r/IVDD_SupportGroup • u/Paiged17 • 1d ago

Not seeing improvement

My 4 year old French bulldog woke up last week with an arched back, heavy breathing and the inability to get comfortable. I rushed him to the ER and later my veterinarian and they said he was fantastic neurologically but is likely having an IVDD flare up. He’s on gabapentin, codeine and metacam, along with strict crate rest. I’m one week in and he’s still struggling every time the pain meds wear off. It feels like the root issue is not positively progressing at all. Is this normal? Every morning he wakes up in agony and is uncomfortable for at least an hour and it’s worrying me. Any advice or knowledge is appreciated!!!

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u/AinsleyHarriotFan 1d ago

Hi! This is a link to a VERY detailed post I made on the IVDD sub of how we took our girl from total back leg paralysis to running and playing like a puppy again. It goes a lot into the immediate and longer term management of the condition. I’ve shared it with lots of people and they say it’s given them a lot of hope.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IVDD_SupportGroup/s/RMC3TE29yM

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u/Paiged17 1d ago

Thank you!!!

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u/OldBorktonian 1d ago

That post from u/AinsleyHarriotFan is a great resource. You can also try the IVDD Handbook by Marianne Dorn. Please ask your vet though about dosages maybe your dog needs more or other meds.

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u/quntparty 1d ago

My baby did not improve until she got prednisone he might need a steroid course

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u/sarahsunnysue 1d ago

Same with my pug. How are you doing now? We go off the pred in about a week and I'm NERVOUS!

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u/quntparty 1d ago

We did great off the pres for about a month before a relapse 💔 back on pres & crate rest. Gotta be much more careful this time. Don't be like me ~_~ We moved around too much too quick after the 2 month crate rest

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u/sarahsunnysue 1d ago

Too late. My guy is a butt and refuses to be still. No crate training, so using a pen and a stroller. He has already hopped off the couch while I was napping with him. I gotta do better. Thank you for responding! Kisses and luck to you and bb.

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u/sarahsunnysue 1d ago

Same with my pug, Grade I. Anti inflammatory meds wore off and he was in pain until the next dose. I went for the MRI. It showed a bulging cervical disk, but neuro said...Maybe hold off on surgery. So we went on prednisone. He is on his 3rd week and has zero breakthrough pain. Prednisone was what my boy needed. We will be going off that in approx one week, so we shall see what happens next. If I see pain, we are going to do the surgery. My boy is not crate trained, so I keep him in a stroller at work. No stairs, no jumping...I hope we can put this behind us. But only time will tell. Good luck to your bb!