SPINAL INJURYS - Page 1

JUST SEEING IF THERE ARE OTHER FOLKS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS BESIDES US.
OUR GS JUMPED FROM A TRUCK AND LANDED WRONG AND NOW HAS SPINAL INJURY.
LOOKING FOR ADVICE FROM OTHERS OTHER THAN WHAT THE VET HAS TO SAY.
I HAVE HEARD NOTHING GOOD REGARDING TREATMENTS OR SURGERY. SO I FEEL
LIKE THERE IS NO HOPE FOR OUR BOY. SO ANY ADVISE WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!
THANK YOU - PUNSEYK

My very good friend and I just pts a dog thtat I helped rescue. He had an old spinal injury that the nerve controling the bladder
and intestines was pinched in between. His intestines and bladder completely shut down and there was no other option. The
injury was at the base of the tail.

Melissa

Sorry to hear.  I have an 11 year old female who has an old spinal injury probably from doing bite work.  The x-ray revealed a broken (bridge?) or vertebrae, healed over.  She had been having what I call, back spasms, crying and shivering every six hours or so.   X-ray also shows spondylosis (sp?)  I don't know how old your dog is, but, I opted to treat with meds. keep her at 63lbs and walk her everyday rain or whatever.    She gets Gabapentin, is a spinal/back human drug, don't know if you are familiar, and Methacarbonal which is a muscle relaxer. I get them both from Costco and they are very cheap.    I actually have "older," human friends on these.  She is feeling really good.  I adjust the meds as needed, and unless she re-injures herself, which has done I only dose her once at night.   She also gets Glucosamine sulfate from Buck Mountain Naturals.  The vet there says this is the only product that works.  I read lots of article about joint supplements but right now I am sticking with this, and Grizzly salmon oil. But number one it  must be pure...I'm sure you have had great advice from this panel, and don't give up yet.  As we all know our dogs always amaze us.  Good luck and please post your progress.   

"Spinal injury" is a broad term, not a diagnosis.  How long ago did the injury occur?  What evaluations have been done to date, and what type of treatment was prescribed?  How old is the dog, and what kind of physical condition was the dog in prior to the injury [overweight, lean, well-conditioned, etc.]?

You did not say what type or how bad your dogs injury is, but my own personal experience is positive.

My dog is recovering from surgery from a spinal injury. It's a long story but the short version is, he had a growth removed from the disk between L7 and sacrum.
This is the same area where cauda equina (narrowing of the spinal canal) occurs and causes permanent nerve damage, which leads to multiple symptoms including, back pain and incontinence, if not fixed.
The specialist believes he damaged the disk at some point and the body grew a cyst like growth in order to protect the nerves. The surgeon had to remove a section of of the sacrum lid and part of several nerves and nerve heaths to get the growth out. We were fortunate as we had an excellent orthopedic surgeon. The surgery and recovery (12 weeks of confinement and leash walks) is delicate and long. If you have a good surgeon and are dedicated to following strict instructions, it is possible to have a positive outcome from a spinal injury. 

I wish you luck.

Cheri

Same question as clc29, pending on the injury, bisphosphonate can be used for spondylosis or a bone related injury.  In humans they do a bone graft then give Fosamax, Boniva etc; in animals they give the bisphosphonate as an IV or local injection without a bone graft (over a few weeks, not long term).  My regular vet and a equine vet have both told me that bisphosphonate by IV can work for dogs with bone injuries, however they just have to monitor the dogs kidneys and liver for damage (same as they would with long term NSAID use).  However, I have yet to read of anyone other than horse people posting any first hand experiences on the web doing this with dogs.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-250218.html

She also gets Glucosamine sulfate from Buck Mountain Naturals.  The vet there says this is the only product that works. 
 

Not to call your vet a liar, but there are only two brands of animal suplements on the market that have human grade QA/QC during production.  They are the over-the-counter Cosequin/Dasaquin and the prescription-only Animal Health Options products that use type-II collegen and Glucosamine.  These brands are used very heavily by folks in the horse industry, where the equines are business assets.

What about Medi-vet, stem cell treatment? Not Vet-Stem.