Introduction and Experience/ Advice Please, Front Leg Lameness

[TheLorax]

tjdMom, I'll bring that up at Tuesday's visit. We do treat with flea and tick preventatives but I suppose anything is still possible. Tobie is never off leash, even in our back yard, because we've got too many large birds of prey for my comfort level, so it's not like he gets into a lot of areas with dense underbrush, etc. . But, I'll leave no stone unturned.

I did feel in my gut that dismissing the stone was not good care. He's always been a good Vet, but we've never needed anything more than routine care. In the past when he's had to refer us out he's always done the right thing until the referral. I don't have faith in that this time. I'm hoping that now that Tobie will be in the hands of the specialists (whom we have used twice before, my poor Sheltie had to have a complicated pad surgery for a growth that was interfering with her walking and again when she had to have exploratory surgery, our first first Vet (not this one) missed a bit of ovarian tissue and she had to have it removed... anyway, they're top notch) he will get good comprehensive care.

Thank you again.

[TheLorax]

The Veterinary Specialists were outstanding and beyond thorough. Hours and hours of testing yesterday and we have come to a very difficult cross roads. They will attempt a spinal surgery although the risks to such a small older dog are great, or they can help guide us in a non surgical fashion. They are very satisfied that the problem is intervertebral disc disease. They have directed us on treatment of the bladder stone as well and that is really the least of our worries as the treatment is more clear cut. I really appreciate your advice and words of support. To update, for today, he's doing great, has weaned down to 33 hours between prednisone and I'm going to continue to try to get him down to 48 hours as I have been told to. The goal would be to get down to little or none and only resume on an as needed basis. I have had such a soft spot for Yorkies my entire life, since I was a very small girl of 3 or 4, and Tobie is the first I was blessed to have as a part of my family. It is so hard to know that he is hurting and to know that either decision carries such risk and side effects. I know everyone here understands. Thank you for listening.

[zowiandnikasmom]

i will keep you and your sweet little tobie in my thoughts and prayers. wishing the absolute best outcome and that he will make a complete speedy recovery. you're doing a great job making sure he gets the best possible care available. tobie is lucky to have you!

[zowiandnikasmom]

Originally Posted by zowiandnikasmom

i will keep you and your sweet little tobie in my thoughts and prayers. wishing the absolute best outcome and that he will make a complete speedy recovery. you're doing a great job making sure he gets the best possible care available. tobie is lucky to have you!

and welcome to yorkie talk!

[linz06]

Hello! I am just seeing this thread. I'm sorry for all you are going through with Tobie. My yorkie, Layla, also has invertebral disc disease, however she went down quite quickly and lost the use of her back legs totally. She had surgery and didn't recover any feeling. She had another flare-up, but in her neck, about 7 months later and we treated it conservatively (crate rest and medications) and she recovered fully.

I just want you to know that many dogs do get better conservatively, without surgery. Surgery is really hard on their tiny bodies, and if they are kept still enough, even a slipped or ruptured disc can heal without it. A lot of people just think surgery is the only option so I wanted to let you know that conservative treatment can also be quite successful (and much cheaper!) Dodgerslist is a website (and yahoo group) that has helped me a lot as a resource for IVDD. You can check it out if you want some information and people to talk to who have all been through it: Dodgerslist Home Page

You and Tobie are in my thoughts!

[TheLorax]

Lindsey, thank you so much. I had hoped in my heart that there was more hope than I would allow myself to feel, and your reply tells me that it is ok to have some hope. Layla is just precious in that picture.

[Ellie May]

Lindsey's post reminded me to tell you that it is very likely that my girl has/had a bulging disc. We elected conservative management first and have been very happy so far with her progress.

Surgery was a last resort here. Her vets said only do it if absolutely necessary.

[TheLorax]

Thank you, Crystal. All the positive outcomes are encouraging.

[linz06]

Originally Posted by TheLorax

Lindsey, thank you so much. I had hoped in my heart that there was more hope than I would allow myself to feel, and your reply tells me that it is ok to have some hope. Layla is just precious in that picture.

Definitely keep some hope! The hardest part for us was trying to stay positive but we got there eventually. Your dog can tell when you're upset about something, and if he can just relax and rest and know you're happy, he'll be content and happy too!

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Lindsey's post reminded me to tell you that it is very likely that my girl has/had a bulging disc. We elected conservative management first and have been very happy so far with her progress.

Surgery was a last resort here. Her vets said only do it if absolutely necessary.

Absolutely! Layla's vets said the same thing. When she had her second flare-up they said they would only do surgery if she got progressively worse, to the point of losing neurological function. Until then, they would avoid putting her body through the extra stress.

[ladyjane]

I agree with the other posters; but I want to add that while some people are very pro surgery, some are the opposite. I believe it comes down to individual cases and thorough testing and consultations with specialists as you are doing.

I have had both positive and not so positive results with neuro surgery. It is indeed a very tricky field.

My beloved Maxwell who passed in 2006, had disc surgery at Texas A&M in 2004. Maxwell had come to me as an adult and our best estimate when he passed was that he was anywhere from 14 up; so he was perhaps 12 when he had the surgery. This was after he herniated two cervical discs and was unable to stand up on his own. Following the surgery we almost lost him due to his collapsed trachea; but he did recover and did amazingly well.

I agreed to the surgery because I had two options: surgery or let him progress to being a quadridplegic with the later not being a good option and I took the risk. Thankfully, I had two more wonderful years with my beloved Maxwell. He was actually able to stand on his own the day after surgery. It was amazing. What I will say is that back surgery is easier on the pups than it is on humans; but it still is not without risks just as in humans.

I share his story only to give you something to see in terms of surgery being successful...certainly not to suggest that is the right choice for Tobie.

I wish you well in your decision making and hope that things go well for your Tobie.

[TheLorax]

Thank you, LadyJane, for being kind enough to share Maxwell's story. It's going to be a tough call.