Canine Degenerative Disk Disease – What Is It? (Part 1)

That's a shame. We have a French Bulldog, and they are susceptible to similar spinal injuries. We had one episode where he was in obvious extreme pain and a trip to the emergency clinic was in order. We had previous minor episodes. These were more prevalent when he was younger, now that he's past 3 years old, we haven't had another occurrence. Xrays showed the possibility of a bad disk, but nothing definitive. We keep a supply of Rimidyl on hand just in case.

I hope Bonnie feels better.

Rimadyl is a wonderful drug for short term use - it's great for their pain and inflammation! We did have one bad experience with it, but overall it definitely improved my dog's quality of live while we were deciding on treatment options and after her recovery. I'm glad that it looks like your dog's problems aren't recurring anymore. It's challenging with animals since they can't tell us where it hurts and how bad - we have to learn how to read the signs and determine which ones warrant that expensive trip to the vet or when a few pills are okay for now.

Come back to the Animal Science blog next week - I'll talk about how disc problems are diagnosed (which you already know about). But the week after that I'll talk about surgery and how my dog made out.

This is "semi-off topic", but I think it is important to mention: Due to bad breeding habits, different breeds of dogs have specific genetic traits - some of them quite nasty. While the average "Heinz-57 Mutt" is less susceptible, if their primary and secondary lineage contains a common genetic weakness, then you can have problems.

We have what we call a "Deagle", part Dachshund, part Beagle ... but only God knows for sure. For a while we played around with the idea of the new canine genetic testing, but it just didn't seem worth the money just for curiosities sake. Now however, he has been getting sick for the last few weeks. We took him to the Vet, and all tests came back clean.

So I ordered a test kit tonight. Maybe it will show something that will help. It will take about 2 months to get the test, send it back, and get the results. I don't have any good go-by for how good the test/company is, so I won't post their URL at this time. But if anybody is interested, just click on my name, and send me an email. When I get the results, I will let you know whether I think it is worth it, and what the URL is to order a test kit (at least in the U.S.A.).

I'm sorry your dog is sick. What type of illness does he have? When I was talking to vets and researching disc problems, dachshunds came up because they tend to have lumbar disc problems due to their long backs. Beagles tend to mainly have cervical problems. My beagle, however, is developing arthritis in her lumbar region - you can see the ridge. No dachshund relations that I'm aware of though! Someone did mention she may have a little bit of basset, since her front leg conformation is similar to that breed - which would explain that predisposition. My other beagle is papered, so we'll see what type of stuff she comes up with (so far, just allergies and a strange attitude).

Back to your dog's illness and genetics - my father has a Llewellyn setter (specific type of English setter) that has either cancer or kidney failure. I did some research and that is apparently common in the breed. There aren't many Llewellyns around, so I'm guessing the gene pool is kind of clogged there as well.

My wife and I have two dachsunds and I hope they do not end up with this. One of my parent's dachsunds (they have 2 as well) has disk displaysia (sp?), and had back surgery, but her hind legs still only have limited use so she now uses a doggy wheel chair to get around. One thing to keep in mind though, dogs are very resilient and even though their condition may seem unbearable to us, they are not neccessarily suffering. This particular dog I think actually likes the extra attention she requires, and using her wheels to get around doesn't bother her one bit. Dogs live in the now and are generally very happy creatures. I would just like to strongly advise people to control their own emotions and really observe the dogs behavior and demeanor before making a decision to euthanize. Too many pet owners are quick to jump to that conclusion anytime some tragedy takes place, and they are really basing that decision on their own emotions, not the pets quality of life which may not be so bad afterall. Remember, your pets are your family members too!

With dachsunds, back problems are particularly common because they are a half-a-dog high, and a dog-and-a-half long. You can help prevent back disorders by keeping them from jumping up onto and off of furniture, as well as controlling their diet. Obesity is a problem because it puts alot of extra strain on their elongated spine. Doggie stairs are also helpful if it is necessary to have them go up and down for any reason. Just a few helpful tips.

Good tips for preventing or helping out with back or other disc problems in a dog, Vandarye. My vet says my beagles are the fittest she has seen - while they think I'm starving them, they are at a healthy weight so they do not develop other problems common to the breed (known to be porky vacuums; beagles will eat just about anything, although one of mine does pass on the black olives).

My dog also enjoyed visiting the various hospitals during her disc episode, being examined by vets, and having "conversations" with the assistants at all of the offices. She could tell they were all helping her and was grateful. I think that communication helps in the healing process. Undoubtedly your parents' dachshund had to be taught to accept the wheelchair, and the relationship established with the vet and her "family" helped with that.

Euthanasia is a difficult topic and is dependent on many factors including severity of the problem, ability/willingness of the owner to pay for and care for the dog (or place it in a new home), and long term prognosis. We kept it only as a last resort if no other treatments would help alleviate her symptoms or if it simply became unaffordable to treat her.

Thankyou for starting this blog Savvy, as dogs are very near and dear to my heart. I've had weiner dogs (dachsunds) my whole life, so they are my favorite! I love that fearless big dog attitude that they have. They seriously have no idea that they are as small as they are.

Diet and excercise can help alot in the way of preventing spinal problems, but some dogs are probably just more prone to have problems due to genetics. I really hope all goes well with your dog. I know in some cases if the disk is damaged bad enough, it can be removed and the vertibrae in that area can be fused together. This will only allow limited movement in that area, but the dogs get used to it and they may no longer have pain from pinched nerves.

This is actually Part 1 of a four part series. My dog did wind up having surgery to remove the damaged disc matter from her neck. (Just so you know, this all occurred over five years ago and she's doing quite well now, although surgery wasn't the final stop for her.)

Part 2 will discuss diagnosis, Part 3 surgery, and Part 4 post-op treatment. So stay tuned if this topic interests you!

If you are a dog owner looking to add another dog to your pack, or a prospective first time dog owner, I have another tip. If you are getting your dog from a breeder, check with the breeder about the dogs lineage for genetic problems, such as spinal conditions. If the parents have had problems, then it is very possible that your new puppy may have problems as well in adulthood.

On the subject of adding a little furry friend to your family, I would also like to strongly suggest taking a serious look at adopting. You can even check online at places like Petfinder.com. Both of my dogs are shelter dogs that we adopted. It is everyone's option to do as they wish of course, but ask yourself if you really need a designer dog. Puppies born to breeders will be purchased and given a home, that is pretty close to a guarantee. Shelter dogs however are just as loving, though they may often times be muts, and their only crime was being born. Give them a chance at life and a good home with a family to take care of! I would also like to say thankyou to all the people who give their time to animal shelters and help animals in need. You are my heroes!

as the owner of a swiss mountain dog i relate well to you request for assistance or info about your beagles back problem.

i don't know where your 20 is but if you are in canada you might try sending a email over to harold moore at barry's sea foods and ask if he will ship out few bottles of the animal grade seal oil. the barrygroup.com.

we have had great success with getting blood flow to injured discs in the large dogs husky's and newfoundland x grand pyrennees.as well as in Porkie the 10 year old Yorkie Poo.

i don't know if you can get it in the u.s. the f.d.a. sucked up to the petroceutical corporations to have it's importing to the u.s. banned.

'da ber

I actually did give my beagle fish oil during her first year of diagnosis (the problem I'm writing about actually occurred about five years ago). My aunt also top dresses fish oil on her very old, very arthritic Yorkshire terrier's dry food. It does seem to help, but smells awful!

My doctor has also recommended the capsules to me for my own health issues, but after smelling it with the dog food, I just can't stomach the thought of taking them.

Try the gel caps, I take three a day per Doctor's suggestion and never smell or taste them.

Happens in people to. My son has had seven back operations and is restricted from lifting more than five lbs.

With the continued nerve damage the prognosis is a long life of pain and continued disability.

I feel sorry for your dog, but the prognosis is about the same - continued pain and increasing disability!

Hi jmart - my father has lumbar disc problems. He's had two surgeries (one to remove disc matter, another to attempt to correct nerve damage caused by the first surgery). He is a mechanical engineer who now cannot work because he can't stay in any one position for too long (standing, lying, or sitting at a desk/in a car). Now he's stuck with physical therapy and pain killers to help him, neither of which provide much relief from the pain.

If you check out Parts 2 - 4 of my series on the canine version in upcoming weeks, you'll see that while the prognosis for dogs can be similar, mine has a happy ending five years later.

I recommend visiting DoggedHealth.com for more information on this dog disease. DoggedHealth has information ob Canine Degenerative Disk Disease including symptoms, treatment, and prevention all written by vets.