Catastrophic back injury

[Gr8ballsoffire]

This is outing so please excuse the vagueness my dog has injured himself seriously we have two options surgery and lengthy rehab or have him pts I am the only one who can make the choice can anyone help me.

[RNBrie]

How old is he and what has the vet said about his chances of a good recovery? Do you have insurance/can you pay for the surgery and rehab?

[BiteyShark]

Need more info to help.

How old is your dog? Can you commit to the surgery and rehab? What are the success rates of surgery?

More importantly can you dog cope (ours has had so many vet interventions that means we would seriously have to consider our options in the future as it really affects him mentally in terms of long term vet visits and treatment.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Is this, by any chance, IVDD? If so I'd get on the phone to the charity Dedicated to Dachshunds with IVDD who advise, and supply equipment (from memory, everything from crates to wheelchairs)

One of my dog walkers other customers is in a wheelchair and still lives a full life, trundling around the park (him and my dog get on really well I'm told!)

[Gr8ballsoffire]

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages there’s a chance it is but he’s much bigger 34kg.

[Gr8ballsoffire]

@RNBrie @BiteyShark he’s 5 and luckily well insured. I work from home but as a childminder so not sure how rehab etc would work. He is taking the vet interventions well so far happy for them to take blood etc, now he’s not in pain they all keep telling me how lovely he is.

[ATowelAndAPotato]

Hydrotherapy is a great rehab method, so easy access to that might be another factor to consider.

Sorry you are having to make this difficult decision

[BiteyShark]

Hmm tricky. 5 is still a young dog. I think you need to find out the chances of success, what happens if the surgery is successful in terms of expected rehab and for how long as well as what happens if it isn't successful.

For me there is no right or wrong answer given that dogs don't understand if you have 6 months of rehab you will be fine etc.

[GroupSects]

Oh god what a hard decision. Trouble is that dogs live in the moment and can’t see that the inconvenience will be worth it in the end.
I thought I was going to be in this position a few years ago, DDog had a suspected tumour and he was so depressed and unhappy in himself. He didn’t want to walk or eat, just slept all day. I really thought I couldn’t see him living like that any longer but luckily strong antibiotics cleared up his ailment and he’s fine. But for that time period I seriously considered whether I would put him through surgery and treatment and be able to look at him moping about for months and him not knowing why he felt so shit.
PPs previous suggestion of hydrotherapy is a great one, can work wonders for recovery.

[Veterinari]

What breed is he? The long term outcome for say a 5 year old Dane or mastiff is quite different to a smaller dog.
At 34 kg is he overweight or well muscled? Do you have an IVDD diagnosis? Has he lost hindlimb function or just neurological deficits? How long since signs started?

There are so many variables no one here can give you advice - you need to speak to a specialist who has access to your dog's scans.

It's an awful situation to be in
Remember whatever you decide you'll be making the right decision for his welfare

[Sunnydaysstillhere]

At 9 our dodg had a massive cancerous tumour.. Surgery and relatively quick recovery.. No further treatment.. She had a great year before sucumming to more cancer. At 5 I would have fought harder for treatment....
What is the lifespan of the breed op?

[ThatLibraryMiss]

Small Dog had a ruptured disk four years ago that got to level four, bordering five. He was operated on by Torrington Orthopaedics in Brighouse and had follow-up physiotherapy with Yorkshire Animal Clinic, both of whom I recommend. He was walking within a day of surgery, although a bit wobbly on one back leg. He had five weeks of crate rest (not popular) followed by a few weeks of gentle walks on lead.

I honestly can't see any effects now. He runs, chases birds and squirrels, jumps and paddles in the beck just like he used to. He's never shown any sign of recurrence. He loves to be active and I decided I'd rather he had fewer happy years than more being held back on a lead, but so far everything's good.

He's about 5kg so a lot easier to manage than a bigger dog, and he was in great shape at the time. He was five then, and his breed is expected to live to about 15 years.

Only you can make the decision for your dog. I would get a referral to a good orthopaedic vet, get an MRI and discuss prognosis with the vet. If the vet hadn't been confident of a good result I'd have had him PTS. He's such a joyful active little dog I couldn't see him with a wheelchair.