Intervertebral Disk Disease. They had a fairly young beagle mix, who was kept in a fenced yard or in the house all the time. Over the weekend he just suddenly became paralyzed and was in excruciating pain. X-rays and $400 later, the dr said there was nothing that could be done, so he had to be put to sleep.

I haven't had a lot of time this a.m. to search the internet for information on this disease. Have any over you ever seen this in a dog? I think it's fairly common on dachshunds if I'm not mistaken, esp. if they are overweight.

Man, I feel so bad for my brother's family. My nephew and neice are 7 and 3, and they lost both their grandpas in the last year. Now their dog.

How sad, a couple of years ago my friend lot her dachshund to this. The dog was not over weight but was high energy and was allowed to jump on & off the couch. Her vet thought it was the jumping that caused the problem. It happened just that fast, one minute he was fine and the next he paralyzed.

My Chihuahua had this almost 2 years ago. You have a 24 hr window before the spinal cord dies, but you need to skip the normal vet and go straight to a neuro-surgeon. Seems that a vet who can't do the surgery himself likes to say there's nothing that can be done.

My dog had 2 ruptured discs, and the vet did a procedure called fenestration where they weave the remaining damaged vertebrae so that even if they rupture, they cannot damage the spinal cord itself. I think the thread is too old to look up, b/c I can't find it. Here's a picture of the incision:

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/DSC01976.jpg

It was major surgery, but he is absolutely fine. He has seizures, and the vet thought that the unnatural arching of his back and neck during them caused the wear between his discs, causing the ruptures.

Sorry to hear about the less fortunate dogs.

 Quote: kori bigge

Intervertebral Disk Disease. .....

I haven't had a lot of time this a.m. to search the internet for information on this disease. Have any over you ever seen this in a dog? I think it's fairly common on dachshunds if I'm not mistaken ....

I'm so sorry about this. Yes, the Dascshund Club of America, Inc., has done some publishing and some web material on this.

I can look for that material a little later if you would like it.

The vet might have explained to your brother that the direct damage from a herniated disk isn't the only problem; disk material can cause immediate and prolonged secondary damage if the immune system "defends" against the disk matter in the wrong place. It "sees" this material as absolutely foreign because of its usual sealed-up character. The inflammatory reaction can cause immediate and prolonged damage to the already-damaged nervous system.

That's just one of the several traumatic possibilities that can have begun when there's sudden paralaysis. In addition, the pain can be so bad that it's not well-manageable.

Some dogs can be helped. Some cannot. I have read that paralysis means a guarded prognosis in the best of circumstances.

I don't know much more about it. I will get you reading material if you want.

P.S. Yes, of course a neurology specialist would be the ideal vet for this.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (11/05/2007 11:42 AM)
Edit reason: Edit Reason: add PS after reading more thread

http://www.dachshund-dca.org/discbook.html

http://members.aol.com/pxlbarrel/dachcirc/discdis.htm

QUOTE: Removal of disc material within the first 48 hours after onset of paralysis can still have a success rate of 50%. .... The overall prognosis depends on many factors.....
END
http://www.gcvs.com/surgery/interver.htm

http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/IntervertebralDiscDisease/
QUOTE: Many patients ... may have a recurrence of disc rupture in the future. ... Prognosis varies significantly with the degree of injury and the location of the injury. Most intervertebral disc ruptures that present in dogs that are still walking or have motor function have an excellent chance to return to walking and normal or near normal function. Prognosis for return to good function is decreased if motor function is absent at the time of surgery. END

I'm sorry about your brother's dog.

Thanks to all of you. My brother is about to give up on having a pet. They got the kids a kitten about 3 mos ago, and it died (the vet thought it was a congenital problem). They spent a lot of money on that kitten trying to save it. Needless to day, they are devastated about Charlie (the dog). My brother said they had been thinking about getting another kitten, as their other cat is 13 yrs old, and it won't be around forever. But now that they've lost Charlie too, they think maybe it's just better not to get any more animals.

Please cross your fingers that if they do get another pet, they have better luck.

 Quote: kori bigge

My brother said they had been thinking about getting another kitten, as their other cat is 13 yrs old, and it won't be around forever. But now that they've lost Charlie too, they think maybe it's just better not to get any more animals.

Please cross your fingers that if they do get another pet, they have better luck.

My heart goes out to your brother and his family - but I have to say, it just pains me to hear people responding to the loss of a beloved pet by swearing off ever caring for an animal again... I know how hard it is to loose them (I lost a 17 y/o dog just this spring ) but the immense joy one gets out of living with dogs (and yes, even cats ) is SO WORTH IT!!!

Please reassure your brother that there ARE healthy animals out there, desperately in need of loving homes, and that the right match will more than make up for the unfortunate suffering his family is going through now...

If the bank account needs a little time to recoup after vet bills and such, so be it, but I say "Third time's a charm!"

Best of luck to him,
~Natalya