Can anyone share Canine Disc experiences

[dalpal]

My very athletic dal (just turned 8) suddenly yelped when climbing up on the couch on Saturday PM. I started him on 100 mg of Rimydal per day.

Took him to the vet on Monday afternoon. Vet decided that we would treat with acupuncture/robaxin first…if not better in a week, then come back in for xrays, more thorough tests. No jumping, climbing stairs for the next week…which isn’t a problem, because he won’t go near them. Dog did not present any signs of pain at the office, but he was quite nervous.

He’s totally fine on the flat (so to speak) no signs of lameness, discomfort. Totally happy camper. I’ve been sleeping in the living room with him. Last night, I got up to go to the bathroom…he took my spot on the Ottoman, but didn’t yelp…I didn’t move him, let him sleep there and I took the floor.

Vet thinks it is probably an inflammed disk. Now this dog is a total wimp when it comes to pain. I’m hoping he has just twisted and pulled a muscle.

So I’m looking for people’s experiences with disk injuries. Is it normal for the dog to be totally fine except for the motion of pushing off to jump. No lameness or trouble standing.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=dalpal;6455392]
So I’m looking for people’s experiences with disk injuries. Is it normal for the dog to be totally fine except for the motion of pushing off to jump. No lameness or trouble standing.[/QUOTE]

My male Corgi jumped off the bed and had a disc bulge. We treated with 4 weeks of crate rest, pred and tramadol. He healed fine. He was only allowed out of the crate for on lead potty walks. Within 24 hours, he was much better, but we were very good about the 4 weeks the vet told us to do. I wanted no further complications and we had none.

[dalpal]

This is what is worrying me…when I asked my vet about daily activities…he said confinement wasn’t necessary, just no jumping, climbing stairs.

Did your corgi show any other symptoms?

[threedogpack]

he showed specific pain when pressed on his spine. It was clear where it was and since he was normally an active dog, who immediately quit moving freely…I suspected a disc issue.

[dalpal]

This one shows no sign of pain at any given spot…I’ve run down his entire spine with my hands and got no reaction…the only spot that I got a reaction was his inside hind left leg when I massaged his muscle there…but he isn’t lame, so vet felt like it had to be in the back. He is still free moving when he trots, no sign of pain other than does not want to go upstairs or I guess “push off” the hind end.

[SquishTheBunny]

A lot of the time, larger breeds like yours do reasonably well with rest. Herniated disks are often more troublesome in small breeds dogs or long back dogs- however not to say large breed dogs also cant have related issues. If you really want to know if there is a disc a myelogram or MRI would be required - however to be honest, if your vet didnt elicit any pain and your dog isnt ataxic at all, I would think chances of a herniated disc to be low. I would also not crate a dog who is not showing any symptoms of disc disease, but rest with only short trips to the bathroom and no rambunctious activity.

Key signs to watch for are ataxia (wobbly hind end), any onset of ataxia or paralysis needs to be addressed by a vet asap, pref. an orthopedic or neurosurgeon.

Back pain can also be attributed to spondylosis which has nothing to do with the discs. This is something generally older dogs get,but dallies seem prone to it. I have also seen many vets misread abdominal pain for back pain, but it sounds like either way your dog is currently doing well.

Keep an eye out for wobbly gaits, or any troubles rising. This will indicate there is a disc that needs to be further addressed. Hopefully he did just pull a muscle and there is no back issues, they can tend to be problematic for a long time. Best of luck!

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=SquishTheBunny;6455455]
A lot of the time, larger breeds like yours do reasonably well with rest. Herniated disks are often more troublesome in small breeds dogs or long back dogs- however not to say large breed dogs also cant have related issues. If you really want to know if there is a disc a myelogram or MRI would be required - however to be honest, if your vet didnt elicit any pain and your dog isnt ataxic at all, I would think chances of a herniated disc to be low. I would also not crate a dog who is not showing any symptoms of disc disease, but rest with only short trips to the bathroom and no rambunctious activity.

Key signs to watch for are ataxia (wobbly hind end), any onset of ataxia or paralysis needs to be addressed by a vet asap, pref. an orthopedic or neurosurgeon.

Back pain can also be attributed to spondylosis which has nothing to do with the discs. This is something generally older dogs get,but dallies seem prone to it. I have also seen many vets misread abdominal pain for back pain, but it sounds like either way your dog is currently doing well.

Keep an eye out for wobbly gaits, or any troubles rising. This will indicate there is a disc that needs to be further addressed. Hopefully he did just pull a muscle and there is no back issues, they can tend to be problematic for a long time. Best of luck![/QUOTE]

Thank you for such an informative post!!! I posted on a Dal group and got alot of scare you Sh____less responses.

[Riley0522]

My now 7 year-old very active (think bouncy) Pit Bull partially prolapsed a disc last summer (so she was 6). She loves to roll in the grass, and on a Friday we noticed she was yelping when laying too much on her side or trying to roll onto her back. She was fine on flat surfaces. I came home from work on Sunday and she greeted me at the door, and got side swiped by one of my other dogs and very temporarily lost control of her back end, screeching crying, etc.

We immediately took her to the E-vet and they diagnosed a partially prolapsed disc, she was very reactive to pressure on her lower back. 6 weeks of crate rest, Prednisone, NSAIDs and something to protect her stomach and she was good as new. That said we are pretty cautious with her nowadays, the vet told us had she fully prolapsed we would have been looking at quite a lot of $$ to attempt to fix her with no guarantee or euthanasia.

[PiaffePlease]

My Dal slipped a disc and she would yelp when her neck was moved and she was very sensitive. I too thought she pulled a muscle in her leg. She started sleeping A LOT more and refused to go down the steps so I took her to the vet. The vet said that its common for a slipped disc to seem like a leg problem. Thankfully he was very knowledgeable and was sure it was a slipped disc. X-rays were done and sure enough, thats what it was. I felt awful not taking her sooner. I didnt realize it was something major because she had such a low pain tolerance. I figured she pulled a muscle on a walk.

[dalpal]

Vet checked his neck first and got no response. When I took him out to the bathroom last night what I noticed was a bit of spasms in the left hind leg and a little hunched in lower back. However, fingers crossed, this morning he seems to be feeling more like his old self. I’m watching him like a hawk.

[Bicoastal]

Crate rest + anti-inflammatories

Freaky timing. Just last night, my senior Dachshund mix had sudden hind ataxia. I noticed he was standing like Bambi on ice and seemed uncomfortable and reluctant to move forward. His hind end was wobbly, swaying, hinds interfering, toes dragging. He was lethargic and whined for one minute while laying down. No other symptoms. I have Tramadol and later aspirin, carried him up and down the stairs to potty, and crated.

This morning, he walked out of the crate with control and balance. Went directly to the vet who found no symptoms: was no longer ataxic and did not respond to palpation. Best guess, based on presented history plus age and breed/conformation is disc disease with mild inflammation. Treatment is one week Rimadyl with 3 – 4 weeks restricted activity ie leash walks for bathroom and that’s it. No jumping off furniture ever again, limit jumping and stairs; manage him like an old Dachshund.

FWIW, we did more than one hemilaminectomy on Dals at the specialty practice. Restrict activity! If vet thinks it’s an inflamed disk, pup should be on anti-inflammatories and crate rest until inflammation is gone. Increasing inflammation can result in paralysis. Once that occurs, options are either surgery, management (wheelchair and pee pads), or euthanasia.

[dalpal]

We are definitely resting…leash only. Had a weird experience today. I took the three girls to the lake, left him confined. Came back 30 minutes later, took him out on the leash. He was doing a slow trot and started pooping. :eek: Didn’t seemed the least bothered, tail up, backend not effected.

Called vet…hoping it was due to Robaxin. He told me that definitely told him that there was pressure on the spine somwhere.

After talking with my farrier (who does shutzen and breeds GSDs), I have decided to take him to his wife (small animal vet) tomorrow for a second consultation.

This is scaring the bejesus out of me. You honestly wouldn’t know anything was wrong with this dog if you saw him out and about…so I’m hoping it’s manageable, but am scared to death.

[dalpal]

I bought him a nice orthopedic bed today and put it under my desk, he’s stretched out on it, under my desk at my feet.

He has no problem scratching, hiking his leg up to pee, very coordinated, but something isn’t right.

[GraceLikeRain]

I hope you get answers. You know your boy so don’t let anyone minimize your concern or tell you it’s a wait and see sort of thing. Ideally it is just a strained muscle but you will sleep better at night knowing exactly what is going on.

[Arizona_DQ]

CRATE REST!!! CRATE REST CRATE REST. Even if the dog acts as if he feels better, the disk can still be compromised and susceptible to injury from the slightest mistep…

Go to www.dodgerslist.com .

There is all sorts of information on disk problems. Linda Stowe, the person who runs this website, has worked and continues to work with vets all over the country on disk issues. There is also a list of recommended vets nation wide, who specialize in this.

Good luck.

[SquishTheBunny]

Unfortunately, if the issues havent resolved by now and are presenting in these odd ways,I would agree that tether rest (or cage…depending on the dog) is probably warranted until you can get further diagnostics done. Defecating while walking and a hunched back really gives off key signals that there is a neurological aspect to this - regardless if their is pain. Sometimes, there is zero pain associated depending on the cause of the back issue. Heres hoping rest and AI’s will do your dog some good. If you can afford it, however, it might be worth working him up as to not miss anything. While a herniated disc or inflammed disc is probably the horse, if he’s anything like my dog it will be a zebra. Best of luck and keep us posted!

[dalpal]

Went to second vet today…they did a very thorough exam.

He was acting much better last night…

So when she told me that he had a full anal gland and sometimes that can cause sensitivity, I was hopeful.

They did xray. Nothing significant on X-ray…no pushed vertebrae…Of course, I know that doesn’t tell me everything…I need an MRI for that…but xray work looked good.

She sent me home with more Rimydal, two weeks of rest.

I took him out to the bathroom when we got home (she said he had a lot of stool), and I noticed that he did not want to completely put weight on his left hind leg. He still hikes that leg to pee, but not as high and was only putting weight down on the toe at times.

I called the vet, she said it could be the knee…once again, just rest and see.

I did remember that on Saturday night, when I was rubbing out his leg (I’ve always thought this looked like it was in his leg), when I went high inside on the left, he showed me teeth…it hurt.

After my wonderful horse trainer talked me off the suicide ledge, she started asking me questions…and she thought the same thing I did…maybe a torn, tweaked ligament high in the inside left leg. So I am going to try to stay calm, total rest for 2 weeks and hope that he will be okay. He has no trouble getting up from laying down, he only seems bothered with weight on the left hind leg.

Any thoughts?

[wendy]

http://www.mobilevetsurgeon.com/images/Iliopsoas_Muscle_Injury.pdf

note the comments about how these can sometimes cause foot-dragging, which is more commonly seen with neurological problems, and pain upon palpation along the spine.

why would think this was a spine problem? I didn’t quite get that from your history.

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=wendy;6459477]
http://www.mobilevetsurgeon.com/images/Iliopsoas_Muscle_Injury.pdf

note the comments about how these can sometimes cause foot-dragging, which is more commonly seen with neurological problems, and pain upon palpation along the spine.

why would think this was a spine problem? I didn’t quite get that from your history.[/QUOTE]

I don’t think so either…there is absolutely no pain upon palpation. But because he yelped when jumping on the couch last Saturday, that seemed to be the thought process. I’ve explained to vet one about the response I got when rubbing the inside of his hind leg, but he dismissed it. So I dunno. I’m hoping he’s just pulled a back leg muscle. I’m going to try and chill out and see where we are in two weeks.

[dalpal]

BTW…Wendy, thank you for that article. That does sound more of what we are dealing with.