Hi! I am new to your forum but am hoping and praying for some personal insight from anyone. My beautiful french bulldog, Gaston, is 5 years old, and has been perfectly healthy and happy until recently. 4 months ago he had a pinched neck which resolved quickly with crate rest, tramadol, and anti-inflammatory meds. This past week, the onset of the July 4th holiday, he began his familiar symptoms of pacing and panting. I called the vet and he had me pick up the meds that worked so well before. Well…they aren't working. He has had a middle-of-the-night emergency visit to manage his pain and the vet there suspected IVDD but can't give a firm diagnosis without MRI. He is now at his regular vet, whom I trust, and undergoing testing. They called to tell me he came through anesthesia well but said they'd like to forward his imaging to another specialist for another opinion. I am on the verge of crying but need to keep it together in front of my children. If it truly is IVDD, what is his quality of life? Is there any other spinal illnesses that it could be? I am thankful for any insight anyone might have.
Back pain
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Hi Gaston12; I am so sorry for what you are going through. All of us here can just imagine how devastated you feel. I don't have any experience with this but I am sure there are other who can give you some insight. It is clear that you are getting Gaston the care that he needs. I hope the vet comes up with a solution. Thinking of you and offering my prayers for your little one.
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Have the vets tried laser therapy or Gabapentin? Cheli is 6 yrs old and he has disc issues as well... we treat him with laser therapy once a month. We worked up to that schedule by starting off at every other day for two weeks, then two times a week for two weeks, then once a week for a month, then every other week for a month, then once a month for life.
Sending ;lots of prayers and positive thoughts. Please keep us posted
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I am so sorry your Gaston is going through this. :heart: It sounds like he is getting excellent care. One of out English Bulldogs' vertebra were fusing and he adapted and had a happy, active life.
Hi everyone. Thank you for your kind thoughts. I took him in for his first laser treatment and the dr. could tell right where the problem spot was. She did 3 passes down his spine and went over his shoulders and hips. I'm not sure if he was anxious or in pain as he did not cry but panted a bit. We have 3 more appointments this week alone. When I got home, my vet's secretary called to tell me the radiologist report was completed and offered me a consult appt. Mind you, I've called daily since our all day, $1000 visit on Thursday, so I assumed that the vet would've personally gone over it with me. I'm disappointed to say the least. The secretary added that the vet no longer recommended laser for him, so I'm assuming his radiographs look poor. Gaston continues to eat and drink (I hand feed him so his neck isn's stressed), feels me touch his toes, and goes out to the bathroom when I take him. He definitely isn't better but he hasn't worsened. He does however, have wobbly legs even though he is on strict crate rest 23.75 hours a day since this started 8 days ago. I'm going to pick up the report tonight from the boarding staff so hopefully I'll be able to decipher what their opinion is. Thank you for your support!
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What a darling wishing him lots of luck xx
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Sweet baby ... prayers and love to you both
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[MENTION=2639]Gaston12[/MENTION] my boy has back issues.
I've done tramadol, methocarbomal, gabapentin, and a round of prednisone for his last episode, and I did 6 laser therapy treatments while he was on the round of scripts. The laser really seemed to help.
Titan currently isn't on any medication because my vet wanted to see if the laser was successful.
Wishing you the best. Please keep us updated. IVDD is a very scary thing!
I've done tramadol, methocarbomal, gabapentin, and a round of prednisone for his last episode, and I did 6 laser therapy treatments while he was on the round of scripts. The laser really seemed to help.
Titan currently isn't on any medication because my vet wanted to see if the laser was successful.
Wishing you the best. Please keep us updated. IVDD is a very scary thing!
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[MENTION=2639]Gaston12[/MENTION] how is your boy doing? I am going through something similar with Jax. He turned 4 in April and just had surgery last Monday to repair a herniated disc in his neck that was putting pressure on his spine causing pain. I had to have an MRI done to find out the issue and the majority of his discs are dried up and the doctor's report mentioned IVDD. I know there can be future occurrences and issues so just trying to learn as much as I can.
I'm sorry to hear that your jax is having a tough time. It was my understanding that the MRI was the only way to get a firm IVDD diagnosis. Gaston is doing remarkably well. I have managed him with conservative medical treatment (STRICT crate rest, prompt pain/ medicine management, and cold laser therapy). I believe the laser therapy has done wonders as it speeds healing and can stimulate cartilage regrowth as long as it isn't fully diminished. I took Gaston to a neuro specialist at Cornell. I am amazed at how many veterinarians aren't well versed with IVDD. Being a chondrodystrophic breed in comparison to a regular dog, Gaston's back is less than stellar but, compared to another Frenchie, it isn't so bad. He did notice some proprioception deficits in Gaston's left hind leg but believes this will improve. I have just started to allow him to walk outside with a short leash and harness the length of the driveway a couple times a day. I do not allow him to step down the one step it takes to go out as this can be jarring which will be a forever change. I do not allow him to jump when he gets excited as he could fall, and he never did stairs (too afraid),and doesn't jump onto furniture so that works out well. He is cautious on the hardwood floors. I am going to try the rubber bottomed dog socks for his hind legs to see if this gives him more stability as I fear him falling and re-injuring himself again. I am feeding him at shoulder height and although I like him a little stocky, have cut back on treats as too muchweight can be an issue. He is no longer in pain (Thank God), off all the meds, and is back to his happy self but I know this is his new normal of restrictions. I hope this helps. I swear by the cold laser…I call the sweet lady that treats him "the Wizard". 
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I'm sorry to hear that your jax is having a tough time. It was my understanding that the MRI was the only way to get a firm IVDD diagnosis. Gaston is doing remarkably well. I have managed him with conservative medical treatment (STRICT crate rest, prompt pain/ medicine management, and cold laser therapy). I believe the laser therapy has done wonders as it speeds healing and can stimulate cartilage regrowth as long as it isn't fully diminished. I took Gaston to a neuro specialist at Cornell. I am amazed at how many veterinarians aren't well versed with IVDD. Being a chondrodystrophic breed in comparison to a regular dog, Gaston's back is less than stellar but, compared to another Frenchie, it isn't so bad. He did notice some proprioception deficits in Gaston's left hind leg but believes this will improve. I have just started to allow him to walk outside with a short leash and harness the length of the driveway a couple times a day. I do not allow him to step down the one step it takes to go out as this can be jarring which will be a forever change. I do not allow him to jump when he gets excited as he could fall, and he never did stairs (too afraid),and doesn't jump onto furniture so that works out well. He is cautious on the hardwood floors. I am going to try the rubber bottomed dog socks for his hind legs to see if this gives him more stability as I fear him falling and re-injuring himself again. I am feeding him at shoulder height and although I like him a little stocky, have cut back on treats as too muchweight can be an issue. He is no longer in pain (Thank God), off all the meds, and is back to his happy self but I know this is his new normal of restrictions. I hope this helps. I swear by the cold laser…I call the sweet lady that treats him "the Wizard".
Jax gets his sutures out on Sunday. So far everything that has been done has been through a neurologist at the ER. Recovery from surgery is 4-6 weeks. Jax was a huge jumper on/off the couch but I have no gotten stairs for both couches so once he has recovered from his surgery, I can hopefully get him using the stairs. Unfortunately I have stairs going inside my house and then again going up and down as I live in a split level. I am looking into having ramps made. Jax's bowls were elevated a little bit but I have also been putting them on a box so they are elevated even more. The doctor did say his weight was good for his build. One interesting thing is that the doctor said supplements would not help and nothing would help. I found a blog post about a wiener dog that has IVDD and she mentioned all these supplements she gives and said she has done laser therapy and I think maybe acupuncture as well. I got some CBD Hemp Oil for him to hopefully help keep him calm as he really hates being in his crate. It turns out Jax's regular vet does laser therapy and acupuncture so once he is all recovered, I am going to make an appointment to discuss our options. I am willing to do whatever I can to help him and hopefully prevent another recurrence. I know there is no "cure" for this disease and I want Jax to live as normal of a life that he can and be happy.
I swear by the laser! My breeder says sometimes the meds just mask the problem. I truly believe it's the laser that got him standing and ultimately walking again. So much so, that my veterinarian purchased one because he truly didn't think he would be able to walk again.
Aww…I can totally understand. I was there last month. I didn't do the acupuncture as of now because the laser has healing as well as restorative properties and I didn't want to do every intervention all at once without knowing which one worked. The first week I did 4 laser treatments, then 3 the next, then 2 per week for 2 weeks, and now once a week for the next month. I'll try to space it out to hopefully a monthly maintenance treatment. There is not a lot of literature, according to my neuro vet, about laser therapy as it is originally a horse treatment but it can't hurt and it's obviously helped him. If you can, forgo the stairs. The strict crate rest is torture for both me and Gaston. I have layer next to the crate to keep him company (I would do anything for him). I got a lot of info on IVDD from a website called Dodger'sList which is about a dachshund but is loaded with IVDD info. They were so kind with their info. I'll keep Jax in my prayers.
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That is great! Jax hasn't lost feeling in his legs but he was in pretty bad shape and was in serious pain. Thankfully the repair of the herniated disc seems to have helped but the majority of his discs are dried up and he has multiple thoracic hemivertabrae. He's still on all of his medications from the hospital but hopefully he will be weaned off of those soon. Keeping him in the crate has become quite a challenge as he just hates being in there and he's only been home for a week so we have a long road ahead of us!
I am definitely going to inquire about the laser therapy!
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I actually found Dodger's List yesterday and have been reading stuff on their site. I want to learn all I can about this disease and anything I can do to help Jax. Like you, I would do anything for him...he is my baby!
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Unfortunately my Leo has started having pain issues that I and the vet believes to be back and/ or neck related. It just started a couple of days ago, so trying to see if Deramaxx and Methocarbamol will help.... so far it doesn’t seem to help much.
I feel so helpless and sick to my stomach to see him in such pain.
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