My dog has discospondylitis. Is pain normal 2 days into treatment?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can be quite painful and strong pain control medications such as opioids and NSAIDs should be considered. I agree with your veterinarian in that it takes several weeks on antibiotics to resolve. I would recommend that you consider contacting your veterinarian so that they consider prescribing something strong to treat his pain. I really hope he feels better.

Hi there! I am worried to hear this. I wouldn't expect a waxing and waning course for this condition. He might not be moving around because he is painful, or has a fever. I would recommend that you get him checked out by a vet as soon as possible!

Hello. I am sorry to hear about your little one. With Discospondylitis, this is an infection within the spine and vertebral bodies, which is why you are on Clindamycin (an antibiotic). With this condition you should not be seeing any drowsiness. I would be concerned about the infection spreading. For the drowsiness I would have your dog into the vet. In terms of the walking, if it is just after waking up and not all day, this suggests there could be something abnormal within the brain, as is the concern for the drowsiness. If he is abnormally walking all the time I would be worried about nerve involvement at the site of the infection. From what you are describing I would be getting a recheck with your veterinarian in order to check his temperature, and they will likely recommend a blood test to look for signs of infection improving or worsening. It may be needed to add in a different antibiotic, or to perform other tests (like a CSF tap possibly, depending on what they are seeing, and send away for a culture). I hope your little one feels better soon, but I would suggest a re-visit with your vet. You always have the option of going to a specialist as well, as this is a complex condition, so if you are interested in that please discuss that with your vet and they can arrange it for you. Good luck with your pup.

It can take a long time (2-4 weeks, in most cases) for symptoms to resolve completely with rest and medication. So as long as things are gradually improving, I would be patient and continue to follow your veterinarian's instructions :)

Poor Socks! It sounds like she may have diskspondylitis, which is inflammation of the vertebral discs due to infection. Because her symptoms return when the medication is done, she may need surgery. It sounds like her spinal cord has been severely compromised, and surgery should be considered to decrease pressure on the spinal cord. This tends to be a specialist surgery, so I would discuss with your vet if this is an option for Socks, and they can make a referral.

Most of the dogs will improve within 24hrs from starting the antibiotics. However, pyometra is a serious, debilitating disease and many dogs will not get back to normal (despite antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications) until they get spayed. If Ella has been on antibiotics for longer than 48hrs and she has not made any improvement, you should get her checked by your local vets again.

Yes, if the condition is treated right away, then sometimes the partially prolapsed disc can slip back into its place and stops pressing on the nerve that caused her not to walk. However, since the discs are normally encased in fibrous material, this is usually damaged when the disc slips, so care must be taken that it does not happen again, ie, your dog should rest for the next few weeks, no jumping, no climbing stairs, no rough playing.