[Dailydrool] Back troubles

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

Please be aware that an X-ray does not necessarily provide all the information necessary for identifying a slipped disc. Shortly before our Abner slipped his disc, we'd had an X-ray done at my vet's. I was told that Abs's spine was fine, and I'm sure that's what the test showed. Within a couple of weeks, Abs had slipped that disc that caused his back trouble. Since he had a history of biting even before that, I have to believe the back was bothering him from well before I took him. And we'd had him for a year.

An MRI is the best test for identifying back trouble. It will set you back quite a bit financially (hopefully, in your area it's less pricey than here), but it will identify just where the problem is and allow the surgeon to do his thing.

If you go with surgery (and I hope you don't have to), get the best surgeon available in the area. This is a difficult surgery, and you don't want a cut-rate guy working on your dog. I suspect that I should have gone to someone else for Ab's surgery, but time was short, and I didn't know who to contact.
 
If your area rescue has any experience in this, you might check with them to see who's the best ortho vet in the area.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets