Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Feeding, training and healthcare for our older furry bearded friends.
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zeta1454
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Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by zeta1454 »

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This is Kaska one of our mini schnauzers - he is now almost 11 years old. He had enjoyed a happy and healthy life until a year ago when he started dragging his back paws when he walked. The dragging was so bad he tore the claws down to the quick. We took him to the local vets who did an X-ray and said there was no evidence of a problem. We then took him to the Animal Referral Centre near Rotherham where he saw a consultant and was given an MRI scan. This revealed that in the past he had had 3 slipped discs which had not been diagnosed when he had been taken to the vets with back soreness (this is about 8-9 years ago so maybe methods of diagnosis was not too good then? Clearly X-rays are not the best way to pick up this kind of problem.) As the original injury was so long ago the discs had eventually calcified and had started pressing into the spinal cord and cutting off the nerve pathways in 3 places. Given Kaska's age and the fact there were 3 separate injuries, the consultant said he could try operating on one but there was no guarantee of success and there was a possibility of actually paralysing him. We decided to try and manage his disability instead and initially took Kaska to a Canine Hydrotherapy cerntre near York.

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The staff there were excellent and I would highly recommend them for any dog in the area needing hydrotherapy but it did not work out for Kaska - he hated the whole experience! He had never liked water, baths ..well anything to do with water really! The staff recommended we saw a physiotherapist who was also very helpful and she did actually say that for Kaska's problem weight bearing exercise was better so the supported hydrotherapy would not have been ideal as it allowed him to let his back legs hang in the water instead of using them. Following the advice of the physiotherapist we did various exercises with Kaska to try and keep the messages going between his brain and his back legs for as long as possible. We bought him some toughened boots to protect his back paws when he walked and we also had him fitted for a custom-made set of wheels for when things got worse. That was a year ago and happily despite various pessimists who thought we should have had Kaska euthanased he is still going strong although he now has to use the wheels on all his walks outside. He can still move on all 4 legs but cannot put any weight on the back without falling down, he also falls if he turns too quickly but, thanks to the wheels he can still enjoy his walks, chase the cat and go to the toilet without falling down. His health in every other respect is fine and he has not needed any medication until just recently due to the added strain on his front legs he now has Metacam and the homeopathic remedy Arnica to relieve pain.

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I don't know if anyone else has experienced this kind of problem with their schnauzer? I would be happy to share any of our experiences.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by henrys mum »

I haven't had any experience of this with any of my dogs so far and I don't know how common it is. But you only have to look at the last photo to see he's enjoying himself :)
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Stacey100
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by Stacey100 »

Hi

My boy Murf suffered a similar thing when he was 9 years old, he is now 11.5. He had a collapsed disc which caused nerve damage and the very base of his spine near his tail and he lost the use of his back legs in a similar way to your boy.

I thought I was going to lose him but I decided to go ahead with major spinal surgery at the cost of £4.5K and luckily for all of us it was successful and he re-gained the use of his back legs, he still has a weak back leg and the muscle is wasted and won't ever get back to normal and he has leg tremor in that one leg now but he can manage well enough,he can be blown over with a feather though but doesn't need any assistance to move about, he can trot along quite happily and somehow manage a hopping gallop when he wants too, he has good days and bad days but that's his age catching up with him now to I think but all things considered we were very lucky with him indeed.

I understand what you and your lad have gone though, very difficult time to deal with isn't it.xx
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by august23 »

He looks really happy in the last photo, & that's what counts.
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by Dianep »

Go Kaska!!! I think he needs some racing stripes on his wheels though! What a great boy, lovely image of him chasing the cat (dogrun)
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Suzie
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by Suzie »

Lovely photos, I'm so glad you were able to help him. He really does look perfectly content :)
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by Sianny »

I saw a dog running around like mad with wheels at Wepre Park when I lived in North Wales, he looked so happy! Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story. If any of us have to consider this, at least we know there's hope :-)
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by hula-hoop »

He does look happy in that last pic, and that speaks volumes! Well done for sticking to your guns and doing the right thing by your dog. What a fab boy he is.
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by barneybear1 »

Bless him he looks like he is vey happy
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by Oddie »

May I ask where you got the wheels? My schnauzer is on the road to needing them!
Thank you
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zeta1454
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Re: Slipped disc and spinal cord damage in mini schnauzer

Post by zeta1454 »

Oddie wrote: 20 Jun 2021, 17:07 May I ask where you got the wheels? My schnauzer is on the road to needing them!
Thank you
Hello Cynthia and welcome to the Forum :)

So sorry to hear that your mini may be needing wheels soon. We got ours made by Dog Mobile Ltd in Bridlington ( a retired engineer I think working from home) but it was 10 years ago so I am not sure whether he is still working on these. He doesn’t have a website but if you search on Google under ‘Dog Mobile Ltd Bridlington’ you should be able to find the contact details. I would highly recommend the man who made them as he was very helpful and the wheels were excellent.

Do get back in touch with me on the Forum or by PM or email if you need any other information.
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