Degenerative Disc Disease

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Fancy - 23 Jul 2007 23:20 GMT

Hello There,

I'm hoping to get some info for my 6 year old( best guess, rescue)
spayed German Shorthaired Pointer X girl, we are just home from a
couple of x-rays which revealed some osteophytes on quite a few of her
discs. It all started about a year ago, when after a great game of
fetch in the park, I noticed that she was sort of wobbly on her back
end, falling a little, difficulty navigating stairs, etc..an x-ray at
that time showed very little, her last couple vertebrae were very
close together, it was thought at that point that she may have tweaked
something, after some rest she seemed fine again.

Which brings us to this summer, seems if she has been out for a run or
swim she comes back stiff and painful, rested her for 2 weeks, tried
again. Unfortunatly it came back worse than ever.

I have discussed cod liver oil, glucosamine, and Vitamin C with her
vet,(who is fabulous, thankfully) she had some accupuncture today as
well. I guess I am seeking the advice of those who may have
experience in this area, things that may have worked for you, things
you've tried, etc.

I realize this will worsen with time, my goal is to slow it down and
make her comfortable at the same time. I LOVE THIS GIRL, and I am
devastated, I would appreciate any and all advice/guidance.

Thanks so much
Melissa and Janie

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buglady - 24 Jul 2007 11:05 GMT

> Which brings us to this summer, seems if she has been out for a run or
> swim she comes back stiff and painful, rested her for 2 weeks, tried
> again. Unfortunatly it came back worse than ever.

.......I would say hearty running exercise is out. Swimming wouldn't be too
bad, but I bet your pup takes a flying leap in the water, which isn't good.
If she fetches you might try getting in the water with her before you toss
the object. I'd cut the time of vigorous exercise down to 15 minutes and
see if that makes a difference. You might consider taking up something like
tracking to keep her brain busy but with less wear on the body.

> I have discussed cod liver oil, glucosamine, and Vitamin C with her
> vet,(who is fabulous, thankfully) she had some accupuncture today as
> well.

.....You might add MSM, high doses of fish body oil with Vit E. Some people
have had luck with an herbal supplement called Dog Gone Pain. Some
discussion of alternatives here: www.dogaware.com
I don't know about going for NSAIDs like Rimadyl - might make your dog
overdo it and make things worse. I know from having a bulging lumbar disc
myself that being hydrated is critically important. The old maxim of *have
a backache? drink a glass of water or two* sometimes really works. Then
there's surgery, but you'd have to have a pretty full pocketbook to even
consider it.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

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Fancy - 26 Jul 2007 23:23 GMT

Thanks Buglady,

I have given her metacam when she seems painful, I hadn't thought
about the fact he may push it due to feeling so good with an NSAID on
board. Thanks, that is certainly something to consider and keep an eye
on!

I did take her for a little jaunt around a field yesterday for about
15 mins, she wasn't running but had a good stride, she has shown no
negative side effects of that today THANKFULLY!

Anyhow, thanks again for your reply, you gave me some things to
reasearch and consider, I appreciate it very much!

Melissa and Sweet Janie Pie :)

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buglady - 27 Jul 2007 12:01 GMT

> I have given her metacam when she seems painful, I hadn't thought
> about the fact he may push it due to feeling so good with an NSAID on
> board. Thanks, that is certainly something to consider and keep an eye
> on!

I have an older dog that went down due to disc disease. She was in pain and
she couldn't walk. She was put on steroid shots every 8 hours for 24 hours,
at the end of which she was walking. It's the swelling that initiates the
pain. Since your dog never lost function in the hind legs, shots were
probably not needed, but I wonder if a 10 day course of steroids might help
with pain and swelling of the area.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / July 2007

Degenerative Disc Disease