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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Back surgery on elderly cocker mix

60 replies

OchonAgusOchonOh · 14/10/2023 10:35

My 13 year old cocker mix put a disc out on Wednesday evening. She was struggling with steps that evening. She was worse the following morning (walking funny and not able to do steps) so I brought her to the vet.

She's in excellent health otherwise so after a discussion we decided to go to a specialist for an MRI and possibly surgery. Specialist vet said she had a 90% chance of a full recovery so we decided to go with the surgery.

She had the surgery yesterday, which went very well but as there was a lot of disc to remove the cord was irritated and inflamed.

Update today is that she is a bit worse but that's apparently normal with the inflammation. She has managed to urinate so that's good.

I'm just wondering has anyone else been through this with their dog and how they got on? She's over 2 hours away from me so I can't even go and check on her although I don't think they allow visitors anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 14/10/2023 13:47

Bumping in case anyone has experience

OP posts:
Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 14/10/2023 23:22

Nobody?

OP posts:
LifeIsHardAlways · 14/10/2023 23:50

Personally I think it’s nuts to do such a major surgery on elderly dog, hope they recover quickly though.

anon0007 · 15/10/2023 00:03

Ivdd?

I wouldnt. We did got your 6 year old pooch and she was never the same.

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 00:12

LifeIsHardAlways · 14/10/2023 23:50

Personally I think it’s nuts to do such a major surgery on elderly dog, hope they recover quickly though.

Thank you for answering.

Can I ask why? She's very healthy otherwise and I would assume will be with us for another 3 years at least. The vet seemed to think it was a reasonable decision. Have you experienced similar?

I'm very much not of the mindset where I want to keep her going for our sake. I think responsible ownership means knowing when not to intervene.

She's such a lovely dog and I just want to do what's right for her. My dh is currently away and I'm dealing with this on my own. The spinal cord is inflamed after the surgery (totally normal apparently) and she isn't improving yet. I'm sitting here crying, worrying I did the wrong thing by putting her through surgery. I thought it was the right decision, given the advice from the vet. I just love her so much but I don't want her to suffer. I wish I could be with her.

OP posts:
Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 00:14

anon0007 · 15/10/2023 00:03

Ivdd?

I wouldnt. We did got your 6 year old pooch and she was never the same.

What is ivdd?

She has had the surgery. I can't reverse that. I'm now really worried I did the wrong thing for her.

OP posts:
funkyspunkymonkey · 15/10/2023 00:16

I am so sorry. It’s obvious how much you love her. You made the best decision you could at the time and have nothing to reproach yourself for.

I have 2 dogs and cannot imagine having to deal with what you are going through. I wish your dog a speedy and successful recovery and hope you get to see her soon.

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 00:20

funkyspunkymonkey · 15/10/2023 00:16

I am so sorry. It’s obvious how much you love her. You made the best decision you could at the time and have nothing to reproach yourself for.

I have 2 dogs and cannot imagine having to deal with what you are going through. I wish your dog a speedy and successful recovery and hope you get to see her soon.

Thank you. I just want to do what is right for her. I'm just so upset that I'm not there for her and she's in a strange place. I know she's not on pain but she doesn't know anyone she's with.

OP posts:
margotrose · 15/10/2023 07:58

I have no advice but please don't feel guilty. Lots of older dogs go through surgery and recover just fine - it can just take a little longer sometimes.

I hope she's okay Flowers

littleblackcat27 · 15/10/2023 08:04

@OchonAgusOchonOh keep the faith - fingers crossed for you that your dog will be fine.

We had our larger breed dog have a large lump removed from his rib cage area when he was around 12 years old - and he recovered well and had a few more happy years in him.

CallItLoneliness · 15/10/2023 08:17

Not a dog, but we had our 18 year old cat's leg amputated this year after she broke it (the break was not manageable in any cat other than with amputation). 5 months later she is still with us and loving life. You have given your DDog a chance that may yet result in many happy months for you both.

CarrieMoonbeams · 15/10/2023 08:53

@OchonAgusOchonOh , you made the decision after a discussion with your vet, and I think that is the crucial part.

If you have a good relationship with your vet and you trust them - which I absolutely do with my vet, he's fantastic - then I'm sure they wouldn't have even suggested it if they didn't think that, on balance, the odds were in your wee dog's favour.

I'm sure she'll be quite the thing, wangling treats and ear rubs from the staff - one thing that I've learned over the years is that they definitely miss us less than we miss them!

I hope she's home with you soon.

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 09:00

Thank you all for your kind words and your positive stories.

Yes, I do trust my vet. And the vet at the specialist centre said there is a 90% chance of a full recovery so fingers crossed she follows through with that.

OP posts:
indianwoman · 15/10/2023 09:20

Yes my little Pom had back surgery when he was about 8 and he recovered really well. He had two operations actually. He lived for another 6 years very happily, and passed away last week in his sleep. He was a lovely boy :(

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 09:21

The vet has just phoned with an update. They are very pleased with her progress, which is great. They will keep her for a few more days until her motor skills improve but it is looking good.

Thanks all for the hand hold.

OP posts:
margotrose · 15/10/2023 09:21

That's excellent news OP.

indianwoman · 15/10/2023 16:47

My Pom was completely out of it when I visited him so don't worry about how yours is coping. He's probably drugged up and out of it and will just mostly be sleeping

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 16:57

indianwoman · 15/10/2023 16:47

My Pom was completely out of it when I visited him so don't worry about how yours is coping. He's probably drugged up and out of it and will just mostly be sleeping

They're taking her off the meds today but yeah, you're probably right. Thank you.

OP posts:
feelingalittlehorse · 15/10/2023 17:14

OP, I think a couple of replies on here are a little mean and unhelpful. Age isn’t a disease and if your lovely pooch is otherwise well then you don’t have many alternatives in this situation to be honest. Also, you never know what’s around the corner anyway- I lost a wonderful dog at 4 years old very suddenly and unexpectedly. You can’t live with what ifs.

Anyway- not me personally, but a friend’s dog had a similar surgery, their dog’s disk slipped. Theirs has done extremely well and lived a relatively normal, pain free life since. They have had to do some management changes, however, such as no jumping onto furniture and avoiding the stairs.

Main thing is just to keep an eye on their comfort levels when they get home- in any dogs I’ve had surgery on, I’ve never been afraid to ask for more pain relief if I think they are uncomfortable.

Wishing you and pooch very well, lots of slobbery get well kisses from here 🐾

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 17:27

Thank you @feelingalittlehorse I did find some of the replies very upsetting last night as she was worse yesterday due to the cord inflammation but I'm much more positive with today's update.

OP posts:
Whatbakingcando · 15/10/2023 17:34

I have a cocker who slipped a disc in the snow in January 2021 he was 4 at the time. He had surgery an hour away from us and although the operation was initially successful the following day they re operated to remove more of the disc. We thought we were going to lose him but he has made a full recovery and is as crazy as ever.
I know he is a lot younger than your dog but we have since met quite a number of people who have had similar happen to their dog and have heard lots of success stories.
You might have a long road to recovery ahead of you with lots of physio but hopefully your dog is running around again soon 😀

Soontobe60 · 15/10/2023 17:49

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 00:12

Thank you for answering.

Can I ask why? She's very healthy otherwise and I would assume will be with us for another 3 years at least. The vet seemed to think it was a reasonable decision. Have you experienced similar?

I'm very much not of the mindset where I want to keep her going for our sake. I think responsible ownership means knowing when not to intervene.

She's such a lovely dog and I just want to do what's right for her. My dh is currently away and I'm dealing with this on my own. The spinal cord is inflamed after the surgery (totally normal apparently) and she isn't improving yet. I'm sitting here crying, worrying I did the wrong thing by putting her through surgery. I thought it was the right decision, given the advice from the vet. I just love her so much but I don't want her to suffer. I wish I could be with her.

Show quote history

While I totally understand why you decided to go ahead with the surgery, I am also of the belief that we shouldn't put our pets through such procedures. We really are doing it for our own benefit - the pet isn't able to consent to such procedures and can’t understand why it’s in such pain or why it feels so crap on painkillers.
Just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we should. I am a lifelong dog lover and have had to make some very hard decisions regarding the health of dogs I have owned - the 2 times I have had to make the decision to put my dogs to sleep have caused me such sadness, but I believe I made the right decision bBoth times. Watching a dog who has lived a very active life suddenly not be able to chase rabbits, to go for long walks, to climb onto the bed even is heartbreaking.

margotrose · 15/10/2023 17:52

Soontobe60 · 15/10/2023 17:49

While I totally understand why you decided to go ahead with the surgery, I am also of the belief that we shouldn't put our pets through such procedures. We really are doing it for our own benefit - the pet isn't able to consent to such procedures and can’t understand why it’s in such pain or why it feels so crap on painkillers.
Just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we should. I am a lifelong dog lover and have had to make some very hard decisions regarding the health of dogs I have owned - the 2 times I have had to make the decision to put my dogs to sleep have caused me such sadness, but I believe I made the right decision bBoth times. Watching a dog who has lived a very active life suddenly not be able to chase rabbits, to go for long walks, to climb onto the bed even is heartbreaking.

Show quote history

There's just no need for comments like this, really.

OP did as she was advised by her vet - who presumably knows the dogs' history and health better than anyone on here. She has also updated this morning to say her dog is doing really well and should hopefully be home in a few days.

Original poster
OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/10/2023 18:01

Whatbakingcando · 15/10/2023 17:34

I have a cocker who slipped a disc in the snow in January 2021 he was 4 at the time. He had surgery an hour away from us and although the operation was initially successful the following day they re operated to remove more of the disc. We thought we were going to lose him but he has made a full recovery and is as crazy as ever.
I know he is a lot younger than your dog but we have since met quite a number of people who have had similar happen to their dog and have heard lots of success stories.
You might have a long road to recovery ahead of you with lots of physio but hopefully your dog is running around again soon 😀

That's good to hear. It's great he made a full recovery.

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 15/10/2023 18:02

margotrose · 15/10/2023 17:52

There's just no need for comments like this, really.

OP did as she was advised by her vet - who presumably knows the dogs' history and health better than anyone on here. She has also updated this morning to say her dog is doing really well and should hopefully be home in a few days.

Show quote history

She asked for people with a similar experience - I have had a similar experience.
It’s not a criticism of her decision - we all make different decisions for different reasons. Or are you of the opinion that Mumsnet is an echo chamber?