Spinal disc disease

[CKSuki]

Does anybody know anything about this?

Fugley had an MRI scan on Friday after being hospitalised for three days. I’ll cut a long story short, Fugley has been getting slower and slower (which is fine), but also iller and iller recently. She has had a very few bad weeks, which came to a head when she collapsed on early Wed morning, she lost the use of her legs and lost controll of her bladder, I resigned myself and booked an urgent appointment to ‘probably’ euthanise. My/her vet was fantastic, as usual, and suggested that we get her on pain releif and wait for MRI scan. Anyway, she has spinal disc disease in every verterbra (sp?), in addition (not causing pain) she has fibrosis of the pancreas and abnormal adrenal gland (waiting for results),
The vets/nurses did a great job of getting her comfortable and reducing the pain.

I brought her home yesterday, she is on strict rest, and seems to be okish. She is not on any pain killers.

I have got an appointment to see my vet on Monday re full report on the MRI scan, but in mean time, does anybody have any experience of this condition?

Thanks.

[SuzAndTheDiva]

Poor old Fugley! I dont know a thing about this – but just wanted to say I hope shes feeling better real soon  :-*

[Val]

Poor Fugley
There are many types of disc disease involves the acute or chronic pressure of material from an intervertebral disc pressing on or around dics sometimes it’s a bilateral rupture of the cranial cruciate ligaments looks a lot like a back problem, I have seen kidney infections that looked a lot like a dog had back pain, with rigidity of the back muscles and reluctance to move and slowly up to almost no movement also growths can affect the disc’s as you have stated she has spinal disc disease in every vertebrae I would say your vet is looking to see how bad it is as she also has fibrosis of the pancreas it could be tricky to treat but at least she has had an MRI which is the best way to see everything far better than an ex-ray
The most common treatment will I am afraid be Rymadel
Val

[CKSuki]

Thanks S&Diva and Val.

It has been cofirmed today that Fugley does have degenerative disc disease in all of her verterbrae. When I took her in, when she was in crisis, last wednesday, three of her discs had protuded, causing her to be in an immense amount of pain. In addition to the discs she also has some unusual hardening and inflation of the nerve endings in two sites, one of which, unfortunately, was touching and facing increased pressure from one of the protusion sites.

Fugley is a little old lady, even I don’t live in a fantasy, she is sixteen (seventeen in December), had a wicked (unusal – given that she is an angel!) life, and I just intend to make what short time she has left as comfortable as possible.

The good thing about MRI scans is that they can give you an incredible amount of information about the patients anatomy, the down side is, I now know all the things that are going wrong in her body (and beleive me, there are plenty), but really, aside from giving her her meds and keeping her comfortable, there is not much more I want to focus on right now. People have dogs that get old all the time, not everybody needs to know everything. Although I do feel empowered with the information, I feel that if I let it, it could cloud my last few weeks/months with my dog.

Edited for bad use of the English language.

[kizkiznobite]

bless her….

i know where you at…we just lost falkor…dont grieve early

hugs to the wee one

[CKSuki]

Truly sorry for your loss Bev, and thanks for the good advice.

🙂

[Val]

Great attitude CK make the most of what you have for however long it maybe hugs to the old lady feel I have known her sooooooooo long
Val

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