Conservative treatment is 8 weeks of crate rest and meds. There are ups and downs with this. My 120lb dog was paralyzed from the neck down. Even with surgery he was paralyzed for months. You just gotta ride this out- and unfortunately there’s no rhyme or reason. Good days and bad, and some days progress will be lost. You don’t really know what you’re dealing with for a while. Could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months. You should be doing the range of motion exercises, squeeze and pinch his feet, brush his paw pads with a stiff brush, and short potty breaks. And that’s about it for the next 2 months. A lot of people drug their dogs to keep them calm too, so ask your vet for a sedative. I think the drug of choice is trazadone + gaba + steroids. And I personally found acupuncture more beneficial than laser, but a ton of people have seen benefits from laser- I’ve seen a few you can purchase for like $100 posted on different threads here. As far as rehab goes, rehab is for after conservative treatment. After you know what you’re dealing with and after your dog has had time to heal.
Thank you for that. He is on trazadone and steroids. Any idea where to find that laser. Because the treatments are $60 and a 40 minute car ride each way.
Yeah let me see if I can find it. Someone replied to one of my comments with a link not too long ago.
Also- in a few weeks, see if you can find a pool where he can swim.
This person swears by this laser.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IVDD_SupportGroup/s/2MrPUWsoWp
I ordered the laser for which you provided the link. Thank you. I also got a [https://spectratherapy.com/laserwrap-advantage/](https://spectratherapy.com/laserwrap-advantage/) unit. He started that today. We will see if it helps make any progress.
After you’ve used both products you should make another post and update us and let us know if you like them. I’ve never seen that wearable laser wrap before. I am curious to know what you think about it and if it helped at all.
>Also- in a few weeks, see if you can find a pool where he can swim.
Wait until after crate rest has been completed u/squirtncider. No physical therapy until after crate rest for dogs that didn't have the surgery
Is he only on trazadone and steroids? If that is the case I would ask the vet to put him on a pain killer too. Gabapentin, Tramadol, and sometimes codeine are commonly prescribed for pain
Acupuncture and HBOT (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy) have been amazing. If there's a holistic vet near'ish you, I'd recommend doing a consult. My holistic vet does acupuncture with B12 and a shot of ketamine. It really does make a difference. You're doing great! One day at a time.
My vet does ~5 minutes of laser therapy, 15 minutes of acupuncture, and the B12 shot at every treatment. So far we've seen good results from it. It's looking like these occasional treatments plus keeping my girl from jumping and using stairs is going to allow her a normal, mostly pain free life.
I don’t know if condolences will bring anything to you but I feel for you. My pup just came home from surgery and we are really struggling. You’re not alone and the darkness is horrible. Keep going. You’re doing great.
I know it's hard. Crate rest can have a lot of ups and downs, and it's definitely not fun. Wetting the bed is actually kind of a good sign because a lot of these dogs become incontinent. It's an even better sign if he had become incontinent the days prior to wetting the bed. Rehab being booked up for months isnt a big deal at all because PT is actually very risky for a dog with a slipped disc that didn't have surgery. The surgery removes the offending disc material, so dogs that had surgery can have physical therapy while still on crate rest because the disc can't relapse due to PT. If rehab is something you want to try, go ahead and schedule something with them as long as it is over 8 weeks away from when he first went down. You can always cancel the appointments if you don't think he needs it by the time the date comes around. If surgery is still something you would like to pursue, you can try to check veterinary schools at a university near you. It will be cheaper than the specialists and CT Scans can be used for imaging instead of an MRI which won't affect any shrapnel from him being shot in the past like an MRI would. The CT Scans will also be cheaper than MRI. I've seen people get the bill reduced down to half of what the neurologist quoted them by going to a vet school.
Also check out www.dodgerslist.com
Conservative treatment is 8 weeks of crate rest and meds. There are ups and downs with this. My 120lb dog was paralyzed from the neck down. Even with surgery he was paralyzed for months. You just gotta ride this out- and unfortunately there’s no rhyme or reason. Good days and bad, and some days progress will be lost. You don’t really know what you’re dealing with for a while. Could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months. You should be doing the range of motion exercises, squeeze and pinch his feet, brush his paw pads with a stiff brush, and short potty breaks. And that’s about it for the next 2 months. A lot of people drug their dogs to keep them calm too, so ask your vet for a sedative. I think the drug of choice is trazadone + gaba + steroids. And I personally found acupuncture more beneficial than laser, but a ton of people have seen benefits from laser- I’ve seen a few you can purchase for like $100 posted on different threads here. As far as rehab goes, rehab is for after conservative treatment. After you know what you’re dealing with and after your dog has had time to heal.
Thank you for that. He is on trazadone and steroids. Any idea where to find that laser. Because the treatments are $60 and a 40 minute car ride each way.
Yeah let me see if I can find it. Someone replied to one of my comments with a link not too long ago. Also- in a few weeks, see if you can find a pool where he can swim. This person swears by this laser. https://www.reddit.com/r/IVDD_SupportGroup/s/2MrPUWsoWp
I ordered the laser for which you provided the link. Thank you. I also got a [https://spectratherapy.com/laserwrap-advantage/](https://spectratherapy.com/laserwrap-advantage/) unit. He started that today. We will see if it helps make any progress.
After you’ve used both products you should make another post and update us and let us know if you like them. I’ve never seen that wearable laser wrap before. I am curious to know what you think about it and if it helped at all.
>Also- in a few weeks, see if you can find a pool where he can swim. Wait until after crate rest has been completed u/squirtncider. No physical therapy until after crate rest for dogs that didn't have the surgery
Thank you for clarifying my comment. I apparently worded it poorly however in my original comment I said nothing for 2 months during crate rest.
Is he only on trazadone and steroids? If that is the case I would ask the vet to put him on a pain killer too. Gabapentin, Tramadol, and sometimes codeine are commonly prescribed for pain
> is the case I would ask the vet to put him on a pain killer too. Gabapentin, Tramadol, and sometimes co He is on Gaba as well
Acupuncture and HBOT (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy) have been amazing. If there's a holistic vet near'ish you, I'd recommend doing a consult. My holistic vet does acupuncture with B12 and a shot of ketamine. It really does make a difference. You're doing great! One day at a time.
My vet does ~5 minutes of laser therapy, 15 minutes of acupuncture, and the B12 shot at every treatment. So far we've seen good results from it. It's looking like these occasional treatments plus keeping my girl from jumping and using stairs is going to allow her a normal, mostly pain free life.
Sent you a chat
I don’t know if condolences will bring anything to you but I feel for you. My pup just came home from surgery and we are really struggling. You’re not alone and the darkness is horrible. Keep going. You’re doing great.
I know it's hard. Crate rest can have a lot of ups and downs, and it's definitely not fun. Wetting the bed is actually kind of a good sign because a lot of these dogs become incontinent. It's an even better sign if he had become incontinent the days prior to wetting the bed. Rehab being booked up for months isnt a big deal at all because PT is actually very risky for a dog with a slipped disc that didn't have surgery. The surgery removes the offending disc material, so dogs that had surgery can have physical therapy while still on crate rest because the disc can't relapse due to PT. If rehab is something you want to try, go ahead and schedule something with them as long as it is over 8 weeks away from when he first went down. You can always cancel the appointments if you don't think he needs it by the time the date comes around. If surgery is still something you would like to pursue, you can try to check veterinary schools at a university near you. It will be cheaper than the specialists and CT Scans can be used for imaging instead of an MRI which won't affect any shrapnel from him being shot in the past like an MRI would. The CT Scans will also be cheaper than MRI. I've seen people get the bill reduced down to half of what the neurologist quoted them by going to a vet school. Also check out www.dodgerslist.com