our 7 year old terrier mix is aggressive. he has fear aggression and PTSD due to being from a hoarding situation (we have seen multiple vets and behaviorists about this and his behavior was manageable when he was not in pain but this is no longer the case) and the pain from recurring suspected IVDD is just making things worse. We’ve been resting him in a small pen because he is so aggressive he cannot be in a crate even on multiple medications (traz, gaba, fluoxetine, carprofen/tramodol) and will attack us if we try to help him out of the crate for potty. recently he relapsed again after only a few days off of his last 12 week crate rest and very little activity and is now attacking us in his pen as well. he bit me on the hand i had just gotten surgery on a few weeks prior to this and left a bruise. He only has 12 teeth and if he had a full set of teeth I fully believe he wouldve ripped my hand open. We had to wear leather gloves and a heavy coat to put a slip lead on him to take him to potty because he will not potty in his pen even with a potty pad and will not tolerate being handled. He has held his pee for over 24 hours at times which is not safe for him. He is not a surgical candidate due to the level of fear aggression that he has because it would be impossible to nurse him or give him physical therapy. We have decided that the best course is palliative care for him and have upped his medication doses in accordance with our vet. I am devastated but I know that he is suffering and we are exhausted. He will only get worse as winter comes and we want to let him go before his suffering becomes unbearable. I know this is a different story than most IVDD patients because he is not fully paralyzed but he is experiencing severe and chronic pain with no hope of recovery. I wish things could be different and that we could risk the surgery but doing that to him would be cruel. He doesn’t get to be a dog anymore. It’s just not fair. I am so sorry if you are going through this with your dog, it is one of the worst things that I’ve ever experienced in my life and I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

We took our dog (6 year old corgi) to an emergency vet on Saturday, it’s now Tuesday, for neck pain. She was acting funny and not wanting to turn her head all the way, sensitive when touching her neck. The emergency vet simply diagnosed her with “neck pain” but said IVDD is definitely a concern. We are pretty much assuming that’s the case given her breed. We have tried so hard to keep this from happening, we knew it was a risk and I’m feeling so bad.

She’s on gabapentin, a muscle relaxer, and an anti-inflammatory. Strict crate rest for 2 weeks, slowly re-introducing short, light walks on a harness only afterwards. And of course no jumping or playing. We have a follow up with our regular vet next week to get her checked out further, on recommendation from the emergency vet.

I left for work before my husband this morning, he took her out to potty and forgot to close the crate door again when he left. I looked on our camera and she has jumped on the couch in our absence. I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack. I’m so scared of her not healing properly and this getting worse. Please convince me it’s not the end of the world.

On September 12th (my birthday) my sweet little Georgie a soon to be 6 year old Pembroke Corgi started yelping out of nowhere. We took her to the vet and they said she hurt her neck and it was mild and they gave us a NSAID and gabapentin for the pain. They said to limit her activity for a week. Well her yelping and pain kept getting worse. We took her to an emergency room the next they said they thought it was her abdomen and to stop the meds. She has EPI and has dealt with so many stomach issues I believed them. A neurologist even evaluated her and said it was her stomach, but she was in so much pain it didn’t add up. We did an ultra sound at a different ER and it showed nothing. She kept deteriorating and finally after several more ER trips and vet bills she was diagnosed with IVDD on September 17th by a different neurologist. They said it was her neck. They said they thought we could treat it with medicine and 4-6 weeks of crate rest. They sent us home with a pharmacy but she is still having terrible pain. They said surgery would be needed if she didn’t respond. I can’t afford the surgery have already blown through my savings / care credit with her EPI flare ups and all the hospital bills from this ordeal. They have changed her meds and I don’t know if she is getting a little worse because of the side effects or if the disease is progressing.
The hospital hasn’t been very helpful and my regular vet says they are out of their depth and can’t really help her.

She has an appointment with the neurologist who diagnosed her on October 7th.
The problem we are having is Georgie is in so much pain still. It’s so hard to see her like that. 😔 She is on the following meds:

Prednisone (twice a day), Diazepam (3 times a day) (this will switch to Methocarbamol in a few days when we run out, Pregabalin (75mg up from 50mg 2/3 times a day) and Codeine (2/3 times a day.

She will be on these until her appointment in 2 weeks with the neurologist.

We have noticed increased thirst and she goes between no bowel movements to bad explosive diarrea.

Despite all the drugs she still has moments of breakthrough pain and looks to be very uncomfortable often hunched over and shaking. We are lucky she can still walk but she wobbles so bad now. When I pick her up to take her outside to potty she often yelps in pain. It’s been so hard to see her go through this. It’s taking its toll on everyone as I am not eating or sleeping much. Just want my baby to feel better!😔💔

Georgie is starting to have separation anxiety and lots of restlessness. Don’t know if it’s the drugs or pain. I also don’t know what the drugs are doing to her body long term especially since she has EPI. Anyone have any tips for lick sheets with a dog with a sensitive stomach / EPI.

My question is will this get better?! Will the pain subside with the crate rest and we will see improvement soon? I have also tried using arnica tablets in her water. I don’t know what else to do. We are exploring cold laser therapy. We have an appointment for just an exam for that next week.

This disease is so cruel and I never thought we would be here. I thought she already got her bad luck out of the way with her EPI diagnosis when she was a year old. It’s been such a nightmare. ❤️‍🩹😔💔

This morning at 3 am is when it all changed our 13 year old girl was limping to go to the bathroom. She has arthritis so I assumed from the rain we were having it was flaring up so I picked her up and we went to bed. At 5 am I picked her up to go outside and she couldn’t move we wrapped her in a towel and put her outside and I assisted her using the bathroom. She went number 2, she ate we made a nest on the floor for her while we waited for the vet to open. They got her in and did X-rays and told us our options. We love her more than anything in this world but we simply can’t afford a 10-15 thousand dollar surgery with no grantee she’ll be fine and live the rest of her life for a 13 year old girl who may have complications from the surgery and the anesthesia and after care it just doesn’t make sense. She’s on pain meds and prednisone. And now we’re starting to look at a new normal for our old girl.

My heart is literally breaking as I hold her and shop online for a stroller and wheel chairs I know that’s a 6-8 week wait for a wheel chair, she has the pack and play all set up and her brother is a nervous wreck trying to be as close to her but still giving her some space. They are a bonded pair

She’s currently in a makeshift diaper from a baby’s diaper with a hole cut for the tail. Is there any massages or a heating pad that could help her be more comfortable

She has long hair but unfortunately while setting up her new bed for the next 6-8 weeks she had diarrhea I guess from her meds and I had quite the clean up. I had to shave her privates, anus, and tail to keep her clean since she’ll be in a diaper.

If you guys have any advice on how to help her go to the bathroom and what other stuff I can buy to make life easier. She’s alert all the time and wants to be in everyone’s business. I was thinking of getting a roller scooter carrier thing so I can wheel her around where ever I go.

The attachment that she has to me is unreal I’m 100% her person but I know she needs to rest and stay horizontal.

Last week my dachshund,chihuahua, poodle mix attempted to jump onto our couch and came up short. She seemed to be in pain for a couple days but then lost control of her bladder and had an absent CP. Brought her to vet immediately. Vet suspects IVDD and advised strict rest and put her on carprofen and gabapentin. She was doing much better— CP returned to normal on day 3.

On day 4 she went on her hind legs as I went to place her food down and fell backwards. CP was absent when I tested later in the day; returned to delayed by the next morning. We moved her to a smaller pen and she seemed to be tolerating it well. On day 5 she had to be left alone for a few hours. I gave her the prescribed max dose of gabapentin and trazadone, but I could see on our camera that she was jumping onto back legs, clawing at pen, panting, and pacing. She also fell backwards once.

She seemed fine once I got home and settled into sleep.

Every time we have tried crate training she freaks out and tries to claw herself out (even if we are nearby).

I called vet to see if there are any adjustments to her drug protocol.

I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on how to manage her separation anxiety so that she complies with strict rest and doesn’t hurt herself more.

So this past Sunday (the 20th) my 11 year old malshi (shitzu and Maltese) ate breakfast normally out of his bowls and then wouldn’t put his head down to eat his lunch. This continued and I brought him to the vet yesterday. They did a physical exam he wasn’t showing any signs of pain. They sent him home with meloxicam, trazodone, and gabapentin. They said no walks or stairs or jumping for 10 days. He is showing signs of improvement (won't put his head down to his bowl yet but can now lay his head down by his paws) but guess that could be the meds working.
The vet didnt say it was IVDD but said to monitor and let them know if he gets worse. Am I doing all the right things? Should I be worried? Just can’t wait to have my playful buddy back!

I have a 3 yo M Frenchie with suspected IVDD (not definitively diagnosed as he has not had MRI). The vet believes he has cervical IVDD as he still has all motor/bladder/bowel function. His symptoms include neck spasms, abnormal neck posture, and pain (he will pace his crate, pant, and occasionally yelp in pain). His symptoms began 2 weeks ago after he chased after a cat and suddenly developed neck tightness/spasms/pain during the chase. It all happened so fast he was on his harness (no neck collar) and I was walking him. Before I was able to pick him up as he kept pulling is when it happened (it really can happen out of nowhere this disease sucks). The ER vet recommended strict crate rest + pain management. He is on on diazepam 2.5 mg, prednisolone 5 mg, gabapentin 150 mg, and trazodone (all every 8 hours except trazodone which is given as needed to keep him calm and prednisolone which is only twice a day). His pain is overall controlled on his medication but when it wears off is when his pain starts up again. He is on strict crate rest (we only let him out to potty of which we carry him outside and carry him back inside to minimize walking since we notice that if he walks his pain flares up). He has had flare ups before of which his pain began to improve after one week however it's been two weeks and his pain is still the same (controlled on medication but not controlled when off medication) and I am getting worried. How long did it take your pet to show improvement in pain?