Need moral support and help

Just saw his post. We had a dog that had back/neck problems. Our vet said if the meds didn't work, he'd send us to a specialty clinic.
In he meantime, someone on this forum suggested Dr. Gendreau.
As it turns out, he's at the clinic my vet was going to send me to.

Buffalo Grove specialists, 847-459-7535

(as it turned out, the meds worked for our dog, so we didn't need the specialist)

Good luck to you.

Snip-it from a shelter in Chicago

.....

Dr. Claude Gendreau, DVM, one of the top veterinary orthopedic and neurosurgeons

, agreed to perform the surgery at a reduced rate. Dr. Gendreau and his staff at the

Veterinary Special Center in Buffalo Grove

quickly preformed the surgeries before growth spurts could complicate the procedure and have continued with the follow up care. ...

He has a very think accent, zero bed side manners so don't be put off at that when you talk to him. He's a genius so IMHO he's entitled to be that way if he wants! :C

Good Luck.

There is a specialist in Illinois who does thousands of doxies a year.
His name is Dr. Gendreaux. Can't think of the name of the town right this minute. But if your vet is any kind of vet he can/should refer you to him if you ask. And trust me the cost is NOT $8,500.

Dr. Gendreaux did surgery on my Dobe a few years back. She was literally paralyzed from the neck down with the same type of disc problem the doxies have. He is nothing short of a miracle worker. He has his own special way of removing and repairing the discs in the spine.

When we came in as an emergency he had 20 Doxies in from across the US waiting to be operated on that night.

8 hours later my dobe walked out of his clinic without a limp and you couldn't even see where he went in to do it. Plastic surgeons in Hollywood should have such plastic surgery talent.

I would look for an acupuncturist nearby to assist in healing.

Chiropractic care from someone certified on animals and experienced with this injury is another option to consider.

I agree with Dr. Doug. I'll also suggest that you sit down with the vet and discuss exactly what will be involved with whatever choices are viable. Then you need to be realistic in your own capabilities, abilities, comfort, and morals and make the best decision for YOU and your pet. You can't make a decision based on stories. You need to make your decision based on you, your pet and your vet.

In 2006 we were full-timing and in Branson. Our 10 y/o female doxie's back went out when we were there. She spent the night in the pet hospital in Springfield. Her prognosis was not good without surgery, according to the vet. He prescribed prednisone as well as a muscle relaxer and something for pain. We kept her confined to her crate for 1 month. The prednisone made her thirsty, hence, a lot of urinating. I had plenty of blankets and blue pads. We carried her outside in her crate to potty and allowed her to barely move outside the crate by putting a leash on her. Long story short...she passed away this past January and was nearly 18. She regained the use of her legs and lived to be a sweet little old lady.

Dr Doug put this into a great perspective. There are no right or wrong answers. Each person has to consider finances, the amount of pain the dog is in, how much time they are able or willing to commit to recovery - with or without the surgery, there is a long recovery period.

I've heard of positive and negative outcomes in both cases where owners opted for surgery and where surgery was not done and medical options were followed.

Wishing the best for you.
Wanda

I completely agree that this is a difficult decision and each situation must be weighed by the individual. I will share with you our experience with our beloved Cody. He first hurt his back when he was 8. We took him to Texas A&M where they recommended complete crate rest for 6 weeks with pain meds. We did this and he recovered complete use of his back legs without pain. Two years later he became paralyzed in his back legs quite suddenly. We were sent to an Orthopedic surgeon who said that because of his level of injury, he would need surgery but with that he would have about 80% chance of recovery. We did the surgery, physical therapy, hydro therapy, acupuncture - the whole works and he, fortunately recovered almost completely. He lived another 4 years of happy, healthy life. This process was VERY expensive - but fortunately we were able to do it.

There are no easy answers for every case. Cody's doctors were able to give us good advice in both episodes, but we had to make the final decision based on our ability to care for him. When he was recovering from surgery, my husband was able to make some simple devices that the therapist recommended and with very little expense we were able to supplement the therapy at home.

Our thoughts and prayers will be with you as you as you make decisions for what is best for your family. I know you will be sure that he knows he is loved no matter what the future holds.

Eileen

Just a note on disk disease and treatment options:

Many times the choice between medical and surgical treatment is a difficult one.

This is NOT a situation where you can wait and see.

If surgical intervention is indicated the procedure needs to be done within 24 hrs of the injury or the chances of success are greatly diminished. You can have surgery done and still wind up with a paralyzed dog.

By waiting or opting not to do surgery you are making the choice to do medical treatment. This may be what the doctors recommend or what you can financially handle or all you want your dog to go through.

There are no right or wrong choices, we all need to consider our own situation and ability to deal with consequences - financial and medical.

Just a tidbit on the wheelchair/cart aspect. You can't just put the dog in the cart and think it's good to go for the day. The dog can't lay down and relax while in the cart, so you are lifting the dog in and out of the cart numerous times every day.

I have a bad back myself, and lifting the dog in and out of the chair all day took its own toll on me.

Some dogs will drag themselves around inside the house without the cart - but if they do this, they develop sores on their legs or rear end, where they are dragging themselves all the time.

Also, as mentioned, there are the incontinence issues and some dogs can't go on their own, without owner assistance.

There are a lot of aspects to consider.