[Dailydrool] Back problems long sorry

[Bob]

We don't post often but this is a subject near and dear to me..and we
consider ourselves to be somewhat of a expert from the dog owners point of
view (not on the medical point of view) and feel very strongly on a few
issues.  With both Bob the DOg and the Basil having back problems along
with several friends who we have emotionally supported thru such issues
here are the things we feel we know for sure.

1.  And most important, decide in advance what you can and cannot do for
your dog.  This is not judgmental at all, it just is what it is, and is
very very important to their recover.  Can you and will you spend 5-10
grand to save your dog..you must really be truthful here and you must face
the fact here..than when given this chose saying I can't do it means I will
"likely" be sending them on their way.  I don't mean to sound mean or harsh
but, when you make the decision to spend the money, makes all the
difference on whether or not they will get well.  I know because we said we
couldn't spend the money for Bob..we had already spent 6500 on his neck a
couple years before and 4000 on Bennys eyes and said we can't do it we
still owe on our carecredit card but, when the vet said everything else has
failed its time to let him go , we absolutely couldn't do that either and
we were very lucky in the end that bobs surgery was successful cause we
waited to long.  This is a decision to make when you aren't pressured, not
when you are at the emergency room.

2.  Even tho the doctors tell you that xrays won't show disk problems and
to get an MRI instead..start with the xray..we found Basils back was
actually fractured with an xray , have a friend whose dog had a tumor on
his spine with an xray so an xray is very valuable for ruling out something
else that really can't be helped.

3.  If you decide to go conservative it means no activity at all for your
dog during the recovery~~none means none...if you cant crate your dog
without feeling sorry for them then you need to make arrangement for them
to be at a vets or whatever during this time...there is no reason to "try"
this approach if you can't follow thru.  This I know cause I couldn't
follow thru, and let bob be way more active than I should have thus
resulting in this treatment failing.

4.  If you decide you can/will spend the money take them to an orthopedic
surgeon ASAP~~do not I repeat do not let your vet do this surgery~~really
the specialist isn't that much more money and he is a specialist.  Also be
prepared for what they don't tell you..even with excellent results you will
be caring for your dog 24/7for a good while...I don't know what I was
thinking but this part never crossed my mind.  They are like babies and
need our constant care.

5.  If you don't have surgery or surgery fails, be forewarned, while it
sounds loving, and selfless and we all admire those who take care of "down
in the rear dogs"  it is so much work and so exhausting, and every single
night during the 4 mouths Bob couldn't walk I cried myself to sleep saying
I don't know how much longer I can do this.  Its love in the truest form
but it is so hard to see them this way, and so exhausting to have to keep
them clean and fed and happy.

on an upnote~~was it worth it~~yes it was~~and I would do it all over for
just one more day with him~~but there is alot involved in the back disk
diagnosis and its way better to have some of this stuff figured out before
you find yourself in the er and can't think.. I think everyone should
decide these things in the calm of day and not in the fury of the emergency.

Also anyone with any back questions feel free to email me anytime.

Kathy
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