Great Dane - slipped disc

bugslet

Posting this on behalf of a friend.

Her 5 year old Great Dane has just been diagnosed with a slipped disc having just seen a specialist vet and had an MRI scan.

The vet could operate, but has advised that the outcome might not be good. The dog is walking OK and generally seems reasonably happy; the only symptom seems to be fecal incontinence - not great when it's Great Dane size.

The options seem to be :

1. Operate and take a chance.
2. Live with the incontinence
3. Have her PTS - she is only 5:(

I cannot stress enough how much they love this dog and they have dealt with the incontinence for some weeks now as their vet has tried anti-inflammatories etc first. They are worried about the op and that it will make things worse for the GD.

Has anyone any experience of surgery (preferably on a giant breed) for a slipped disc.

Thanks.

Caroline_a

I have had 3 Danes and they are wonderful dogs, totally bonkers, but just very special 'people'. Have they thought about maybe getting a second opinion? Maybe do some research into vets that specialise in this sort of thing?

lostinrates

One of the great sadnesses of giant breeds is that 'only five' is not far off the lower end of the life expectancy. Now, while most of us hope for and get longer with many, that average is an average for a reason.

I not they are seeing a specialist, but is it a specialist in giants or just backs? Have they spoken to the breed club / breeder for any info about most successful outcomes and which vets these were with?

As you know bugs, big dog has some back problems , though different, and she is older, but I would not put her through a major op of this nature personally. It depends hugely on the nature of the individual dog. Some dogs are troopers and cope with recovery brilliantly.

bugslet

Hi thanks for answering Caroline, they travelled 2 hours this morning to a specialist centre. Their own vet had run throught the possibles, tumour, infection, disc problem and then they took the advice to go to this specialist place in Hitchin. This is their fourth Dane - first Harlequin they have had and extra bonkers.

I will see if they think a second opinion would be helpful.

Lir, I know she has been on the breed forum prior to the diagnosis today and no doubt she will be back asking this question on their. The breeder is aware of the incontinence and again they will be speaking to her once they get home.

I know 5 is old compared to small dogs, but even so, she should have around another 5 years left. I do agree that there comes a point when an op is not a good idea due to age, I think this GD is still young enough. I will however, pass on your comments and ask about how she was when she was spayed.

I think in a way they were hoping that it would be something that couldn't be resolved, just so they weren't on the horns of this dilemma.:(

gettingready

Not sure where in UK are you or how easy would it be for your friend to travel with the dog to:

http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/

Not sure if you have seen "Bionic Vet" or another TV programme that was run recently about Noel Fitzpatric.

If anyone can help this dog - he can.

So if they want a second opinion this is the place to take the dog and Noel the owner of the place.

On one of my follow up visits there with Zara (she had a THR) I met a woman who flew her dog from... Oman (!!!) to see Noel.

All the best xx

bugslet

Thanks getting ready, I will mention it to her.

She did go to this place

http://vetspecialists.co.uk/

which she researched and they are very highly recommended.

Now that I have heard a bit more, it seems the GD is in pain, but coping and being stoical. An op would mean she would be caged for about 2 months.

It's one of those situations that whatever you do, it's not going to be good I think.

Fosterdog

It is a tough situation to be in, we thought my girl had a slipped disk and were given mixed feedback on whether an op would be any good, it does depend entirely on how bad it is. Some dogs recover almost fully and the two months cage rest are nothing compared to another 5 years of a happy and healthy dog. Others are no better after the op and the recovery time eats away at what time they do have left.

Eventually X-rays and an MRI ruled out a slipped disk and my girl was diagnosed with CDRM which has no cure. We know she only has a matter of months left but we are managing her pain and doing whatever we can to keep her mobile as long as possible (she now has a doggy wheelchair, she hates wearing it but at the same time she loves being outside and running around which she can no longer do without it)

She is also fecal incontinent and usually doesn't realise she needs to go until she has already half gone, not quite a great dane but as a german shepherd is still not the smallest dog to clean up after. It's not nice for us or her but cleaning up after her is a small price to pay for still having her with us, and at the end of the day we have to clean up after her outside anyway. Luckily she is easy to clean up after with her diet and she is pretty regular and goes at roughly the same times every day so we can manage.

We've had a complete lifestyle change since she got ill, everything is now planned around how we can manage her health, it's not easy but she is worth it. We've even rearranged all of downstairs to make her life easier, hard flooring to make cleaning up easier but with a walkway of rugs everywhere so she can get around, changed a large flowerbed in the garden to a patio and lawn so she has somewhere to go without climbing steps. Taken down the one end of a tiered garden and made it into a gentle slope so she can get to the rest of the garden on good days. She was diagnosed almost two years ago when she was just 4-5 and we were told she would be lucky to last a year. She is gradually declining and her good days are becoming fewer but as long as she still has more good than bad days and any pain is being managed we will keep doing whatever we have to for her.

ClootiesMum

We found Dodgerslist after paralysis of our Dorgi - it's well worth having a look at.

Yes it's American but the advice and information on it was a godsend to us.......we now have a walking Dorgi with no problems - please tell your friend to have a look at the site as this might give some pointers or useful advice.

lostinrates

Fosterdog wrote: »

s. Some dogs recover almost fully and the two months cage rest are nothing compared to another 5 years of a happy and healthy dog. Others are no better after the op and the recovery time eats away at what time they do have left.

This depends so much on the individual dog too though. I have three dogs, and given the same scenario at the same ages I'd make different decisions for them because of their different temperaments and characters. One would cope ok with two months caged, plus she's light and so long as she was with us would be happy, the second would hate it, it would be torture for her. The third would be the hardest to make the decision about I think. Regardless of outcome, which is unknown, character can be a guide to how bearable that recovery time will be for the dog.

bugslet

Thank you clooties, I will pass that on.

Foster dog, you sound very much like my friend, I wish you all the best with your alsation.

lir, both her and Oh feel very much that she doesn't have the temperament for being caged.

The drugs she has been given seem to have perked her GD up and she seems happier today.

Person_one

Is 10 years a realistic expectation of the dog's lifespan? I've only googled very quickly, but the results mostly say 6-8 years is average for a Dane.

Not that it should be the deciding factor, but its an important consideration. Two months isn't much out of 5 years, but out of 1 year or 18 months its a big chunk, and that's assuming everything goes smoothly.

I think if it were me, I might be looking into more conservative ways to manage the pain, I think.