- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Oh my gosh, just caught up with this and I'm so sorry you and your OH and Snowie went through this. What a relief that is on the mend
Backache and underwater treadmill
- Thread starter M.F.
- Start date
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
Just catching up. I am so so sorry for what you are all going through. I know how deeply upsetting it is and how you wish they could tell you what is wrong. After Hunter's last sedation it took him 3 days to fully recover. Good news that Snowie is getting better.
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I just spoke on the phone to the vet who x-rayed Snowie. She said she hasn't had dogs crying after sedation! (Maybe people don't tell her??) She thought Snowie's cries could've been from pain cos she said she had to do quite a lot of manipulation to get good pictures of his hips (I don't think it was cries of pain; he would've been licking I think, and he wasn't; he was very spaced out). She said because he has a history of epilepsy, she didn't use Domital (sp?), which can make a dog feel out of sorts when they come to, but rather Propofil (sp?), which is the same that is used for humans. She did say he was under for longer than anticipated because she wanted to get good pictures. She said she took about 13 x-rays. (Do I need to be worried about radiation??)
Her opinion:
- His hips were good, the best joints of his whole body
- Knees were fine, couldn't feel anything unusual wrt his cruciates -- physio said she felt thickening in the right knee
- Elbows are fine
- Left shoulder might be slightly arthritic - the ball of the joint wasn't completely smooth, but she said it was so slight, and possibly another x-ray might not show anything
- Spine - severe arthritis throughout his spine. Worst areas are back of his chest area, middle lumbar area, and L7/S1 junction
Treatment:
- Joint supplement
- Pain meds when needed
- Physio, underwater treadmill, keep joints moving
She said it's very common to see spinal arthritis in large breeds, esp GSDs. Uncommon in tiny breeds and cats, although now that cats are living longer, they are presenting with arthritis in the spine. As for spinal arthritis, she said it's common cos all the organs are hanging off this horizontal bar causing the vertebrae to move up and down, which they shouldn't be doing. She said many dogs have spinal arthritis but don't show any signs of pain.
She will chat to the specialist orthopaedic surgeon who saw Snowie originally three years ago and ask him if he thinks a further MRI is needed. She said if he were to operate, he'd only do so once an MRI is done. She was concerned that Snowie had two screaming incidents in a week, and that maybe an operation to reduce compression could help.
While of course we'll follow advice from the orthopaedic surgeon, my husband and I have decided that we'll wait to see the physio next week (we have an appointment) to discuss further treatment before going the operative route. Our human physio said that the latest thinking for backs is conservative treatment (weight management, exercise), and operation as a final resort because, in humans, they have not seen better outcomes with ops vs conservative treatment. When we saw the dog orthopod three years ago, at the time he said he didn't believe Snowie needed surgery, that conservative treatment would be fine. I'm not sure Snowie is any worse than he was then (his screaming was bad then, too), although it will be interesting to compare the x-rays when we see the physio.
Meanwhile, Snowie has been very happy since his long sleep on Tuesday night. Very playful and animated, and looking years younger than he did when I picked him up after his x-rays. He hasn't shown any signs of pain, so we haven't given him any anti-inflammatories (vet sent him home with a packet in case of pain after being manipulated for the x-rays).
Thank you again for all your kind words and encouragement with sharing experiences. Really very much appreciated.
Her opinion:
- His hips were good, the best joints of his whole body
- Knees were fine, couldn't feel anything unusual wrt his cruciates -- physio said she felt thickening in the right knee
- Elbows are fine
- Left shoulder might be slightly arthritic - the ball of the joint wasn't completely smooth, but she said it was so slight, and possibly another x-ray might not show anything
- Spine - severe arthritis throughout his spine. Worst areas are back of his chest area, middle lumbar area, and L7/S1 junction
Treatment:
- Joint supplement
- Pain meds when needed
- Physio, underwater treadmill, keep joints moving
She said it's very common to see spinal arthritis in large breeds, esp GSDs. Uncommon in tiny breeds and cats, although now that cats are living longer, they are presenting with arthritis in the spine. As for spinal arthritis, she said it's common cos all the organs are hanging off this horizontal bar causing the vertebrae to move up and down, which they shouldn't be doing. She said many dogs have spinal arthritis but don't show any signs of pain.
She will chat to the specialist orthopaedic surgeon who saw Snowie originally three years ago and ask him if he thinks a further MRI is needed. She said if he were to operate, he'd only do so once an MRI is done. She was concerned that Snowie had two screaming incidents in a week, and that maybe an operation to reduce compression could help.
While of course we'll follow advice from the orthopaedic surgeon, my husband and I have decided that we'll wait to see the physio next week (we have an appointment) to discuss further treatment before going the operative route. Our human physio said that the latest thinking for backs is conservative treatment (weight management, exercise), and operation as a final resort because, in humans, they have not seen better outcomes with ops vs conservative treatment. When we saw the dog orthopod three years ago, at the time he said he didn't believe Snowie needed surgery, that conservative treatment would be fine. I'm not sure Snowie is any worse than he was then (his screaming was bad then, too), although it will be interesting to compare the x-rays when we see the physio.
Meanwhile, Snowie has been very happy since his long sleep on Tuesday night. Very playful and animated, and looking years younger than he did when I picked him up after his x-rays. He hasn't shown any signs of pain, so we haven't given him any anti-inflammatories (vet sent him home with a packet in case of pain after being manipulated for the x-rays).
Thank you again for all your kind words and encouragement with sharing experiences. Really very much appreciated.
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
It is a lot of info to digest but you know what is best for Snowie. You have lots of options and the physio will definitely hl. Also the supplements can take up to 6 weeks to work. There are lots of people on the forum who are here to help, give advice and support you. X
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Absolutely solid evidence for this.
Bear in mind NSAIDs work optimally after 5 to 7 days regular treatment to allow their anti inflammatory effects to kick in properly
So glad Snowie is doing ok.