Maggie hurt her back

[Maggie Aggie]

A week ago, Maggie got the dental cleaning she so badly needed. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/afraid.gif I was just getting over that. Yesterday, the vet office called to check up on her and see how she was doing. Well, she was doing just fine, and then last night ... boom.

Maggie started acting like she just didn't feel well last night. I thought maybe it was her allergies. Then her bark changed and I thought she might be in pain. I let her sleep for a while. But, when she cried when I picked her up to take her out for the last potty of the night, I knew it was her back. By that time, it was really late, so I put her in her kennel to sleep even though she wanted to sleep with me.

Off to the vet's we went this morning. She could still walk (really slowly), but it was obvious that it hurt to do so. I was a wreck seeing her in so much pain. After just graduating from A&M last month and having ZERO luck finding a job, the thought of an expensive vet visit brought me to my knees. Dr. Jon checked her out and told me that she must have pinched a nerve. He gave her a muscle relaxant shot and put her on Rimadyl and Robaxin for 20 days. So, we're back to crate rest and short leash walks for several weeks again.

The ironic part is that I was afraid this would happen since she likes to jump so much, and I had my Dad make her a ramp to my bed a few weeks ago to avoid something like this. Maggie had finally gotten used to going up AND down the ramp all the time, and then this happens. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/disgust.gif

Vicki and a resting Maggie




<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Maggie Aggie on January 16, 2001 at 11:19 AM</font>

[Mark]

Hi Vicki,

I'm sorry to hear about Maggie's back! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/frown.gif

Did the Vet rule out IDD? Were Xrays taken?

Please be cautious . . . with the meds to mask the pain, Maggie could inadvertantly hurt herself more.

Keep us in the loop, and in the meantime . . . we're sending MEGA doses of RAAAAYYYZZZZZ!

http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif

Mark

[Wienergal]

So sorry for the latest trouble, Vicki! It's especially tough when funds are low--we've all been there. I don't want to sound like a Pollyanna--who needs THAT? http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rolleyes.gif--but better a pinched nerve than a blown disk!!

Hope the meds and crate rest do the trick for you. And don't be too hard on yourself; things we work hard to prevent happen all the time. It's just life.

http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif Sending some raaaayyyzzz your way! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif Keep us posted, please!

[bigotis]

I'm so sorry to hear that Maggie is in such pain.<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm33.gif" border=0> I hope everything goes well, Otis and I are sending tons of RAYZ and will be waiting for an update.

Otis's mommy, Anita

P.S. I am a full-time student, so I AM there!

[TessieMom]

Vicki, Sorry to hear about Maggie. My oldest has gone through spells of pinched nerves several times in the past and does fine after a couple days. Hopefully, she will recover quickly! By the way, the 2nd of the 3 dogs you helped rescue in Bryan has found his forever home. Jasper now lives in Arlington. Rusty will be the last because he was the one with heartworms. He is done with his treatment this month! Tell Maggie to take care and watch those athletic moves! Good luck on the job hunting! Rena

[Mrs.F]

Poor Maggie!
Poor Vicky!
At the risk of sounding a bit whiny, I must say that I'm starting to wonder if dachsies' illnesses might be harder on the owners than on the little dogs! We can't stop worrying about what MIGHT happen, how we'll pay for it, and how we are going to manage to get home from work early just to check on our baby..... The dachsies are the ones that don't feel good but they've got someone willing to hold them just about every waking moment to make them feel a bit better! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/love.gif

Hope all is well very SOON. Lots of prayers and dachsie rays from Maine.

[dutchman]

I'll have to agree with Mark. Did you vet take any x-rays. With dachshunds who are experiencing back problems an x-ray is very important. If it is a disk problem which an x-ray would detect then steroids are the most common treatment for non surgical cases. The steroids are relatively inexpensive and the cost of an x-ray is well worth it to rule out IDD. Take a look at the following web page http://dachshund-dca.org/diskbook.html don't let it scare you but it is good reading for dachshund owners. It is a little on the technical side but if you have any basic knowledge of human physiology you should be able to understand the paper.

Good luck and rays,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[johargis]

Vicki, Keep us posted on what the vet says. Texas A&M? What is your major? I am an ex-Texan, was there 35 years. Miss it a lot. Are you still in College Station? Isn't there a facility at the Veterinary School of Medicine there that can help? They should be able to at least X-ray reasonably. My post is just below. Jan 5th one of our dachsies, Mo developed a disk problem but he is doing a lot better now. He got an IV then Prednisone tablets, plus we are giving him the vitamins and etc., I mention in my post. I had to make up an Excel spreadsheet and put it on the fridge for giving him the pills because it is complicated to go a few days on one dose then reduce it again and again. It helped keep us right on track...so if it comes to having to medicate her on something like that....make yourself a chart. Keep us posted. Lots of http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif

[Maggie Aggie]

Thanks for all the support and rays everyone! My family loves Maggie, but they just don't understand how a person's life changes when they're owned by a dachshund. That's why I love this board! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

No, the vet didn't take x-rays. I had assumed that he would, so that confuses me. However, I know that he IS familiar with IDD, because we discussed the signs of a blown disk. If I hadn't been such a wreck, I probably would have remembered to ask him why he wasn't taking x-rays.

Maggie does seem to be getting better though. Her walk is almost completely back to normal (still a little sluggish when she first starts moving). She even jogged through the doorway to avoid getting hit by some big raindrops this morning after going potty. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif She hasn't cried since Tuesday, but come to think of it, I don't think I've heard her bark since then either.

I'm watching her 24/7, so there's no way that she's going to get into ANY trouble for the next 3 weeks. Right now, I let her sleep (during the day) in the living room on a sleeping bag (and bury under blankets, of course) in front of the fireplace. She'd been good about sleeping or at least resting there, but today she keeps trying to walk around and investigate things so back in the crate she went. She's acting more like herself today too, so I guess she's on the mend.

Tom, I came across that link on Monday night after I started to suspect that she'd hurt her back. It's got a lot of good information. I had to take a canine anatomy class with a lab my junior year in college, so I wasn't lost in the anatomy aspect.

Johargis, yes, I was referring to Texas A&M. My major was Biomedical Science. I am not in College Station anymore though, so that's why I didn't take her to the vet school clinic. If things get worse though, I would not hesitate to take a trip to College Station.

The best sign of all came just a while ago... when she saw that I was going to put her in the crate, she rolled over for a bellyrub and refused to be coaxed into rolling back over for a while. After several bellyrubs, she finally gave in. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

Is there a general timeframe for improvement in these kind of cases, or does it just depend on the dog? She's going to be on the medicine for 20 days. Should she be back to 100% (or close to that) at the end of the 20 days or most likely before that time?

Again, I truly appreciate all the support. It's been a tough couple of days, but I can definitely see improvement in her. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Vicki and Maggie




<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Maggie Aggie on January 18, 2001 at 03:42 PM</font>

[Roxane]

Just stopping in for a minute to send get well quick wishes for Maggie and understanding about how much you worry about her.
Hope she continues to improve and is back to her old self in no time at all,
Roxane and crew

[TamaraE]

Last October, my little b&t, Cleo, started to pee in the house. She also began to wake me up at night and her appetite got more finiky than normal Took her to vet and they thought maybe it was some sort of urinary infection so she went on antibiotics. Long and short, I asked them to x-ray, not for her back but for her kidneys and we discovered the beginnings of IVDD. Since then, we've completely modified her behviour and our habits. We now have ramps everwhere, we discourage jumping and try to encourage play that isn't harmful to her back. It's a challenge with an active youngster but can be done. You have my empathy! Take care!!!
Tammy

[Timber]

Hope she gets better!
http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/rayz.gif

------------------
Tiffany
Furture Alpine Kennels
Miniature Longhaired Dachshunds

[johargis]

I am checking in to see how Maggie is doing. Our Mo has improved since January 4th, having finished his Prednisone. We keep him on vitamins and Glucosimine Condriton (SP?) every day. We have built ramps every where he needs to go. After a couple of weeks without Prednisone, he started to feel badly this weekend again...so back on the Prednisone (1 morning 1 night) for a few days until he is feeling better.

Have you ever noticed Maggie shiver as if she were cold? Shivering is what they do when they are in pain. So feel her body carefully and if she is in pain, you will feel her shiver. Ask the vet what to do..we give Mo the Prednisone, a baby aspirin and the other stuff. It is helping. He still walks wobbly.

Biotech ...great. I always wanted to get into that field...after I totally grew up and reached all my goals in another field. I'm too old now for the starting salaries in a new field. Try for the biotech firms located in The Research Forest of The Woodlands near Houston. Check out this site: http://www.woodlandsonline.com/comdir/minorcat.cfm?cid=40&maj=Industry%20%26%20Research&ckid=385&min=Biomedical

Hope Maggie is feeling better. Rays from Cloud, Mooney, Clara Jean, Shanenigan, Wally and Mo too. U..U

[Maggie Aggie]

Thanks for the rays. I thought Maggie was doing great, but we've had some trouble with her limping some days. (You can read about it in the other thread about back problems/arthritis that I started in this forum.)

I'm just so frustrated. I feel like I'm doing everything right, but it seems like we're back at square one again. I keep her in her ex-pen all the time unless I'm on the floor watching tv--then I let her crawl under the blanket next to me. If she's feeling okay, I let her walk outside to go potty. If she seems stiff, I carry her outside. That's it--so I don't understand what I could possibly be doing wrong.

I really miss seeing her run around as fast as she can with a toy in her mouth shaking it as hard as she can. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen that. It's only been a little over a month since she hurt her back, but it seems so much longer.

Thanks for the link on the biotech jobs. I will check it out.

Vicki

[TessieMom]

Vicki -- was sorry to see Maggie is not improving. Kibby is sending lots of rays because she wants to run and play with her. Is she taking anything now? If not, maybe a baby aspirin would help? Giga Mega rays to you and Maggie. Rena

[Maggie Aggie]

Thanks, Rena and Kibby. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/circle.gif She's on Robaxin for 10 days and Rimadyl for a week and then as needed. We've also started her on Promotion (a glucosamine/antioxidant supplement).

She's still vastly improved from when she first hurt her back, but we just can't seem to get her back to 100%. The limping/stiffness is mainly in the morning and then after a long nap. Her attitude is great--I'm the one who's frustrated. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smirk.gif

I just took her out for a short walk, and she was so excited. I had to slow her down when she tried to start jogging. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

I guess this is just going to take time, and I will have to work on my patience. It's going to be a long 6 weeks.