The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

On Saturday morning I woke up to my beagle Bailey, in extreme pain with her neck so swollen her collar was starting to restrict her breathing. I rushed her to the vet's office, luickly my vet has an emergency clinic open on Saturday, and they checked her over, gave her a steroid shot and put her on antibiotics. She seemed to start feeling better right away, the swelling was gone and she didn't seem to be in any pain. Unfortinuatly that changed again last night, she is now in pain when she tried to go up or down the stairs, jump up or down on the bed/couch. I've contacted the vet and we go back today for more tests. I'm worried sick because she is my baby (not that I don't love Buddy) and I've had her since she was 3 months old.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go through the tests that nothing serious comes up. Thank you in advance.

I will keep you and Bailey in my thoughts and prayers...

Thoughts and good vibes coming your way. Please keep us advised.

Prayers for Bailey.

Oh no. Sending prayers for Bailey that it's nothing serious and easily remedied.

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers! We have an appointment with the vet at 4 (the soonest they could get me in). I haven't been on here all that long but I feel like I've got an extension of family here that cares and I truly appreciate that.

Well we went to the vet and after some xrays that required her to be sedated, we have come to find out that between two of the vertbra in her back are not aligned properly and the disc has calcified. She has good side to side movement but looking up is out of the question. At this point in time they have her on pain killers and steroids and on bed rest. They say that doing surgey isn't really an option so she'll be on steroids from here on out.

I can't believe that at almost six she has this!

Praying for a farst recovery.

I'll throw this out there in case it's something that helps. If my vet was telling me it was steroids from here on out I'd be seeing what other opinions I could find. I've had a dog with Cushings (not caused by steroids but long term use of steroids will cause it and the result is about the same...not fun at all) and would do anything I could to avoid that one. Please, if you can, get another opinion from someone who has experience with other approaches to see what you can find before subjecting Bailey to steroids long term. No point in pulling out the big guns if there are other things you can try first IMO.

Just a week or so ago one of the local pet shops here ran a free 'see the vet' and had a holistic vet in to do some consultations for people. I took Eb who blew her knee (ACL) in Feb just to see what approach she might take (so far the vets she's seen here (I don't have a regular one yet as we're new here) want to operate etc but so far she is doing just fine without it). She noted some calcium buildup around the joint (typical for an injury) and told me the Glucosamine I have been giving her was okay, but she had something better that would help keep the calcium from building up. If memory serves, it may even help reduce some of it. It's called Bio ISO G and I don't know if it's available where you are or appropriate for Bailey's problem but I am mentioning it as an example of how alternatives are worth trying (I just started Eb so can't say how it works yet).

I can also tell you that I have calcium buildup in my back and it hurts like crazy sometimes but just taking Glucosamine and going to a chiropractor when I need to helps more than any drugs or painkillers doctors have given me. I was literally drugged senseless and nearly ruined my liver from the drugs before discovering Glucosamine. It really works and you can get it with MSM included which is good for inflammation. It takes about 3 weeks to see and feel the effects but I can tell you I started taking it after giving it to my last dog and seeing how after a couple of weeks, she just was moving like her old self again. I can only describe it as feeling like my joints and back got oiled and started moving smoothly again which is, I assume the same for the dogs.

The other thing that truly helps me stave off pain from my back is avoiding sugars and starches. Strange but true, and I imagine it probably helps dogs too since they weren't built to eat the stuff either. If I eat sugar in any form or starch I can count on 3 days of pain. Never fails and still has me wondering why but it's obvious now to me that is a factor.

So, all this just in hopes there may be some other things you can try from diet to supplements to other treatments rather than resigning yourself to giving Bailey steroids. I'd only accept that treatment as a last resort.

JeanG

If you have the option, I think I'd see if I could get a referral to an orthopedist and, as Jean suggested, perhaps a holistic healer. There may be physical therapy that could be done or a surgical option a vet that isn't an orthopedist may not be familiar with in his/her day to day vet practice (if you vet is not an orthopedist). I have also heard of good results using acupunture. The pup is only six so I think I'd do a little exploring.

In the meantime I hope she's feeling better.

Thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers, it truly means the world to me and Bailey both! Thank you Jean and Vicki both for confirming my original thoughts. From reading on here about the downfall of continued steroid use I was really dreading the idea of giving them to her from here on out. I can understand a few weeks to help reduce the inflamation and help her recoup but not more than that. I spoke with a few friends and one suggested I check with the University of Michigan as they are supposed to have an excellent animal hospital. And to be honest, I thought of a chiropractor as a way of helping, I know last year when I injured my back taking a fall going to the chiropractor helped to alleviate almost all of my pain and stiffness.

Thank you again for the other ideas, looks like since it's a quiet day here at the office I'll be doing some interenet searching! My dogs are my kids and this momma bear is going to do anything and everything to keep them healthy and happy.

Well I had to rush Bailey back to the vet again last night. She has now lost all control of her bladder and you cannot touch her without her crying out in pain. I have an appointment with a holistic vet on Friday at 5:30 so we can try the chiropractic path to see if it will help but at the moment I'm just so scared! When I called the vet they said to bring her in ASAP and they kept her overnight to monitor her and do some tests. I came home and poor Buddy was so confused that he sat staring at the front door waiting for her to come back. He has been my shadow and even dried my tears for me last night. I just hope and pray that we can finally have answers and get her all fixed up.

Sending prayers for Bailey. Also for his Doctors that they are able to find the solution. Hugs for you as we all know the feeling you have. Lots and lots of prayer and good thoughts going out to you.
Marsha

Nicole, I am so sorry Bailey had to go back to the vet. Prayers and positive thoughts for her. Please keep us updated.

Prayers for you and Bailey...

Thank you for the continued prayers, I just spoke with the vet and they are going to be keeping Bailey for another night to monitor her. The new issue they are trying to treat is very loose stools and issues with bladder control. She's on pain and steroid shots to help and now also something to firm up the stools. I have to wait until tomorrow around noon to check to see if I can bring her back home. We aren't out of the woods yet but seems like there might be a light at the end of this tunnel.

Nicole, adding my thoughts and prayers for your sweet Bailey. That is good that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is so hard for you to watch this happen and not know what is going on for sure. That is so scary, and my thoughts and prayers are with you for strength and to the doctors as they treat your precious Bailey. Please keep us posted!

Continued thoughts and prayers...

Well it's been 2 weeks since Bailey's first attack. After 3 trips to the old vet with the final visit telling me that he had no encouragement and didn't know if she'd ever live a day of her life without steroids and painkillers I was crushed and devistated. Of course I wasn't going to give up, on Friday night we had an appointment with a new holistic vet. Talk about night and day difference! He checked over the xrays from the other vet and told me that what they said was calcification wasn't. She does have IVV but with proper care and treatment she should be able to live a happy healthy life.

What a relief! She's still moving slow but is much better than before and I'm not as stressed and worried. Thank you all for the prayers and good thoughts, as my mom said, she took God at his word to pray without ceasing. So again thank you all to my forum family for your faith, advice and prayers.

I'm so happy to see you are finding someone who can offer some help. Bailey will probably do much better with someone who isn't so quick to write him off (shame on some vets and doctors but it happens when they are out of their depth). I did fear the rush to steroids meant you were up against someone who isn't as familiar with the issue as others might be so seeing you've found someone who is optimistic is great.

My motto after having a series of issues with my last dog (and having seen a couple of vets who were beyond belief in stupidity) is that 50% of all vets (and doctors and whoever else you can mention) came in the bottom half of their class, so it's always worth second (or third or fourth) opinions etc. when you need answers and aren't getting them. No one person can be 100% on all issues so finding someone who knows the one you are facing is worth the time it takes.

What I have learned with my own back is when it comes to arthritis and pain and other issues, there are answers but you have to keep searching. I've had a surgeon say 'no hope' so learn to live with pain. I've had a few doctors load me with drugs that made me a bag of hammers. I've done all the physio, chiro, exercises, you name it with varying levels of success. Funny (in the ironic sort of way) is after over 10 years of searching the one flaky sounding approach is the one that actually worked and that was changing my diet to no sugars and taking glucosamine. Who'd of thunk something so off the charts (in my world of trusting modern science) would impact such severe pain when x-rays showed a very real problem. Simple but it worked for my situation and changed the way I look at medical issues a lot.

Please update us. I would be interested to know if the bladder issue vanishes when the steroids are out of Bailey's system or not.

JeanG