Back Injury

[Janruh]

My 3yr old Dachshound has recently been having back
problems. We're not aware of a specific incident..but
2 weeks ago he could barely walk. The vet recommended
total rest for 4 weeks and gave us some anti-inflamatory
and pain meds as needed. His walking is much better..but
he moans and whines a great deal..especially when laying
down or rolling onto his side to sleep. He's notorious
for jumping off of chairs etc..and I've taken several
steps to prevent that. The question is..is there anything
else I can try to help his recovery? Moist heat, massage
etc? Thanks.

[Penny's Aunt]

If you have access to a swimming pool, you might try swimming. This is one therapy that is used on dachsies after spinal surgery because it strengthens the muscles of the back (I understand that muscular dachsies have fewer back problems than couch potatoes) and it doesn't have the stresses of other exercises.

You must get right in the pool with him. If he isn't used to swimming, you will have to gently teach him how. Many dogs panic if they are just dumped into the water, & are never comfortable around water again.

Just stay in the shallow end so you are in control. If his activities have been restricted as you say, he is probably out of shape & will only be able to do a little swimming in the beginning. You don't want to exhaust him.

[Mark]

I agree with Sue. Swimming is a great therapy. It helped a great deal with Duck Butter's recovery from spinal surgery and Masse's recovery (after the 4-5 weeks of crating) from her Spinal Infarction.

If the desired improvement in the 4 week rest period doesn't happen . . . I would take him to the nearest specialist or teaching Hospital. For an emergency, it wouldn't hurt to be aware of the nearest 24 hour specialist. Time is important if the worst were to happen.

We all wish you luck and are sending lots of Dachsie rays your way. Let us know how he progresses.

Mark

[Tanya]

Janruh, When Punkin had back trouble water therapy was the number exercise suggested by my vet. Unfortunately, things did not work out as I had hoped and we never made it as far as therapy. Mark makes a good point though, know where your emergency facility is located and ask if they have a surgeon who specializes in this type of back surgery. The closest one to me was 4 hours away. Know that if surgery should ever be required, I hope not, the sooner you have it done the better the chance of recovery. I know several dachsies who have done very well after surgery. We will keep our fingers crossed. Keep trying to prevent the jumping and watch the weight. Keep us informed.

[Janruh]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I"m afraid I don't have access to a pool, though I've read that it's very helpful. I'm just at a loss since there was no certain incident that I know of that caused the injury. He's been to the vet twice..and I do know where an emergency vet is..though I'm not sure if they're very familiar with this problem. I have a list of other vets in the area..and plan to call some today and find out more if possible. Thanks again.

[Mark]

When Duck Butter had her surgery she was paraplegic and the specialist told us to sling a towel under her body, fill the bath tub and guide her by holding the ends of the towel . . . worked pretty well. Even though we have a lake, he recommended that we use the tub. Of course your baby is not paralyzed . . . I don't think it matters, but maybe Sue knows.

Mark

[Janruh]

Thanks for that idea! Baxter hates baths..but I think that might help. I've even though about buying a small kid's pool that would suffice for water therapy.

[dutchman]

You might want to check out the following web site. http://www.abledogs.net/ I started looking at it when Aggie went in for emergency surgery. In our case she never made it back home so I didn't follow up on the site. My initial impressions wer very favorable.

Good luck,

Tom and Frank

[Janruh]

Thanks for the site. I'll sure check it out. I called a couple of the other vets I mentioned and told them what was going on. They said without checking him they couldn't say for sure..but from what I was telling them..and his condition it seems like it's a minor thing..and the vet gave me the correct info. I told them if he's not lots better in a few days I'll bring him in to them to be sure. I'm wondering if anyone has had this happen?? I mean..when a dog has an injury or back problems..does it occur from an injury or does it just appear overnight?

[Tanya]

Janruh, with Punkin it just appeared. We were in bed and she just cried out for no apparent reason. After a minute, she seemed ok. When it happened again, we took her to the vet thinking it was her anal glands. The vet wanted to x-ray her back and sure enough - she had calcifications forming in the disks. He told us that calcifications usually mean the dog will have a problem eventually, especially since she was diagnosed at 2 with the problem. She was 6 when the disk ruptured. I don't mean to frighten you and it may never happen to you I pray, but Punkin's back problem was not caused from injury...it just happened. Please keep us informed.

[Janruh]

Thanks for that info! Baxter is only 3..and if this is a preview of things to come..I certainly want to do all I can NOW. I think I'm going to go ahead and make an appointment for xrays and a second opinion. I appreciate all the help! What happened when the disc ruptured?? I have several herniated discs in my back..and degenerative disc disease..and I know a little about the problems it can cause

[dutchman]

Now that I'm home and have a little more time I'll tell you a little bit more of what I know from personal experiences. First off one major lesson I learned with Aggie is that rapid onset symptoms (especially paralysis) has a poorer prognosis for surgical success and in the event of rapid onset symptoms you need to get to a neurological specialist ASAP to determine if surgery might help. Slower onset symptoms can often be successfully treated with confinement and steroid therapy. One of our dachshunds (I think Missy) had a single back episode including partial paralysis but with the great nursing efforts of my mom and enforced confinement she never had a repeat episode. It is possible that back problems could be the result of an injury but it is more likely degenerative disk problems. Once you make it through this episode you should work on slimming down your dachshund if it is over weight. (Weight can also contribute to heart disease Missy finally died of a hear attack.

I hope I haven't scared you but you should do a little more reading on dachshund back problems so that you can be prepared for what ever the future may bring.

Good luck,

Tom and Frank