Intervertebral Disc Disease

Intervertebral Disc Disease

General Information

The spine is made up of bony segments called vertebrae, which are joined by ligaments, muscles and fibrous structures called intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers between vertebrae.
A disc consists of a fibrous outer ring and an inner section that is soft and jelly-like. The fibrous outer ring is thinner at the top portion than it is at the bottom. When a disc becomes diseased, either through gradual degeneration or injury, the thinner top portion of the outer ring gives way, and the disc bulges into the spinal canal located directly above the disc. If the disc ruptures completely, the outer ring collapses and the inner jelly-like portion is forced into the spinal canal.
The spinal cord is located in the spinal canal. A bulging or ruptured disc causes pressure or damage to the spinal cord, resulting in pain, weakness, incoordination or paralysis.
Intervertebral disc disease is diagnosed by physical signs, neurologic tests and radiographs (x-rays). In some cases, a dye must be injected nto the spinal canal so that areas of damage will show up on the radiographs (x-rays). This procedure is called myelography. Because normal radiographs will not usually demonstrate a disk rupture I may not take radiographs. I would always prefer to and if the cost of these radiographs (30-60 dollars) is something you would prefer to go ahead and have done, let us know. The reason I don't usually take these films is to be conservative on costs for a proceedure that will not normally reveal a definative result.

Some owners are also unhappy that I will usually not provide potent antiinflammatories if we are planning on sending your pet home. I have had some owners that have been so unhappy that they have gone elsewhere and had this done. However, my concern is that by providing releif to an animal that has a mild disk and that is in some pain we may allow the animal to fail to limit it's own activity and perhaps injure itself such that recovery may not be possible. I have seen this happen and I do not want to be responsible for this. In general my "rule of thumb" is that if I give corticosteroids to an animal with a thoracic or lumbar disk I will require that the animal be hospitalized.

Important Points in Treatment

1. Both medical and surgical treatments are used for intervertebral disc disease. Such factors as age, severity and duration of signs, neurologic findings and physical status help determine whether surgery should be performed. In many cases, hospitalization is necessary for effective medical treatment.

2. Exercise: Exercise should be severely restricted for ____ weeks. When your pet goes home I cannot over emphasize the importance of this. Do not let your pet jump up on or down from furniture, engage in rough play or chase balls . . . or any other activity that will stress the disk. It is very easy to have a relapse that was worse than the original problem.

3. Medication: All medication must be given as directed. Please call the doctor if you cannot complete any treatments.

4. Diet: If your pet is overweight, weight reduction is desirable, since excess weight puts additional strain on the back. In all cases, less food is necessary during the treatment period due to the exercise restriction.

5. Remember that any animal that has one episode of disk disease is predisposed to further occurances in the future. You want to avoid those traits and behaviours that may increase the likelyhood of this happening.

Feed as follows: Avoid Obesity!

Notify the Doctor if Any of the Following Occur:

* Your pet seems increasingly uncomfortable.
* Your pet loses control of its bowel movements or is
constipated.
* Your pet has difficulty urinating.
* Your pet has breathing problems, rigid front legs or seizures.

The following link is to a site that has one of the best designs that I've seen for a commercially built "cart" should that be necessary:

http://www.k-9carts.com/

This site has one of the best designs for a homemade cart. I think you may have to "sign up" (free) to view the page:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Dachshund-wheelchair/?ALLSTEPS