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Rosie nd Her Disc (again )

Brian M

Well-known member
Hi

We had to go to our Vet's as an emegency with my little girl this afternoon and it looks as though her disc has flared
up when we had hoped it had settled down since her first episode in Oct 2010 .We had all gone for our afternoon walk
and as normal Rosie and Pops were galloping after the tennis ball which we throw for them ,and all was fine for about
10 minutes then I threw the ball for the two of them they both started running to get there first then about 10
metres away Rosie cried out stopped turned and ran back to me crying with pain .She jumped straight onto my lap
so I calmed her down the best I could then carefully carried her back to the car and set off for home just hoping the emergency
Vet at our practice hadn't happened as by then it was 3.10 pm .I phoned and they were there and an appointment was made for 4.15
so I got her file out which has details of her appointments with Martin Deuthschland at Chestergates and Ben Keeley at
North West Surgeons and took them and all her other paperwork with us .The Vet on today was one of he group Vets who we don't normally
see so he had a read of her reports then gave her a thorough physical ,he said he thinks it has nothing to do with her CM or patellas
and that the pain seemed to be around her lower back and her problem disc's .He gave her a an anti-inflammatory and pain relief
injection and I cant remember the name ,plus some liquid Loxicom (Metacam) ml once daily and we go back to see him on Monday .

She seems a bit brighter and even sneaked past me and down the stairs but from now on and for at least the next seven days she sleeps in
a travel crate alongside my bed and I carry her up and down the stairs and sadly no walks for the forseeable future and possibly
no more ball games for a long time.
 
Well done on getting her to the vet so promptly.
There's no point in wrapping them in cotton wool though and she's probably enjoyed herself to the full on her run.
She'll be a quiet girl and probably very bored over the next few weeks,but what can you do really...
Hopefully the metacam will keep her comfortable,and she'll recover quickly.
Good luck on Monday.
Sins
 
Hi
And thanks Sins ,I just carried her downstairs to go for a wee and she was walking quite brightly around
the back ,so finger crossed it was just a tweak or something ,she is now fast asleep.
 
Hi Brian, hi little Rosie. Sorry to hear about Rosie's disc trouble recurring :(
Seems like the anti-inflammatories and pain relief are doing their job and Rosie sounds like she is much more comfortable. I hope things settle down soon and Rosie is back to herself.

Like you Brian I can remember when my Jasper had his first episode with his back, it was June 2009 and Xrays showed he had disc disease, he then had a few episodes until June 2011 when he had his spinal surgery. He would appear really uncomfortable and arch his back giving out just little yelps, looking back he must have been in terrible pain but I think his pain threshold is high. Each time he would have a pain killing injection and take a course of Metacam then he would be back to himself and my intentions of keeping him calm and rested would go out the window and he would be back to normal, running up and down stairs, on and off my bed, up and down on the sofas etc generally getting on with what dogs do and loving it. The weekend before his disc slipped and he ended up paralyzed he had two lovely long walks.
After his Mri and spinal surgery I was told Jasper has other problem discs (near his neck and his lower back). He doesn't have the freedom around the house that he had, he don't run up and down stairs, I have got rid of my old bed and have a shorter one now and I have quilts and dog beds around the floor of my bed so he can get up and down without the impact. He does get up and down the sofas but I have a rug down now instead of bare wooden flooring in the living ropm. He still enjoys his walks but I have carried him for fear of him overdoing it, we are debating whether to get a dog stroller or not. I think he is happy despite his restrictions on his walking and other things. I think sometimes I have to think for him because I have no doubt he would walk himself back to surgery lol.
Disc disease is definitely not nice at all and it is difficult to know what to do for the best.
 
I'm really sorry that Rosie is experiencing a flair up of her disc disease. It must be so painful for her. I'm sure the metacam will help her feel better together with lots of rest and TLC. She'll be up and about in no time. (((hugs)))
 
Oh Brian sorry to hear this, as you know our Gus had the same thing happen a few weeks ago and is doing well now, so I do hope Rosie will be back to herself again very soon!

As Sins said you can't wrap them in cotton wool and she probably had fun and hopefully will again soon:)
 
Hope Rosie is doing better on her pain medication.

From the day Ebony was diagnosed with disc problems my vet warned me that it is up to me but if I want to avoid surgery one day not to let her do any stairs or jumping up and down the sofa. Clare Rusbridge said the same. As I got bad knees myself and I can’t carry her up the stairs I have been sleeping downstairs since she has been diagnosed. She still sneaks in the occasional jump up the sofa but she knows to wait until she is lifted up or down.
 
Hi
Rosie and Brian say Thank You ladies .I think if I let her do what she wants she could be perfectly OK but of course I cant do that in case shes not , its catch 22. Already though she has jumped off the bed once and ran down the stairs once , done both while Daisy was... doing something she shouldn't of been.I think I have all under control as its hissing down and no walks so I am confined to bed watching chelsea v qpr then lenster v clermont then spurs v blkbrn ,I think its just stopped but Rosie has had her firts dose of Metacam and is fast asleep so we shall leave her ,I also found out the injection was Metacam.

It seems then that hopefully yesterdays horrible event may just have been a reminder that all is not well as I had hoped it was ,but what do we do now ?there's no way
for Rosie's sake I want her hurting bad enough to consider an operation but do we wrap them in cotton wool and take away a thing she really loves doing ?.
I don't know maybe when she's fully recovered we will go and see Ben the surgeon and ask for advice ,but would advice be truly impartial that I suppose would depend on how much faith I have in them .
 
Hi
A question please ,when at the Vets with Rosie yesterday I mentioned Cartrophen injections but I thought he said to me they were mainly
of benefit for pulled ligaments or the like and not disc problems or maybe I wasn't paying atention or misheard him .Any houghts pls .
 
Sorry to hear that Rosie is having further problems :( Once they are on pain relief obviously they feel much better and don't know that it is better for them to keep quiet and not run around, we have to make those decisions for them. Jumping off the bed and running down stairs are really not going to help Rosie - but accidents happen. If you are finding it difficult then keep her on a harness and short lead and make sure she is attached to you so she can't jump down. Otherwise obviously sensible use of a crate or pen will help.

Once she is through this episode [hopefully it is just a flare up and won't need further treatment] then she can still enjoy a good quality of life, you will just need to restrict her from certain activities that really strain the discs. Could you put baby gates up on the stairs? These are really useful for management. We also have one on the sitting room door so that they can't just run through the kitchen and up the garden when the door is open

You may find you can still play ball but limit the repetitions - the sudden stop/start can be very strenuous on the dog - we have had this issue with dogs with CM/SM. You can also roll the ball across the ground rather than flinging it to slow down the stop.

It is surely far better to have to alter their life style a bit than face surgery?


Cartrophen Vet is a leading treatment for arthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease or DJD) and related musculoskeletal disorders which acts on the underlying disease processes that result in pain and lameness. Cartrophen Vet is a disease modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) and importantly, it helps maintain joint health, including preserving joint cartilage that is damaged by the arthritic process.

from http://www.cartrophen.com/

So aimed at arthritis rather than disc disease.
 
Hi
We saw Mr Shepherd who checked her over especially all along her spine with prods ,pinches and even a light jab with a pair
of scissors and he was happy her nerves were twitching away when they should and then checked how quick and how correctly she
picked her feet up when he stood her on a sheet of plastic then gently pulled it away from under her .Then examined and stretched
her back legs ,checked her pataellas bent her feet back and watched them flip back to normal and then declared shes fine keep her rested with
no jumping or climbing for another week and she will be back to normal and even said a few gentle ball games in a couple of weeks .

From a nice quiet enjoyable game of ball on a saturday afternoon then the next minute panic stations and you are worrried stiff and now
everything is fine ,the ups and downs ,the highs and lows and the joys of Cavaliers ,but wouldn't be without a single hair on her body.
 
Good news Brian:) I know how you feel it was the same for us that morning with Gus he couldn't stand and I thought the worst and was so upset, now he is fine. It really is highs and lows!
 
and even a light jab with a pair
of scissors

:yikes :yikes :yikes

I am sorry for the language but but WTF??????

I have NEVER heard of any vet ever doing anything like this. And find it appalling.
 
Hello

After a car crash when I needed plates inserting into my right arm after it broken in three places that was all done
under local anestheic and the consultant surgeon ,who was a good friend ,used similar pointed implements to ensure my
arm was dead after injecting anethetics into and around my right shoulder, before he started cutting and drilling .
And of course I also wanted to ensure I had no feeling there before he started .

My Vet was looking to make sure there was a reaction as he was concerned about paralysis and so he lightly prodded Rosie ,with the nearest sharp pointed thing to hand the scissors, and the force used was sufficient for Rosie's back to react with a light twitch and nothing else. He has been a Vet for over 30 years and is an MA Vet MB MRCVS . I am not a Vet my expertise is Timber and I am an also an animal lover and especially so of Cavaliers so I am not likely to stand there and witness anything which may hurt my little girl without a strong reaction from myself ,so as I was there I did not find it appalling ,if I had I would of stopped him.


Kind Regards


Brian
 
Glad to hear that Rosie is on the road to recovery and will soon be playing her favorite game of ball once again.
 
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