Question:
Hi!

My dog is currently in the hospital being treated for what is most likely a slipped disk.

I have read a few articles online about the slipped disk and the symptoms match up to what happened with my beloved Chance.

I am concerned with his health and am looking for any advise regarding when he comes home...

I am also concerned with if rest and medications are not enough, what could the potential cost of this type of surgery be? I love my boy and would do anything for him but I do not have thousands of dollars and I am quite worried what will happen if a treatment option is given to me that is out of my financial reach...

I am probably doing myself no service by even thinking of such a thing... but if it does happen and there is some type of help out there I would like to be able to find out about it now.

Thank you so much for your help.
ChancesMom.

Answer:
You might want to look into acupuncture (make sure it is someone legit who has experience working on animals).


http://www.lansingstar.com/content/view/634/95/


I'm not saying it is the answer to your dog's problem but it may help him.

Answer:
What breed of dog is Chance - doesn't show on your profile. If Chance is a Dachshund I can provide you with lots of information - way more than I wish I knew - including cost of surgery. I am hoping Chance is not a Dachshund.

Answer:
I'm sorry about your dog. I have a cat who had a slipped disc last year. I found her paralysed in the hind end one morning. The vet told me she needed surgery for about $3500. I said no way, was there anything else we could do? She sent the cat home with Prednisone for one month and she was on strict cage rest for 6 weeks. Now, I should mention that my cat was not fully paralysed in the hind end, she did have feeling in her toes and tail, and was able to use the kitty litter on her own. I understand that if it is full paralysis it is a different ball game altogether. Anyway, she improved to about 75% of her normal function within 6 weeks. I took her to an animal acupuncturist for one treatment and she was markedly improved after that. I would say she now has about 95% normal function of her back legs and is not in any pain. I am not suggesting that this is the path you should follow, I'm just saying it worked really well for me. I have since consulted with 2 other vets who said that surgery is not always the best option, especially for smaller animals. However, they did tell me that if surgery is going to be done it should be done as soon as possible after the injury to get good results. Hope that helps, and I hope your doggy feels better soon.

Answer:
Thank you all for your kind words and assistance.

I will definitely look into it!

Chance is a Pit Bull. They do have pretty long backs, so from what I have read thus far even though the breed has not come up in the lists of those common to have this problem, I can certainly see why he would get this.

It seems odd to me, however, that I have never heard of this having grown up around German Sheppards... hmmmm...

He is home now and it looks like rest and medication will be able to help him!! So I am happy for that! It seems like caring for him is going to keep us busy for a while, but we are just sooo happy to have him home. We had no idea at first what could be the problem and were fearing the worst!

Thanks again!

Answer:
Am glad to learn that Chance is not a Dachshund otherwise I would be really worried. Monitor Chance very carefully though as another "event" - this can mean just playing - could occur at any time and be prepared to get him to vet asap - if it is at night, please go to an emergency.

Answer:
Is there any supplements that you could suggest that I look into or ask my vet about that would help to strengthen his back in an attempt to prevent future reoccurances?

We asked about glucosamine but the ER vet said that while it may help him to stengthen his front legs if he needed to use them to compensate, but that it would probably not help the damaged areas.

He is 6 years old, so I am worried about what will happen as he ages... especially since I think that damaged areas in the back could increase the potential for arthritis in that area in the future... I had a German Shephard with arthritis and it was just horrible for her as she aged...

Thank you again for your help.
Chances Mom.

Answer:
There were no supplements that would help with the damaged areas of my Dachshund's back - spinal cord death had occurred in certain areas - he regained about 70% use of his hind legs - which was enough to keep him mobile. Our Neuro Surgeon has performed same surgery on both of his Beagles - and no supplements for them either. Chance's back problem is different but I suspect the ER doctor is right. Many people whose dogs have suffered from luxating patella, cruciate ligament, dysplasia etc. have had success with Sascha's Blend, but I just can't see it really helping Chance. You would be best to encourage and active but restricted lifestyle. I let both of my guys live their lives to the fullest after their surgeries, but made sure they did not climb stairs, jump on the bed, couch etc. - always lifted them. You would be very surprised what a 10 lb. brilliant, alpha mini Dachshund can do after evaluating a problem. Hope Chance continues to stay healthy.

Answer:
Thank you SnowDancer.

What you said makes a lot of sense. I appreciate your help.

Answer:
You are welcome. All you can do is take it a day at a time and let Chance live his life to the fullest - a little tougher to carry up the stairs though than a very big, 10 lb. dog. Maybe you could get a ramp for easier access to the bed and couch.

Answer:
That is sooo true!

We may have to get a little ramp for the steps as we have been using a sheet to support him to get him out of the house for bathroom duty...

I will have to do some thinking on this one and figure out what would be the best way to tackle this.

He also loves to go upstairs in my sons room... :(

Thank you again for the ideas...
Chance's Mom

Answer:
i hope this helps, my min pin was totaly parillzed it will be 3 yrs this thanks giving, i know what you are going through !!what really helped was his chryo, but the road was long !!lots of love and taking it easy, dakota is back to about 95% thats about as good as it will get! he still walks with a limp, keep the weight down and all the best to you and chance.

Answer:
Take him to a certified animal chiroprator and they can realign the spine, Sunny after a fall had spinal problem he was initial treat with muscle relaxants but it never got better he could not do stairs or get on the couch and had stopped even chasing squirrels, I finally took him to a chiropractor with 24 hours of treatment he was back to normal

Here is a listing of certified animal chiropractors
http://www.avcadoctors.com/search_fo...ied_doctor.htm

Answer:
Thank you so much!

You all are awesome!!!!

Take care.
Chance's Mom

Answer: