My sammy has a herniated or slipped disc :(

[sammy]

So yesterday morning our Sammy (7 yr old) was running up the stairs and he stopped and started yelping and howling. Immediately afterwards he starting walking very funny with limited back legs, whining, howling and shivering.

He stayed put on the couch for about 8 hours straight. Later that evening he went to get up and start howling again. I decided I better take him in to the ER.

So the doc says it is most likely (didn't do any scans or xrays) a herniated disc (I think she said something like t3/L3) where the spine meets the last ribs. She did say neurological - she said when she put a little pressure on that spot he yelped. She tucked his toes under and it took him a second or two to correct it.

She gave him a shot for the pain, and sent us home with tramadol and rymadyl. She says that she sees this alot and normally they can recover to 100%, but it can be a recurring problem in the future and in some cases it will get worse and he may require surgery. He is on strict crate rest as well.

We've had him home since around 11pm last night. He hasn't really done much beside take a very breif walk or two outside to pee. Tonight he started acting like he wanted out of the crate, so I walked him outside. He is still extremely wobbly on the back end, and acts like he has very limited movement on his back legs. He kept acting like he wanted to go to the area where he normally poops, but it's too far and up a short hill and I didn't want to have him moving that much. So he hasn't pooped, I don't think he can squat. He did some yelping this evening outside and in his kennel. I can't tell if he is pain or he wants out to poop or what the problem is.

Can y'all help me with what to expect over the next couple weeks?
Is he going to take the full couple weeks to get back to health?
Do you think it's going to require surgery?

[jenhardy]

OMG! So sorry! I have no experience in this area. I hope you figure it all out and that your dog recovers quickly. I would think your dog needs help getting to his special spot to do his business, but I don't know.
Good luck!

[Natty Boh]

Is Sammy still having leg weakness? If so, you could use a towel under his rear legs to help him walk. Like jenhardy said - you may need to help him get to his potty spot, especially if he is anxious about it. Can you carry him there, or put him in a wagon?

I am so sorry you and Sammy are going through this. I imagine it will take at least a few weeks to resolve. Hopefully, he will not need surgery.

[sammy]

when he walks, it's very slowly and he doesn't really move his back legs more than a few inches. He acts like he wants to walk, but he just doesn't have it. He'll walk for a few seconds, get kind of wobbly and sit down. I just don't even know if he could actually squat to poop if he wanted to.

We are hoping the meds and crate rest works. Our plan is to give it a shot for the 2-3 weeks suggested by the doctor, if it's not helping or he is getting worse, then we will have to make a decision.

[Natty Boh]

Please keep us posted. Thoughts and prayers for little Sammy.
Jan

[techie]

Let us know how Sammy is doing. It sounds really painful.
techie

[sammy]

So today he seems to be doing 10x better.

He came out of his kennel this morning for his walk, walking fairly normal, wagging his tail and even shaking off his fur. He made a huge improvement over night. Still sticking with the strict crate rest and meds regimen. He went poop today just fine as well... Seems to be improving!

[Natty Boh]

That's awesome news. I hope the rest and meds. regimen continue to help.

[brandypup]

Originally Posted by sammy

So yesterday morning our Sammy (7 yr old) was running up the stairs and he stopped and started yelping and howling. Immediately afterwards he starting walking very funny with limited back legs, whining, howling and shivering.

He stayed put on the couch for about 8 hours straight. Later that evening he went to get up and start howling again. I decided I better take him in to the ER.

So the doc says it is most likely (didn't do any scans or xrays) a herniated disc (I think she said something like t3/L3) where the spine meets the last ribs. She did say neurological - she said when she put a little pressure on that spot he yelped. She tucked his toes under and it took him a second or two to correct it.

She gave him a shot for the pain, and sent us home with tramadol and rymadyl. She says that she sees this alot and normally they can recover to 100%, but it can be a recurring problem in the future and in some cases it will get worse and he may require surgery. He is on strict crate rest as well.

We've had him home since around 11pm last night. He hasn't really done much beside take a very breif walk or two outside to pee. Tonight he started acting like he wanted out of the crate, so I walked him outside. He is still extremely wobbly on the back end, and acts like he has very limited movement on his back legs. He kept acting like he wanted to go to the area where he normally poops, but it's too far and up a short hill and I didn't want to have him moving that much. So he hasn't pooped, I don't think he can squat. He did some yelping this evening outside and in his kennel. I can't tell if he is pain or he wants out to poop or what the problem is.

Can y'all help me with what to expect over the next couple weeks?
Is he going to take the full couple weeks to get back to health?
Do you think it's going to require surgery?

Becareful of those pain meds. Many cause kidney failure. Make sure to check liver values before, during and after their use.

My beagle got back issues from trying to squeeze out the crate. (yea smart dog lol) vet checked and all was fine but he still has a few issues. Whatever you do research it, check with 2-3 vets and continue to ask other beagle owners also. Good luck.

Intrervertebral Disc Disease


Top 10 Dog Poisons reported in 2011
0) Veterinary pain relievers – specifically COX-2 inhibitors like Rimadyl, Dermaxx and Previcox.

Carprofen, more commonly known by its trade name Rimadyl, is a veterinary-specific, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. While it is commonly used for osteoarthritis, inflammation, and pain control in dogs, if over-ingested in large amounts, it can result in severe gastric ulceration and acute kidney failure in dogs.