Prayers for my poor dog! - Page 3

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Hi everyone. We saw the specialist yesterday. She has a ruptured disk in her back. She is in a gray area and he said he can't really make a solid recommendation for her to have surgery or not to have it. There were several surgical risks explained to me.

Pistolino, my local vet did give her a steroid shot plus put her on anti-inflammatory pills. There has now been improvement. Her hind end is still somewhat wobbly but nothing like it was. She can go to the bathroom just fine now, on her own.

Our course of action is to keep her on the pills and doggie bed rest. Because she is such an active dog, she was given a sedative to keep her calm. She cannot go up and down steps, cannot jump on furniture, has to be crated if we aren't home and confined to a small space when we are home, has to go out to do her job on leash, no playing or rough housing with our other dog.

We will see where things stand in 4 weeks. The hope is that she will be healed. He said she could heal and never have another issue the rest of her life.

Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers.

Oops. Wanted to add. There were 3 other boxers there yesterday all for back/spine issues. One was 10 years old and nearly made me cry. The woman said they'd had no problem with him ever and then all of a sudden, he lost control of his hind end and could barely walk. It was horrible when they called them to the exam room watching that dog attempt to walk. His back legs just criss-crossed and fell. She had to hold his back end up while her husband walked his front on the leash. ${#emotions_dlg.crying}$

kittymomNC · ‎08-09-2012

I'm so glad you got some "good" news about Sally and that she's doing better. I hope she will see steady improvement and be good as new before too long. You're a good Mom--so with your love and care, maybe she'll get back to her happy, playful self! Smile

scotttie · ‎03-09-2010

Came here to see how your dog was doing LD, I am hoping that the rest heals him completely. Please keep us updated on him.

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

So sorry to hear about your dog.....I know first hand, like a lot of us here on the pet forum, know how difficult it is to hear bad news about our beloved pets.

I hope your dog does better each day.

Mama Mia · ‎03-10-2010

Just said a prayer for your precious baby!! ((((((HUGS))))))

mm

"Cats are like potato chips, you can never have just one".

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it.

pepes mom · ‎03-09-2010

Hi Lipstick Diva. I'm Pepe's Mom. My dog, Pepe, is a neurological freak show. That is said with the utmost love. I, too, am a neurological freak show. Like Mother, like son.

Pepe has had multiple neurological issues/injuries. He had his 1st episode of spontaneous paralysis 8 years ago. He was running after a ball in the yard, let out a yelp, and then went down- completely unresponsive. He was rushed to our regular vet, who thought he may have had a stroke at the age of 22 months. Although he wasn't able to stand, we brought him home and rehabbed him. My neighbors thought my husband and I were nuts.

One neighbor came up to see him. They were laying on the floor together, and Pepe turned his head. He yelped again. At that point, I knew it wasn't a stroke that left him in this condition, but had something to do with his neck. He was already scheduled for an MRI of his brain, so I asked if they could also do his neck.

They found a dis-united dens. That is a boney piece on the 2nd vertebra in the neck that allows the head to turn back and forth. Docs felt is was possibly from abuse. He was initially found as a stray, and we got him from a rescue.

Anyhow, we treated him with steroids, massage and home PT. He did bounce back. Docs thought he would never have this issue again. Of course, it happened 2 more times. After the 3rd incident, the vet neurosurgeon performed a surgery on him. He had a slow recovery, but did recover.

I shared the above because I wanted you to know our history.

What type of specialist did you see? Did they do an MRI? Did the vet suggest surgery if, after a certain period of time, your pup doesn't improve a certain degree.

One thing I have learned is that dogs are quite resilient. Pepe does have bad days, but we use Metacam then. He has taught me a great deal about being a fighter. Even when he has bad/wobbly days, he is still a happy, kissy boy.

I will keep you and Sally in our prayers. Yes, Pepe and I pray together.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Pepe's mom, your story breaks my heart. I had a boxer who was also a neurological mess. Her "mom" should never have been bred and passed a neurological issue down to some of the puppies, one being mine. She had a neck issue that was treated once with a steroid shot and luckily she never had the neck issue again, although she didn't live long.

We saw a surgeon and he said he couldn't recommend the surgery nor would he tell me not to get it. She's in a gray area. He didn't perform an MRI because he said generally they do an MRI then take the dog straight into surgery. He said if we aren't going to have surgery, he didn't see the point of the MRI because we are going to treat her with meds right now for the next 4 weeks and we will see where we are at that point.

I'm hesitant on the surgery because he explained the risks and it makes me nervous. We are hoping she will recover back to her usual self but she will have some limitations. One being, no more jumping on and off the bed and no more air born flying off the deck into the middle of the yard.

I am going to look into acupuncture for her as well.

Thank you for sharing your story. Give Pepe a big hug from me!

conlt · ‎03-16-2010

I am so glad your dog is doing better. It took several months for mine to get back to normal. Like I said I learned my lesson about jumping. The vet said especially jumping down can injure the back. I invested in very good quality stairs for my dog after trying cheap versions. They love the stairs and use them to get on and off the bed.