best chance.
TRY credit care http://www.carecredit.com/ for financing.

5. What do you mean by "or loose her leg"? We don't amputate paralyzed dog's limbs. My dog is completely paralyzed in his rear...he gets around with a cart, or he scoots.

6. There is no reason to put a dog down because it is paralyzed. Call the vet and get the pain under control


Cindi

[jewels02]

Thanks Cindi. I tried to express her last night based on the info. in the previous posts, but was unable and she began whining so I stopped. It is now morning and she has relieved herself in the crate.

I will definitely call the vet as soon as he opens (in another hour). Yes, she still feels deep pain, but my credit isn't in the best shape, so I couldn't qualify for the Pet Care financing, which was also heartbreaking. I just hate seeing her like this.

This site is great. Noone else understands my pain and grief. It's comforting to know there are others faced with this same issue and their pets are still alive and well, living high quality lives.

[maryteresa76]

I understand what you're going through. My 3 yr old bichon herniated a disc a year ago, had CTs, a myelogram, surgery, and huge bills, and only regained some function. However, it was my hope that she was continuing to slowly regain strength and function. She remained incontinent, however, and had to have her bladder exprsesed. A little oever a month ago, she apparently herniated another disc/reinjured herself. I had to medically treat her because I'm still paying off the previous surgery, and frankly, she was miserable after hte first surgery. If I had opted for a second surgery, she would have only regained at least where she was before- some function, though not walking. I opted to treat her medically this time with steroids and pain meds. My dog was pretty miserable for the first week but then started to really improve. So hang in there for that initial week or so. My dog was an fentanyl, a narcotic, among other pain meds and the steroids. So she was high, groggy and her stomach may have been upset too. (Pepcid helps- ask your vet for dosage info.) In fact, my dad is a (people) doctor, looked at her meds, and said if she could talk, he'd expect her to say she was hallucinating because of those meds.

The initial week or so will be tough for your little one, but you will be fine! And certainly your dog still had some function so there could be a very good chance your dog will go back to normal or close to it! There IS a light at the end of the tunnel!!

[pmilner]

I just brought her home today and she is horrible. She is on some pain killers and prednisone. I fell sooo horrible for her. She is unable to walk and hasn't gone to bathroom since we've gotten home (at least 7 hrs. ago). I know she is in soooo much pain .. I can see it.

The vet needs to be aware ASAP via phone re: the pain and adjust her meds. Make sure she is on Pepcid as prednisone is very hard on the stomach, usually 1/2 tab before the pred. Phone and ask your vet about that. Pain deters healing and MUST be attended to right away.

You have a good chance that she has deep pain sensation with conventional medical treatment. The number one best thing you can do is crate rest the correct way. Details and tips here: http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/CrateRRP.pdf

The 2nd best thing is to join the DodgersList where there are tremendous resources in literature and people to help guide you through this very stressful time and cover things your vet may not have. http://www.dodgerslist.com/

I hope by now you have had a few practice sessions and are better at expressing. It is a skill and takes time to be proficient. Have your vet check your work, to see if he gets any more urine out. Leaking on bedding is not peeing, it's overflowing. A bad thing that can lead to UTI's.

I feel horrible. I don't want her to suffer. And who knows if she will be able to walk or have to loose her leg (because it is paralyzed at the moment). I am pondering putting her down... ya know, I don't want to suffer like this!!!!
Just know there are many happy years ahead for your both whichever way things go. Once she has completed 6-8 weeks of crate rest, then assessment on walking can be done. Take it one day at a time and focus on the task at hand. The future will take care of itself.

Dogs are happy with simple things: your love and hugs, food and water, a safe place to sleep and daily exercise. They don't suffer if they can't walk. Heck my dog doesn't think he's any different than his sister. He runs two miles every day with the neighbor's dogs, chews on bones, snuggles up on my lap, barks at a cat running by. It's we humans that agonize over how terrible being paralyzed must be and what a loss, etc.... Dogs live in the moment, adjust and move forward.

--
Paula Milner
Lewis and Clark (3 surgeries, paralyzed since Jan 2007)
Dachsie IVDD Care FAQ:
http://users.cyberport.net/~milnerwm/dachsieFAQ.html

[jewels02]

Thanks for all the advice. This site has helped me immensely.

She is improving. I was really excited about her progress from one day. She is now able to go to the bathroom on her own and she seems so much more like herself. She is standing better (on three legs) and putting more pressure on her bad leg. She is moving around though quite a bit in the crate, which worries me. Thanks for the tips on proper crating. If she continues to be restless, I will contact the vet to see if he can give her something to calm her down a bit.

The problem I'm dealing with today it a lot of diarrhea. I'm so mad because after reading the posts about giving Pepcid with the Prednisone, I asked the vet if I should give it to her. He told me no; he said that if she was going to be on it for a long period, then he would recommend. So, I called the vet this morning, and he told me to give her Pepcid and to reduce the Prednisone in half. I really hate to reduce the dosage because it really seems to help her and I want the swelling/fluid from the ruptured disk to go down. I just feel like the faster I can get the pressure on her spine removed, the more likely she will regain full use of her right hind leg. But I do not want her to suffer w/stomach issues like diarrhea or ulcers, so I will do what he says. I also decided to feed her some plain rice today instead of her usual food. Hopefully that will help w/the diarrhea. Any other ideas to help w/diarrhea?

Thanks again!!

[maryteresa76]

I'm glad you are getting some Pepcid in her regardless of when you started. It's good she has it now. My dog started out on steroids by iv, then was released from the hospital with an oral prescription. The hospital doctor said NOTHING about Pepcid. My dog was really uncomfortable, and I happened t be reading my itemized bill and saw that with the IV, they were giving her Pepcid as well. I called me regular vet and he was surprised that at the hospital they hadn't said a word to me about Pepcid. So he gave me dosage info and I ran out to Walgreens immediately! One of the best things you can do, in my opinion, is seek second opinions-especially when you are dealing with specialists, emergency doctors...people you don't necessarily follow up with or see on a regular basis.

I think diarrhea is a side effect of the meds. As long as the stool is not black and tarry, you will be okay!

Another thing about Prednisone is that the dosages are supposed to be gradually lessened every few days, so dont' worry about cutting the dosage in half. Dogs, like people, need to step down on their Prednisone use instead of stopping abruptly. it has something to do with how the Prednisone affects the body's production of certain chemicals, and stopping Prednisone without weaning off it throws the chemicals out of whack. For my dog, she had two pills every day for a few days, then one pill a day for a few days, then it was one pill every other day for a few days...

By the way, I am really happy for you that you are seeing this improvement!

[jewels02]

Thanks. Yes, very happy I am seeing an improvement. Today though she doesn't want to lay down much. I think her stomach is bothering her.. based on the continuing diarrhea.

I'm also noticing her right rear leg (the one she is unable to move) is shaking quite a bit. Does this mean feeling is coming back??? I know.. wishful thinking
Or did if fall asleep? Or is it in pain??

[maryteresa76]

I don't know what the shaking is- it could be an attempt at movement or use of the leg, could be a reflexive thing maybe? My regular vet told me once that when there is nerve damage from which the dog is recovering, sometimes the affected limb can feel like it's asleep- the pins and needles feeling we get when our feet fall asleep. And it can be really annoying. Maybe the leg does feel "asleep." In any case, I believe he said it was indicative of the limb (or nerves) being in the process of healing or recovery. i hope that's what is going on for you.

[jewels02]

That's good news. I just spoke with my vet again, he said it's very normal for the weak leg to tremble/shake (especially during the first week) BUT I'm choosing to believe it's because she's making progress!

[Cindidoxiemom]

Just remember STRICT crate rest for 6-8 weeks...the prednisone will make the pup "feel" better, but remember that disc isn't going to go down for WEEKS!!!!!!!!

Reinjury or setbacks happen all too often when people allow movement too soon.

Canned PLAIN pumpkin can help regulate stools.

Hang in there!

[Paul Coover]

I agree with the canned pumpkin. That usually clears up the "loose stool" problem.

As for the crate rest, strict crate rest is a MUST right now.

The leg thing happens sometimes. Our Pork Chop constantly kicks his legs as a reflex action. Never both at the same time, but one, then the other, then the first one again.

Anyway, here's our family:

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 last year.

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!

[jewels02]

Thanks all - and thanks for sharing the pictures!

The diarrhea has stopped pretty much in the past couple hours (I don't think she has anything left), but if it comes back I will definitely try the canned pumpkin!!

It's been difficult today to keep her resting and laying down. She is doing a lot of sitting in her hunchback mode, getting up, barking, etc. I think I need to definitely get something from the vet to help her relax.

[pmilner]

Many have had success with Rescue Remedy, a natural liquid herb combo to help with relaxation.

One source is:
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/b ... 0remedy%00