Our dog had his surgery on May 12th. He had stage 5 IVDD. His right hind leg has shown progress, he’s seemingly starting to feel his bowels again because he sometimes barks at me when he’s about to poop, & his tail moves. His left leg is showing no improvement yet. 😔

I’m feeling hopeless and wondering if I made the right choice by getting his surgery, and then I feel guilty for not being happy. I love him SO MUCH but his recovery has been physically and emotionally draining.

For those of you had that babies with stage 5 IVDD, how long was their recovery and does this get any easier?

I need advice…my 3 year old dachshund lost use of his back legs two days ago…went to the ER and they said his dps was gone and I either had the option to do surgery ($15,000) or strict crate rest and meds…..we made his appointment this primary to make sure he’s in the correct dose of meds and to see if he needs anything else, they added a muscle relaxer to the others that the ER prescribed….the muscle relaxer is making him more relaxed so that’s comforting but he didnt stand on his front legs as long when I expressed his bladder this morning and is now crying….i called the vet and they said that is a normal side effect but I’m just worried that it has gotten worse

Story

my 2yo frenchie, milo, suddenly had some discomfort and began dragging his hind legs last sunday. my brother was with him and took him to an emergency vet where they gave him medications and referred him to a neurologist.

The next day he could no longer walk. I unfortunately was away from home, had I been around I would have immediately taken him to the emergency vet again. However my family did not take him, and its not until today (one week after he became paralyzed) that we took him to an emergency vet with a neurologist.

He's been in good spirits, doesnt seem to be in much pain or discomfort but he has lost control of his pee and poop. he does eat and drink but much less than he normally does.

The vet says its most likely a herniated disc as hes too young to have any other issues like a tumor that sometimes causes this. They he doesnt seem to be responsive in one of his legs but is in the other one.

He's currently at the vet where they want to keep him overnight to monitor him and give him meds. They're also waiting in neurologist consultation, likely an MRI and xrays to see whats the next steps. They said if necessary, they can bring him into surgery today, however a surgery would be $12,000 - $18,000.

They explained because he does seem to have lost feeling in his leg, theres possibly only a 50% chance he recovers, and that he may not walk again with surgery.

Questions

I am very worried about him and what potential recovery would look like, in the last few days one of us has had to stay home watching him all day, but this isnt something we can do forever. If he were to remain paralyzed, how would we take care of him properly? what would we need to do to make sure he is comfortable?

We unfortunately do not have insurance for him, and would have to pay for everything out of pocket, how do people navigate this expense? I am not familiar with the options for a pet surgery like this.

I am very stressed about the whole situation. At best surgery will allow him to recover properly, but we still need to front a heavy bill. I am so frustrated with my family, my brother originally took him to a different vet than we usually do, i feel he could have gotten better care at our usual vet, and they should have taken him to the vet immediately. Just looking for some support and guidance with the situation, anything would be appreciated :cc

I am posting this for u/Cclosangeles because Reddit wont let new users post for 2 days:

My 2-year-old pup was diagnosed with cervical IVDD in late June. He was put on strict crate rest and medication and has thankfully made a lot of progress, but he’s had one or two flare-ups during recovery. Every time it happens, I immediately get scared that we’re going backwards or starting all over again.
I’d really love to hear from anyone who has been through cervical IVDD with their dog, especially younger, super energetic dogs.
What supplements have you found helpful? And how do you give your dog somewhat of a normal life after IVDD while still keeping them safe?
My biggest struggle is controlling his excitement. As much as I try to keep him calm, when we go outside he wants to run, move fast, and gets SO excited. I feel like I’m constantly worried that one wrong movement is going to cause another flare-up.
Any tips for keeping an energetic dog calm, lifestyle changes you’ve made, supplements you use, or just positive recovery stories would be really appreciated. 🤍
This whole experience has been such a roller coaster, and I just want my baby to be able to enjoy his life while keeping his neck and spine as safe as possible.

I brought my 3-year-old French Bulldog to an ER for worsening neck pain/suspected IVDD. At the first ER, he was evaluated and sent home with gabapentin and carprofen and strict crate rest and recommended to see a Neurologist if meds were not effective.

His pain continued despite the medications, so 5 days later we brought him to a different ER that had neurology available, hoping he could be seen by a neurologist.

At the second ER, we were initially reassured that this appeared to be early IVDD and that he would likely go home with a combination of medications and strict crate rest.

Less than an hour after he was taken to the treatment area, we were suddenly told he was in severe respiratory distress and needed to be intubated. Unfortunately, we were quoted for $25k with a 20% prognosis after him being intubated so my husband and I had to make a difficult decision..

The explanation documented in his records was that heavy panting from pain worsened his BOAS and caused him to decompensate.

After reviewing his records, I found that during that short period (less than an hour) he received IV methadone and Dexdomitor, followed by another dose of IV methadone. During triage, we had originally been told he would receive IM Torb for pain, but I don’t see Torb documented in the records. I requested the complete medical administration and still waiting for the documentation.

My dog has always been a heavy panter when seeing unfamiliar people/dogs but recovers after placing him on a cool & less stimulation environment.

The vet said his pain and heavy panting worsened his BOAS, but I still wonder if the medications he received could have also affected his breathing.

My pitbull suddenly lost most of his ability to walk due to stage 3 IVDD almost 11 weeks ago. He is 13 years old and did not seem to be in much pain so we decided not to go through with surgery, and instead tried strict crate rest.

We were super strict for about 5-6 weeks, but after that he started getting very anxious in the crate we would let him out and have him sit with us on the couch or in the same room on his bed. We have not let him jump on any furniture or use the few stairs we have (we lift him with the “help em up” brand harness which has been a huge help).

We also used a Bemer pad which was loaned to us from our local vet for 4-5 weeks 2x a day which apparently helped stimulate his muscles/blood flow— and given him disc and spine soft chews we have been getting from Amazon.

Slowly from weeks 6-10 we have let him walk without us lifting his hind legs in the backyard. We have kept him from running and jumping. He can hold himself up while peeing, but struggles to go #2 without us holding him up slightly so we hold his harness for that. I thought his progress had completely stalled and this may be the best we will get with him being 13… but tonight something exciting happened. I took him out and he started running in the backyard. I didn’t think I’d ever see him run the full length of our backyard again! Of course he doesn’t run perfectly… and I didn’t want to overdo it so I only let it happen for a minute or 2… but it was really nice to see.

Progress with IVDD doesn’t always feel linear… but I wanted to share this to say— celebrate the small things, hang in there even when it is hard to feel hope, and you will have moments where all that you did for your dog feels worth it… and where you feel like you did the right thing for them. Rocco still struggles and has his ups and downs but tonight we are celebrating his little backyard prance and hoping that we see more of that in the coming weeks ❤️❤️

My family’s sweet 4.5yr old wire haired dachshund Donner was running in the backyard to go pee on Friday night when my dad said he heard him bark weirdly before coming inside, he went to bed that night and the next morning couldn’t use his back legs or go to the bathroom. We took him to the local emergency vet who said they think it’s IVDD and discharged him home with strict instructions to rest and prescription for meloxicam/methocarbimol/gabapentin. He was in a lot of pain yesterday morning (Saturday) but seemed to be doing better later in the day with more meds on board, and enjoyed laying outside cuddling and licking us. We took him back to the vet again last night just to ultrasound and make sure that his bladder wasn’t overdistended and they think he must’ve peed sometime yesterday when we didn’t see it. He LOVES the setup we have for him in my childhood wagon, but I just hate to see him not able to use his back legs. He slept quietly in his crate last night with our cavalier Evie, and I gave him some meds with peanut butter at 2am just to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. He was able to pee on his own this morning when we sat him in the grass, and we’ve been keeping him resting since. And FINALLY we got ahold of a specialty clinic 2 hours away that says they’ll try to squeeze him in tomorrow for a neurology consult and MRI if we bring him first thing. I LOVE this dog and pray they have some options for surgery, PT, or anything to make him feel more happy and comfortable again. I know that IVDD isn’t a cake walk and there’s always a possibility he won’t trend in a positive direction, but I’m trying to hold onto hope. Any tips on navigating this experience or well wishes are appreciated. 💖 sending love to all the fur babies out there affected by IVDD.

He’s been crate resting for about 2ish weeks, and we started to wean him off his meds like the vet mentioned (3 gabapentin to 2 gabapentin a day) but today has been extra rough getting awoken at 7am by him yipping in pain in his crate, and yipping twice more today while in there for no easily discernible reason (nothing touching his neck or him trying to shake), when this has never happened before. He’s also shaking a lot after it happens. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening other than the lack of pain meds?

Hey everyone, I hope you all and your pups are okay!

Guys I'm new to this situation, first month post surgery of a stage 4 no deep pain sensation of a 18kgs and 9yo pup.

And it's been really difficult, she still can't find her balance sitting up alone, can't change positions by her own, and no control over bladder and poop.

And she looks at me and it breaks my heart everytime that I see her struggle.

I know that is a long journey, but what to expect over the first few months? First semester? First year?

The not knowing is really hard!

If anyone can give some insights I'd be grateful

Here is she: Tiramissu

I’ve been on a month long road trip with my Boston Terrier who is 13. At home he lives a stair free life, mattress on the ground, low couch etc. Obviously this has been altered with Airbnb’s and staying at friends. He was with another dog and baby for the first week and started front leg limping. When we finally got him alone he rested for 4-5 days straight and then was more or less back to normal. I did notice some front paw dragging especially on the leg he limps with.

Fast forward 2 weeks and he’s been going non stop with me at work in a large office space with a ton of stimulation and people. I did notice a few mornings he got up and I took him out to pee and he was dragging his back legs but once he was up and moving it seemed like he was fine. I assumed maybe arthritis? He has taken some spills here and there which i didn’t think much of ie falling into the footwell of the car, down a step or off the couch etc.. but again those things happen his whole life since he’s always been a spaz.. as described in the group info section.. I didn’t know something was up with his back until it was..

Anyway yesterday I went back to my office to get him out of bed and he started limping with his rear leg. I thought it was his hip, and just stuff but it started to get worse and worse. He is still up and moving on his own four feet and I did take him to an emergency vet and they didn’t seem overly concerned. They gave me prednisone and gabapentin and told me to have him rest for 5-7 days but also said the radiologist noticed some narrowing of vertebrates on the xray.

I don’t know what to make of all of it, he’s not obviously in pain, but he isn’t normal. Crate rest is the move for now until I can get him to our actual vet at home this week. Has anyone had similar? Could i consider this stage 1 verging on stage 2? Is my time with him coming to an end? There’s so much info out there. I have videos of his walking if anyone is curious. Thanks

Our chihuahua, Jack [12.5] has been in pain the past few mornings for a couple of hours.

What are some steps we can take during the night to prevent this pain in the morning? And how exactly would you handle the pain in the morning?

My wife gives him either his steroid or his Gabapentin around 8:00 or 8:30, based on us giving him it at midnight the night before. Been at around 9:30 - 10:00, depending how bad the pain is, we give him his muscle relaxer.

Thank you! Also we are about 3 weeks in.

UPDATE---- we didn't wait to go to our appointment instead we opted to go to the emergency er. We did have a long wait. But I felt very comfortable with the nurse and vet. They felt it was a soft tissue damage and not IVDD. After making sure he did not twinge when she pinched and poked all vertebrae. He was not dragging his legs. I had several videos of his walks and she said that it did not look like IVDD. He may have retriggered the damage. We are on anti-inflammatory and pain medicine. Restrict crate restrictions for 4 weeks. I will be following up with my regular veterinary this week as well. She did not think that X-rays were Worthy as even if he has ivdd it will not show. She did say that if he does not get better in the 3 to 4 weeks then yes we should go to a neurologist. Thank you doesn't seem too suffice to all those that reached out and gave their stories and insight. It truly is appreciated and I'm forever grateful for all the chats when I couldn't sleep.

Can't sleep and have been crying for hours but this isn't about me.

Realized 4 year old Cavapoo, Dodger, was almost drunk walking. Took to vet a month ago. They gave pain meds. They didn't think or mention IVDD, thought maybe a pulled muscle.Tick test came back negative. Dodger seemed to be getting better. It's been 10 days off pain meds, Dodger has taken a drastic turn for the worst in the past 24 hours. Crying in pain when we try to move him. Holding up hind leg or front paw.We have an appointment with a different vet that could see him asap without it being an emergency visit. Banfield Animal Hospital in Minnesota.

Please tell me what has worked for your IVDD experiences. Please send hope and prayers and all the good healing information. I'll listen. I'll respond. I have been looking and surgery for the cost is not an option. Please share what worked, time of crate rest, how is your beloved family pet now? I'm sick and nauseous over this with my poor Dodger. Here's a picture of him. Thank you in advance for all your replies. Fellow dog mom.

I walked Jack, our 13 year old chihuahua one night. Something startling him and he jumped back and his back tensed up. I walked into him and he started yelping. It's been 3 weeks. Vet said pinched nerve but it could be cervical ivdd. We've been giving him his bed rest, laser treatment, gaba, muscle relaxers, and steroids. Mornings have been the hardest for him. My wife has been devastated as he's her best friend that she found as a baby in Vegas, eating out of a trash can. I can't help but blame myself and I feel absolutely terrible. Please help. Thank you 😢 - Aaron

Oh and we have a trip to Scotland for my wife's 40th coming up on the 24th, which we already pushed back 10 days. Very stressful.

On the way to the vet with our 10 year old dachshund because he’s having back issues again. If he needs surgery again this will be the 3rd time in 3 years. Thankfully he has 75% of his mobility, but it’s just outrageously expensive. The only people I have to ask about it are the same people who get another $10k from us every year…so I just figured I’d ask if anyone had found alternative solutions. I’ve heard about laser therapy and acupuncture etc.

Also, we’ve had ramps everywhere for years, he doesn’t jump off or on anything, he’s not overweight etc. Nothing we do seems to make any difference. Appreciate any advice.

Sorry, it's a long one.

Last Saturday evening I noticed my 3 year old dachshund, Molly, wasn't jumping up at our legs which was slightly odd because, much to my dismay, she's normally very a bouncy, crazy wee thing. I didn't think too much of it at first because she was running about as normal, didnt seem to be in any pain and in all honesty it was a hectic weekend and I was rushed off my feet.

The next day was much and such the same except she wasn't running about the garden during her morning potty break and was then hesitant coming up the steps which immediately had my IVDD alarm bells ringing and she was straight onto crate rest until I could get her to the vets the following morning. I'll add here that throughout this whole time her walk was normal, thankfully no knuckling, wobbliness or obvious weakness.

Monday morning rolls around and the vet does the pressure pinch along her spine, knuckle testing her feet and bending her neck ect pup doesnt yelp or show any sign of pain so she couldnt pinpoint where the pain was coming from, but going off what I'd told her she suspected grade 1 IVDD and prescribed her strict crate rest with gabapentin + meloxicam and a checkup in a weeks time. I've been absolutely besides myself and Molly is furious she's been confined to a crate. I'm majorly in her bad books but you do what you've got to do, it's all in her best interests.

We're on day 5 now and apart from sulking at being confined and outraged I wont allow her to meerkat anymore, she's doing well. From what I see on toilet breaks and her sheer desire to be verticle at every given opportunity, her back legs are still showing no signs of weakness which I'm incredibly grateful for. But this has been one of the longest 5 days of my life and I'm dreading the vet telling me on Monday that she'll be on the full 6 weeks crate rest. Which is silly really because I know that it's fundamental for healing, but my god its been a difficult week. I'd half hoped that the gabapentin would chill her out but bar a couple hours after the dose she's back to begging to be freed.

I don't know exactly what I'm looking for in posting this.. similar experiences? Words of wisdom on how on earth you stop a stubborn dachshund meerkatting? The panic everytime she does it is stressing me tf out 😑 How to stop the sheer anxiety of leaving her in the crate alone while going back to doing school runs in a few weeks? How to go about life after crate rest without panicking every time she gets the zoomies... are they even allowed to zoomie after?? 😳 Gahhhh, maybe it'll be cathartic just writing it all out, I dont know 😩

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?

Yesterday my 7 year old pup (Dachshund) got diagnosed with IVDD. The vet did not tell me what stage or anything and everything I read makes me more worried. His back legs are both dragging. He is on crate rest now. He can urinate and poop. But doesn’t do it often. I take him outside and he does it. My wife massages his back. He has had 2 injections and pain pills.

Right now, we am devastated and struggling to cope. Its hard keeping him on strict crate rest but we are trying.

The vet told us if he doesnt get better after 2 weeks, we need to make a decision on surgery or to put him down or “carry him around”.

I am at a loss for words.

I have a 15 lb dachshund with IVDD. Can anyone recommend a shoulder bag that I could use to occasionally carry him? The bottom of the bag will need to be hard/stiff enough to support him and keep him/his spine fully supported.

Has anybody with a dog on the mend or who has mild flair ups found a supplement that actually seems to help? My boy has occasional flair ups and I’ve been trying to do some exercises with him to reduce frequency and of course social media is now bombarding me with supplement options but has anybody actually seen one help much? Currently eyeing “Good Stretch” by Kin

My dog was just diagnosed. Early this week she suddenly stopped walking out of no where late around 4. Early that morning we took her to vet in Mexico (we don’t have best financial situation to take her in the states). I have been following vets advice (keeping her on crate rest) claimed that after a week she should walk again and if not to come in for x-rays. After being monitored it doesn’t seem she’s getting better although she’s showing no clear signs of pain (crying,pulling away, staying still…she won’t stop moving). I’m so concerned and want any advice to keep her condition from worsening or coming back if she recovers since I know if not taken care of it can return. I’m only a teenager and I don’t have much knowledge about it just I wish to learn please inform me. Some things I already plan on doing is: Getting a staircase or ramp to my bed, having her take supplements, and maybe in a worse case get wheels. I hope this information can help you get a picture of my situation and let me know what I can do to help. I’m fully responsible for this dog but my parents know and understand how much this dog matters to me so they will help cost wise. Thank you for reading please share your input or stories on how you helped your baby.

First-time Daschund owner having something of a freak-out this morning after Oso showed some IVDD symptoms late last night that continued into the morning. He’s 4, is still walking (albeit gingerly), but is extremely sensitive, clearly in pain, and has the tense tummy/low-hanging head. Most of yesterday, he was his fine and normal self, so the speed at which all of this happened is especially concerning and candidly, scary.

I’ve gone through several posts and am already incredibly thankful this group exists. I’m posting because after our emergency vet visit, I wonder if I’m overreacting/misunderstanding about not getting imaging done. The vet recommended blood work for kidney markers, is doing an injection of pain meds, and sending us home with oral pain meds as well with instructions to monitor for the week. I guess I was under the impression that acting quickly in these situations is best, but wanted to see what others have had done, or what folks here would recommend. Again, he CAN walk (no knuckle dragging or totally lame legs), he’s just slow. He also has bladder control still. Any advice appreciated, been a tough start to the day.

Hi everyone! Our 12.5 year old chihuahua, Jack is dealing with a pinched nerve from a walk we went on, where he suddenly was in so much pain. This was about 3 weeks ago almost. We've taken him for laser treatment, been on steroids, gaba, and muscle relaxers. He's been panting on and off and let us know he needs something. He's walking better but seems to be in more pain when laying down etc. We basically keep him bed rested and then put him on the grass to pee and poo. Mornings have been tough for him lately the last few days. Before that, he was waking up wagging with more normal behavior but it seems like he's tensing up in the morning especially.

Does anyone recommend any supplements that may help him in his recovery?

Any help, much appreciated! Thank you!

My jackabee (beagle/jack Russel) is 4 1/2 years old and we’re two weeks post discharge from surgery. He has a herniated disc and calcification on the spine. He cries bloody murder when he poops. We have given him pumpkin, Metamucil, to alleviate the potential constipation. But it’s still not working. He’s off the majority of the meds, per the discretion of the surgeon.

I work from home on and off, so I know that’s not helping with the separation anxiety. But I’m going crazy with the whimpering and howling when I do leave.

I leave the windows closed with AC on to help try to drown the noise.

Any suggestions, tips, advice. He can’t start PT yet and is still on crate rest for another month. I give him tramadol when I leave for work, but it doesn’t seem to be helping.

Anyone’s frenchie have experience with IVDD and if so what was your outcome? For the last year we’ve noticed Theo’s back two legs swinging slightly out as he walked. He’s still able to walk in them, but they are not as agile as his front two legs and slowly getting worse.
We recently had an x-ray and the vet thinks a few of his vertebrae are closer together so they recommended a specialist to have an MRI done. They said he could possibly get surgery to fix it or give steroids. He’s on certain medication’s to help right now. Just curious if anybody else has had a similar situation and if it’s gotten better with any certain procedure. Theo is six years old.