Bulging Disk.

[Guest kellabee]

Hello ladies, gents and greys!

I was finally able to post here, I'm an avid visitor and finally was able to sign up!

 

Anyways, I have a 3 year old male named Dodge. We adopted him Nov. 28/08 and in the beginning of April, he started to REALLY have some accidents in the house. About 3 or 4 a night. We took him to the vet after 2 days and after running test after test after test, she came up with the conclusion that he may have Cushings disease and put him on some meds. Coincidentally, my friend's grey is Dodge's cousin and also has Cushings and we were hoping for the same results with the treatment, boy were we wrong.

 

After about a week we noticed Dodge was becoming even MORE lethargic. He started rarely eating and shaking. Again another trip later, she wrote it off and gave us the 'make sure you get him eating with this soft food and call me if anything changes'.

 

Another week passed and he becoming something seriously aggressive. Any time we tried to get him up to take a pee he was not having it. Many close encounters with my face and again, a trip to the vet. I did know that Cushings affected the joints and his back legs were sooooo wobbly. Any time he did get up, he did the drunk walk.. '2 steps forward, one step sideways'. Again, trip to the vet (we were going at this time about 3 times a week) and Dodge didn't do anything when she touched him he just kinda sat there, and never shoke once. I did however bring in a video of him shaking in his sleep and she didn't know what to think and recommended maybe doing some x-rays and redoing his tests. This was NOT an option.. I already paid for her vacation to Jamaica about 3 times over and nothing was clearly working. 2nd opinion time!

 

We went to another vet in another town and the minute we walked in, he knew something was wrong. Dodge held his head low, and could barely walk in. He came to the conclusion that Dodge didn't have cushings at all. Cushings pups are off the wall still and Dodge looked depressed. He said he thought he was in pain somewhere and we need to find out where. During his first examination with THIS vet, Dodge did almost take his face off when he touched his back legs. He commented that NOT ONCE during his 32 years as a vet has a greyhound EVER growled at him. FINALLY someone is taking us seriously!

 

After he prescribed us MedCam which did nothing, (besides make us aware he had Colitis.. that was a joy) we were in there again. This time a more thorough examination was done with his back end. Anytime the vet pressed down in the area at his hip and his lower back, Dodge would growl. He'd press up his spine, back down and press that area again, same response. Down the tail, back to his hip and Dodge pretty much wanted to kill. An xray was done and in that area of the spine, there wasn't a space b/w his vertebrea like there was in the rest of his back. Everything was uniform, EXCEPT that one spot.

 

Dodge was diagnosed with a bulging disk and was put on Robaxcin and Cortisone. (To make absolutely positively sure, a MRI has to be done)He's starting to becoming a little better. He's getting up to eat, and when the cookie jar sounds. He's not his big old galoof self but is able to go outside to go to the bathroom. He moves VERY slowly. He's under strict house arrest (which is making him super skinny, since his muscles are going away)

 

So, does anyone have a grey with this? How fast was your grey able to heal? Did he/she heal?

 

Surgery is an option, however no surgeons are in this area that cover that. We understand he may never be the same but we just don't want him to be in pain.

[Guest vahoundlover]

Boss was DX with a bulged disc, he lost use of his backend, he was almost 12 at the time. He went from walking like a drunk to not being able to walk at all within a couple of hours. He spent 2 wks at the vets. He was on pred and metacam and my vet used a T-stem?? to message the surrounding muscles, they were so tight from over compensating. It was a slow process but my vet worked with him several times a day and we came in and helped in the evenings. We had to re-teach him how to walk.

 

Diane (Burpdog ) strongly suggested acupuncture, so I called around and found a vet that would see him the day Boss was released from my vets. I can tell you the immediate improvement was miraculous from our first appt!! We did acupuncture once a week and then gradually moved the appts further apart. She also put him on various herb combinations. The cooperation between my vet and our new holistic vet was incredible.

 

Boss never regained all of the strength he had in his backend. He wore an assistance harness 24/7, received acupuncture as needed which ranged from once a month to every 6 wks. We had to put rubberback mats down on all slippery surfaces and he was leash walked for all pottying, we tried several times to let him meander around the backyard but the older he got the more he preferred his fans that he met from being leash walked. Boss left us this past Nov, a week shy of 14, he was just tired......

 

I firmly believe the combination of eastern and western medicine and Bossy's strong will to keep on going is what gave us 2 more wonderful years with our special fella.

 

Here is the link for the harness

http://www.northcoastgreyhounds.net/store/index.php/cat_140

 

Please keep us updated on Dodge, my prayers are with him.

[Guest kellabee]

I'm soooo sorry to hear about Boss

 

The Metacam may have worked, if I wasn't scrubbing explosive diherrea off my walls... I wish I was joking about that!

 

Dodge was getting worse week by week. I'm glad that it wasn't in the hours like you mentioned with Boss, I'd have a heart attack.

 

How was Boss in the harness? Was he happy still? Was he in pain still?

 

I just don't want Dodge to be in a wheelchair, still in pain and miserable like he is now. I don't think that's fair to him.

 

So like I said, we're taking it day by day. He just lays in his bed and kinda just stares at us. I'm just hoping for the day that I come home and he's so excited he does zoomies all around the house again.

[Guest vahoundlover]

Boss didn't mind his harness a bit! It's made of really soft material, not like a regular harness that uses the webbing. We had Boss off Metacam by using the herbs, he wasn't in pain as much as his other muscles would get stiff and sore from his gait being off, we'd message them daily. Boss was a very happy boy, he didn't seem to mind that zoomies were a thing of the past, he still occasionally tossed stuffies and loved to take his short walks.

 

I encourage you to seek out acupuncture, it REALLY made that much of a difference for Boss.

 

Sorry about the diarrhea, been there, done that

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

Spencer was diagnosed with some sort of disc problem - bulging or compressed or something like it. As you said, to be sure an MRI has to be performed which I can't afford. The x-rays did show some compression. Acupuncture really helped and prednisone. Spencer is doing much better now. He did have incontinence for a long time and as someone else said, "walked like a drunk". He's still wobbly but nothing like he was. He's not on any medication for the disc problem now.

 

[Guest kellabee]

So I looked up acupuncture for pets in my area and the ONLY one in our area is get this.... IN OUR OWN TOWN!! So I called them up right away. I got prices and so I'm going to talk to my vet about it since I need a copy of his x-rays. It's not cheap, but medical for pets is never cheap so we're learning. (Dodge is our first dog) I'm hoping it works out. He's eating currently, but from his bed... I put his food dish beside him and he eats while laying down.

 

 

[ozgirl2]

Acupuncture's not cheap but my Cody had a bulging disc - probably in about the same spot. And the acu REALLY helped!! She was on prednisone for years to keep the inflammation at bay (she was 10.5 when she hurt her back - don't know if I'd keep up the pred in a young dog - talk to the vet)

 

Anyway, Cody had the MRI (for $1700!) and the treatment was the same as it would have been BEFORE the MRI - so ask the vet if you can just try treatments w/o the MRI...

 

Cody improved a lot but I never did let her run full-out after that.

[Guest vahoundlover]

So I looked up acupuncture for pets in my area and the ONLY one in our area is get this.... IN OUR OWN TOWN!! So I called them up right away. I got prices and so I'm going to talk to my vet about it since I need a copy of his x-rays. It's not cheap, but medical for pets is never cheap so we're learning. (Dodge is our first dog) I'm hoping it works out. He's eating currently, but from his bed... I put his food dish beside him and he eats while laying down.

 

 

please keep us updated

[Guest kellabee]

So I looked up acupuncture for pets in my area and the ONLY one in our area is get this.... IN OUR OWN TOWN!! So I called them up right away. I got prices and so I'm going to talk to my vet about it since I need a copy of his x-rays. It's not cheap, but medical for pets is never cheap so we're learning. (Dodge is our first dog) I'm hoping it works out. He's eating currently, but from his bed... I put his food dish beside him and he eats while laying down.

 

 

please keep us updated

 

 

I talked to my vet today to see what he thought of the acu. (i wanted to see if he had any tricks up his sleeve first). He thought it was a good idea to try, right now nothing could really get worse. (Well it can, and I really thought it`d come to that buuuuut we won`t get into that) So, I feel bad but since it`s the end of the month and our rent`s due, it`ll have to wait for next week He just ate all his food while Im typing this so I`m hoping that we kinda started flatlining instead of spiraling down out of control. I`m worried about what will happen when we run out of Cortisone if just the Robaxcin will help. Darn bills

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

Oh, I so hope it works for him. Just a thought, and probably not since you'll be a new patient, but would the acupuncture vet accept a post-dated check or deposit so you could get him in sooner? Couldn't hurt to ask, right?

Edited May 27, 2009 by FullMetalFrank

[DaisyDoodle]

Regarding the muscle wasting--could it be from the cortisone? I know prednisone can cause muscle wasting, so since they are both steroids, I'd ask your vet.

 

Also, you want to be careful about using steroids long term. They can cause drug-induced Cushings if not used correctly. Long-term, they need to be used every other day.

 

The other thing you want to be careful about is that NSAIDs shouldn't be used at the same time as steroids.

 

I agree with Ozgirl2 to try the treatment before the MRI if the treatment wouldn't cause a problem.

 

Good luck to you and Dodge. Hoping he feels better soon,

 

DD

 

PS Please let us know what area you are from and folks may be able to suggest places for treatment.

[Guest kellabee]

Oh, I so hope it works for him. Just a thought, and probably not since you'll be a new patient, but would the acupuncture vet accept a post-dated check or deposit so you could get him in sooner? Couldn't hurt to ask, right?

 

That's a REALLY good idea. I'll call them up tomorrow and ask about that!

 

In concerns to the Cortisone, he was given 10 pills and gets one a day. You could be very well right about that, when I called them about the acupuncture theory, they asked how he was doing in general and he's still having accidents but at least he's hitting the kitchen floor and not the carpet (trying to be a little optomistic) and they said that the Cortisone sometimes causes dogs to drink more. He has 3 pills left.

 

I'm from Essex, Ontario. Essex Vet hospital and physio therapy is the only pet acupunctrist that I've been able to find. If any vets do it around here, they sure don't advertise it. When I asked my vet about it, they told me Essex did it and I had said that I already called them up about prices but weren't sure if any one else did.

 

I'm just still a little bitter about my first vet though. She was bent that it was Cushing's and this prolonged so much longer than it had to be. Live and learn right?

[Guest kellabee]

So someone from above is watching over us. Today we got a refund back from a traffic violation *points at boyfriend* since the ticket was never filed.

Anyways, Dodge starts his acupuncture tomorrow. I really hope it helps, we're running out of options fast. Today was a bad day, my boyfriend had to carry him in from outside b/c he just couldn't do it. He's losing ability in his back legs fast.

Please keep Dodge and us in your prayers... all of us.. *including Sophie, our foster* need it. She and Dodge are attached at the hip and she always lays with him and give him ear kisses and I know this is hard on her too.

[Guest DylanGospel]

Boss was DX with a bulged disc, he lost use of his backend, he was almost 12 at the time. He went from walking like a drunk to not being able to walk at all within a couple of hours. He spent 2 wks at the vets. He was on pred and metacam and my vet used a T-stem?? to message the surrounding muscles, they were so tight from over compensating. It was a slow process but my vet worked with him several times a day and we came in and helped in the evenings. We had to re-teach him how to walk.

 

Diane (Burpdog ) strongly suggested acupuncture, so I called around and found a vet that would see him the day Boss was released from my vets. I can tell you the immediate improvement was miraculous from our first appt!! We did acupuncture once a week and then gradually moved the appts further apart. She also put him on various herb combinations. The cooperation between my vet and our new holistic vet was incredible.

 

Boss never regained all of the strength he had in his backend. He wore an assistance harness 24/7, received acupuncture as needed which ranged from once a month to every 6 wks. We had to put rubberback mats down on all slippery surfaces and he was leash walked for all pottying, we tried several times to let him meander around the backyard but the older he got the more he preferred his fans that he met from being leash walked. Boss left us this past Nov, a week shy of 14, he was just tired......

 

I firmly believe the combination of eastern and western medicine and Bossy's strong will to keep on going is what gave us 2 more wonderful years with our special fella.

 

Here is the link for the harness

http://www.northcoastgreyhounds.net/store/index.php/cat_140

 

Please keep us updated on Dodge, my prayers are with him.

 

I agree that the combination of eastern and western medicine works very well. We had a Rottie who was kept pain free for the last two years of his life using chiropractic, acupuncture, and Deramax.

 

Most recently, my friend took her Papillon to the same vet that I used, and her dog was diagnosed with disc troubles. They are using chiropractic, and a harness, along with pregnisone. They have just started some herbal remedies to calm the dog down- this breed is very active physically, which aggravates the problem.

 

Good luck.

 

Hope things work out for you.

 

[Guest vahoundlover]

So someone from above is watching over us. Today we got a refund back from a traffic violation *points at boyfriend* since the ticket was never filed.

Anyways, Dodge starts his acupuncture tomorrow. I really hope it helps, we're running out of options fast. Today was a bad day, my boyfriend had to carry him in from outside b/c he just couldn't do it. He's losing ability in his back legs fast.

Please keep Dodge and us in your prayers... all of us.. *including Sophie, our foster* need it. She and Dodge are attached at the hip and she always lays with him and give him ear kisses and I know this is hard on her too.

 

thank you traffic doGs!!

 

Hang in there Dodge, mama is trying to get you some help

[Guest kellabee]

Oh, what a day.

**warning, grab a tissue box**

 

So, we carried him into the accupuncture clinic. The doctor that saw us, what astonished of how bad he is. *I'll admit, I hate hearing it when we're doing everything we can* He's now down to 67 lbs. (he was 74 2 weeks ago)

 

After his examination, he checked his heart rate and it was very slow. Again, we're back to square one. He doesn't believe at all that he has a bulging disk, that there's something else seriously wrong with him. He didn't refuse persay to do the treatment, but he said we'd be wasting our time. He put a treat in front of Dodge and Dodge wouldn't even acknowledge his presence let alone the treat. He's handled greys before with bulging disk problems (people from the states go to this clinic as well) and no dog has ever come in the way Dodge has. I asked if it was b/c it's gotten so far and he commented saying that even if the case that he couldn't walk, it wouldn't explain his heart rate and pretty much commented that Dodge was dying almost right in front of us.

 

Well of course, no grey parent wants to hear that. So here comes the most inevitable decisions of our lives. I called up our adoption agency to see what we can do. I was told, that I can surrender Dodge back, but I won't see him again. I can ask for updates and they would give them to me, but I couldn't get him back. He's my baby. I kept pretty composed during this whole ordeal, until I heard that.

 

So I called up another one of my contacts from the rescue group, (would you know that I actually am an adoption co-ordinator and interviewer and the county contact and I still get told this) and she asked if Dodge ever had a tick panel done. He had, but apparently he might be showing symptoms of a tick disease. This really is our last string of hope for him. I'm trying not to keep my hopes up, he's "had" many things, but I looked it up and it does fit, but then again, so did the other things. He's now on Doxycycline. Time is really not on our side right now. I'd rather stick through this with him until the end then surrender him and be told the same that, well we really don't know what was wrong, and he passed away. Ugh, makes me sick thinking of it and putting us into that situation.

 

[Guest vahoundlover]

Crap i'm already late for work. Sending a pm to Burpdog.

[Burpdog]

At this point, get him a shot of doxycycline and a shot of dexamethasone asap. Take blood and overnight to Protatek for a complete tick panel. Follow the doxy injection with oral doxy (at 5mg per # of body weight twice a day) and pred.

 

If it's a TBD it will kick start him. If it's not, you have to find a specialist that can figure out what is going on.

 

What are his platelets, HCT and RBC and WBC?

[msjpk]

Wow, this poor pupper- I agree with the shot of dexamethasone if it is a compressed disc. Works wonders for Lou, also rest, no stairs, and Lou sees a chropractor 1x a month.

I hope u find out what is going on.

I know a MRI is expensive but with all the vet visits going on the bills are piling up.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[Guest kellabee]

Just a little update:

(please excuse the spelling, since the pill bottles are in the other room)

 

Dodge did get a shot of the Doxycycline. Since he's now down to 67 lbs, he was prescribed 300 mgs of it. We're slowling weening him off of Cortisone. He seems a bit perkier today. When I went into the kitchen to get his pills, he got up to the sound of the cheese wrapper. He also gave me no issues eating it, he was starting to before. He ate a bowl of wet food mixed with peanutbutter in the kitchen. I tried to get him up to go pee but he's still being a little aggressive and I'm not making him get up if he doesn't want to. (There's teeth at one of those ends!) I hope this buys us a week till we can get to a vet on thursday to do another tick panel. He is lifting his head if we walk by his bed.

 

In concerns to his blood count, the papers are in the truck (the boyfriend has the truck at work)

When I looked up the Doxycycline, it said that after you administer it, to have to dog walk around so it's not sitting in his stomach but he's under strict bed rest. Should I be taking him for a walk around? (we do have a muzzle, and it's been of great help especially at vet appts). The vet also said to take him off of Robaxcin and I'm really hesitant to do that. If he's in pain somewhere, it is helping. Vets aren't open today so I haven't been able to call.

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

Just seeing this, sending our prayers that the Doxy helps...

[robinw]

wow, i'm going through a very similar thing with Loca. i know how it feels...she is at the University of Guelph as I type for a neurological exam. you're both in my thoughts...

[Guest vahoundlover]

Checking in, how's he doing?

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

I saw your post in remembrance and I am terribly sorry. Does the vet have any idea of what might have happened?