# Wobblers Doberman guys help..



## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

So I am sure my dobe has wobblers , more info under heading of neck injury , I just thought i may drum up more responses to Wobblers, as some of you guys have dobes on here and i am sure have experienced it, 
so what treatment did you do if any , 
and have any of you had surgery to fix it


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

how old is the dog?

May last rottie was diagnosed with Wobblers but it turned out to be a tumor that was pushing against her spine. She was 9 when I put her to sleep.

I hope everything works out better for you. Good luck


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

she is 7 yrs


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I'd suspect that the neurologist will probably want an MRI to confirm which it is. What our vet school does is that if the owner wants surgery if the patient is a surgical candidate, they put them under general anesthesia for the MRI and then move them straight to surgery. They often hospitalize the patients for up to 10 days, so just something to be aware of since they take a lot of nursing aftercare.


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## Sara Waters (Oct 23, 2010)

If it is comfirmed as Wobblers, I suspect that surgery would be neccessary.


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## Brian McConnell (Feb 6, 2010)

I had wobblers in both my quarter horse and my dobe .
Unfortunatly both had to be put down, sorry.
Brian


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## Erynn Lucas (Dec 10, 2008)

There are surgical options that have seen great success. It isn't a cure all, but for a dog living with CVI, it can extened (and happily) their lives for quite some time.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Whats the cost of an MRI on a dog??


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

here its about 2000.00


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I wouldn't pay $2000 bucks on a maybe fix that the dog isn't 100% when it is over.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

i am gonna try acupuncutre on her neck see if it works, been reading some good things about it , see what happens i guess


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I had a Doberman patient (8 year old female rescue dog) that came in when I was on neurology/neurosurgery rotation with caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy. It was $1200 for the MRI and I think $2200-2500 for both the MRI and ventral slot surgery to go on the same day. I think the owners were going to go ahead and go for it, but they scheduled it after I moved onto another rotation, so I didn't get to see the surgery. Tammy, you're probably also aware of this, but don't forget to walk her on something like an Easy Walk harness instead of a collar. :smile:


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> i am gonna try acupuncutre on her neck see if it works, been reading some good things about it , see what happens i guess


Can't make things worse I don't think and probably worth a shot if it does help.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> i am gonna try acupuncutre on her neck see if it works, been reading some good things about it , see what happens i guess


I think that is worth a try.

I've had big spinal problems with my young gsd and deliberated over surgery, after much research decided I was quite against it. There are no guarantees with surgery, in addition, it can also present further problems. I really really love my dog and have trained him intensively in his young life so the bond is strong, I'm trying him on steroids now (pred). Next move will be the metaphorical bullet.

I'm sorry to hear of your dog's condition.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> i am gonna try acupuncutre on her neck see if it works, been reading some good things about it , see what happens i guess



Acupuncture? Hmm I wonder if anybody on the WDF has had any success using it on their Dobermann? ;-)


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Acupuncture? Hmm I wonder if anybody on the WDF has had any success using it on their Dobermann? ;-)


WTF has that to do with anyone on here? Hell, the dogs on here just have to stuff up in in bad training and they're gone never mind getting sick.

Tammy go for it!


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

maggie fraser said:


> WTF has that to do with anyone on here? Hell, the dogs on here just have to stuff up in in bad training and they're gone never mind getting sick.
> 
> Tammy go for it!


Try to keep up Maggie. On another thread Tammy was asking about surgical options. "I" told her I'd had a good experience with 
acupuncture on my male Doberman. That is WTF it has to do with
anyone on here.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Try to keep up Maggie. On another thread Tammy was asking about surgical options. "I" told her I'd had a good experience with
> acupuncture on my male Doberman. That is WTF it has to do with
> anyone on here.


Oh, Ok


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

ya i know Thomas that you suggested it , i never said i was against it at all , i looked into it for her neck , so well see 
thanks


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

maggie fraser said:


> Oh, Ok


Don't drink and post


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> ya i know Thomas that you suggested it , i never said i was against it at all , i looked into it for her neck , so well see
> thanks


Just playing with you Amanda.......I mean Tammy 
I hope the acupuncture helps your girl


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

today was Cinders first day of acupunture, it looked kinda crazy , many needles and some of them hooked up to little jumper cables, lol , shooting some voltage into her, but she said she has good sucess so , we will try , also reccomended a neck brace for her, ? anyone use these ,, 

pic of today 

*







*


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> today was Cinders first day of acupunture, it looked kinda crazy , many needles and some of them hooked up to little jumper cables, lol , shooting some voltage into her, but she said she has good sucess so , we will try , also reccomended a neck brace for her, ? anyone use these ,,
> 
> pic of today
> 
> ...



Robo-dog is displeased with battery recharge procedure.

No clue on the neck brace thing though.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> today was Cinders first day of acupunture, it looked kinda crazy , many needles and some of them hooked up to little jumper cables, lol , shooting some voltage into her, but she said she has good sucess so , we will try , also reccomended a neck brace for her, ? anyone use these ,,
> 
> pic of today
> 
> ...


Interesting, when I had my male Dobermann done it was needles only, no wires.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Thomas Barriano said:


> Interesting, when I had my male Dobermann done it was needles only, no wires.


The wires are hooked up to a bank card reader.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Tammy if the brace you mention is what is used to extend the neck to displace/lessen some of the pressure then yes I do know of people who used them. If it helps from a human perspective, I've used something similar on myself and it does work to alleviate the pain/discomfort.


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## Wawashkashi Tashi (Aug 25, 2009)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> i am gonna try acupuncutre on her neck see if it works, been reading some good things about it , see what happens i guess


I used to "tech" at a Holistic clinic & experienced lots of "miraculous" responses to various treatments. Another helpful thing you may want to ask your vet about is a Chinese Herb called Cervical Formula. And if the acupuncture works well for her, you may want to look at Gold Bead Implants. HTH!


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

she did reccommend the cervical herb , which she has been on , it wasnt very expensive so i figured why not, 
what is the herb supposed to do 

update is she is doing super well , she is almost back to 100%


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

What is exactly cervical formula, it doesn't sound much like a herb, and what do you deem inexpensive?

Glad to hear she is doing better, she certainly didn't look like she was too happy in that pic.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Tammy I am glad to hear that. Hopefully things will stabilize for a while now.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

i paid 22.00 for the bottle she gets 3 in the morning 3 at night, so that didnt seem expensive compared to surgery,,, lol


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

What's in it?


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

http://www.euroherbsshop.nl/cervica...ge=DE&osCsid=0d397fe6e4dde0b8055eb5d80bed9bfa


called Jing Tang 
Cervical Formula


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> http://www.euroherbsshop.nl/cervica...ge=DE&osCsid=0d397fe6e4dde0b8055eb5d80bed9bfa
> 
> 
> called Jing Tang
> Cervical Formula


Seems the ingredients are in Chinese.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

Bai Shao-Paeonia, Chuan Xiong-Ligusticum, Dang Gui Wei-Angelica, Gan Cao-Glycyrrhiza, Ge Gen-Pueraria, Gui Zhi-Cinnamomum, 
Ji Xue Teng-Millettia, Mu Gua-Chaenomeles, Qiang Huo-Notopterygium


seems pretty clear to me , lol


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> Bai Shao-Paeonia, Chuan Xiong-Ligusticum, Dang Gui Wei-Angelica, Gan Cao-Glycyrrhiza, Ge Gen-Pueraria, Gui Zhi-Cinnamomum,
> Ji Xue Teng-Millettia, Mu Gua-Chaenomeles, Qiang Huo-Notopterygium
> 
> 
> seems pretty clear to me , lol


 
Fair enough! :grin:


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

LOL, this is kinda why I can't get into studying herbal medicine, let alone traditional Chinese herbal medicine. That and the ingredients are pretty much totally unregulated. I think I'll stick with nutrition. ;-)


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## Elly Elsenaar (Mar 27, 2006)

I know some people are trying to do gold bead implants, I have no experience myself about it, but heard good things about it.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

update on my dobe, Cinders has been doing really good with only 2 acupunture treatments under her belt, she is still on steriods, but is in the weaning stages only has a couple more days left on it , 
she has come back on a few pack runs and yesterday became her old hunting self, 
this is a little video of her in the bush , she wears a neck brace when out with the others to prevent her neck from moving the wrong way , she is doing really good considering 3 weeks ago , I almost put her to sleep 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYRvyo83ts


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> update on my dobe, Cinders has been doing really good with only 2 acupunture treatments under her belt, she is still on steriods, but is in the weaning stages only has a couple more days left on it ,
> she has come back on a few pack runs and yesterday became her old hunting self,
> this is a little video of her in the bush , she wears a neck brace when out with the others to prevent her neck from moving the wrong way , she is doing really good considering 3 weeks ago , I almost put her to sleep
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYRvyo83ts



Good news, Tammy.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

That's really good to hear. My wee jrt after a neutering for a perianal adenoma at 13yrs is doing absolutely great, different dog.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

maggie fraser said:


> That's really good to hear. My wee jrt after a neutering for a perianal adenoma at 13yrs is doing absolutely great, different dog.


Also great news! And good that it was adenoma and not adenocarcinoma.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Also great news! And good that it was adenoma and not adenocarcinoma.


 
Absolutely! Can't believe the difference in the wee guy, he's back to pushing around the gsd after quite a lay off .

Tammy, once again glad to hear it.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

maggie fraser said:


> Absolutely! Can't believe the difference in the wee guy, he's back to pushing around the gsd after quite a lay off .
> 
> Tammy, once again glad to hear it.



When was the surgery?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Tammy St. Louis said:


> update on my dobe, Cinders has been doing really good with only 2 acupunture treatments under her belt, she is still on steriods, but is in the weaning stages only has a couple more days left on it ,
> she has come back on a few pack runs and yesterday became her old hunting self,
> this is a little video of her in the bush , she wears a neck brace when out with the others to prevent her neck from moving the wrong way , she is doing really good considering 3 weeks ago , I almost put her to sleep
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEYRvyo83ts


Tammy, what dosage is she down to now (steroids)?


eta
The brace looks way less cumbersome than I pictured in my mind.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Connie Sutherland said:


> When was the surgery?


Without checking my calendar, 5 - 6 weeks ago, he has the twitches a bit which I'm putting down to the anaesthetic, fortunately I've seen a big improvement in the last few days. Different dog, it's as though it has taken years off him.

Talking about steroids, my gsd is on pred now, and a healthy dose for CES but that's a different thread.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

she is on 15mg of pred right now, she is weaning off so gets it every second day 
only has 2 more times to take it and she is off them ,


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

just a update, things were going really well with the acupunture, but she was never back to total normal , 
the last couple months she has been slowly going down hill , 
a few weeks ago , i brought her back in to the vets we put her back on steriods, 
but no real results from it this time, 
Today I brought her into the vets for the last time, to say good bye to my girl , 
she just wasnt having good quality of life anymore, 
Good bye sweet Cinders


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

RIP Cinders. 

tough,tough decision tammy---but she'll be waiting for you on the other side.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

I'm sorry, Tammy.

Never an easy decision, but it's a blessing that we have that gift to give.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

*hugs* So sorry to hear about your girl...


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Connie Sutherland said:


> I'm sorry, Tammy.
> 
> Never an easy decision, but it's a blessing that we have that gift to give.


Really well stated Connie, I couldn't agree more. Tammy, I'm sorry that she's gone but am glad you were able to help her maintain a reasonable quality of life for as long as you were able to.


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