TheBanyanTree: Now for the good news

[Laura]

Ziggydog went in for x-rays this morning.  He was some better last night
after the meds, but not lots.  The pain medicine they gave him made him
stagger worse than the pain, so it was hard to tell what was happening with
him.  The second dose I gave him under the skin instead of in the muscle,
and that seemed to help.  He stayed in his crate all night, and when I let
him out to go potty, he seemed a little better.  He still didn't want to put
his tail up, but he was walking ok. Still, I figured that having a base line
set of rads couldn't hurt, and if there was anything bad in there, I'd
rather know now than later.

X-rays turned out fine.  There was one disc space that looked a little
funny, but after the dr. and I both looked closely at it, we're pretty sure
it was a rib shadow.  All the disc spaces were nice and even, no narrowed
spaces, no obvious calcification.  All that is good!  Odds are, he has a
"slipped" disc.  That means that one of the soft discs that cushions the
vertebrae has sort of slid out of place, and may be pressing against the
spinal cord slightly.  While this is not good, it is better than a herniated
disc.  Slipped discs can be treated medically, herniated discs usually end
up requiring surgery.

So for now, Ziggy is on complete cage rest (which he will hate, and as soon
as he wakes up from the sedation they gave him for the x-rays, I expect him
to start whining), with steroid therapy.  No walks, no jumping up on the
couch or bed, no chasing the ball, no running the fence with the neighbor
dogs.  If over the next few days he starts to show marked improvement, then
we'll know the treatment is working, and he'll have to endure the boredom
for another two and a half weeks.  Still - three weeks of cage rest versus
major back surgery.... I pick the cage rest!!

Thanks for the mojo - nobody can tell me that mojo isn't magical!!

-- 
Laura
wolfljsh at gmail.com
http://wolfsinger.wordpress.com