# slipped disc?



## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

My husband has a 3 year old AB who is very active and plays frisbee (or pretends). At any rate yesterday afternoon he had a 45 minute frizbee work out and then took a nap. When we pulled him out of his crate for dinner he couldn't use his left hind leg much and is walking on the top of his foot/dragging etc. It looks like he may have slipped a disk in his lower back to me (spinal cord problem I am almost sure). 

I am taking him to my vet today as soon as I can get him in. I just wanted to know if any one has had good results with a slipped or herniated disc on a dog. 

Thanks,

Julie


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

The vet couldn't find any thing in his x ray. We did an iv steroid and some pain pills followed up with presnidone. He is on strict bed rest (crate time) for the next several days.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Julie Ann Alvarez said:


> The vet couldn't find any thing in his x ray. We did an iv steroid and some pain pills followed up with presnidone. He is on strict bed rest (crate time) for the next several days.


Well, I guess that's potentially good news.....


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

I had a Siberian leader that slipped on ice and ruptured two discs. Treatment was the same -prednisone and crate rest. He did recover quite well though we retired him from outfitting and placed him in a recreational running home. He lasted several more pretty active years until arthritis set in and he started having enough problems that we had to euthanize him (at 14).

Hope your boy recovers well and is back to normal soon.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Julie Ann Alvarez said:


> ... I just wanted to know if any one has had good results with a slipped or herniated disc on a dog.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Julie


I have an adoptee who has two ruptured discs.

He bunny-hops, and he has occasional periods when he doesn't want to be handled and wants to be in his bed.... however, he's MUCH better than when he first came. He was already thin; if he hadn't been, I'd have started with weight control. So as it was, we started with fish oil and E, glucosamine for the OA changes that were evident on his x-rays, and the lowest dose of Deramaxx that "worked." NSAIDs have potential bad effects, but I had liver and kidney tests run before he started it, and we check him every six months. I also watched him carefully for diarrhea, blood in stools, etc., when he started the Deramaxx.

Luckily, he is a dog who does well on it,* and we haven't had to consider long-term steroids. This is a relief to me.




*One morning, I dropped his pill on the floor and another dog, Leo, grabbed it before I could get it back.

Leo is half again the size of the dog on the NSAID, but even so, he was sick enough to vomit from swallowing Oliver's Deramaxx.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

BUT it sounds like your dog lucked out and did not damage a disc!

Let us know how he does, OK?


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## Ian Forbes (Oct 13, 2006)

Here's hoping it's something like a muscle strain.....


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