x-rays to check for disc calcification?

[warthog]

Is it a good idea to have a dachsie's back
x-rayed to check for disc calcification? I have read a few things about this, and just wondered. At what age should it be done? Is a "yearly" thing once the dachsie reaches a certain age? Can a regular vet do this, or must it be a specialist (neurologist)?

[dutchman]

I've never known anyone who has had x-rays on a regular basis. If there is any major calcification your regular vet should be able to see it on the x-rays. When my Aggie had a calcified disk rupture even I could plainly see it and several adjacent disk that were also calcified when my vet pointed them out on the x-ray. There was a noticeable difference in contrast on the x-ray.

Tom

[Mandy]

Your regular vet should be able to do the x-rays...if he/she can't, I would swicth vets. Henry x-rays when he was having his back problems....he barely had a little bit of calcification on one of his discs. Henry is three and the only reason he had the x-rays done was because we were fearful that he was having back problems....it looks like he probably slipped on some ice and torqued his back a little (thankfully). I believe that they usually don't do x-rays unless it is thought that there is some problem...but I could be wrong.

[Tanya]

Punkin was x-rayed when she was 2 by our regular vet. She would cry for no reason so the x-rays were done to determine if there were calcified disks...which there were. Tom is correct, you can plainly see whee the calcified disks are. It was easy to spot when the vet pointed them oout to us. The only other x-ray she had was before her surgery when her disk exploded to determine where the actual damage had occured.
Tanya

[dutchman]

I think there are two general cases when a vet would be willing to do a back x-ray. The first is when you have a good reason to suspect a possible back problem. The second would be if you are planning on breeding a dog and want to rule out any early back problems which would tend to indicate genetic flaws that should not be breed and passed on to pups.

Tom

[warthog]

Thanks for the information. I tend to be a worrier, so it's nice to know that x-rays are something I don't need to worry about right now!