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Desperate for help re: Golden with back issues!!!!!
Hi there. Hoping someone can help me. We have a 5 year old golden. He has been slowing way down lately and just acting very tired and all that. We took him to the vet, had an x-ray done, and found out that he has some vertebral fusion, and his back is generally a mess. The vet says it's one of the worst he has ever seen. We have tried a few things (deramaxx and a couple other meds) and nothing has helped. He recently had a cortisone shot and was started on prednisone, but it's not looking good, My question is this: what can we do for him? It doesn't look like he's going to have much time left. He's the best dog ever, so sweet and gentle, and very welll behaved. It's heartbreaking to know that we are going to lose him soon. We want to make the best of the time that he has left, so I would like to know if anyone has any ideas for something we can try to make him feel better. Also I would like to do a bit of research, but haven't had any luck yet. Does anyone know where I can look to find information on orthopedic problems in goldens? It's okay if it's a study, or anything else. I have tried searching for "back pain", "back problems", "vertebral fusion", and "spinal fusion" in goldens, but haven't had any luck. I'm just desperate to be able to do something to help him feel better, so if you have any tips at all, please, please let me know ASAP!!!! Thank you very much for reading!
I have been looking some stuff up.
I remembered a co-worker of mine who has a disease called "ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS".
This basically means.....Ankylosis= fusion of joints, and Spondylosis= inflamation in the spine that leads to FUSION of vertabrae.
When I googled this for canines, they also get this, mostly in larger breeds. And it is also referred to as "OSSIFYING SPONDYLITIS" along with "Ankylosing Spondylitis".
It seems it can be a genetic/hereditary disease.
I don't know if this will be of any help but this disease causes spinal fusion. So even if your baby doesn't have this particular disease, the treatments or care/medications for it might be of help to you too.
Take care, Teresa ; )
I remembered a co-worker of mine who has a disease called "ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS".
This basically means.....Ankylosis= fusion of joints, and Spondylosis= inflamation in the spine that leads to FUSION of vertabrae.
When I googled this for canines, they also get this, mostly in larger breeds. And it is also referred to as "OSSIFYING SPONDYLITIS" along with "Ankylosing Spondylitis".
It seems it can be a genetic/hereditary disease.
I don't know if this will be of any help but this disease causes spinal fusion. So even if your baby doesn't have this particular disease, the treatments or care/medications for it might be of help to you too.
Take care, Teresa ; )
I saw on TV where an acupuncturist took care of a dog whose hind legs had pretty much give out and he could not walk. They carried the pooch into the doc at the beginning. After a half dozen or so visits, the dog was able to run down the hallway at that office, and only had to come back for a refresher a few times a year. So, acupuncture is most definitely something to try, there are certified ones at some vets.
The above poster's mention of excessive calcium levels makes me think about his chow. When our dogs were younger, we had more money, and we fed them Nutro lamb and rice, made for really nice coats, and the stuff is well-balanced for minerals and such, according to some articles I've read about how some foods are really not very good for dogs. So, just a change in his food may help...seems like some have special stuff for joints.
If your dog is not uncomfortable being massaged, you could try that, on either side of his spine, to ease the muscles at least. Or you can try rolling him, quietly and easy, over onto his back, see will it "pop" it out, and also laying on the back takes all the pressure off the spine, which might help it feel better. I have a bad back, and I lay on the floor with my legs up in a chair a lot, really helps when it gets jammed up and the muscles spaz out.
In the end, if your dog doesn't get better in a few more weeks, you could find a vet that has a rehab tub with swirling hot water, where he could just sit in there like a spa. But I reckon a real warm lay-down soak in your tub, from time to time, might work the same way.
Oh, and our dog, whenever he gets a bee sting or other sharp-pain injury, we always give him one aspirin in some cheese, followed by milk, and he'll sleep for hours pain-free.
The above poster's mention of excessive calcium levels makes me think about his chow. When our dogs were younger, we had more money, and we fed them Nutro lamb and rice, made for really nice coats, and the stuff is well-balanced for minerals and such, according to some articles I've read about how some foods are really not very good for dogs. So, just a change in his food may help...seems like some have special stuff for joints.
If your dog is not uncomfortable being massaged, you could try that, on either side of his spine, to ease the muscles at least. Or you can try rolling him, quietly and easy, over onto his back, see will it "pop" it out, and also laying on the back takes all the pressure off the spine, which might help it feel better. I have a bad back, and I lay on the floor with my legs up in a chair a lot, really helps when it gets jammed up and the muscles spaz out.
In the end, if your dog doesn't get better in a few more weeks, you could find a vet that has a rehab tub with swirling hot water, where he could just sit in there like a spa. But I reckon a real warm lay-down soak in your tub, from time to time, might work the same way.
Oh, and our dog, whenever he gets a bee sting or other sharp-pain injury, we always give him one aspirin in some cheese, followed by milk, and he'll sleep for hours pain-free.
I have tried similar searches, but most of what I come up with has been surgeries TO fuse the verterbrae. I need causes of why this would happen on it's own. It's some kind of ortho condition which is causing malformation of his spine, starting in the lumbar and now into the cervical (though as far as I know there is no thoracic involvement at this time). I would just like to get an idea of the pathophysiology, and maybe put a name on it, I don't know if it is some kind of overactive osteoblastic activity, some kind of excessive serum calcium/phos levels, etc. That way, I could find some way to make him more comfortable! Thanks!
I just put canine vertebral fusion into google and several links came up....don't know if they would be any help.
Also entered canine back issues, canine vertebrae issues, etc...and several links came up too.
It's usually better to search with "canine" or "dog" sometimes instead of specific breed.
Good Luck in your search, and hugs & smooches to your baby ; )
Also entered canine back issues, canine vertebrae issues, etc...and several links came up too.
It's usually better to search with "canine" or "dog" sometimes instead of specific breed.
Good Luck in your search, and hugs & smooches to your baby ; )
Darn it!!! Ask a vet has reached it's daily question limit! Crud. Ah well I guess I will just have to try earlier tomorrow. Thanks!
Thanks guys. I'll go to the Ask a Vet forum here in a minute. The dog can move - he just doesn't much. He still takes walks, but sometimes we have to turn around because he just isn't into it. He seems like he is very stiff, which makes a lot of sense if his vertebrae are fusing together. It's weird - he also acts like it hurst to chew sometimes. At first, I thought his problem was a bad tooth, or that maybe he had an infection or something. The problem is that I haven't been the one who has taken him to the vet, so I haven't actually seen the x-ray to know for sure what's going on (ie which vertebrae are fused, which area of his back is the problem, etc.)
There is a pond near where we live, but we don't let him swim because there are so many ticks around this year. Plus, he would have to walk pretty far to get there. We could take him to the dog park and let him swim there, but then he has to get up into the truck, and he is 80#, so it's hard to lift him. He's not really overweight - just a big guy. He does love to swim, at least, when he is feeling well. That's a good idea though. Something to consider. Unfortunately if he swims in a pond he will need a bath, and he has so much hair that it takes FOREVER to dry him!
I really appreciate all your suggestions, and if anyone has anymore ideas, I'm all ears! I just want to help him feel better!!!!!
There is a pond near where we live, but we don't let him swim because there are so many ticks around this year. Plus, he would have to walk pretty far to get there. We could take him to the dog park and let him swim there, but then he has to get up into the truck, and he is 80#, so it's hard to lift him. He's not really overweight - just a big guy. He does love to swim, at least, when he is feeling well. That's a good idea though. Something to consider. Unfortunately if he swims in a pond he will need a bath, and he has so much hair that it takes FOREVER to dry him!
I really appreciate all your suggestions, and if anyone has anymore ideas, I'm all ears! I just want to help him feel better!!!!!
If you have the money, you might ask for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. There just might be a way of surgically correcting the area causing the most pain. Since he's such a young dog, his chances of responding to surgery and rehab are certainly better than in a senior dog. Treating spinal pain in humans is just as difficult as treating it in animals. It's expensive and much of the treatment is trial and error.
It's somewhat paradoxical that one of the best things to do for spine issues is exercise. The activity hurts, and the pain tells us to stop doing what causes the pain. However, the more we sit around, the more the muscles atrophy, and the more stress is put on the bones to support the body. It's imperative to keep as much muscle mass as possible to help keep strain off the skeletal system. The absolute best was to do this is to exercise in water. If you have access to a pool or a pond, try to get your dog to swim every day. Gravity resistance is greatly decreased in water, which results in a major decrease in pain. Of course, getting out is another story. That's when you need to have the ice packs ready.
Before I forget: Dr. Cheng is on the Ask a Vet forum here at Med Help. She volunteers her time so posting there is free of charge.
It's somewhat paradoxical that one of the best things to do for spine issues is exercise. The activity hurts, and the pain tells us to stop doing what causes the pain. However, the more we sit around, the more the muscles atrophy, and the more stress is put on the bones to support the body. It's imperative to keep as much muscle mass as possible to help keep strain off the skeletal system. The absolute best was to do this is to exercise in water. If you have access to a pool or a pond, try to get your dog to swim every day. Gravity resistance is greatly decreased in water, which results in a major decrease in pain. Of course, getting out is another story. That's when you need to have the ice packs ready.
Before I forget: Dr. Cheng is on the Ask a Vet forum here at Med Help. She volunteers her time so posting there is free of charge.
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