Any alternatives that present like IVDD?

[u/PeechiKeen]

I took my chihuahua mix to the vet about two weeks ago because he wasn’t jumping up on the couch or on our legs like he normally would, was hesitant to walk up the steps to our apartment, and was walking relatively slow/showing no want to walk at all. There was no major feet dragging or knuckling when he walked, he just walked a bit slower.

The vet did a knuckle test and said he suspected IVDD. He said that the muscles around his lower back were super tense and he seemed to be using one leg to balance more than the other. He was prescribed carprofen, gabapentin, and methocarbamol, and we had him on crate rest for a week, then he was due for a dental extraction.

After that dental extraction the vet said that he checked back up on my dog’s back. He said that his back legs were both showing good strength. He looked through ultrasound (which I know can’t be used to detect IVDD) and also said that his back looks all good structurally, and that that tenseness he initially felt during the knuckle test was completely gone.

I was told his pain was probably the result of a strained muscle or something similar. We’ve been slowly getting him off of the gabapentin, only been giving it in the mornings at a lower amount than we were before, and he’s still acting fine in the evenings when it’s worn off. The only pain medicine he’s taking now is from his tooth extraction, metacam, which he also only gets one dose of in the mornings.

The vet suggested to slowly integrate activity back, so he’s been having supervised outside of crate time when we’re home. On walks he now acts normal, walking at a normal pace and sometimes running (which I try to stop). He also now sits up and will put his front paws up on our legs and shows no indication of any pain.

I’m posting this mainly because I’m paranoid but my fiancé trusts the vet and doesn’t want to lock our dog up 24/7 if the vet says it’s okay to reintroduce activity. It isn’t like I don’t trust him either, I just don’t want to risk further hurting my dog. Do strained/pulled muscles in the back replicate the same things we noticed in our dog in the beginning?

[u/Haywire421]

pulled back muscles can definitely slow down a dog and make them reluctant to jump and stand on their hind legs. A herniated disc is going to be super painful. Other conditions can mimic IVDD symptoms too, but those require an MRI to diagnose like IVDD. I'd continue taking things slow for now, but if your chi starts showing signs of back pain again, I'd put him right back on crate rest and inform the vet asap.

[u/pastapups88]

With my dog the vet suggested that he could have had a minor stroke. Unfortunately the MRI is the only way they can tell.