The vet I spoke with said it sounded like he may have a slipped disc and he did go over thousands of dollars of costs with me , but told me the remedies for caring for him at home , which meds to give to help with inflammation and the kinds of therapies I could do with him at home , he said sometimes , some dogs heal with in like 6 weeks , with rest and care everyday . So all of that they went over with me yesterday , said aside from the MRI they'd do which is 1,600$ , and aside from the 4,000$ surgery , he just went over with me how to care for him at home , things I needed , meds id need , and said with much needed rest and little movement he could regain his strength in his back legs. I guess its just a question that may always go unknown as to what's actually happened . I will say this and you can see hes not in any distress or pain , he was when it first happened , very distressed , but now he does not seem to be , just wont eat or drink much , he will a little bit very little . The other thing is he hasn't gone to the bathroom since its happened and guess ill just call the vet back in the morning to see what I should do to help that . Ive read where some dogs after these episodes regain back use of their legs and are back to normal with in a week or so , so I'm not trying to totally give up on my dog because hes had something like this happen , if I start noticing hes getting much worse and in intense pain , then no I wont let him live that way . I was just wondering if anyone had ever had this happen to their dog in this way , and how long it took theirs to heal ....

I agree that thousands of dollars goes beyond the threshold most people can/will pay. But perhaps bringing him in for a physical exam (without an MRI) might reveal a dislocated hip or some other injury which could and should be fixable and fixed. I slept on the floor next to one of my dogs after she had reconstructive knee surgery, so I could provide steady, gentle petting to try to soothe her. Love is a powerful source of comfort. I wish you and your dog very well.

Im surprised a vet would even attempt to diagnose a medical problem over the phone and tell you what meds to try, or go over expensive surgery options with you, that just sounds bizarre to me and in decades of pet ownership Ive never had a vet do that. You need to see a vet in person and let them examine your dog properly, don't even worry about surgery or what treatment will cost until your dog is seen by a vet first to rule out anything obvious.

It def was the vet I spoke to himself and he said things like aspirin , such meds as that . May sound bizarre but I guess that's one of the things about living in a very small town . Everyone knows everyone . He said the only thing he has ever heard of even thru examining him that would do or cause that would be a slipped disc , and went over with me the costs and all , because of the size of dog he is , he is a bigger breed dog. Also he went over with me , what his care would be , ex - what he would need two people helping me take him out to go to the bathroom , much needed rest ,and such things as aspirin and all for any inflammation. I posted this to only see if anyone else had ever had this happen to their dog. As bizarre as it does sound Yes the Dr said these things , and again I guess its being able to live in a very small town where you know everyone and people try to help as much as possible regardless of the circumstance .

I think its a lil bizarre you yourself can't call your vet anytime day or night to let him know if something is wrong and him not try and help you . Not being rude , I just think that in itself is bizarre . Where I am they care enough to talk to you even on a holiday themselves or make house calls , because they care in that way .

Again all I wanted to know is if anyone else had ever had this happen to their dog in the same way , example - needing advice , on ok well what had happened to others dogs , why this occurred.

You should consider taking your dog to a Veterinary School in the big city.

Also, those costs quoted are seemingly outrageously high.

Thats what the vet went over with me . Wether it be outrageously high or not , which I agree . Again guess its the advantages of living in a small town where they can talk to you about over the phone or , by house call . Not everyone lives in big cities , and not everyone has thousands of dollars . Seems like my post has turned into others criticizing me for asking for advice and thats all. Again this post was to just and only communicate with those that maybe this has happened to .... Not everyone who are pet owners have the " big city " advantages . I'm glad I live in a small town where again no matter your circumstances they help you , without telling you " big city " way that no they wont speak to me until I swipe my debit card . Again , believe ive mentioned it a few times so far , my post was only to those who might have had this happen to them . Thanks , and god bless ......

"I'm glad I live in a small town where again no matter your circumstances
they help you , without telling you " big city " way that no they wont
speak to me until I swipe my debit card ."

If you've had a "phone consultation" and trust what the vet says, why do you need other opinions? What happens if you give aspirin for 6 weeks and he's no better? then what? do you then accept your dog has suffered enough and take him to the vet to be put to sleep? I don't care where you live, your dogs needs to be seen by a vet, and if you can't afford a simple consultation fee, you have no business owning a pet.

i have to agree with trancegemini on this one. there is little to no chance this dog will recover on its own. ANY spinal issue, especially something acute like this, MUST BE EVALUATED BY A VET IMMEDIATELY. the longer you wait, the less chance even veterinary intervention will help. the dog should have gone to the vet IMMEDIATELY and at the very least, been started on steroids to help with inflammation.

i'm sorry you have to go through this but unless this dog sees a competent vet, i don't see any sort of recovery for it. very sad and i would imagine it's very painful for the dog.

also, i live in a small town, very small. we don't even HAVE a vet here. if we did, i certainly would not trust a diagnosis made via telephone with no examination.

After this happened I posted had anyone ever had this happen to their dog , NEVER IN ANY OF MY STATEMENTS DID I SAY I WOULD NOT TAKE HIM TO OUR LOCAL VET , simply that I could Not afford the thousands for a surgery that the vet went over with me via phone , and other things as meds and such. Again had only asked if anyone had ever had this happen to their dog ! Seems as no one has cause all " Transgen" wants to post on is just simply being a pet owner ! Transgen if you haven't had this happen to a PET of yours then simply leave the conversation . Seems you may have some issues of your own to work out . I'm not concerned with your opinions clearly ! " UPDATE" THO , he has gone we went this morning , and again he said slipped disc , and told me everything he had told me VIA PHONE ! Rest for the next 6 , weeks and with the meds and all he should regain back his strength , but thank you " Transgen" for being interested in maybe having a " PET of yours have this happen to , and being able to talk about what had happened to yours ! Thank you for your compassion and concern of giving any advice as far as this actually happening to one of yours ! While I have to now make a decision ! Which again I dont need any further comments from " Transgen " ! I'm much more worried about my dog right now ! Thanks again and God Bless You .....

Yes, small town vets tend to do more over-the-phone consults, especially if you have a history with them, but I have to agree with the others that a stronger med than aspirin may be needed, especially if your dog starts showing any signs of pain. Refusing to eat and an unusual breath rhythm are just 2 of many signs to watch for. Use only the coated type of aspirin and give it with food since over
time since aspirin can irritate the stomach and even cause bleeding.

Your dog's injury may cause him to lose the ability to go to the bathroom normally and if it has you will have to help him by expressing his bowels and bladder. Your vet can show you how to do this correctly. If he is eating and drinking and not going to the bathroom then that will lead to other problems, and more pain, from an extended bladder and bowels.

This video and the comments may be helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFpsEToOtw

Hopefully your dog will recover with time. BTW, what breed is he?

Yes , he has the steroids now , and a few other meds if needed to help . We went over all of this over the phone and again through the actual examination . He will be needing some therapy , and I'm hoping the same that he recovers ok . I have never posted here , my aunt actually sent me the link and , I read some on here and others were posting back where this had happened to their dog and what all they went through, and thats all I was looking for . I wasn't looking to be bashed , or made feel like an idiot , or anything . As its clear to see I'm not doing well with it happening period , I just want my dog to be ok , and as much back to normal as possible . No one commented on here that this had even happened to their dog and what it was like , I just got told it was ridiculous , and unheard of to even speak to my vet over the phone , or for him to make a house call . Where I'm from they do this , and its nice to have good vets that care enough in this way . But thank you for your advice . I can only hope for the best now .

Hes American Staffordshire ..... 90lbs

Dog - no, cat - yes. Herniated disc that required surgery at a vet school. We were lucky in that we could narrow down to within an hour when he lost the function in his legs and got him to the vet immediately. First our local vet, small town, and then to the vet school where he had surgery that evening. All the vets said his good recovery was because he got to the vet and was operated on so quickly. As stated above, time is really important in these cases.

Conservative care, steroids and anti-inflamatories, can work in some cases, but it first has to be determined how severe the injury to the spinal cord is. Is the dog still incontinent? Does he have any sensation in his hindquarters?

U extol the virtues of your small and look down your nose at the big city.

Crimney.

Your small town vet doesn't even see your dog and quotes you outrageously high prices and prescribes aspirin and you go off on the big city!

Incredible.

That veterinary college will very likely be in the big city.

While you feed your 90 lb dog aspirin instead of making a try at getting him adequate and appropriate care in the big city at a much lower cost then your small town telephone vet.

I wish the dog the very best care!

"I dont have the money to take him to the vet for testing and surgery or anything "

that ^ then is a very misleading statement.

"I will say this and you can see hes not in any distress or pain"

dogs are stoic. it's survival of the fittest. it is instinct to not show weakness and/or pain. just because you don't think he's in pain doesn't mean he isn't.

"I got the prednisone for him actually after it happened"

NOWHERE in your first couple of posts did you EVER mention the fact that you already had predisone. when it was suggested to you that you take him somewhere where he can get the PROPER treament (NOT aspirin!), you got all defensive. honestly, you need to stop asking for internet advice for such a serious problem and either get your dog to a proper vet or give him to someone who can!

Exactly I said ' testing and surgery" I never once said I was not going to take him to the vet period , just that I spoke with my vet , since we know him very well he knows everything about my dog ! So wasn't anything misleading !

Ninapearl,

For the dog's sake I hope she follows your advice.

(I'm getting a little suspicious that I'm missing something.)

"Thank you for your compassion and concern of giving
any advice as far as this actually happening to one of yours !"

I do have compassion and concern which is why I said your dog needed to be seen by a vet for an exam so that he could get a proper diagnosis and hopefully a good outcome. As ninapearl said above, back/spinal injuries should be seen immediately to reduce the chance of permanent damage where possible. It's just not something you mess around with or try to treat with aspirin.

SaltiDawg, I'm with you. I've been following this thread and feel I'm missing something too. I understand the OP wants to know if anyone else has had this experience. Even if someone had a good outcome for their dog using conservative measures, that only gives false assurance that the same would be true for yours. Such a potentially serious neurological issue warrants expert attention.

Tabitha, how is your pooch doing?

Hes getting better , I had started the prednisone , and crate resting, from the beginning . I was clearly very upset when it first happened . Was only looking for anyone who had maybe ever been through this before , and what it was like for them . But he is getting better . Is a slipped disc , as he had already went over with me via phone. But I did take him in for an examination , cannot afford the surgery , and he thought it best we try the crate resting first , the meds for a few weeks to see if , or how much its helping . From what I can tell it seems to be , hes slowly moving around , hes eating , drinking , using the bathroom. Hopefully he does recover ok. He has no history of anything else wrong with him , and didn't find anything else wrong with him .

I'm glad he appears to be making progress, Tabitha. Best wishes for both of you!

Prednisone is a two edged sword. It can do wonderful things such as reducing inflammation.

however, it can mask symptoms of terrible underlying conditions.

What are you doing to diagnose the long term underlying problem?

maybe I missed that.

I think you did miss that , the vet diagnosed the long term underlying problem , he has a slipped disc .

Managing it ok at the moment alot better than he was ... Alot of rest is needed to help it heal , but does seem to be doing better. All I can do is manage that hes ok every day and continues to get better , and pray really.

I did see where you said, "The vet I spoke with said it sounded like he may have a slipped disc..." You said this was based on a telephone discussion. I guess I missed where the doctor had seen the dog and took X-rays. My bad.

I had missed that too. Thanks for asking for clarification, Salti.

21 years ago I had a similar experience with my little mixed breed dog. My other dog actually came and found me and led me to the other one who was flopping around like I had never seen before! Her back legs were completely out from under her. I rushed her to the vet and he gave her a shot... honestly I can't remember now what the actual diagnosis was, but he said sometimes if they get this shot quickly enough it will work. If not, he was talking surgery to the tune of $1000. Back then I was a stay at home mom and I knew there would be no way I could afford that surgery.

This happened on the day of my then 4 year old's birthday party. I remember my neighbor saying how awful it would be if our dog died on her birthday. She loved that dog!

Lots of prayers prayed and lots of tears shed... the next day we went back to the vet and he was shocked to see her walk thru the door on her leash. He told me he hadn't given her much of a chance. The shot worked! I think the prayers had a lot to do with as well. She never had it happen again.

I hope your boy can heal completely as well.

So weird. My sister's dog (our former dog) suddenly developed bilateral hind leg weakness and was screaming in pain with any movement. I remembered this thread and urged her to take her to vet ASAP and do the necessary tests (MRI, etc). She took the dog and the vet prescribed pain pills and rest. NO TESTS. It's a few days later and the dog is jumping around. Go figure.

IT is amazing the regional variation in surgical costs… here in Los Angeles you would be very lucky to find someone to do a disc surgery for under $8000… $4000 was early 2000 prices… $1000 for a back surgery would be 1970 prices. I have had cases go to the specialist and spend over $15000 for all the treatment… and some still cannot walk. Yikes.

Glad your puppy is better… 'Always' a veterinarian will suggest medical treatment prior to surgery (unless there are or no very little pain reflexes- then emergency surgery is really the only hope for a disc problem… if that is indeed what it is… fibrocartilangenous emboli show up very similarly and are not really surgical problems anyway)…. so few specialists would push a back surgery if medications were helping (back surgery is much better these days than it was 20 or 30 years ago, but it still has its dangerous and no guarantees). I have seen many cases of paralysis in dogs and it is really hard to predict which will improve and which will not, particularly without a myleogram or MRI. But it is always worth a try… and I have been happy to see at least about half or more respond to medication (not all, sadly), though not all return to 100% normal gait.

Palmbob, I'm in LA and those prices you quote are accurate. I was just surprised that the vet didn't order tests because of the rapid onset of symptoms and possibility of neurological compromise. Very grateful for the good outcome, though.