Why is my dog immobile with spine pain after steroid treatment?

Hello. Your veterinarian was just trying to make things as simple as possible. The goal of the prednisone is to only reduce inflammation, & once this resolves, Slick should feel much better. What may happen is for the soft intervetebral disc to calcify, thus removing potential movement & subsequent pinching of the nerves. A calcified disc reduces mobility & thus pain, for the most part. An unexpected move or jerk could cause substantial pain. It is important to only walk Slick with a harness, & if need be, keep her on a good anti-inflammatory medication as needed. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zack. When a dog is unable to walk properly, it can be due to a neurological problem, severe arthritis or even an intoxication. If you do not know of a poison he could have ingested, then this is less likely. Your veterinarian likely gave the steroid injection in hopes of treating a neurological condition. If this treatment helped, then it should be extended with oral steroid pills as well as pain medications and muscle relaxers. Arthritis typically managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication, but these cannot be used in conjunction with steroids. Depending on how he has responded to the treatment will dictate how to move forward. I hope this information helps!

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.

Sorry to hear about Dakota's current predicament. Assuming that her two endocrine conditions are well managed, the problem with mobility is likely a separate problem entirely. A myelogram is certainly a decent option for discovering certain abnormalities in the spine, but the best way to rule these out involve a CT Scan or MRI. These are tests that are available only through a specialty hospital in most cases. If she has feeling in all of her limbs, I have doubts that the disease process is of spinal origin however, particularly if this has already been going on for a week. Other causes of lack of mobility are certain infectious diseases (tick borne diseases in particular), traumatic injuries to the spine (fractures to the actual vertebra), severe arthritis, and several different cancerous processes involving the bones and spinal cord. There are also degenerative neurologic conditions that can affected any of the limbs or the brain, ultimately resulting in mobility issues. I tend to lean towards an infectious process or arthritis since there is pain occurring from time to time. I would say that investigating this issue in more detail with your vet would be worth while, with some blood work and a check for tick borne diseases. Hope this helps!

Hello. Yes, it is time to have some additional diagnostics done. I would definitely recommend starting with x-rays of the head & neck region to rule out cervical arthritis. Blood work & a urinalysis would give a good indication if there is any infection or organ dysfunction ongoing. If necessary, a spinal tap & possibly an MRI may be necessary to diagnose her, but let's start simply & see what an x-ray & blood work show you. I do hope you can have her seen soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Stagnation means it may not be time to decrease the medication yet. I recommend to call your veterinarian before changing the medication. Let her know what is going on and she may ask to examine Balto again. Call the veterinarian today. Some pets do require longer on the medication or even additional treatments. It’s not necessarily a bad sign but it is one to pay attention to. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.