My dog has minor IVDD. Are chiropractic & acupuncture safe options?

I'm so sorry that you and your Bella are going through this. I recommend speaking to your veterinarian about financing options such as CareCredit that may allow you to have the surgery performed, as the surgery would give her the best chance at walking again. Also contact your local Humane Society/shelters to see if they know of other companies that provide financing options. If surgery is not an option for you, I recommend you look into pain management and crate rest through your veterinarian, and contact a veterinary acupuncturist immediately. In some cases acupuncture and rehabilitation/physiotherapy can help restore at least some function in dogs with IVDD. Time is of the essence in IVDD cases, so please look into treatment right away, preferably via immediate surgery. Best of luck to you both. See the links below for more information. http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/FindaTCVMPractitioner.aspx https://www.carecredit.com/

Oh my! How scary! I don't blame you for being worried about her going back under anesthesia. I would definitely have a cardiologist look at her. Of course surgery is the best option for her back, but it may not be worth it if she can't tolerate anesthesia. I would talk to the surgeon or neurologist about other options like high doses of steroids to see if this would help. Also, acupuncture and chiropractics have helps in some cases along with steroids. Unfortunately, this is a difficult decision because neither option is guaranteed to cure her paralysis. It is all about this risks versus benefit. I think you first have to see what the cardiologist says and see if a certified anesthesiologist would be present for surgery and whether they all feel the risk of Mia going back under anesthesia is worth the possible benefits of surgery. I hope this helps!

Hello. I am sorry that this happened to Gina. The most recent recommendations for IVDD do not include steroid use and do include surgical decompression (a surgery to remove the herniated bit). If surgery is not possible due to finances (usually at least $4000, but talk to vets in your area), then strict cage rest for 6 weeks is recommended. These are the latest recommendations. The best thing to do would be to get a consultation with a neurologist or a surgeon, and have surgery if you can. I would look into these options ASAP as prognosis and return of function decreases the longer the compression is in place, so surgery now isn't as successful as surgery when it first happened, however surgery does have very good outcomes, often getting 80-95% of normal function back. I would recommend a consultation with a surgical specialist or a neurologist if you can. Good luck with Gina!

At our clinic we use a combination of anti-inflammatory medication such as prednisone, muscle relaxer such as Methocarbamol, cold laser therapy and acupuncture to help dogs recover. I find that the addition of acupuncture can certainly help a dog recover from this type of problem. If you are wondering whether or not to use this treatment, it won't hurt Sam so it is worth adding this in to the treatment of this condition to see if it helps. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

There are a few more medications that can be given such as tramadol and gabapentin, both are prescription only, you can get them from your normal vet. the most important factor for good recovery is cage rest for at least two weeks, in most cases neither MRI nor surgery are needed.

I'm so sorry Drew is going through this at the moment, and I'm sorry for you as well! This is a very hard situation. Unfortunately, the statistics with recovery are very poor with stage V IVDD. With medical and conservative treatment, the prognosis is less than 5% of recovery. With surgery, there is a 50% chance of recovery if the surgery is done less than 24 hours after symptoms appear, and less than 5% if it's done more than 48 hours after symptoms appear. As you can see, these numbers are quite poor, and if your vet has ruled out surgery, your only option is the medical treatment. I guess you need to weigh whether or not you want to see if Drew will be part of the less than 5% who can recover, but the fact that she doesn't have deep pain is not a good prognosis. You can have her monitored with the vet for another 24-48 hours, but if things still look poor after that time, euthanizing her may be the best option. Again, I'm so sorry you are going through this, and I hope my answer helps you somewhat.

Hello. I am sorry for the IVDD diagnosis. Was a surgical option presented to you? Many dogs go through surgery very well & have outstanding results. Bella should be placed on restricted activity. This usually means complete cage rest, only being allowed out to relieve herself. There is no need to give melatonin nor change her food. I would avoid bathing unless she is soiling herself ( urinating or defecating )in which case you might want to put a doggie diaper on her. The surface of the crate should be flat & non-slip & should be well padded to prevent sores. If the carprofen & neurotin is not keeping her comfortable, you may be able to increase the dose of neurotin, or she may need a stronger pain reliever like fentanyl. Lack of appetite can be from the pain, so increasing/changing pain meds may help. You can also speak with your vet about using an appetite stimulant like mirtazapine or Entyce to improve her appetite. I hope Bella is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.