B Point Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Yes..we moved from "guarded" to "promising" as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Promising is certainly better than guarded! Yay for Tio and you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Wonderful news! For both of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Just to bump up the mojo - sending mojo to Quinn for continued improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Sometimes it takes a long time for a serious injury to heal. I snapped a tendon in my knew one time. I was in a brace for only about 6 weeks but it was months before it healed up. Now its completely fine. Did they put your dog on antibiotics? The reason I ask is that I read somewhere that something like 60% of people back problems heal themselves if people are put on a course of antibiotics. Don't know if that is true but I know that most human back injuries will heal themselves over time. Surgery on humans is often not successful. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippin's person Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Liz, glad to hear that Quinn is improving and just wanted to add my crossed fingers that this continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Thanks for the well wishes, mojo and crossed fingers! Quinn continues to improve as we are titrating down on the pred. He has not been prescribed antibiotics. Interesting about that possibly being helpful for humans with back injuries. He is walking on his own and most of the time gets down the step from the house before I can start to help him. I still steady him when he pees, but that may or may not be necessary. He wants to move faster than I can keep up with (I have a very gimpy knee). I may switch him from the more cumbersome new harness to his walking harness this weekend since he really doesn't seem to need much in the way of support. I am letting him lie at my feet while on a leash a couple hours a day, which I think he appreciates although I am almost always in the same room when he is crated in the living room or bedroom. I really want to brush him and grind his nails but am unsure about what might hurt him. Mainly, I am keeping him as quiet as possible. The fact that he is being very cooperative with such restricted activity tells me he has a lot of healing left to do, but I am just so thrilled with how far he has come. Thanks again for your support. All my dogs are special to me, of course, but Quinn has been a consistent source of sunshine in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 So glad to hear another good report about Quinn!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted July 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Thanks, Mara. Tonight he made me laugh when I put his walking harness on him. He gave himself a small shake, then snapped his teeth at me a few times, something he only does when he is happy and the first time he has "snapped" at me since his injury. So I think he approved the change of gear. Or else he was telling me to get moving with his dinner. One of the many things I love about Quinn is how he makes me laugh every day with his antics. It was great to see that sly sense of humor and laugh "with" him again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Aw. That's so good to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Or both, Liz. Get going with the walk AND the dinner! Quinn has his priorities straight. It's good to read that he's coming back to himself. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 So happy to hear things are getting better for the Quinn man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 Dogs are amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 How has Quinn been doing recently, Liz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Thanks for asking! As a matter of fact, I just took Quinn to the vet yesterday for a recheck. Tomorrow will be 5 weeks from when he was injured. The vet was happy to see him walking but "disappointed" that a month later, there are neurological deficits in both back legs, with the left being worse. He said this could improve over time or stay the same. He said since we don't actually know what happened to Quinn a month ago, keeping him from any high impact exercise is the wisest choice. So he agrees with my preventing him romping too much or jumping on/off furniture. Quinn’s last dose of pred was a couple days ago and we are going to see how he does without it. I think Quinn had more strength in his rear with the pred but the vet would like him off of it. I asked about taking him to a clinic that offers chiropractic, acupuncture and laser therapy. The vet was fine with me doing that but doesn’t put much stock in chiropractic or laser therapy. He admitted to being intrigued by acupuncture and I figure it certainly won’t hurt to at least do a consult with a vet who deals with spinal issues on a very regular basis. Quinn’s weight was down almost a pound and he has been licking surfaces again, so we did another B-12 & Folate test to see how his levels are. His last B 12 shot in a series of 6 was 2 weeks ago. Anyway, despite being a bit unsteady in the back Quinn has a good attitude and has become less compliant about being on restricted activity (he is especially resentful at times about not being allowed on furniture). I take these things as a good sign and am being patient as we go down this path of healing together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 I found with Tilly's B-12 and folate issues, it took a lot longer needing the B-12 shots than the vet had anticipated. He'd put her on a series of 4 or 5 shots initially, then the problems came back and he did a 6 shot series (one shot every 2 weeks). Again, her issues returned after a while (sorry, I can't remember just how long). I have a friend from back where I used to live who's a holistic vet. Was talking to her about it and she suggested just doing B-12 shots long term and she sent be a huge vial. It's cheap. It cost twice as much to ship it as the vial cost. So I'd just been giving Tilly B-12 shots very 2 weeks for a couple years. I could always tell if she was overdue by a couple days because she'd start vomiting again. She's finally gotten to the point where if I forget there's no problem, but I do still give her the shots, just in case. There's no problem if her body doesn't need it anymore; excess B vitamins are excreted in the urine, so no concern abut overdosing or build up. I'm sorry to hear that Quinn's still having problems with his back legs. Hopefully tincture of time will still help. Cold laser therapy has been FDA approved for humans, so there is empirical evidence that it works. Double blind studies have proven that acupuncture is helpful in human arthritis of the knee (not that other areas wouldn't be beneficially affected as well, it's just where they chose to do the studies), and the AMA has endorsed chiropractic for years. (I don't know what I'd do without it myself.) So it sounds to me like your vet needs to get with the times. Continued best wishes for Quinn, and you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Chiropractic is indicated in humans for lower back pain, no good evidence it works for anything else. And over all the double blind studies there appears to be no clinically significant (read:useful) difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. While individual studies may show an effect it's important to look at the overall balance of the evidence. But of course negative studies are less sexy than positive ones so they don't get reported as much. I didn't realise the AMA endorsed chiropractic. I know that until they were forced to change their position in 1980 (lawsuit because they were thought to be illegally discouraging competition) it was their position that it was unethical for a physician to associate with a chiropractor, or refer to them for any reason. There was an article in their journal which was interpreted as endorsing chiropractic because it said, well, I'll paste it: 'Many treatments are available for low back pain. Often exercises and physical therapy can help. Some people benefit from chiropractic therapy or acupuncture. Sometimes medications are needed, including analgesics (painkillers) or medications that reduce inflammation. Surgery is not usually needed but may be considered if other therapies have failed.' Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but if you have another source for a different statement I'd be interested to know. Edit: found some research on cold laser therapy for ruptured discs in dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 I have had excellent results with a rehab vet--gentle strengthening and propioception exercises can go a long way towards improving function and preventing future problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 I am not aware of any rehab vets in the area. I did make an appointment for next week at the other clinic, asking for a chiropractic consult. I have used chiropractic myself in the past and found it very helpful, as well as seeing my dogs move better and seem in less discomfort after adjustments. I am open to the other therapies. Mainly I am interested in seeing what the chiropractic vet thinks and suggests. I feel a bit like I am operating blind here with some different options but not seeing a clearly superior choice for helping Quinn. I really am not crazy at how he is walking now that he is off the pred, but he seems happy enough and is being sneaky/naughty about getting on the sofa if he thinks he can get away with it. I sure do hope we can get continued improvement. If this is the best he can do, I can live with it. Considering the on call vet had me thinking I would be putting him down, I am thrilled to have my pal walking at my side, happy and even a tad disobedient. I just want him as well and sound as he can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 You can search for a rehab vet here: https://www.rehabvets.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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