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Originally Posted by LBH  Thanks so much for your reply Ladyjane I really appreciate you sharing, what you said about AAI definitely has me worried. It seems so difficult to differentiate between that and disc/nerve- and sounds like a CT is the only way. I of course would've went ahead with the CT immediately had the neuro doc not insisted on waiting due to the risks.
How did you first realize something was wrong with your Yorkie with disc herniations? Was it sudden or quick? And was he unable to stand from the onset or it progressively got worse and led to surgery? |
Sometimes AAI shows on a regular xray...sometimes not.
My yorkie had gradual onset. He had literally walked off a bed. He was walking along the side of the bed and just dropped. I picked him up and checked him from head to toe and he seemed fine. We were traveling at the time and staying in a hotel. About a week later I noticed that he was slipping on my tile floor in my kitchen ... just his right foot. I thought it was because he might have some hair in between his pads and trimmed it; but it continued. I really didn't think of anything serious at the time. Another week or so went by and he suddenly went down one day. His front feet were turned inward and he was unable to stand up. I was not living in TX at the time..I was again traveling and was down here. I rushed to the vet and she called a specialist...I went there and the vet totally misdiagnosed him telling me it was his shoulders and knees and that it was his age. I asked him didn't he think it was neurological and he said no. I left there and called the vet who had referred me. I had used her for about a year whenever I was down here. I asked her to xray his legs and nothing showed. She agreed that it looked neurological and sent me to Texas A&M. Thank goodness we got him there that night...and they immediately told me that it was herniated discs. They could tell without the MRI but that they would do one in the morning and immediately after do the surgery. It was my only choice...that or let him go. It happened so fast I didn't have much time to think! Maxwell had a rough time with recovery because he had collapsed trachea...but the surgery on his cervical spine went very well. He lived for 2 years after that and died basically of old age related issues.