Introducing Luna

[Halloweenqueen]

I was looking through threads and remembered about the last time I posted. Things were so bad the last time I wrote. I'm over the moon to say Luna is thriving. We have a great routine together. She is loving her hepatic food and daily Denamarin tablets. No more pancreatitis, bloating, moon swings.

After all those Cushing tests came back negative her symptoms slowly faded away. Her liver numbers are still high, but she is back to her jolly little self.

[jesse girl]

Good news

we like positive posts . Keep up the good work !

[k9diabetes]

Aw, it made my day to see this post. She was so worrisome in the beginning. Congrats on doing such a great job with her!

Natalie

[Halloweenqueen]

I am hoping for some feedback about Luna's current situation.

About 10 days ago she started walking funny, which quickly turned to dragging her hind legs. Called my vet and they were unable to see her same day so I took her to emergency. They believed she hurt her back and sent us home with the medication Gabapetin. Four days later she was not improving, so I took her to her vet. Vet prescribed more Gabapetin and rest and told me to call if she got to the point she would not walk.

Last Monday morning I awoke to find her lying on her side, unable to move at all. I called my vet and was told to take her to a specialist 3 hours away. I admit I got upset since I thought this was a medical emergency, not a situation for a referral. I spoke with the director of the vet school as referred and they admitted that it would be not advisable to perform an MRI with Luna's pre-existing conditions. Vet believes she has a slipped or bulging disc in her back. I returned to the vet and they stated the only option was 8 weeks of crate rest with pain meds. She was given Methocarbmol as well as more Gabapetin.

It has been a week now and no improvement. She can eat and drink and is peeing and pooping when I carry her to a pee pad. I rotate her every few hours to relieve pressure points. I don't believe the meds given are enough to relieve the pain. My husband and I have spent many sleepless nights with her in agony.

We don't really feel supported. The vet said there isn't much that can be done for a diabetic dog with liver disease. She can move all her legs and tail and seems very happy when the meds are working. Most dogs with IVDD also are prescribed Tramodol, but they said Luna was not a candidate.

Are there any other general pain relievers available to diabetic dogs? If we could just give her a few pain free days she may recover. Thanks in advance!

I wanted to add that vet discussed putting her down and we made final arrangements on Wednesday. We wanted to give our son time to say goodbye and come home over the weekend. Luna really rallied and what we saw gave us such hope. Luna has been the comeback kid so many times when others have counted her out. Maybe I'm not facing the reality that this might be it. We have our routine down pat and she was so happy until her injury.

[jesse girl]

Me and jesse met a a dog on our travels that had a similar situation . Vet said it was time to let go but they turned to chiropractic care and water exercises and Molly came back to normal

I think you do have to determine if its really pain . Difficult walking does not mean that exclusively . Leg weakness is different from leg injury .

Without a true diagnosis the vet is just drawing at straws and goes for the easy solution with pain killers and if they are not helping that may show its not pain

Some have used methyl b-12 for rear leg weakness and they said it helped . hope luna gets better

[LizE]

Sorry to hear about Luna. I just wanted to give you some moral support and say I think you are right to suspect that your vet is not supporting you.

There are other pain med options, your vet seems to only have tried two. And while many pain meds can interfere with liver function you could make a trade off and try them while monitoring liver levels since this is potentially a short term problem and not a chronic condition.

You can try to relieve any inflammation and see if that helps. Icing the injured area (or possibly using heat if that works instead) is an option. Also, I used HiActive Tart Cherry (Swanson Vitamins) broken open and sprinkled over her food. Turmeric Turmeric is a blood thinner and can cause stomach upset so be careful.

As for B-12 is must be methyl b-12. Another member recommended Gnc 2500 mcg. It can be crushed and sprinkled over food too. It can also be given as a shot (this is the preferred method).

If Luna is still eating OK I would give it some time. I think dogs can become depressed from a lack of mobility and people mistake it for pain. I thought Snickers was at the end several times only to have a complete bounce back. Best of luck to you and Luna.

[Raysaint]

Did your vet do a physical exam of the spine and legs, to see if any spot produced pain?

My dog just slightly injured himself, where he couldn't jump up on the couch or go up stairs easily. My vet checked spine alignment, legs, claws, gait, etc. and all was fine. So she thinks it's a bruise or strain.

Some rest might be the answer, but maybe an x-ray at least. Don't let them wash their hands of the issue.

[Lchow022]

I am so sorry to hear about Luna..I am actually going through a similar situation with Mochi except it's just with his front left leg. He hasn't used it in a month and the neurologist and specialist think it might be a mild slipped disc that's pushing on the nerve.
They suggested that he takes gabapentin again with the NSAID, and then amantadine on top of that to help with his stomach.

He has been on tramadol and it made no difference and I was told tramadol is a real hit or miss. It sucks seeing our babies like that out of nowhere..Did a neurologist specialist see Luna? I think the only way to tell exactly what is wrong with Lunas lameness is by getting an mri or ct scan. is Luna not able to get scans done because of her liver?
I'm trying out acupuncture right now for mochi..doesn't seem to make much of a difference..but I've heard lots of good things about acupuncture. Maybe you can try that for Luna?

[Halloweenqueen]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I decided to go to another vet for a second opinion. They say with her liver disease (new vet said he had never seen enzymes this high) and her diabetes that it wouldn't be advisable to put her under for an MRI. Both vets even put down my idea of an x-ray.

My vet gave up on Luna long ago. It is difficult to get any direction. Honestly, we I call they ask me what she is taking. I'm at my wit's end.

We are on week 3 of conservative crate rest with no improvement. Neuro specialist said without an MRI it is not worth traveling 4 hours with her in her present condition.

[jesse girl]

I think there are supplements and foods that can help with liver enzymes

It maybe up to you to experiment with other possibilities outside of the professionals . Thats what I had to do with jesse with success . I dont even talk to the vet about her diabetes and they are fine with that as its one more thing off their plate