Neck Problems, Yelping In Pain And Different Treatments?

[Guest Rwolinski13]

We adopted Bandos in June. He just turned 3 at the beginning of November. Not long after his birthday, he began to whine when getting up from laying down completely. It got to the point that he would be screaming when he got up. As soon as he was up, he was fine. We brought him to our vet, and they said it seemed like it was something in his neck since he was reluctuant to turn it. We were prescribed an anti-inflam and pain medication. We had him on it them for 9 days, then it was done. He was back to his usual playful, spunky self (well the 5 minute bursts of it, then back to sleeping for 5 hours).

Then about a week and a half after that, he started whining again when getting up. We brought him to the vet and had xrays done, there isn't any visible bone/vertebre damage. Our vet put him on the same pain and anti-inflam, but a lower dose. He said there was a possibility of the need of an MRI and surgery if it was some kind of neurological problem. After being on the meds for about 5 days, he is back to playing around. We brought him to our parents for a few days and he was racing around with my boyfriends sisters dog (I know, I know, he should have been limited but he wasn't showing any signs of whining/hurt/limping/or otherwise being bothered by running around. My boyfriend brought up the point that maybe he isn't getting enough exercise and, while laying around, he's tensed up and it just hurts to move around? Is this possible?

Also, I asked about doing chiropractic/acupuncture work and our vet didn't seem to approve and said it was basically "another form of medication, but surgery would probably eventually need to happen if it was something in the spine". As someone who is very open to homeopathic and non-invasive treatment, I really think chiro and acupuncture would be worth a shot.

Has anyone else had a similar experience where their grey only had pain when raising their neck to get up? If so, what did you do?

[KF_in_Georgia]

It's a very common problem. My old Sam has the problem. He has arthritis in his upper spine, and slightly herniated disks in his lower spine. When his back bothers him, he'll frequently try to shake as if he has water in his coat; when he stops shaking abruptly, that's a sign that he's in pain. When his back bothers him, I think he clenches his muscles, and soon he'll be crying out when he tries to lie down or stand back up.

 

We did chiropractor visits. The first visit produced relief for about a month. The second visit was extremely painful for Sam (it's the closest he's ever come to biting someone), and his back was bothering him again in less than two weeks. I needed to find successful pain meds because I wasn't willing to put Sam through more painful chiropractic adjustments; even if I'd been willing to pursue chiropractic treatments further, I needed something I could use at 3am on a Saturday morning, when Sam was in too much pain to lie down--something more successful than waiting for a Monday appointment.

 

Sam is on a maintenance dose of methocarbamol (Robaxin). It's a muscle relaxer he's been taking since March of 2011; we haven't had even one more round of yelping since then. I probably could just keep the pills on hand and not give them every day (1 pill, morning and night), except that I don't want him to be in pain in the first place. It's not nice to wait until he's yelping and miserable to do something about the pain. I was careful when we started the meds, but I haven't seen any grogginess or instability when he's walking. At home, he's not sleeping any more than the unmedicated dog, so it's not like he's in a stupor or anything.

 

In addition to the methocarbamol, Sam's on gabapentin and tramadol for pain. At twelve and a half, he's not a good candidate for surgery, and we can actually see on xrays the spinal problems that are causing the pain. In your boy's case, if this is just a soft-tissue injury that could heal, you might be able to use both methocarbamol and tramadol on an as-needed basis.

 

There are varying opinions about whether acupuncture works--and how long it might work. In Sam's case, I haven't pursued it because I needed to relieve Sam's pain on short notice. I do know I wasn't happy with the chiropractic work. If you pursue a chiropractic course for your boy, be sure you have xrays that confirm that a chiropractic adjustment won't complicate issues for Bandos.

 

In the meantime, you might want to consider a harness for your boy rather than a collar. Keep a lightweight collar on him for I.D., but attach your leash to a harness for walks. That'll make it less likely that he'll tweak his neck while you're walking him. (Use a harness with a back-up leash attached to his collar if he's a spook. My Sam can shrug his shoulders and step out of a harness anytime he chooses.) Also, limit access to raised furniture like your bed and sofa.

 

It's ridiculous, but my boy with the bad back sleeps like this:

 

Edited December 17, 2012 by KF_in_Georgia

[tbhounds]

If you haven't already walk your guy with a harness---no collars :-)

[Guest Rwolinski13]

Yes, Bandos does sleep like that sometimes as well. Particularly when it bothers him a lot.

We are currently ordering a harness when he isn't out for a walk, we've been keeping his collar off of him to avoid any added stress.

Would adding some kind of joint relaxant, like glucosamine chondritin be advised? Our vet kind of laughed it off when I called and asked if it would be a problem or effect any of the other meds.

Obviously, with him being so young, if it comes down to it, we'll have them do surgery. Right now, both my boyfriend and I are in college and with student and car loans, and rent...a $3,000 vet bill isn't in the cards for us. But like I said, if it came down to it we would definitely have it done. We are just crossing out fingers that this is something that can be managed without putting Bandos through surgery, and putting ourselves in a tight spot financially.

[msjpk]

The first night, 7 years ago, when we brought Lou home he experienced the same symptoms. Off to the evet, and a shot of predesone.

To make a long story short, Lou has a neck injury that when it flares, I give him Dexamethsone(SP?) which I keep in the house and muscle relaxer. Its just something he lives with. He is 11 now and because he is not running so often, the pain is few and far between. I take him to chiropractor once a month for maintenance. We did not due the MRI route but we did to xrays.

Harness vs. collar is suggested. When it flares up, rest, no stairs, the pain does subside with time. I keep a loose collar for his identification and remove harness after each walk.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Edited December 17, 2012 by msjpk

[Guest borzoix4]

Have you had him tested for Lyme Disease or other tick born disease? ( ie the 4 way snap test)

[PrairieProf]

My grey had a brief neck problem (and yes, as I recall it involved getting up) and a course of pain meds, harness walking, and a few sessions of acupuncture (also some massage) fixed it right up.

 

Tons of people's greys on this site have been helped by acupuncture and chiropractic (and it's hardly wildly alternative -- my regular vet, very scientific and conventional-medicine-based in most ways, does both). I would ignore your vet and give it a try, or find a different vet perhaps.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

I highly recommend accupunture, especially before you consider putting your dog thru an MRI and surgery. I had a middle aged dog with back problems--the vet was wanting me to get an MRI and then have surgery done--both well beyond what I could reasonable afford. I decided to try accupunture and after a couple sessions it worked. I have now had it done for several dogs with back problems or arthritis. I don't understand how it works but it does.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Glucosamine won't be harmful, but there's little evidence that it's widely effective. In various studies of people taking glucosamine, some people swore it worked, others swore it did nothing--and both groups had responses that were too high to be insignificant or impacted by a placebo reaction. In other words, when it worked for people, it really worked; when it didn't work, it didn't work even a little. I'm in that last group. So, apparently, is Sam.

[Remolacha]

I've just skimmed the responses, so I'm probably repeating some stuff . Acupuncture can be a big help, but it usually takes a few sessions to really show results, and it doesn't work for everybody. I still think it would be worth a try before doing surgery! (acupuncture vet was just here to work on Fletcher) I see a harness has been mentioned, I will second that. Also, if they have tweaked/ pulled something in their neck, a week or so of pain meds and anti-inflammatories will make them feel better, but it can take up to a month for them to really heal. Molly had a stiff, painful neck, and after a week on meds she convinced me she was fine and we could resume normal activities Next day she was in even more pain than before, so I kept her on strict rest for a month, and she has been fine since (this has been about a year and half).

[greyhoundgang]

Greyhounds can throw out their neck from tossing toys in the air or other strenuous shenanigans. Particularly young, active hounds.

Chiropractic, acupuncutre, supplements can fix.... naturally and inexpensively.

 

Holistic vets - who do acupuncture and chiropractic - can be found here. Just put in your state and a list will result. Asking for recommendations is good too.

 

Yucca is a natural anti-inflammatory which is wonderful and inexpensive - without any side effects. Reviews and info at Greyhound Gang.I would not be without this product in my cabinet. I do not use Rimadyl or Deramaxx anymore unless it is end of days.

 

I respectfully submit a very positive opinion of joint supplements. I've been rescuing greyhounds for 25 years. Glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, Vitamin C have been the natural supplements which have affected the most positive changes WITHOUT any bad side effects. But don't take my opinion. Here are some of the emails I've received throughout the years loving the positive changes which joint supplements can affect - Testimonials.

 

1. Make sure you are giving a hound 1500 mgs a day of EACH - glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM. That is usually 3 - 6 pills from warehouse products.

2. Make sure the product you are buying is high quality and tested.

3. Daily doses are needed.

 

I hope you'll try a holistic vet. They can be a very important addition to the care of greyhounds. Having more than one vet's opinion is always a good thing.

[Guest Gemma]

Like others have mentioned, I'd make sure he's had a full tick borne disease panel run so you can rule that out. The harness is also a great idea. We switched our boy to one when we were told he had some referred pain in his neck.

 

Instead of a chiropractor, I actually think doggy physical therapy would be more effective but it depends on what you have access to.

[Guest Rwolinski13]

Thank you all so much for the advice and suggestions. Calling the vet today to ask for some referrals to animal chiropractors/acupuncturists.

We're going to keep Bandos resting for awhile, even if he seems like everything is okay.

 

We were already talking about getting a buddy for him in the spring/early summer time, and were really bummed about the possibility of surgery since that would definitely postpone it. He loves other dogs, and you can definitely tell he'd love to have another grey around

Thank you all again! I'll keep you posted.