|
| Back
injury help for my dog? |
|
Question:
I took my dog to the vet because he seemed to be in a lot of back pain, so they sent us home with Rimadyl. The
pain gradually seemed to resolve itself over the next couple of days.
While it was really bad he didn't move his bowels at all for a day and a
half and he only seemed to get relief if he was up and walking fast but
his left hind would drag slightly at slower speeds.
He is currently on glucosamine,
chondroitin, and MSM. I am wondering if he shouldn't jump anymore, period,
and if swimming would help him. I am also wondering if keeping a blanket
over his back to keep his muscles warm when he needs to exercise (agility, working sheep) would help.
Acupuncture and chiropractors are out of the question due to Solo's
temperament issues and extreme fear of people in white coats. Even if I
could get him to submit to the treatment (and I could get the
practitioners to agree to treat Cujo) the stress it would put him through
probably wouldn't be worth it.
Anything else I can do to help with his pain?
Answer:
Just a thought, but we have an acupuncturist that will come to our
building or even to our house. No white coat! And once needled, the
endorphin rush is often so powerful in the dog that they get addicted to
their acupuncturist. I had a very shy dog with extremely painful
Wobblers. She didn't like anybody but me--and her acupuncturist. She
would get the most indescribably blissful look on her face when she was
needled and would turn into Doberman Soup.
You also might find an acupuncturist that's willing to do several visits
of just desensitization, especially if they're willing to do it away
from a vet's office. Most are into whole body health and understand
stress issues very well.
suggest a visit to a neurologist if you have one nearby.
It could be injury based, or congenital.
If it's disc compression, as in Andrea's dog, there is no "medical"
solution (i.e. drugs) that solve it. Drugs, acupuncture and
appropriate exercise, can help allieviate the condition.
My own dog has a disc compression, and I decided to have surgery.
(they slice a piece out of one of the discs to relieve pressure on the
nerve). I did lots of research, and found that the surgery has a good
chance of success in younger dogs. The challenge in deciding NOT to
do surgery is that you will have to limit your dog's activity, she may
be in frequent pain. Most scary is that disc disease is often
degenerative... and if it gets bad enough, the dog can end up crippled
and/or incontinent.
 |
|
|
|
