My dog has a ruptured disk. Is surgery safe and what's recovery like?

The decision to euthanize is a personal and difficult one. Without a physical exam, it is difficult to determine what the best course of action would be. In these cases, the sooner surgery is performed, the greater the chance of recovery. Consider an exam with an orthopedic specialist and/or a neurologist. Either may help you reach a decision. You can also consider a wheeled cart to help Bella get around. Your veterinarian can show you how to express Bella's bladder and keep her clean.

A well regulated diabetic dog should not have a higher risk for surgery. Of course, it depends on the surgery. Sometimes wounds tend to not heal so well in diabetic dogs, so there is always the risk of an incision not healing well. Your vet will evaluate and weigh up the risks vs the benefit of a needed surgery in your dog. If the benefit is greater than the risk, then surgery is feasible.

Poor Willow! A lot of dogs recover fully after having diaphragmatic hernia surgery but it really depends on her current condition and if she has any other injuries. Your vet should be able to give you a better idea of her prognosis. Surgery should be done as soon as possible. Hope she recovers quickly.

Typically these surgeries are pretty routine when performed by qualified individuals. The most common complications associated with them include pain, inflammation, implant failure, and infection. The most important thing to remember post surgically is to follow the instructions given to you regarding cage rest, leash walking, passive range of motion exercising, and general care of the surgical site. If you do all this, the chance of complications will be very small and the chance of a successful experience will be very high. I'm sure everything is going to be just fine! Hope this helps answer your questions.

The best treatment is surgery. There are some dogs that may respond ok to rest and pain medications or a brace (mypetsbrace.com) but in the end most do best from surgery. I would consider having the surgery performed or going to get the opinion for a surgeon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh dear, I am sorry to hear about the slipped disc. Once a patient becomes non ambulatory (unable to move legs), surgery is recommended. However, the success of the surgery and overall prognosis depends on how quickly surgery is performed. Usually, most pets that are taken to surgery within the first 24 hours after becoming non ambulatory will regain the ability to walk and urinate normally again. Pets taken to surgery after that 24 hour period do not have quite the same outcome, unfortunately. If Luna is not able to walk and has lost all sensation to her legs, there is about a 10% chance of regaining normal bladder and motor function. Sometimes pain medications and additional therapies such as cold laser therapy, acupuncture, water therapy, etc can be tried but with varying success rates. I hope this helps and I wish you and Luna the best!

Good on you for getting Precious spayed! As with any surgery, of course there will be risks, but it is a routine surgery and it's not often that things go wrong. It's good that she handled the anesthesia well in 2015, and your vet will check to make sure that her organs are functioning well so that the anesthesia and surgery will go as smoothly as possible. In addition, there will be someone monitor her anesthesia at all times during the surgery to make sure it goes as well as possible. It won't change her personality, but she will likely be a little sleepy and painful the first couple of days after surgery. Your vet will send home pain medications for her to help her be more comfortable. Typically we see dogs bounce back pretty quickly from a spay, and it's extremely important you keep her as quiet as possible while she is recovering. No running, jumping, or playing at all under her sutures are removed. Too much exercise and movement post surgery can lead to complications, which is why it's so important to keep Precious quiet. You also need to make sure she doesn't lick her incision site and sutures, and she will likely be sent home with an Ecollar. Dogs typically don't like them, but she has to wear it all the time to make sure she doesn't mess with her incision. As hard as it is, try not to worry, she will be in good hands with your vet. I hope this helps!