Do You Think We Are Seeing Lumbosacral Stenosis

[Guest bigorangedog]

In the past week, Crisco (who is 12.5) has started showing some weakness in his rear. He's walking stiffly, and getting up more slowly. It's not all that pronounced, and if you didn't know him as well as I do, it's possible that you wouldn't notice it. But it's quite obvious to me. He's not jumping onto the bed as comfortably either, although he can still make it.

 

I had some Deramaxx on hand, and started giving that yesterday (75mg per day) per the vet's recommendation over the phone. She said if it's not better by Friday to bring him in.

 

The Deramaxx doesn't seem to be making much difference yet, the way it would if he had a sore muscle or something. So of course I'm now wondering if we're seeing the beginnings of LS. I wouldn't think that arthritis would have such a seemingly sudden onset. He seemed fine until around Sunday.

 

So what do y'all think? Should I bring him to the vet sooner? Any way to tell by myself if it's LS, vs something else?

 

If it is LS, on a 12.5 yr old dog, would you suggest that we go right away to the depo-medrol injections, or start somewhere else? I don't know an acupuncture vet in the area....and don't know that my snappy boy would tolerate it anyhow...but am willing to try to find one.

 

Appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

Jen

[kudzu]

LS certainly could be a possibility but arthritis in joints could cause problems getting up & down. No I wouldn't think arthritis would have a sudden onset. However... I have gone through it myself & can say that the damage could be building for a while before you feel it so it can indeed seem sudden. So I guess there is no sure way for you to know without xrays, etc. You can try pressing along his spine especially near the base of the tail. You could hold his tail up & press on the lumbar vertebra at the base of the tail. Don't be rough & be prepared for his hind end to sink or him to cry out. That could be a sign of LS. Though just because he seems fine does not mean he doesn't have it. Hopefully others will have ideas on this.

[Guest ss556]

Alan suddenly developed weakness in the rear, more knuckling and shuffling though, no dropping yet. We did some xrays and his arthritis isn't horrible, so I took him to a Holistic Vet and he has had 3 acupuncture treatments. He's better than before, but not perfect. I am giving him Traumeel pills 3x day as per the holistic vet. I truly believe that helped him, he must have been in pain and he moves more freely now. I was told he has a neurological deficit - could be LS. You can consult with a neurologist or just see what your regular vet suggests first. Good luck to you, I hope it's not LS.

[Burpdog]

As my chiropractic vet says "all old dogs have some degree of LS"

 

How long ago was blood work done? You are not suppose to start a NSAID without doing blood work first!

 

Have you tried supplements like Fresh Factors or Joint Health, MSM, fish oil?

 

Chiropractic by an AVCA certified vet will help as will acupuncture (CHI or IVAS)

[DonnaBehr]

If your grey has LS, the Deramaxx won't help. My senior male has been on Previcox for his arthritis but is VERY weak in the rear. He has trouble getting up and down and hasn't done the steps to the 2nd floor for over a year. He can only walk two blocks before his rear legs start to give out.

 

Look up Suzanne Stack,VMD on the greyhound project website and run off her information about LS to take it with you to the Vet. www.adopt-a-greyhound.org and click on Health information.

 

She has a very simple, non-invasive way for the Vet to check whether the dog has LS without resorting to CT Scan, MRI, etc. My Vet followed her suggestion and was very appreciative of the information I brought to her.

 

Have just put my boy on Tramadol, which has made a great difference. LS is degenerative, so it won't get any better, but the Tramadol will help with the pain.

[Rustyroo]

Rusty has started showing signs of LS in the past 9 months. The vet recommended Vitamin E. He said it won't stop it, but it will slow the progression down.

[Guest bigorangedog]

He's had recent bloodwork -- actually just a couple weeks ago. We ended up at the emergency vet in the middle of the night because he seemed to be in bad abdominal pain. Bloodwork was great. X-rays turned up that he appeared to have eaten a bunch of dirt/sand and had a bad tummy ache! (It was after a rain and I think he may have been digging up worms for a 'snack.') He was fine again the next day... So anyway, bloodwork was recently done and is fine.

 

He's not getting any worse, but also not really any better over the past week. He seems to feel fine otherwise....He noticed a bunny outside the window this morning, *leaped* up, stood on the couch shaking, drooling, staring out window... (He's not cat-safe LOL) Was playbowing and antagonizing our schnauzer last night.

 

I did email my vet the Suzanne Stack article yesterday evening, so I'm waiting for her to call today and see what she thinks. She has 4 greys herself, a couple seniors, and the other vet in the practice is an orthopedic specialist.

 

Is LS the kind of thing that glucosamine/chondroitin could have any positive effect on? I've been thinking of putting my old guys on that anyway.

 

Jen

 

Rusty has started showing signs of LS in the past 9 months. The vet recommended Vitamin E. He said it won't stop it, but it will slow the progression down.

 

Thanks -- I'll ask the vet about vitamin E.

Jen

 

Chiropractic by an AVCA certified vet will help as will acupuncture (CHI or IVAS)

 

Any suggestions on how to find a good local chiropractic vet? (Our regular vet is an hour outside of the city -- we use her because she loves the greys and give MNGR a discount -- so I doubt she'll have a recommendation for anybody out where we live.)

Jen

[iluvgreys]

Is LS the kind of thing that glucosamine/chondroitin could have any positive effect on? I've been thinking of putting my old guys on that anyway.

No, stenosis is the narrowing of the space for the spinal cord and wouldn't be affected by those supplements. However, it'd be great to give them to support all the other joints... hips, knees, etc. When my oldster had trouble standing/walking last Nov., my vet recommended a trial of Pred to see if there was an inflammatory process in her back which could be calmed down. She was on 5 to 10 mg. for about 3 weeks, tapered off and has been doing great since!

 

[DonnaBehr]

Is LS the kind of thing that glucosamine/chondroitin could have any positive effect on? I've been thinking of putting my old guys on that anyway.

No, stenosis is the narrowing of the space for the spinal cord and wouldn't be affected by those supplements. However, it'd be great to give them to support all the other joints... hips, knees, etc. When my oldster had trouble standing/walking last Nov., my vet recommended a trial of Pred to see if there was an inflammatory process in her back which could be calmed down. She was on 5 to 10 mg. for about 3 weeks, tapered off and has been doing great since!

 

Dr. Stack's article indicated that none of that stuff would work for LS. Helps for arthritis, so if your guy has that too, just keep using it.

 

Good Luck.

[Guest lizmego]

He's had recent bloodwork -- actually just a couple weeks ago. We ended up at the emergency vet in the middle of the night because he seemed to be in bad abdominal pain. Bloodwork was great. X-rays turned up that he appeared to have eaten a bunch of dirt/sand and had a bad tummy ache! (It was after a rain and I think he may have been digging up worms for a 'snack.') He was fine again the next day... So anyway, bloodwork was recently done and is fine.

 

He's not getting any worse, but also not really any better over the past week. He seems to feel fine otherwise....He noticed a bunny outside the window this morning, *leaped* up, stood on the couch shaking, drooling, staring out window... (He's not cat-safe LOL) Was playbowing and antagonizing our schnauzer last night.

 

I did email my vet the Suzanne Stack article yesterday evening, so I'm waiting for her to call today and see what she thinks. She has 4 greys herself, a couple seniors, and the other vet in the practice is an orthopedic specialist.

 

Is LS the kind of thing that glucosamine/chondroitin could have any positive effect on? I've been thinking of putting my old guys on that anyway.

 

Jen

 

Rusty has started showing signs of LS in the past 9 months. The vet recommended Vitamin E. He said it won't stop it, but it will slow the progression down.

 

Thanks -- I'll ask the vet about vitamin E.

Jen

 

Chiropractic by an AVCA certified vet will help as will acupuncture (CHI or IVAS)

 

Any suggestions on how to find a good local chiropractic vet? (Our regular vet is an hour outside of the city -- we use her because she loves the greys and give MNGR a discount -- so I doubt she'll have a recommendation for anybody out where we live.)

Jen

Here is a link to an association of american chiropractors. Sorry I didn't see this thread before, but I just started researching LS since we believe that is what Power may have. We had xrays taken today and our traditional vet has said that there is no evidence of cancer. ur chiropractor/acupuncturist, who is also a DVM (in Missouri, a chiropractor/acupuncturist must practice with a DVM or be a DVM themselves). Power did get a Depo short about 3 weeks ago to experiment and see if his shaking hind leg got better. I thought it did. So we're not sure if its LS or just arthritis. Power is on Arthoplex prescribed by our chiro/acupuncturist. I'm now waiting for a call back from Dr. Pat (chiro/acupunc.) to set up an emergency appt for tomorrow.

[Guest gryhndmom]

you definitely want to go to the Greythealth website and print out Suzanne D Stacks article on LS. I took it to my vet and thanks to the detailed article and diagrams my vet was able to diagnose w/out an MRI. My vet was so impressed and thankful to learn something new that he didn't even charge me for the visit We started the Depo-medrol right away. It helped a lot in the beginning but over time has less and less affect. We also put him on Previcox I think it was initially and he was on Tramadol near the end. www.HandicappedPets.com is a good sight too because you may want to get him a harness of sorts. I used the belly harness on walks because squatting to poop became very hard for my Big Daddy. With the belly harness I could help support his hind end and take some of the weight off his back legs. I bought a rear end harness too but never got to use it, although I did use the hind end leash a few times. The belly harness was the most comfortable for him and he seemed to appreciate the help. I used it on all our walks and just grabbed the handles and helped him when he needed or wanted it.

 

Good luck, as everyone said, it will only get worse so keep your baby comfortable and love him as much as you can and do as much as you can with him while he can enjoy it.

[Guest Spiff]

Spiff's LS was diagnosed using the test in Dr. Stack's information, plus the vet made an x-ray as well. It turns out that Spiff also has an offset along his spine in the same area, likely from an old injury, which probably makes his LS worse.

 

We've treated him with a combination of things - depo-medrol shots have helped somewhat (the first one was great, the second one helped but wasn't so dramatic) and between those we've given him Rimadyl, which also helps - even if just to reduce the pain, so that he feels better. Spiff also gets a glucosamine supplement and Traumeel tablets.

 

Exercise is very important in order to maintain muscle mass and strength.

 

Spiff no longer goes up or down long flights of stairs, and we do not allow him to jump into the car or get on the furniture. It is difficult for him to do these things and he doesn't try to do them himself anymore anyway.

 

We have started using his seat-belt chest harness to give him a little more support when pooping (his rear legs are weak and if he squats he has a hard time standing up). His LS has gotten to the point where he has a constant problem with bowel incontinence. This all sounds pretty bad, but honestly, all these things have developed over the course of about 2 years. Spiff is 13.5 years old.

 

Using a combination of treatments, it's possible to moderate the progression of LS so that your pup is more comfortable and you have more time to enjoy life together.

Edited June 14, 2008 by Spiff

[Guest crazy4greys]

My boy Phoenix was diagnosed through x-rays. We could see the narrowing of the disc spaces.

 

He went for chiropractic adjustments and had Adequan injections. The combination definitely made him feel better.

[GreyTzu]

Here is a list of holistic Vets in MN. I am not familiar with your state so I don't know how near to you any of these Vets would be. You can search here yourself for more information.

 

While acupuncture or chiro. treatment will not cure your dog, it will provide some pain relief.

 

 

DEBORA BROWN , DVM

PEQUOT LAKES ANIMAL HOSPITAL

30266 OLD HGWY 371

PEQUOT LAKES , MN 56472

Phone: 218-568-5095

Fax: 218-568-7780

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(CHI) CH CM HMTX NU WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL

pequotlakesanimalhospital.com

 

 

LYNELLE GRAHAM , DVM MS, DIPL AVAC

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA VETERINARY MEDIAL CENTER

1352 BOYD AVE

U OF M VMC, VCS C-339

ST. PAUL , MN 55108

Phone: 612-625-9781

Fax: 612-624-0751

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(IVAS) CH CR CR(AVCA) CM

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL EQUINE FARM

www.cvm.umn.edu

 

 

 

JEAN HOLLENSTEIN , DVM BA

GLACIER RIDGE VETERINARY CLINIC

16159 STATE HGWY 29

GLENWOOD , MN 56334

Phone: 320-634-3558

Fax: 320-634-4191

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AK BF CR CM GT H HMTX NAET NU REIKI WH HEALING TOUCH/BIOENERGETIC THERAPY

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL

 

 

 

LEILANI HOTALING , DVM

MINNETONKA ANIMAL HOSPITAL

3318 GROVELAND SCHOOL RD

MINNETONKA , MN 55391

Phone: 952-473-1239

Fax: 952-473-1230

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(IVAS) CH CR CR(AVCA) CN CM NU MA WH PHYSICAL THERAPY - REHABILITATION

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL

 

 

 

JESSICA LEVY , DVM

CENTRAL BIRD & ANIMAL HOSPITAL, INC.

13060 CENTRAL AVE NE

BLAINE , MN 55434

Phone: 763-785-2700

Fax: 763-862-0090

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

BF CM GT H NU REIKI WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL EXOTIC AVIAN

www.centralbirdanimal.com

 

 

 

CATHERINE LUND , DVM

ANIMAL WELLNESS CENTER

17445 KENRICK AVE

LAKEVILLE , MN 55044

Phone: 952-469-8567

Fax: 952-469-9752

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

BF CM GT HMTX NU

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL

www.altpetvet.com

 

 

 

JANELL OSBORN , DVM

SAINT CLOUD ANIMAL HOSPITAL

300 LINCOLN AVE NE

ST. CLOUD , MN 56304

Phone: 320-267-3855

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(CHI) BF CH CN CM NU MA REIKI WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL EQUINE FARM EXOTIC HOUSE CALLS

 

 

 

JANELL OSBORN Second Office

JANELL OSBORN, DVM

10292-170TH AVE

LITTLE FALLS , MN 56345

Phone: 320-267-3855

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(CHI) BF CH CN CM NU MA REIKI WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL EQUINE FARM EXOTIC HOUSE CALLS

 

 

 

FRED POMEROY , DVM ND

POMEROY'S SMALL ANIMAL HOSPITAL

185 EAST 7TH ST

ST. PAUL , MN 55101

Phone: 651-224-4815

Fax: 651-224-4816

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AK CR CN CM GT H NAET NU WH CONTACT REFLEX ANALYSIS, EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL

 

 

 

JAMES SINNING , DVM

LAKE HARRIET VETERINARY

4249 BRYANT AVE S

MINNEAPOLIS , MN 55409

Phone: 612-822-1545

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC AC(IVAS) BF CH CN CM GT H NU WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL HOUSE CALLS

www.lakeharrietvet.com

 

 

 

SUSAN SWANSON , DVM

CAT CARE CLINIC, PC

126 HICKORY ST

MAHTOMEDI , MN 55115

Phone: 651-429-4153

Fax: 651-429-6050

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

AC BF CH CN CM NU REIKI WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL HOUSE CALLS

www.holisticcatvet.com

 

 

 

CARA WHITE , DVM BS

CENTRAL BIRD & ANIMAL HOSPITAL

13060 CENTRAL AVENUE NE

BLAINE , MN 55434

Phone: 763-785-2700

Modalities Practiced: (Modality Quick Reference)

BF CR CR (HOWC) CN CM GT NU WH

Practice Preferences:

SMALL ANIMAL