Laminectomy, or no, for my sweet little Corgi. Please help.

[Quakerfriend]

My beautiful, 7 yr old, little boy suddenly became paralyzed in his hind quarters last night. We don't know exactly how, but it seems that he has probably herniated a disc.

His Xrays look good. We have been told that he needs an MRI to tell for sure if it is a disc problem. And, then the vet wants to take him in for a 'lami', assuming it is the disc.
The surgical route has a "75-85%" chance of success, as he still has deep pain sensation in his hind legs. The cost would be ~5K in total.

We decided to bring him home while we decide what to do. It was only after we told the vet that this was our decision that she told us that he might be 'medically' managed- meaning that he still has some chance of recovery without doing surgery.

He is on steroids and pain meds and we are carrying him around.

Does anyone have any experience with such a situation. I would be so appreciative of any feedback anyone might offer. :cry:

[japple]

1. Dear Quakerfriend, so sorry for your little dog's distress.

I don't know anything about back problems, but am sending healing energy your way and hope your corgi's medical problems can be resolved. :hug:

[Suziq]

2. My Molly and Her Experience with Disc Disease

My 7 year old doxie, Molly, developed intervertebral disc disease almost 3 years ago. We took her to the best animal hospital in New York City. The only options we had were to either put her down or surgery. Putting her down was NOT an option. There was the possibility that she could walk after the surgery. She almost didn't survive the surgery, she was so sick. She spent 6 days in the hospital. No words could describe how my heart was breaking. :cry:

Molly was my second doxie to have disc problems. My Misty was also about 5 years old when she was rushed to the same hospital for back surgery. Fortunately, she was walking the next day.

My heart goes out to you and your little boy. :hug: If I remember correctly (I was a little freaked out), they only gave Molly a 35% chance of walking after the surgery (still worth a try), so your baby is definitely better off. I would definitely go with the surgery, especially after the great results I had with Misty.

[Neecy]

3. every dog is different ---

I had a Dalmation who had a similar problem - her back legs were completely immobile and she couldn't walk. Due to her age the chances of making it through surgery didn't look great so we went to our last available option and took her to a vet who specializes in acupuncture.

After her first treatment (we took her twice a week for several months, then weekly, then twice a month) she was on her paws again, albeit shakily. After about a month she was doing really well - she could never run, but she at least could motor around the yard fairly well. I was really shocked - I thought for sure we'd have to put her to sleep, but this vet really extended her life. She died last September from kidney disease, but thanks to this vet she had an additional year of quality life. It's worth a shot - you'll know fairly quickly if your Corgi responds to the treatment.

Good luck with the little guy and keep us posted ---