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Heartbroken: Bad back in a 5-year old boy. Help.


DesertHusky

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Hi Everyone,

My sweet little boy was whimpering after his walk last week and then through the night. I took him to the vet and learned he has a bad back. One disc in his neck is calcifying and he has a few ruptured discs in his lower back. I’m heartbroken. I’ve been doing some research on back issues and the information about dogs and spine issues is outright terrifying. My boy is currently on steroids to reduce the inflammation and he clearly feels better, but I realize this is the tip of the iceberg of the rest of his life. 

So I’m asking; has anyone dealt with back issues? I know we are at the start of a long journey. What direction did you go with treatment and pain relief? I’m researching holistic treatments, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage... I’m overwhelmed. 

Any advice you have for a broken-hearted mom is much appreciated. 

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If you were in the UK I would suggest you see Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick (known as the Supervet here) -   one of the world leaders in animal physiology, and pioneering surgeon - especially on the spine.    He regularly replaces ruptured discs with a procedure he invented himself.    It might be worth contacting him to see if they know of a similiar vet in the USA

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6 hours ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

my girl has degenerative bone disease in her spine and she's on medication for it , whilst she'll never be cured of it the pain medication is helping 

Sorry to hear about your baby. I didn’t think this was common for huskies at a young age. My other husky didn’t get back issues until she was around 11. 

As for the meds, that’s what I’m thinking we will end up doing. I’m not sure surgery is the right choice at the moment since he’s responding very well to medication. I guess time will tell if we need to go that route.

14 hours ago, wolfpup said:

If you were in the UK I would suggest you see Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick (known as the Supervet here) -   one of the world leaders in animal physiology, and pioneering surgeon - especially on the spine.    He regularly replaces ruptured discs with a procedure he invented himself.    It might be worth contacting him to see if they know of a similiar vet in the USA

I wish we had a doctor like that here as well. I’m definitely trying to do my research to find someone. I’m at a loss since I can’t even see what they’re talking about in his X-rays. I will Google Dr. Fitzpatrick. 

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On 10/27/2020 at 1:49 AM, DesertHusky said:

Sorry to hear about your baby. I didn’t think this was common for huskies at a young age. My other husky didn’t get back issues until she was around 11. 

As for the meds, that’s what I’m thinking we will end up doing. I’m not sure surgery is the right choice at the moment since he’s responding very well to medication. I guess time will tell if we need to go that route.

I wish we had a doctor like that here as well. I’m definitely trying to do my research to find someone. I’m at a loss since I can’t even see what they’re talking about in his X-rays. I will Google Dr. Fitzpatrick. 

How old is he ? My girl was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 7 , her dbd came a bit later 

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On 10/28/2020 at 2:29 AM, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

How old is he ? My girl was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 7 , her dbd came a bit later 

He’s going to be five this November.

We are almost done with the Prednisone now and we are scheduling our follow up appointment with the vet for next week to learn more about what direction we need to take. 

It’s hard on him to not go for his walks, too. We’re trying to keep him mentally engaged with training and activities that are not physical, but you can tell he doesn’t understand why he can’t go on walks right now.

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On 10/31/2020 at 9:20 PM, DesertHusky said:

He’s going to be five this November.

We are almost done with the Prednisone now and we are scheduling our follow up appointment with the vet for next week to learn more about what direction we need to take. 

It’s hard on him to not go for his walks, too. We’re trying to keep him mentally engaged with training and activities that are not physical, but you can tell he doesn’t understand why he can’t go on walks right now.

Poor boy , did your vet say no walks ? 

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