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Well, I called the specialist I took Caleb to, and again I am left thinking he must be the nicest vet in the world. He had no appointments, so he's taking what was presumably his lunch to see Widget, at the normal consultation fee, not the emergency fee that I'd pay for a next-day appointment. In a way, it scares me a little that he thinks it's that serious it can't wait until Friday, but I'm relieved to have him in this guy's hands ASAP. ....

Yes. Compared to the other vet, who gave you a wait-until-it's-emergency-surgery feeling, I'm sure it's kind of scary, but also a relief that he not only thinks it's urgent, but is also paying urgent and decisive attention.

That Purdue vet site doesn't shilly-shally around; it can be scary, but I usually feel that I want to brace myself for every scenario, including the worst case, and then be grateful if it's not.

Tomorrow........that's good. He does sound great.

Jenni, I'm so glad you're taking him to neuro guy. Sounds like you made some fast excelent decisions, & got Widget the best possible help. Please let us know what happens, & I will keep fingers, toes & eyes corssed for a good outcome.

Thanks, Susan. Please uncross your eyes, or you could be injured and require surgery yourself. I left the little trooper at the neurosurgeon's and am waiting for the call telling me if he's having surgery tonight or not. The xray showed one gap between vertebrae that is too narrow, indicating a herniated disc. He's having an MRI, for the bargain price of $1000, as we speak. It's expected to be about 2 hours long, and will tell us how much degeneration has occured in his back. The xray looked pretty good otherwise-no calcium deposits, like often seen in Daschunds, Pekes, and other midget dogs. So, since his spine has not fused, and his build does not predispose him to this situation recurring, prognosis is better longterm. However, paralysis can still occur instantly if it totally slips, which is why the MRI is helpful; it shows exactly where the issue is. He may be able to do a less complicated surgery than previously thought if the cartilage damage is not too severe, in which he "weaves" the vertebra together, so they maintain flexibility, but are unable to slip up and down, preventing further surgery for subsequent injury. Overall, I feel better today than yesterday, but I wish it was more black and white; I don't like to do unnecessary surgery, but there's no way to tell if it will heal on its own or compress the spinal cord and paralyze him <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. All I can do is wait.

Waiting over <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />! He's in surgery now. Not that I'm thrilled about that, but the good news is HE DOES NOT HAVE IVDD! He has only one bad disc, and it's badly degenerated and needs to be fixed. In addition, the surgeon is going to do something called fenestration, which is some kind of fastening/weaving the vertebra commonly affected by herniated discs together to increase strength and resistance to discs "popping". So, good news is he does not have a degenerative disease, is likely to be completely "fixed" several months post-op, and it's unlikely to happen again. Or at least, he's no more predisposed to this than anyone else. The bad news is recuperation is going to be a royal p.i.t.a, and like anyone who's had spinal surgery, is going to be in a lot of pain. He'll have a 5" incision, which is going to be quite fetching on a 10" dog. Frankenwidge.

Jenni, I'm really happy for you & the little monster <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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Jenni, I'm really happy for you & the little monster <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Me too! Whew!

jenni--thinking of you and widget, i'm hoping by now the sx is over, he's coming out of the anesthesia well, and you're looking forward to the next step of recovery. let us know how it goes...

Anne, Connie, Susan, and everyone else who's been supportive, THANKS. Everyone who doesn't give a rat's a$$, I'll try to be brief <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />.

Last night the techs called me and said he was walking an hour and a half after surgery <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />, (and that he's the cutest, NICEST chihuahua they've ever seen) and that he can go home tonight. Like any spinal surgery, it's going to be a long recovery with a fair amount of pain. I can't remember if I told you guys this yet, so sorry if I did, but the surgeon thinks his seizures contributed to the spinal wear, because it's very even, and the bones are not at all calcified like they commonly are in dachshunds, pekes, etc. During seizures his head lifts as high as it will go, and his back arches the wrong way and stays like this the whole time. This is such an unnatural position that over 5+ years, it's taken it's toll on the discs. So, at least it's not degenerative, but it's not fantastic news. He did something called fenestration which keeps the most likely offenders in place, even if they're damaged. This way, they cannot put pressure on the spinal cord, which causes the problems. In about 3 mos, he should appear totally normal, and can do agility within 6, as long as he continually lands the jumps and isn't falling abnormally often. He'll be on steroids (yuck <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> for a couple weeks, then he should be all good. I asked if there was an alternative to them, and there really isn't, but Widget wants them anyway so he can kick Caleb's a$$, just once.

WOW!! That's a fast surgical recovery! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I hope the rest of his recovery goes as smoothly and he can return to Caleb a*s-kickin' soon......poor Caleb! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Will! Yeah, it is expected to be faster than previously thought because it turns out not to be degenerative. It was a fairly long surgery for a 10" dog (2.5hrs) but like so many back surgeries, patients instantly feel better. He really is a trooper! He's been trying to defeat Caleb for 2 yrs-maybe now's his chance! Too bad Caleb acts like he's a gnat <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />.