Disc Degeneration in Dogs - Surgery (Part 3)

And in the meantime people are going to bed hungry while millions are spent on animals because they are "pets."

This is some of the most perverse thinking on the planet.

Would you spend a few thousand dollars to save a member of your own family that you love or do the same for someone you don't know? That's usually why a person chooses a surgery like this for their pet. Bonnie is like a "sister" to me - we grew up together.

People have different levels of relationships with animals. I grew up as an only child with various types of pets and farm animals (and wild animals in the woods) to hang out with. Therefore I'm able to bond with them pretty easily. My grandmother, on the other hand, also grew up on a working farm. She dislikes animals of all kinds (although tolerates my dogs because they're well behaved) because she was forced to care for them.

Additionally, my feeling is that animals can't do so much to help themselves as people can. Since we domesticated animals, it's up to us to help them.

There are levels of help and then there is over the top, expensive and unnecessary. I grew up in farming country although not on the farm. There was no doubt that animals were animals and people were people. There wasn't any blurring of that line. So while I would agree that all animals should be humanely treated and cared for there becomes a point where an emotional attachment to an animal overrules rational thought. If my sisters had given the money they spent on hip replacements and knee surgury, etc. for their various pets they could have saved at least 50 kids from starvation through Christian Children's Fund or a similar charity. Instead fido got a new hip for $7000 and some poor kids starved. Go figure.

Who do yo think you are?! I hope you rot in hell for what you posted here. You will have to answer to God one day as to why you think about and treat the animals that he made the way that you do. My animals mean as much to me as my kids. They have feelings, personalities and feel pain. They never asked to be born. They deserve to be treated with love, kindness and respect...unlike you. Who says those starving kids deserve any more than an animal who is suffering in pain every day and just wants to make their owner happy? Ok I am done. You don't even deserve the time I gave you on here. You are the reason I love some animals more than people!

Hello! I am with you! My dog is my baby and I spent the money to save him. If you are not a pet lover, then you would not understand!!! I am with you!!! I lvoe my pet like a child and I will do what I need to do (not asking anyone else for help) to save him. :P

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Sorry about any confusion over my earlier posting.

One thing I noticed in your article (by it's absence) , was no mention of fusing the vertabrae. Was that done, and you didn't mention it, or is that "old thinking"/not appropriate for the species?

I was told at one point that fusing the vertabrae (in a human) would prevent more damage or pinched nerves. Of course later I was told that didn't really work well, because the physical stresses are just moved to the vertabrae & disc material above and below.

The procedure on my dog was done several years ago so my memory is fuzzy regarding fusing. I do not believe that her vertebrae were fused but I think it was an option if things did not go well or if there had been more damage (i.e. if we had waited longer). I almost remember the surgeon saying it could occur naturally, but after doing a bit of research I did not see any evidence saying that happens.

My reading also shows that if a vet (or doctor) deems fusing to be necessary, it's usually done within the same or a next surgery using bone grafts or plates and screws. Most procedures on the cervical vertebrae are performed ventrally (or on the front of the neck) so an incision is cut from the throat to the sternum. This is considered to be "less invasive" and is how my dog's procedure was performed - her arteries, esophagus, etc. were pushed aside to access the spinal canal. In severe cases, they go in dorsally, meaning from the back (spine side).

SavvyExacta:

Eagerly awaiting your next post, yes; there are several examples of what else can be done. In the case of an animal many are the choice some of which are disallowed for human treatment; the why of most of it is??

Glad to hear you've been enjoying the series! Part 4 will be the last part on cervical spine problems for dogs.

My next blog entry focuses on one alternative therapy that is used by many humans as well. One thing I do not mention is that my dog also takes a non-prescription joint supplement when she's flaring up too. (Like most people with arthritis or old injuries, she is stiff during damp weather or seasonal changes.)

I believe that there are more alternative therapies or medications available for animals because the testing is less rigorous than for people. Obviously the education for vets is comparable to human doctors and there are certainly still lawsuits, but as we've seen from a previous poster the majority of people value human life more than animal life. In the case of medicine, research there should rightly be an emphasis on curing and treating human problems.

Additionally, many of the medications used for animals are used on an "off-label" basis. This means that they are being used for a purpose other than their original intent. An example: Pergolide is a drug that was created to treat Parkinson's disease. It was withdrawn from the market after many people started having vascular problems. This posed a problem for many equine vets and horse owners who were using Pergolide off-label to treat equine Cushing's syndrome, an endocrine disorder caused by a benign tumor in the pituitary gland of older horses. They finally reached an agreement with the FDA to compound it only for use in horses because it has been shown to help improve their quality of life with minimal side effects.

Is it common after back surgery for the spine to stay up, curved? My boy, peke shitzu mix, 9 pounds, had back surgery, 3 weeks post (had an infection for about 9 days) and he looks good, up and down with the back legs... He has that upward curve. Is this normal, does it flatten back out?

Hi Guest,

I'm not a vet so I can't say for sure. Three weeks is still pretty close to surgery so I would make sure he has adequate time to heal. About a year after my dog's surgery I started having her worked on by a canine chiropractor. This vet showed me some techniques for massaging the soft tissue by the spine to relax everything into place. This sounds like something that might benefit your dog after he has some more time to heal.