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slipped disk

rhiaaswan

Active member
I have had some bad news about my little dog Henry. Whilst we were on holiday he was just putting his paws up onto my partner and he started really yelping alot. We couldn't work out what was wrong with him. Luckily we were driving home that day (monday), so we could take him to our vet. He would yelp when he was making certain movements.
We took him to the vet who said it was his back, and that Henry had a slipped disk which was causing him the pain. He will be having xrays done on thursday. I really hope it will heal ok, I am so worried about him. :(
He might need an operation. He has to stay crated, and rest in a straight position as much as possible, hes not allowed to go up any stairs or have any walks. It will probably take 6 weeks to heal. I just want him to be ok, i hate seeing him in pain.
Have any of you ever had this problem? I would really like your comments, and any ideas to help him.
Fingers crossed
 
If it is a slipped disk it should show clearly on Xray and he will need crate rest and probably steroids short term to relieve the inflammation etc. Keep him from jump;ing up or off anything and only lift him very carefully or ideally not at all. If it is a mild case he should do well but this can get more problematical if for example the cushioning tissue is worn badly between disks. If he is at all overweight I'd work hard to get the weight off right away, as this greatly contributes to risk of discomfort, pain and further damage.

If the xrays do not show a slipped disk make sure your vet is familiar with syringomyelia (lots of info at the link in my sig). This is often misdiagnosed as a slipped disk because it frequently will cause pain in the spinal area as that is where the syrinxes press against nerve endings.
 
Thank you Karlin. I have been keeping him very still, and been making sure that he isn't climbing stairs or jumping up. He seems more comfortable now. He has just been in his crate all the time. His weight is not a problem, (the vet checked it) he is not at all overweight which is good.
I didn't think of syringomyelia. I will def mention it to the vet when he has the xray tomorrow. Thanks for that.
:D
 
Thank you everyone. I have just taken him to the vet for his xrays. Have to ring them at 2pm to find out what they found. Fingers crossed it isn't too bad.
 
After having the xrays done on Henry's back, the vet said that he could find no evidence of a slipped disk. I mentioned to him about Syringomyelia, which he was aware of but doesn't think that Henry has it, (as there are none of the other symptoms). We will keep a close eye on him now though for signs of it. The vet thinks that Henry may have pulled a muscle. He will still need to rest for a couple of weeks.
The other thing which the vet noticed on the xray was that Henry has an enlarged heart. We were aware that he had a problem with his heart already, this will be monitored to see if it is continuing to enlarge. Henry currently isn't showing any signs of heart faliure, but obviously it is something that will probably effect him at some point.
We got Henry from a cousin of mine when he was a year old.They were unable to look after him anymore. He was from a pet shop. I know that this is why he has this problem now. It is so sad that these poor dogs have to be born with these problems. When it is so avoidable.
 
oh poor henry and how frustrating that you have to wait to find out what he has. hopefully it's just a muscle strain. give him some extra cuddles and keep us updated :flwr:

k
 
Yeah, it is annoying because we still don't know what is wrong. We will just have to wait and see. Thank you everyone for your well wishes. It is really nice. :D
 
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