Guest Blogger: Lea on her dog's bulging disc issue

Here's a guest post from Lea going through a pet health moment in her household.

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About 3 weeks ago we noticed that our dog, Lyger, an 8 year old Lab mix was favoring his left foreleg, and appeared to be limiting his shoulder movement.  The initial vet visit wrote it off as a strain, prescribing aspirin, but there was no improvement. 

A week later, we returned to see another veterinarian more adept in canine orthopedics and after a series of radio graphs, it was found that Lyger had a slight lesion on his neck, caused by a bulging disc. 

After just 7 days on Rimadyl (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory), he is doing much better!  The vet was pleasantly surprised as he admitted to me today during the recheck that he was anticipating this requiring steroids and possibly surgery, but that it appears to be minor.

So, it's temporarily painful, but the good news is that it looks like we'll be avoiding surgery.

When I asked the veterinarian what may have caused this, or what can we do to prevent further injury he responded with two points that I'll summarize:

Point one:

This type of disk degeneration is hereditary (I found web documentation that it's most common in Labs, Dobermans and Shepherds) but the condition is compounded by small injuries over time-typically jumping off of something, like furniture.

"So like him jumping down past 3 steps off of a porch to chase a squirrel?" I ask.

"Exactly!"

Point two: 

It's ideal if a harness can be used instead of a collar, that can cause sudden stopping injuries or strain from pulling.

Good to know, as Lyger is a notorious puller.

Lyger now has a standing prescription for Rimadyl at his veterinarian's office, because he is more likely to have issues with this again now.  Like people, dogs with "bad necks" or "bad backs" typically have chronic issues.  The things I should be careful to look for are any sort of lameness, dragging of limbs, or walking on his 'knuckles'.  These are signs of serious neurological problems, and indication that Lyger should see a vet immediately.

So this weekend, we'll be installing a few rails on the porch to keep Lyger from making any more flying leaps, and hope that this remains the extent of this condition.

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Comments

[Michelle M.]

I hope your dog recovers. Its hard when you see your baby in pain :(
Good Luck

[Ann James]

Did the arthritis sudddenly come on, like overnight? My baby got up this morning and was not able to get out of bed she was hurting so bad. She has been fussy all day, I took her to the vet and this is what he thinks is wrong.

[Lea]

Hi Ann,

Sorry to hear that your girl is having trouble. It does seem to come on very suddenly, and as my vet has explained, it is painful.

Although the condition itself builds up over time, the symptoms seem to come on relatively quickly.

The important thing is to keep your pet resting, and as quiet as possible, until your vet is able to prescribe the next step in treatment. Hopefully surgery doesn't become necessary.

Keep us posted on how your pet is doing!

[low cost insurance]

Your lab mix looks pretty similar to our american eskimo, which also is a very beautiful animal.

[Dog Stair]

Awesome photos!The important thing is to keep your pet resting, and as quiet as possible, until your vet is able to prescribe the next step in treatment. Hopefully surgery doesn't become necessary.

[kris]

WOW! Right now we are going through a pet issue in my home, ... my 9 yr old, 15", M, beagle seems to have some of the same issues your dog did. We had her to the Vet E.R. after 2 costly trips to my regular vet and no help, just money out the window and my baby no better. The vet at the E.R. said it could be a soft tissue injury or a bulging disc, he came to this conclusion after tests and x-rays. (And what seemed to be a ''foreve'' agonizing wait for us).

So now I am wondering how old was your dog when this hppened to him and he is now better with the medicine?

And, how did u get him to eat? We put his bowl up on a small stand so he didn't have to bend down and he still won't eat.

[Lea]

Kris, we had a similar situation with an open diagnosis for Lyger, but it turned out to be a soft tissue injury, and no medications or treatment needed-except rest. He's fine now.

On the otherhand, we've since had to treat my Rottweiler for a bulging disc injury, and I know it can be costly, and worriesome.

From my research, disc disorders can happen at any age, but are more common after the age of 4. They're more common in large dogs, or dogs with longer backs, so I'm guessing your beagle is in the later group.

My Rottie did very well on her steroids, and has been 2 months off meds with no recurrence. She did undergo physical therapy, and some weight loss, which always helps.

I never have problem getting my dogs to eat, but perhaps your dog might need a little bit of canned food or spam as an incentive. Also, I know that grated parmesan cheese is also a special treat on dry food. Maybe your guy just needs a little treat since he's feeling down.

Let me know if you have other questions as he's recovering. We'll keep a good thought out for both of you.