Pinched Nerve

[Guest sja5032]

So long story short, Ollie has a pinched nerve in his neck that is causing him a lot of pain. He is on Rimadyl, which worked for almost a week, then he must have done something when we weren't home and now it has no effect. The poor thing screams every time he gets up and sometimes just lets out a cry for what seems like no reason. He saw the vet about 2 weeks ago when he was diagnosed, the vet said if the rimadyl doesn't work he can go on steroids. So I am planning on talking to the vet today but I wanted to see if anyone here had any experience/ideas to bring up to the vet. I would like to avoid steroids if possible but if its the only thing that will work then I'm all for it. My ideas now are: adding methocarbamol or some other muscle relaxer because his body is very tense and I'm sure that doesn't help his neck heal, possibly a stronger pain killer, and maybe a chiropractor (not sure abou this one but someone mentioned it to me).

 

Any ideas/experience/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[rascalsmom]

My dog, Ruby, has been seeing a chiropractor for a couple of months now. She got hurt on April 10--she compressed discs in her neck--and could not even get up on her own, much less walk. Less than two weeks after her injury, I took her to a chiropractor. Not a doggie chiropractor, but a guy who is a regular, human-patient chiropractor, who just happens to also treat dogs.

 

The next day she was able to get up and walk ON HER OWN. Her improvement since has been pretty steady, with just a bit of a setback lately. Ruby is 12 years old, so she's not a young dog.

 

I would definitely try chiropractic for your dog. If possible, get a recommendation from someone. That's how I found our "Dr. Dave"--someone urged me to take my dog to him, since he'd worked wonders for HER dog. If I hadn't taken her, I'm not sure she'd still be with us. Sling-walking a dog is very stressful, and TIRING, to the humans as well.

[Guest BiancasMom]

I would see a neurologist. They can correctly diagnose a pinched nerve verses a herniated disc. Also, you many consider adding Gabapentin for pain. It works well on nerve pain. I know how painful neck issues can be (I have them myself )

[Guest sja5032]

I would see a neurologist. They can correctly diagnose a pinched nerve verses a herniated disc. Also, you many consider adding Gabapentin for pain. It works well on nerve pain. I know how painful neck issues can be (I have them myself )

 

We saw an ortho vet and he did xrays to confirm nothing was out of line. He also has all the classic signs of a pinched nerve (one eye dialated more than the other, front leg lameness w/o any actual injury, etc) I don't know if these same signs would be present w/ a herniated disc?

 

My dog, Ruby, has been seeing a chiropractor for a couple of months now. She got hurt on April 10--she compressed discs in her neck--and could not even get up on her own, much less walk. Less than two weeks after her injury, I took her to a chiropractor. Not a doggie chiropractor, but a guy who is a regular, human-patient chiropractor, who just happens to also treat dogs.

 

The next day she was able to get up and walk ON HER OWN. Her improvement since has been pretty steady, with just a bit of a setback lately. Ruby is 12 years old, so she's not a young dog.

 

I would definitely try chiropractic for your dog. If possible, get a recommendation from someone. That's how I found our "Dr. Dave"--someone urged me to take my dog to him, since he'd worked wonders for HER dog. If I hadn't taken her, I'm not sure she'd still be with us. Sling-walking a dog is very stressful, and TIRING, to the humans as well.

 

 

I read your thread when I was looking around GT for similar stuff. I think i will call a local vet (vet we saw was 1+ hrs away so wont know anyone close) and see if they refer to anyone for chiro.

[robinw]

I would also see a neurologist if possible. Loca had a problem like that. The solution would have been tons of rest, as in keeping her off of her feet for eight weeks!

[Hawthorn]

I had success with chiropractic too with my Sunny when he had a trapped nerve in his neck 3 years ago. We had already tried extended rest, painkillers (Tramadol as Sunny can't have NSAIDs) and valium as a muscle relaxant. These all helped to relieve the pain but didn't cure the underlying problem. The chiropractic helped pretty much straight away although we had to go for regular sessions over several months. Nowadays, we go about 2-3 times a year for check-ups.

[racindog]

Good chiroprator or good accupuncture probably your best bet. Accupuncture helps Cash. Give him some time and hopefully he'll recover OK. Cash has had such spells and worse but recovers with NSAIDs, pain killers, and accupuncture with nutritional and homeopathic support. Like you, steroids are a last resort for me and luckily she has required nothing more than one shot during the worse crisis. Tell you what else really made a difference. I'm not explaining it or justifying it just saying she has never had one of those bad painful spells while wearing a BIO_FLOW (from Great Britian) collar. I now keep one on her 24/7. I am certain it is helping her a lot.

[JJNg]

We saw an ortho vet and he did xrays to confirm nothing was out of line. He also has all the classic signs of a pinched nerve (one eye dialated more than the other, front leg lameness w/o any actual injury, etc) I don't know if these same signs would be present w/ a herniated disc?

Wait, your vet diagnosed a pinched nerve based on one eye dilated more than the other? Eyes that are dilated different sizes are caused by something going on inside the brain - such as head trauma, stroke, or tumor. Iris atrophy, which is degeneration of the muscle that constricts the pupil, can also cause pupils that look different sizes, but this is a benign condition.

 

The only way to differentiate a pinched nerve from a herniated disc would be with advanced imaging, like an MRI, CT, or myelogram. Often, a herniated or bulging disc is what causes the pinched nerve. Both conditions cause front leg lameness and pain without any injury to the leg itself. I agree with the suggestions to consult with a neurologist. Acupuncture and chiro, as well as methocarbamol, can also help with either condition.