MaryBeth, I had a mini dachshund once that had DDD (Degenerative Disk Disease) His mid-back disk ruptured at age 3, having had inflamation bouts several times before the crisis. All cushioning gel was released, the vets told me later. The two vertebrae were pinching nerves and totally paralyzed both back legs instantly. When the bowel blockage set in 2 days later, they had to do the surgery. He had to be confined in his crate for several weeks they told me. Funny thing was he was raring to hop around at the clinic & play right after coming out of anesthesia! They think it was because he felt so much better! The vets said they had never seen that in a post-op back surgery patient as they can usually hardly move for weeks, so they mildly sedated him to keep him from doing injury to the site!  He was never quite "straight" after that (kinda like a car out of alignment LOL) and muscles atrophied at the site over the years, but he lived to be 17 and only had to have Rimadyl occasionally for recurrent pain at the site. His last year, his back began to arch from severe mucsle atrophy and he eventually began to have subsequent lack of bowel control because nerves at the rectum were most likely dead (related nerve damage). Sadly at that point he also quit eating due to system-wide infection from abcessed tooth, so we had ato let him cross over the bridge at age 17. During his life he enjoyed his Mother's love (we also owned her, as this was her pup), ate like a hog, played, ran and jumped around and had what the vets felt was a decent "quality of life". Only in the last few months was his quality of life diminishing to the point he wasn't enjoying those things anymore.
Another dachsie I had some time later also developed DDD, but his never reached the "blow out" stage. Rimadyl calmed down his flare-ups just fine.
That's just about all I can tell you, other than should your baby one day need surgery, not all vets do it. Mine in Galveston did, as he trained under the guy at Texas A&M Vet School that teaches this technique. But he said he would not do it if the injury had been higher up, near the neck (apparently a much more delicate operation there). Johann's was mid-back. I hope you will never have to deal with surgery for this, but I want you to know that many dogs come through it just fine. My vets even asked if they could give me as a referral for clients with dogs facing this surgery so they could hear from one of their many success casees that it was not to be feared. Will keep my fingers crossed that your baby will just need the occasional Rimadyl, like my second experience with the disorder. |