My dog is paralyzed from the waist down. My dog is a 4 year old, 10 pound Shi-poo mix. He suffered from some trauma yesterday (Friday) after getting his paws stuck in some metal grating he seemed ok but then his symptoms exacerbated after running around the park and playing with another dog. At around 5pm on Friday, he was able to poop and urinate and ran around at the dog park but by the evening he couldn’t put any weight on his hind legs. At 8pm, my dog was still able to wag his tail. We went to a doctor this morning and that doctor says he still has sensation in his hind legs (even though they he cannot move them). We have been given the option of MRI followed immediately by surgery but we are not sure if we want to put his body through that much trauma with the risk that he could die on the operating table. We have taken him to a “holistic” vet who has treated him with acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and cortisone. The acupuncturist Vet said he would need 4 weeks with 1 session a week to see if that method could help but also told us we could very well have “missed” his critical cure time if it doesn’t. Nevertheless the acupuncturist said he is very confident as his method has seen much success in IVDD in older dogs. My dog is in a lot of pain and has not urinated or passed stool since yesterday I do not believe he has control over his bowel movements And he is constantly holding his head back and he is constantly propping himself up on his two front legs. I would love a second opinion and an honest opinion of what his chances of regaining full motor function and bowel control are with OR without surgery.

Hello!
my cat chunk has been recently having issues with his front paws for the past 2 months. It’s off and on and when I touch his paws he doesn’t wince or cry. He still uses the scratching pad with no issue, but he’s limping and he can no longer jump up on the bed as easily. I’m afraid he may have arthritis. What is a good supplement or something we can get to help him with his joints so he’s strong again! He’s not an elderly cat, I guess you could call him middle aged. Thank you! He’s about 15 lbs

My four year old dachshund was just diagnosed with IVDD, and is presenting with full paralysis of his hind legs. He seems to be in a lot of pain despite being put on Robaxin by our vet. I am feeling very overwhelmed because it happened so suddenly, and am really looking for ways to help him as much as I can. I work full time as well, but live with my parents who will be home with him everyday so I would like to be able to coach them in what I learn. Is there a go to resource for helping your dog to heal from IVDD?

Hi! This message is for Dr. Magnifico: I just watched one of your YouTube videos on IVDD disc disease and it gave me so much Comfort listening to you speak about the pup you were treating and the amount of pain he was in. I have my boy, 11 year old schnauzer_ 25 lbs- we did an MRI Last Saturday which revealed a disc extrusion a C3-4 with other milder disc protrusions. My guy has also had some liver issues for the past three years which has him on denamarin every day but also since this supplement, his liver enzymes have gone back to Normal. He is currently on Dexamethasone 0.5 mg, gabapentin 100mg and tramadol 50mg. Even though I did ask the doctor from the emergency hospital as well as Rex’s (my dog) other regular physician if these medications would be OK with him and his past liver problems, They both said yeah, I still can’t help but feel a little bit worried that these medications are going to hurt his already damaged liver. I’ve been trying to take it easy on the tramadol as a matter of fact they waited only until yesterday to start giving it to him because he is fine during the day he can still walk poop,pee and is still a total scavenger, But come night time that’s when he starts getting more comfortable and about 4 to 5 times he has woken up crying in pain which breaks my heart. Of course these episodes thank God only last about 10 to 20 seconds no longer and then he shakes it off and is fine after that. During these episodes though he gets up lift his right leg up and sort of paralyzes for that short amount of time his neck is not able to move his whole body hunches it’s a really scary experience the first time I saw it happen I thought he was dying, so you describing it the way that you did in one of your YouTube videos really really made me feel so much better about Rex and what he is going through and if anything made me feel thankful that even though my baby is in pain and is feeling uncomfortable there are so many other puppies out there doing so much worse than him. I’ve decided to buy him a stroller just because his brother, him and I are outdoor people we would go every day on 2 to 3 hour walks and now we’ve diminished them to 10 to 20 minute walks which still think that’s a lot so I think his stroller is going to help all three of us. I’m sorry for the rant I’ll finally get to the point-I just wanted to ask you what’s your experience with those three medications that I just mentioned do you think they are going to eventually become an issue with his liver? Also what’s your opinion on a neck brace for dogs I was thinking and looking up a few neck braces that might help him keep his next treat would you recommend this?
I hope to hear back from you soon and once again, thank you so much for your YouTube videos. I wish all veterinarians were like you.

Sincerely,

Jess V.

My dog Sampson is a 15 year old boxer/pittie mix(50 pounds). Has had diabetes for 7 years. Been on arthritis pain meds the last year.. Has become very sluggish the past 2-3 weeks. Vet diagnosed him with a early stage heart murmur and slight anemia. Changed his arthritis pain meds to Gabapentin. It made him so drowsy that he fell asleep while eating. Became unable to walk without assistance. We weaned him off the Gabapentin and back on the old pain meds. His walking has improved a little but still is wobbly. Yesterday he refused to eat, which is highly unusual for him. Still drinking, but not eating today. He sleeps a lot but also has 30-60 minute spells of restless/repetitive behavior. I’m thinking he may have dementia. Any suggestions on how to help him?

Charley is a 9 year old lab mix female, approx 70 lbs. She has always been an incredibly active dog. Over the last year or so we have noticed her slowing down and assumed it was wear and tear of her joints after being so athletic and active. We started her on anti inflammatories (ostimax) after speaking with our vet, and used it as needed. It seemed to help. Within the last 3 months things worsened and we began giving her the anti inflammatory daily, as well as gabapentin. Things worsened again, and we finally requested that xrays be taken. They found a partial tear in one back acl and a fully torn acl in the other, we aren’t sure when this happened. She is receiving an injectable (adequan) 2 x a week for a month, and is taking the anti inflammatory, a cbd chew and gabapentin. This regimen is new this week and she looks a little better but still prefers to be laying down, has a hard time standing up/sitting down. We try to walk a block and she stops to lie down (we never push her). She sleeps most of the day, assuming from the meds. She is a different dog, it’s heartbreaking. She still eats and drinks but we put her food in front of her now, and mix it with wet (to hide the pills), otherwise I don’t know how often she would eat on her own. Thoughts on how surgery will help? Recovery? Our consult with the surgeon referred by our vet isn’t until July 31st (there is a backup with Covid) so we are looking for other options and might have a spot with a local vet- we are hoping to not have to wait that long because she’s just not our Charley, and we don’t want to see her in pain any longer.
some notes from vet: Ambulates tender hind legs R+L . thickened stifles- toe touching both and small stride on gait . Sits
slowly and swings legs out to avoid flexing too much . Crepitous on flex/ ext R side- patellar groove . Rlat- chip prox tibia- thickened JC and irregular lat collateral. L side – joitn mouse caudal joint – thickened JC irrgular medial collateral lig mild drawer both

Hello . My dog was just diagnosed with ivdd. She is 5 years old . We are on day 6 and at night I notice she will wake up from a sleep and Yelp and try to get comfortable again . Sometimes she twitches too . She seems restless . She is on gabapentin tramadol and predisone . I feel that she is still in pain any suggestions?

I have an 8 year old Dalmatian that out of the blue started crying out in pain when lying down or getting up as well as being unable to shake his head to itch ears. Emergency vet has suspected IVDD as likely problem. He is not dragging, going to the bathroom fine and seems energetic but cautious because of pain. I just watched a video by Krista Magnifico on IVDD recovery without surgery should I be crating him as much as possible for time being? The doctor sent him home with anti-inflammatory, steroid and pain meds.

I have a semi domestic cat with maggots at its tail on uper body. It’s not completely a house cat and can be very aggressive when in pain. Lives mostly in parks in front of my house. I want it help but vets are all closed due the covid 19 lockdown. And the infestation of maggot is really bad. There are 3 wounds on its tail.
I need some tips to sedate it at home so that I can treat it. Any tips?

IVDD – Beagle
My 9 year old beagle is displaying symptoms of IVDD. Currently he is still able to walk. He holds up a paw when he stands but does have pain in the neck area. He has been displaying these symptoms for a month. This is the third times he has had issues with this leg which we always assumed was so sort of sprain and was helped by rest. The nuroligst wanted to do an emergency MRI and possible surgery if the MRI confirmed IVDD. However, his symptoms don’t seem nearly as bad as other have expressed. Is surgery really the way to go if I can afford it to help him heal the quickest? I want him to heal as quickly as possible, but I am nervous that the surgery seems risky. Any advice?