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I am the owner of a 2 year old English Bulldog. Last year his urethra prolapsed and he received a purse string suture and was neutered at the pet ER in Bel Air. The issue resolved itself and he had been doing well until this last week when the urethra prolapsed again. We took him through the Towson pet ER so he could see a surgical specialist. They evaluated him and suggested surgery. After surgery they sent him home to recover and stressed the importance of him staying calm. We stayed by his side, even staying home from work, to ensure that he didn’t do anything to distrupt the healing. We kept him in a play pen and carried him up and down the stairs to potty. Two days after the surgery (and lots of bloody laundry later) we noticed that he was extremely uncomfortable even while on the pain and sedative meds. We also noticed the protrusion of his urethra tissue. We took him back to the surgeon and they confirmed that the urethra has prolapsed and they have recommended that the surgery be performed for a second time (tomorrow). We have ruled out the obvious contributing factors that may cause pressure such as stones, uti, etc. Any thoughts for treatment options moving forward? Are we missing anything? I just want our little guy to start feeling well again! Thank you.
Amber
I have a 8 week old kitten with possible spine fracture I have the x rays but my vet said they”couldn’t tell” they said he needs a mri and surgery but that something I just can’t do. He is pooping just fine but he is unable to pee it’s been 24 hours and he isn’t responding to pain in his back legs when I pinch them. He is on pain meds. Any advise will be greatly appreciated! Please help me decide what I should do!
Hello,
Kittens this age will surprise you every time. I would cage rest and keep doing physical therapy for at least 3 weeks. I would also feed watered down wet food and learn how to palpate his abdomen so you can help him urinate and defecate if needed. Kittens will surprise you. I have had so many success stories simply because I didn’t give up on them. Best of luck.
Hi last Saturday Sept 14 my dog maltipoo 5 years old woke up in pain and was hunching back. Took her to the Vet, they did x rays and bloodwork that came out fine but vet said probably she had bulging disk. I guess they dx: IVDD ( I didn’t really know then) They told me to not have her jump and sent home with gabapetin, rimadyl methocarbamol for 14 days. She seem back to her old self but on Wed she let out a yelp and her back leg gave out. I called they said to resume all meds again. As I was only doing Rimadyl in Tuesday. She seemed to walk again but back leg still weak. Brought her to the vet again today and this doctor said Daizie has decline in on left left no neurological respond when bended. The right leg has slow response. They tell me to now have her limited in movement. So I got her a dog pen as she never like to be in a crate. The vet is referring for MRI/ct scan and surgery. I asked about conservative care and she did rx supplement but said at this point no guarantee. I did purchase phycox max vet recommended. Vet makes it seem like only option is to proceed with surgery. Which MRI alone is costly. Can I still do conservative care and if so what recommendations.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. No one online can diagnose or prescribe a treatment plan for your dog. If you are asking if you “can” well, sure. You can do whichever plan you chose for your dog. Is it going to be as effective as surgery? No one really knows. We think that surgery offers a faster recovery and a better long term prognosis overall. But which is best for you is a decision to be made after a long talk with a vet you trust. In almost all cases my clients choose conservative care because they simply can not afford the mri and surgery. I also strongly (strongly!!) recommend strict cage rest for 8 weeks. If your pup isn’t on your lap or outside going potty they are in a cage. Period. No excuses or exceptions. I say this so the scenario that your describe is less likely to happen. I hope this helps. I have tons of info on my blog and YouTube channel. Also the book below is super helpful.
I wish the vet would have been that specific with me, even when I call her on Monday that she was doing better she okay to stop meds, wish she would have tell me to stay the course and keep her in strict confinement. I will do that now, the hope is she able to walk and is not in pain. I found you through YouTube. I didn’t see the book…. Also Do you know if there is any vet like you in Houston area?
My niece had Her dog neutered. Is it normal for them not to give out pain meds for that?
Hello,
I prescribe them. But not everyone does. This is something to discuss with your vet. Preferably in advance of the neuter.
I should also add that I give an injectable NSAID to each patient in the morning before their surgery. It lasts 24 hours. Not all pets are painful longer than this. I have found. Cats especially bounce back very quickly.
I have 3 kitty babies, my 18 month old boy however has been having UTI issues. Over the past number of weeks he has been to clinics/ emergency room 5 times.
Trip 1: manual bladder release, sent home with prazosin and gabapentin
Trip2 & 3: blocked, unable to pass catheter at clinic, went directly to emergency room, able to pass a catheter, 2 mucus plugs, full stream, sent home with buprenorphine, clavamox, prednisone and continue prazosin.
Trip 4: pain urinating, only dribbles, first day of no more buprenorphine, went to clinic, full stream, sent home with 10 days of buprenorphine.
Trip 5: hurricane Dorian passed, major stress, stopped urinating, lots of pain. Blocked, extracted urine via needle. Sent home with amitriptyline, acepromazine, prazosin, vernia (her vomited at clinic), and dasuquin.
Yesterday I was paying in change for his bladder to be emptied via a needle. He passed a mucus plug at around 11pm with a few dribbles of urine but has not urinated since. He’s been eating and drinking and is on amitriptyline and acetaminophen. He very much needs surgery right away but I don’t start work again until tomorrow morning (I’ve been on disability for almost 6 months).
I lost our home and currently live on the boat. All of my savings, retirement and even my HSA are completely depleted.
I have spent hours every day contacting and re-contacting national and local places/ entities that could or might help him. I would even let him go to someone or a place that would help him if that gave him his best chance at life. He has a really great chance, but I don’t have the money right now.
Please, I don’t even have enough to euthanize him after yesterday, he needs help. Please help him. In any way you can think of. I just want goin to live.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/scooter-baby
Hello,
Wow that’s a dreadfully dismal story. Where are you? Are you the person in Connecticut? If you can get him to me I will treat him and help him find a home if you are willing to surrender him. I say this because I have no idea what it will take to treat him and I couldn’t even begin to estimate the cost of his care. Maybe we can work something out? I’ll try if you will.
If you cannot get him to me in northern maryland then call everybody and every rescue to see if something can be done for him. Offer them just what you did here. Start a social media campaign. Call and keep calling. He needs to be seen ASAP. I also think he needs an iv and urinary catheter. To start. Sending well wishes and hugs.
I am the person from Connecticut. I can’t find help for him anywhere around here into new York York up to Boston.
Update: he piddled last night 3 times around 7-8pm but now this morning tried to urinate and couldn’t, very loud painful meowing.
I have a friend who is willing to bring him to you to be treated but I can’t leave my first day of work yet until 4pm (government work) to meet him at the NY border.
If rehoming him is the only option I would do it if it saves his life, I would really love to keep him if possible and I would be happy to make payments, I haven’t been able to find any place willing to take payments has been my biggest hurdle. Anything as long as it means the wellbeing of my baby kitty!
How can we make this work? Time to bring him in? Money? Do you have my phone number?
Hi all, I have a six year old Jack Russell mix presented with neck pain about 5 weeks ago. The vet did xrays and saw calcifications in the c2-c3 area. I can’t afford to go the neurologist, so my vet is treating him with prednisone, tramadol, diazepam, methocarbamal, and gabapentin. He had a few days last week without his “episodes” as I call them after we upped his diazepam. Also last week we lowered his prednisone. I have had to hand feed him soft food because crunchy causes an episode, and him eating from a bowl causes an episode. These “episodes” are him screaming in pain, his neck thickens up, his back arches, it is so gut wrenching to see my baby go through this. Well after 5 days of no events, he had an episode yesterday and he hurt all day. It seemed to be worse than when it all started. Today is awful also. He is taking his meds but cries when he does. I have him on crate rest. I even put a note on the door asking people not to knock or ring the doorbell as barking also causes problems. I guess my question is with all these meds and rest, should we further along than where we are? I will call my vet in the morning for his opinion, but I was curious as to how others have handled this timeline.
Hello,
These cases are really hard to fit a normal. Everyone is different and each has its own twists and turns. Also I get concerned when we don’t have a firm diagnosis. Has your vet done xrays and bloodwork? If so I think it’s best to ask for a recheck ASAP and go over your pets medications and plan. It might need a little tweaking based on the pain your dog is having now. Also please inquire about cage rest. It sounds like you are on a good pain regimen but rest and sedation might be needed now. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, the doc did bloodwork and xrays. That’s what concerns me. We have tweaked meds several times now. We started with 10mg prednisone, upped to 20mg, now back down to 10mg since my boy is only 28 pounds when we started. We are at 100mg tramadol, 1000mg methocarbamol, 25mg diazepam, and 300mg gabapentin. Is that a lot for his weight or is there still room to change it up?
Someone please help me I have a 5yo male cat that is my entire world he is blocked and in tremendous pain. I am a single mom of two living on a fixed income. I love my boy so much and I will be devastated to lose him. I do not have the money to take him to the vet. Someone please help me I rescued this baby he has been nuetered. He is my entire world.
I’m sorry, but this is something you will have to see your vet about. Have a candid conversation about affordability, and explain that your budget only allows for “x” amount. Ask if you can pay in installments monthly or weekly. Best of luck.
A cat won’t show pain unless things are really bad. You are going to have to figure out a way to have him seen at a vet. Call around and get prices and ask about payment arrangements. If you have good credit a lot of vets take Care Credit and you can pay interest free. If not come up with x amount of dollars you can give them now and how much you can give each month and see if they will work with you. It may not be as expensive as you think.
My dog lola has ivdd and hurt her back for the second time. The last time was last year. This time it’s worse, she was at the park running on sat after that everything looked fine until sunday night she looked like she’s in a little pain and monday got worse. She couldn’t walk at the vet she still had deep pain which a day after she lost also. Now she’s paralyzed and doesn’t control her bladder, she was in a hospital for 3 days getting medications. She’s now taking steroids and pain management.. I couldn’t afford the surgery which was about 10k $ so we decided to try cage rest again. Now a week later when I poke her feet it looks like the leg is twitching. How can I tell if it’s a good sign or just reflexes? What treatment will be best from now? I’m thinking about acupuncture and laser.. thank you
Hello,
These cases absolutely require constant almost daily oversight by your vet. They can help with assessing pain, managing recovery and even with physical therapy to get your dog back to ambulatory function. Please call your vet and ask them to look her over and go every few days for help in managing her. I have lots of info about this on my blog and YouTube channel. Search ivdd. Ps I think acupuncture and laser are beneficial ancillary therapies. But good oversight is key. Good luck.
On Friday my 6yr old mutt Carlito went “down” with IVDD. Back legs paralyzed. Dr Krista’s YouTube vids with the beagle were helpful but they started on day 10. Day 17 was a success to see him walking, I’ve been crying a lot but that gave me hope.
My dog Carlito and I are on day 3, start of day 4. Went to emergency vet immediately on Friday they diagnosed but didn’t prescribe- I called on Saturday morning because he was in much pain and the vet I talked to said she would have prescribed and wondered why I didn’t get anything. had to go back the next day for gabapentin and codine. So- got a late start on meds. Saturday afternoon started meds. Carlito only wanted to be in a “sit” position, which was rough on his two front legs which are curved and a bit -let’s be honest-malformed. I had a scarf I would hold under his armpits to relieve his legs and take the weight. Made a traction thing in his cage for a bit but I stopped keeping him in the cage as moving him was painful (for him) and difficult for me. He weighs 45lbs. He looks like a mini pit bull in the face and chest, but with a long body and short legs. He’s athletic usually. Fetching maniac. Chasing all wildlife. This is extremely upsetting.
I used banfield vets for first 3yrs, then moved so I just got his annual shots from the humane society. I don’t have a relationship with a vet. I can’t move him so I called a house call vet service and have one coming today.
Carlito is drinking a little water and urinating, but won’t eat food and hasn’t pooped since Friday when I found him.
I’m worried he hasn’t pooped, but he only ate once, I believe early Saturday (1am).
His penis is exposed and I’m worried about that. Pain? Infection?
I am mostly worried about him walking again.
He slept in a laying down position last night. Maybe that’s progress?
He cried out and bit me when I moved him Saturday morning so when I moved him once Sunday I put a muzzle on him and moved him from the floor to a bedding situation. I am hesitant to move him but I worry about his back legs and circulation?
He tenses up when I attempt to put my arms underneath him and resists my lifting him. I saw on the vid that you touched the place where -butch? The beagle- disc was out. Carlito has a mid back disc injury. Should I be patting him there? To send him the message that I will be conscious of this injury spot? I’ve been avoiding this because I though it would cause pain.
Also, should he be prescribed a stool softener? Steroids? Anti-inflammatory? I only have the gabapentin and codine.
What should I be doing at this stage for his back legs? Please advise. I have not really slept. I can’t afford surgery. I will put any and all vet bills and supplies on credit cards to get my good boy better. I just want to know what to do.
Hello
I have information on ivdd on my YouTube channel and my blog kmdvm.blogspot.com. Search hank or ivdd. I also think that it is super important to have a vet available daily for the first week or two. If you have been happy with your housecall vet use them. But you need help this first week dusky
If your dog isn’t eating regularly they won’t defecate regularly. . So I think you need to get the pain under control first. I also always recommend wet food. It’s easier to eat and softer to pass. Ask about option for pain and even a referral to a neurologist. I also always advocate for the Facebook group called dodgers list. They are super helpful.
Hi-
So sorry that you are going through all of this. I would start with the house vet that you have coming over, since you do not yet have a regular vet. Ask them and share your concerns with them. I would mention the research that you have already done online as far as treatment options go. See what information and knowledge they have to share. I would also start asking around for opinions on local vets who are close to you… in case your visit with the vet you have making the house call does t work out. Dr. Magnifico has many videos on this and she also has a blog that you can look up for advice. I would definitely discuss pain management with the vet, options for how to help maneuver Carlito, stool softeners and possibly vitamin supplement until he is eating better….. I hope this helps. There are many knowledgeable friends on this sight. I am hoping someone that has had more experience with your situation logs on. Best ofluck to you and carlito!!
Thank you for the replies. I really like my visiting vet. She prescribed prednisone and I’m adding Pepcid. Carlito is on Gabapentin and codine. So hopefully the steroid helps calm the inflammation. This is Day 5. He pooped a little yesterday. I’m getting better at expressing his bladder on a schedule. I put a muzzle on to move him so he doesn’t bite, and while that helps me confidently pick him up for pee/poop check I wonder if it silences his pain cries so maybe I can’t know as well as before if what I’m doing is causing pain. I have a pretty good idea of what positions are painful for him but this positions seem to be changing as the pain meds kick in. He seems more depressed than scared now, but that could also be the meds.
He also seems weaker, he seem less able to “stand” or support himself in a sit position on his two front legs but again, maybe it’s the pills.
I have a rear leg sling coming on Thursday. (Day 7) and think if I put that on I can have Carlito start “standing” and possibly walking on his front legs again. WHEN is it ok to start that movement? How regular should that be? I’m going to research PT that I can start at home.
My 6 year old Bijon Shih Tzu is a very active dog and has been running, jumping, and using her long legs her whole life. Just a couple of days ago she was about to push off her hind legs to run up the stairs as she has done thousands of times before and immediately screeched and ran off limping and then ultimately losing control of her hind legs. After a few minutes of resting she was hobbling along but was able to stand on all four. However the morning after she could not stand any longer on all four and los control of her hind legs. The Vet says she has IVDD and gave us options of surgery, treatments or putting her down. I couldn’t fathom that idea since she isn’t in pain, still wags her tail, still drinks, eats, and goes to the bathroom. I’m in desperate need of some support and help. She is a trooper and I know this cannot be the end. She is currently on meds from the vet and going in today for acupuncture treatment. She is left in her cage and we try to keep her resting as much as we can. I have watched Krista Magnifico’a videos on this subject and hoping my dog can recover as the beagle she cared for did.
Hello.
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I have a lot of information on my YouTube channel and blog.
Please go there, read everything,and explain to your vet how you feel and if they aren’t supportive find one who is. These cases take a lot of time and TLC but many can recover if given the chance.
Heres the link to my blog; go to it and search “IVDD” https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/
and use YouTube too,,, my channel has lots on Hank,
Very best of luck!
Krista
Can you help me with my case please
Hello.
These are really frustrating cases. I’m so sorry about your experience and I empathize completely. I guess my first concern is that we don’t often know why this happens. My second concern is that you are going to repeat the same surgery and it should be assumed the failure has a pretty fair chance of happening again. My preference as the surgeon for cases like these (and they happen to all of us) is to both offer a redo (although I will admit I rarely charge or I charge a nominal redo fee) is to also offer a different surgeon to try over. My concern is that failing twice is an awful big expenditure and a tough explanation as to why I didn’t see that coming. My personal preference is to refer these difficult refractory cases to the vet teaching hospitals. They have faster easier and better access to more minds and more diverse experience. You just can’t get that at a private facility. I use UPenn or va tech vet schools. They are often cheaper and give a broader access to options and experience. I hope this helps. Please let me know what happens. I would love to hear a follow up and I would love to hear about your previous surgery and experience. Especially to add this to our storylines page. It is such a unique case. Very best of luck. Krista.
Thank you so much for your reply and suggestions. We will move forward with the second attempt to repair the prolapse despite the low success rate and cost associated. If it is unsuccessful we will need to get another opinion. I hadn’t thought to consult with a vet school and I think that is great advice. I will certainly keep you posted along the way.
I want to second Dr. M’s recommendation of a vet school. UPenn is phenomenal – we drove up from Timonium. They couldn’t help my puppy but they literally threw everything they could at him to diagnose his issue, and it was more than the local vets could do.