Spondylosis in Dogs

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Has anyone ever had their dogs diagnosed with this?

Chloe had been limping on her hind, right leg and was diagnosed with it Thursday. She has two of her vertebrae "bridged" together with it. My vet didn't give me much information about it, other that to say that it's usually an incidental finding and not much can be done.

Of course now I'm doing research on my own and seeing that it eventually leads to paralysis because it's a progressive disease. He gave me Rimadyl and Tramadol for pain. At first I was against the Rimadyl, but I'm seeing that it's very commonly used to treat Spondylosis.

I have to keep Chloe quiet (no running, jumping, etc.), so I'm really concerned about the puppy that we will be getting in April. She's due to be born today, as a matter of fact. Just seems to be rotten timing.

 

[grinningghost]

My golden has it too. She's had it for a few years now, and the lump on her back is getting noticeably larger all the time, yet she still runs and plays as much as she can. She's 10 and has epilepsy too - poor old girl.

She takes Phenylbutazone for pain and it must help, as she never really cries in pain or anything - she just does alot of resting. As old dogs do anyway.

Good luck with your furry kid - keep the faith.

 

[louey]

Could you take her to a specialist for a second opinion? If nothing can be done then maybe find out if water therapy, acupuncture or anything else can be done to help her with her manage the pain. Sorry this happened, it just sucks when they say nothing can be done, our golden was diagnosed with degenerative myelopthy(sp) and there wasn't anything we could do either.

 

[Hixski]

Poor Chloe!!! I hope she will be fine! Duncan sends lots of doggie kisses!!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

My golden has it too. She's had it for a few years now, and the lump on her back is getting noticeably larger all the time, yet she still runs and plays as much as she can. She's 10 and has epilepsy too - poor old girl.

She takes Phenylbutazone for pain and it must help, as she never really cries in pain or anything - she just does alot of resting. As old dogs do anyway.

Good luck with your furry kid - keep the faith.

I'm sorry you're dealing with it too, but it's so nice to know that your Golden seems to be handling it okay. Chloe was on Previcox for awhile and I didn't notice her getting any better.

I took her off of it 24 hours ago, to start her on the Rimadyl. She has to have a 48 hour break between stopping one and starting the other. Ironically, she seemed more of her old self yesterday, after not having the meds. I almost hate to put her on the Rimadyl now, but hate to take any chances.

Could you take her to a specialist for a second opinion? If nothing can be done then maybe find out if water therapy, acupuncture or anything else can be done to help her with her manage the pain. Sorry this happened, it just sucks when they say nothing can be done, our golden was diagnosed with degenerative myelopthy(sp) and there wasn't anything we could do either.

I am researching other avenues of treatment for her. We're seriously considering putting in a swimming pool. Acupuncture and water therapy are two methods I see mentioned all the time.

I work so much, so it would be tough for me to take her to therapy (I'd do it though, if I had to), but if I had a pool, I could take my laptop outside and let her swim. She loves the water and used to swim all the time back when I had a swimming pool.

Aimeedyan sent me some names of holistic vets in my area. I plan on calling them first thing tomorrow. I think that might be a good path to look into.

ETA: The x-rays also went to the radiologist, so in that sense, I will be getting a second set of eyes to look them over. He's trained to do nothing but, so I'm interested to hear his diagnosis. I should hear something around Tuesday.

Poor Chloe!!! I hope she will be fine! Duncan sends lots of doggie kisses!!

Thank you!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Both of my previous Shepherds had this, they were brother and sister. Films showed their vertebrae were fused together, unable to bend much. The male had it worse, probably because he was an agility and frisbee dog, happiest when he was running, jumping, active. There was no way we could slow him down despite our best efforts. You could notice it mostly when he layed down. Instead of plopping down like most dogs, he would slowly lower himself down sliding his front paws out in front, keeping his back straight. He was diagnosed around age 7 or 8 (how old is Chloe?). We gave him aspirin (twice daily) and glucosamine for years.

It really didn't interfere with his life until he got much older, around 12-13, when it became so severe it affected the nerves to his rear legs (his hips were not affected according to the orthopedist saw). That's when he became lame. We struggled with what to do with him, but he wasn't in pain at all (vet said he was numb in the rear), was always very "happy" and full of life, strong in the front, etc, so we got him some wheels. He finally passed away at 13 1/2 from something else. Had he not been so darn healthy and made it to 13 1/2, I don't think it really even would have been an issue. (The sister made it only to 11 1/2 so for her it wasn't a problem [hers was also found "incidentally" when she was XRayed for something else]; she didn't even require meds.)

It's possible that the limping isn't related to the spondylosis, but something else altogether. Remember, limping and spondylosis aren't mutually exlusive of one another - there can be lots of other reasons dogs limp. I imagine the scenario was that the XRays showed the spondylosis when they were looking for something causing the limping, right? Given some time, the limping may very well go away on its own. Limping off and on has probably been the #1 thing we've visited the vet for over the years and knock on wood, besides Lyme disease in two of my dogs, it's never been anything serious, and usually caused by turning or landing the wrong way.

Here he is at 13 1/2, shortly before we lost him:

And in case that makes anyone sad, here he was in his prime (on the right). He had a good life.

 

[tonilea]

Has anyone ever had their dogs diagnosed with this?

Chloe had been limping on her hind, right leg and was diagnosed with it Thursday. She has two of her vertebrae "bridged" together with it. My vet didn't give me much information about it, other that to say that it's usually an incidental finding and not much can be done.

Of course now I'm doing research on my own and seeing that it eventually leads to paralysis because it's a progressive disease. He gave me Rimadyl and Tramadol for pain. At first I was against the Rimadyl, but I'm seeing that it's very commonly used to treat Spondylosis.

I have to keep Chloe quiet (no running, jumping, etc.), so I'm really concerned about the puppy that we will be getting in April. She's due to be born today, as a matter of fact. Just seems to be rotten timing.

I know the Rimadyl concerns you, but I have seen dogs take it for years and do great. It really depends on the animal. I worked in the veterinary biz for more than ten years and I honestly can't think of more than a handful of dogs that weren/t able to tolerate the Rimadyl. Ironically, my mother's Yorkie is one of them. He takes the Previcox.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I love the idea of acupuncture and other holistic therapies.

Before considering giving rimadly, I beg of you to research it FULLY before you do. I'd asked about it for my dog and was kind of surprised when my vet said no, he wouldn't prescribe it. Here's some of what you may discover (be sure to click on the links at the bottom of the article).

 

[KristiKelly]

Our Dalmatian had this. He was diagnosed at around 8 or 9. He was on Rimadyl for awhile and another medication - I can't remember the name but it was a powder. Around 10 y/o we took him to the vet school about an hour away. They ran all kinds of x-rays & tests, they were wonderful. They put him on Etogesic, this seemed to work better for him.

Anytime his pain was extremely uncomfortable the vet would give him a cortizone shot. This usually only happened if he played too hard. Eventually we had to hide his soccer balls. We also had to build a ramp for him to get up & down on the deck.

His last night with us, he could not lie down. He spent the entire night standing. He was in extreme pain. DH & I had to make the painful decision to do what was best for him and not us. He was put to sleep 2 weeks before his 13 b'day. I miss him everyday and remember how playful he was in his prime.

Ike did get worse over time but it took 4-5 years before it was too much for him. Good luck and I hope the meds help Chloe. If you have a vet school nearby, try that, they had water therapy at NCSU.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

You could also look for a chiropractor that has a specialty in dogs. You would be amazed at what they can do.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Both of my previous Shepherds had this, they were brother and sister.

I'm sorry about your dogs. They are both so pretty.

I won't hesitate to get Chloe some wheels if I think her quality of life is still good. I guess you have to help them use the restroom somehow?

The vet also found a spot of new bone growth on the back of one of her feet, so he's not sure if the limping is coming from nerves being pinched from the bone growth on her spine, or if it's her foot. He said the bone growth on her foot might be able to be removed.

ETA: Chloe will be eight in July.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I know the Rimadyl concerns you, but I have seen dogs take it for years and do great. It really depends on the animal. I worked in the veterinary biz for more than ten years and I honestly can't think of more than a handful of dogs that weren/t able to tolerate the Rimadyl. Ironically, my mother's Yorkie is one of them. He takes the Previcox.

The meds do scare me, but the vet told me that all of those types of meds (including Previcox) have side effects, and that none of them are perfect.

Really, I'll have no choice. I have to do what's best for her, no matter how much I don't like it.

She means the world to me.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I love the idea of acupuncture and other holistic therapies.

Before considering giving rimadly, I beg of you to research it FULLY before you do. I'd asked about it for my dog and was kind of surprised when my vet said no, he wouldn't prescribe it. Here's some of what you may discover (be sure to click on the links at the bottom of the article).

That is so scary. I don't know what to do.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Our Dalmatian had this. He was diagnosed at around 8 or 9. He was on Rimadyl for awhile and another medication - I can't remember the name but it was a powder. Around 10 y/o we took him to the vet school about an hour away. They ran all kinds of x-rays & tests, they were wonderful. They put him on Etogesic, this seemed to work better for him.

Anytime his pain was extremely uncomfortable the vet would give him a cortizone shot. This usually only happened if he played too hard. Eventually we had to hide his soccer balls. We also had to build a ramp for him to get up & down on the deck.

His last night with us, he could not lie down. He spent the entire night standing. He was in extreme pain. DH & I had to make the painful decision to do what was best for him and not us. He was put to sleep 2 weeks before his 13 b'day. I miss him everyday and remember how playful he was in his prime.

Ike did get worse over time but it took 4-5 years before it was too much for him. Good luck and I hope the meds help Chloe. If you have a vet school nearby, try that, they had water therapy at NCSU.

I'm so scared for her. One of the things I wasn't sure of, was how fast it progresses. I mean she was fine one day, and then limping the next.

Texas A&M isn't that far from me. It's about an hour away. They have a world-renowned vet school. I have lots of research to do.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

You could also look for a chiropractor that has a specialty in dogs. You would be amazed at what they can do.

I'll look into that. Thank you!

 

[Feralpeg]

Griffin is 13 and was just recently put on Rimadyl. He seemed to start having problems all of a sudden. He started to drag one of his back legs. He limps on it and is very shaky. The vet did x-rays and found that his hips are very bad an that his spine is also in pretty bad shape. Other than this, he is in really great shape. It just makes me so sad. I took him for a walk around the block yesterday and last night he could barely get up.

 

[geetey]

for poor Chloe! I am so sorry to read that she is having problems. What ever method you chose, I pray it does the trick for your girl.

Did I read "new puppy" in your post? You were most helpful when I was trying to decide if we should get a 2nd dog and I thought I remembered you saying Chloe wouldn't do well. I am so glad you found a way to make it work!

Please keep this thread updated!

 

[janey99]

My boxer was "misdiagnosed" with spondylosis. I say misdiagnosed because she was having pain and limited range of motion in her spine, and they did an X-ray and noticed the bridging of three vertebrae. However, her pain was very severe and it was difficult to believe that the amount of pain she was having so suddenly could be from this incremental bridging of vertebrae which can take years.

We brought her to a specialist who did several MRIs and she was ultimately correctly diagnosed with discospondylitis, which is an infection of the synovial joint ends around the vertebrae. This is a pretty rare infection, but dogs who are prone to allergic infections, urinary tract infections, tooth/mouth infections and who live in areas with certain types of vegetation (which we did) can get it. The infection from one of those mentioned infections travels through the bloodstream and settles in the joint ends where it hides and becomes very severe.

The infection has to be identified through culturing, and then the correct cocktail of antibiotics has to be administered, through a combo of oral and intravenous treatments. She was on meds for 3 months before the infection was cleared.

If your dog's pain has come on very suddenly and seems very severe (literature describes it as "exquisitely painful"), it is worth probing a little further to see if the spondylosis is in fact incidental, and she doesn't have something more along the lines of this type of infection.

Best of luck! We felt so helpless when out baby was in pain and it was taking a long time to figure it out and deal with it!

Jane

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

for poor Chloe! I am so sorry to read that she is having problems. What ever method you chose, I pray it does the trick for your girl.

Did I read "new puppy" in your post? You were most helpful when I was trying to decide if we should get a 2nd dog and I thought I remembered you saying Chloe wouldn't do well. I am so glad you found a way to make it work!

Please keep this thread updated!

We're still not sure how she's going to handle it, but we figure it'll be worth any extra work it might take. I think she'll benefit from having another dog here, but of course that was before this.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

My boxer was "misdiagnosed" with spondylosis. I say misdiagnosed because she was having pain and limited range of motion in her spine, and they did an X-ray and noticed the bridging of three vertebrae. However, her pain was very severe and it was difficult to believe that the amount of pain she was having so suddenly could be from this incremental bridging of vertebrae which can take years.

We brought her to a specialist who did several MRIs and she was ultimately correctly diagnosed with discospondylitis, which is an infection of the synovial joint ends around the vertebrae. This is a pretty rare infection, but dogs who are prone to allergic infections, urinary tract infections, tooth/mouth infections and who live in areas with certain types of vegetation (which we did) can get it. The infection from one of those mentioned infections travels through the bloodstream and settles in the joint ends where it hides and becomes very severe.

The infection has to be identified through culturing, and then the correct cocktail of antibiotics has to be administered, through a combo of oral and intravenous treatments. She was on meds for 3 months before the infection was cleared.

If your dog's pain has come on very suddenly and seems very severe (literature describes it as "exquisitely painful"), it is worth probing a little further to see if the spondylosis is in fact incidental, and she doesn't have something more along the lines of this type of infection.

Best of luck! We felt so helpless when out baby was in pain and it was taking a long time to figure it out and deal with it!

Jane

I don't think Chloe is in severe pain. I've only heard her yelp out once, and that was when she came to a sudden stop. At that time I was worried it was her hips, or that she'd torn her ACL.

I'll definitely look into this though. I'm glad your dog is okay now!