Depo-Medrol For Ls In Los Angeles Area

[o_rooly]

Does anyone know of a vet near Los Angeles (near the San Gabriel Valley region would be great, but willing to travel farther) who is familiar with, and possibly amenable to, giving injections of Depo-Medrol to treat LS?

Aston is currently on Rimadyl, methocarbamol, Tramadol and gabapentin to treat his LS, and he seems to be okay at this point (behavior returned to pre-diagnosis level -- goes upstairs/gets into the car willingly on his own, gets up on the couch, etc., has zoomies). However, if Depo could possibly give him better results, such as those we saw on his first day of metacam (the double/loading-dose day) -- he was cat-stretching, lifting his leg above the level of his back to pee, clearly feeling MUCH better in his back than he had been -- I would like to try it, especially if it treats without some of the more negative steroid effects, wasting and cartilage destruction being my primary concerns (I do understand that side effects vary between dogs, either way). However, I have yet to find a vet who is willing to entertain the idea of treating with Depo injections.

My current vet's argument against Depo is that it lasts for weeks, so if Aston reacts poorly to it, we can't "undo" the dosage. However, he is willing to put Aston on a low dose of pred to see how he does, and just wean him back off if he reacts badly... BUT, another vet at the same practice is very much against pred except as a very last resort, as she says his cartilage will be destroyed along with probable wasting. I know that we're dealing with an incurable condition, and it is a quality-of-life issue... so it is the decision between happy todays vs. fewer tomorrows. Since it is VERY hard to get Aston to gain mass when he loses it for whatever reason -- it took a good 6 weeks of boiled chicken added to his kibble to regain the few pounds he lost running around at a boarding facility while we were away for a week (and I wormed him, too) -- I'm concerned that his body will get run into the ground very, very quickly. But... if the pred or Depo is making his days brighter...?

The thing about the first day of Metacam that I mentioned above is that I had NEVER seen him cat-stretch (i.e., Halloween cat, with arched back -- he does downward-dog stretches all the time), and I had NEVER seen him lift his leg like that. He usually lifts his leg for a few seconds at a time and just marks a little here, little there until he empties out on walks, but on that first day of metacam, his leg was up until he emptied out completely. I haven't been able to duplicate that since; perhaps it was the novel feeling that Robaxin gave him, since it was also his first day of that medication?

Anyway.. that was a rant! but, if anyone is familiar with a vet who treats with Depo.. if you could please send their info along, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Hubcitypam]

FWIW - Suzanne Stack said if you have trouble to start check out older vets.

 

I was surprised when my young vet from OSU didn't blink an eye. He said that was because his dad was also a vet and he had grown up in his clinic and saw the good it could do. The vet schools apparently didn't preach the dangers of Depo years ago.

 

Rex never had any side effects. It was a walk in the park next to the constant panting/thirst of pred.

[seeh2o]

You might try Dr. Speas at Crescenta Canada Pet Hospital, in La Crescenta. His practice sees TONS of greyhounds (I was there on Friday for emergency stitch up of Carl's head....a l-o-n-g story) and there were three of them in the lobby and they had just seen two of the GreySave Six the day before for their puppy shots. Speas has been around a while, so he might know about it or at least be open to it.

 

Good luck!

[o_rooly]

You might try Dr. Speas at Crescenta Canada Pet Hospital, in La Crescenta. His practice sees TONS of greyhounds (I was there on Friday for emergency stitch up of Carl's head....a l-o-n-g story) and there were three of them in the lobby and they had just seen two of the GreySave Six the day before for their puppy shots. Speas has been around a while, so he might know about it or at least be open to it.

 

Good luck!

Thanks!! I've just sent a request online for an appointment to consult with Dr. Speas (submitted online, because then I could type a few chapters about the situation... not sure if the staff are prepared for this ).

[seeh2o]

I sure hope he can help you! I just saw him today, he had to check Carl's stitches and took his drain out. There was a greyhound in the lobby when I walked in, another one came in while we were waiting and a friend of mine brought her two in for wellness exams. It was like a meet and greet in the lobby! He is a good guy, doesn't seem to pull any punches and tells it like it is.