Davet
It has been ages since I've posted, but a dear friend sent me the following e-mail and my heart is just breaking for her, as she just lost another dog (due to age) last month.
Could you read the following and give me your thoughts? I have no wise words of wisdom or anything to suggest..
Thanks....
Traci and Tucker - From the old Acme boards
If any one has had any experience with, or knows someone who has experienced this, please contact us. We are contacting everyone we know. For those of you who know our dog, you know how sweet he is.
On or about October 16, 2003 Cody yipped when he got up from a laying position.
Over the weekend he mostly laid and didn’t want to get up. When he did, it was obvious that it hurt. Once he walked around his gait seemed fine. He would even run.
Oct. 20th (Monday) our vet (Dr. Mann) saw him right away. He said he would need to keep him and put him under to x-ray his hips. We decided to neuter him as well, since he had to have anesthesia. While he was under, Dr. Mann checked his stifle (knee) for any problems. It seemed fine.
October 21st, we started Cody on 100mg Rimadyl twice a day. His x-rays appeared to be completely normal. Immediately he seemed back to normal with no pain.
October 24th, cut Cody’s dose to 1 Rimadyl per day. He still seemed pain-free and back to normal.
October 30th, Cody has his stitches removed from his neutering and all seems fine.
November 5th, he took the last dose of Rimadyl
November 15th, Cody yipped again when getting up and didn’t want to get up unless coaxed, for up to an hour or so.
November 16th, he doesn’t want to get up and lays for 10 -12 hours at a time. When he gets up or goes up and down stairs he yelps. Once he is up he paces around and won’t lay down for up to 4 hours. He pants, slobbers and is anxious and is obviously in great pain. Bob gave him a bufferin a couple times a day for a few days. It didn’t seem to do much.
November 17th, he goes back to Dr. Mann and he suggests Dr. James Harrison, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Mann wonders if there is a problem with the hips that didn’t show up on the x-ray. He gave us more Rimadyl but said not to give it to Cody if we could get him in to see the surgeon in a few days. Since we got an appointment on the 19th the poor guy had to suffer through another day.
November 18th he was just miserable. Legs shaking and quivering when standing. Afraid to lay down. Once down, afraid to get up.
Nov. 19th Dr. Harrison said Cody’s hips were perfect. He thought possibly a disc problem and sent us to another facility to do a myelogram. After a long day of tests he called us in for the worst news possible. He showed us a spot on the films in the spinal column that was probably a tumor. He said if he had experienced a major trauma to that area it could be a blood clot. He said it would have to be something major like falling from the truck or something. Since nothing like this has happened, he felt this was a tumor. The Radiologist report said: Intramedullary lesion at L5 compatible with neoplasia. We asked the surgeon what can we do? He said he could not do surgery. With the problem in the cord, it would paralyze him.
Right now we are supposed to do nothing.. just wait. We were in so much shock we didn’t know what to say or do. His nurse gave Cody a large dose of Steroids for the pain. We do need to talk with the surgeon again and to our regular vet. as well. We do not want Cody to suffer one bit, but we are not ready to give up on him either. We would appreciate any input anyone might have. We will consider anything to help our little buddy.
Davet, could use your opinion/thoughts
Re: Davet, could use your opinion/thoughts
two sim[l;e tests that i would do on a pup like this is to raise the muzzle up and down and side to side to see if there were any pain in the cervical vertebrae, ie neck, then i would do a simple needle test, ie take a hypo needle and tap it up and down the spine and see if there is a refex there...this would give an indication of a spinal problem, which from a thousand miles away this is what i think..i am not saying to do this but depenging on the cause surgery is a pretty good option. i think it is the L5 lesion and the extent of it is hard to say, but i think, if it were my patient, I would send it to the U. Of P. vet school and have a meyelogram run and see what a neurolgist would think about it......again this is a thousand miles away,,while in vet school, our surg prof was B. Hoerlein who developed the fenestration operation for the spinal cord..but if this is as bad as the docs seem to think and surgery is nolonger an option, I would go with old fashion Prednisone at a loading dose for effect and then taperting to a point where some releif is obtained...again all this is speculation but i think a neurologist visit would be in order...if you are near (within 100 miles) of a vet school it might be a thought...good luck and let us know how you make out......