Dog operation advice

[bluegothic13]

To operate or not to operate, that is the question.

My 9 month old female 75 lb. Lab has a congenital malformed disk in her neck that recently poped, pinched her spinal cord, and paralized her during a walk on Thanksgiving day.

We paid $3200 so far to find out what the cause was. She's walking now but has a neck cast on. She has to have a spinal fusion operation where they screw 2 vertibra together to stabilize the malformed disc.

Operation: $3000 (on top of $3200 spent so far), convelessance: 3-4 weeks in skull cast, recovery time: 4 months with no play with other dogs, lifetime: no rough play with other similar big dogs, as the fusion could break.

Should we say goodbye now and put her to sleep or put her through the operation, recovery, and cautious lifetime?

We love her very much but are torn as what to do. Any opinions??

Thanks.

[borzoimom]

I call Hottie my 10,000 dollar dog. I would not give up a single day with him. And never regretted what I did those years ago. They said at 2 years old he would not make 5 years old- well- he is now 9 YEARS OLD! His eyes tell me he would not have missed a day of being with me in any way, shape, or form...
I know these decissions come to people every day. I do not think we can make it for you. This is a very young dog, with potentially years and years of good health afterwards- if it were me- I would do it.. Some how, some way .. However- in order to let the operation count, the weeks afterwards in the healing process is of the upmost importance.

[borzoimom]

And ask your vet about GlycoFlex 2 or 3. This is given as a bone and muscle support after any bone surgery. It has made a world of difference with Hottie. ( Hottie is the dog in my signature. )

[Giselle]

Oh goodness, that sounds like a horrible situation. My heart goes out to you My first thought was to first and foremost call the breeder. Your breeder should have written a contract that ensured partial or complete responsibility over any congenital defects. If s/he doesn't take any action (i.e. speutering your Lab's parents or contacting the littermates or even just paying part of the bill), I would urge you to take the initiative and make sure your Lab's littermates know that health risks may lay ahead. I would even go so far as to encourage the breeder to end the bloodline if these congenital defects are common in your dog's pedigree.

Secondly, it seems as if you have weighed the pros and cons rather well. The only thing I would suggest is to have a detailed conversation with your veterinarian and possibly getting a second opinion (by a nerve specialist, preferably) about the quality of life your Lab will lead and the chances of success with the operation and recovery. Any operation dealing with nerves is a tricky business and recovery can always go awry. Borzoimom raised a good point. In the long run, money is but a superficial obstacle to maintaining your dog's faithful love and loyalty.

Have you thought about aqua therapy? I've never had much experience with aqua therapy, but it might be a less strenuous option for your Lab. Besides, your vet said no strenuous play with similar large dogs. That doesn't mean your Lab can't have a couple gentle play sessions with smaller, calmer dogs. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a clean cut answer but I hope you can make the right decision for your family and your beloved companion.

[Jakesmom]

I would get a second opinion. In humans, if a cervical disk ruptures and pinches the nerves, the options are to wait and see, or do surgery (pretty much the same surgery you are contemplating). Many people recover fully without surgery, though it often takes several months before any weakness fully recovers. If the fusion fully heals, the dog should be pretty fuctional, though really rough play is probably not a good idea, but running, walks, swimming etc should be fine. Whether or not surgery is indicated depends on pain, neurologic dysfunction, and the anatomy of the involved disk. If the spinal cord is in danger, surgery is usually indicated. If the spinal cord is involved, the dog would have back leg weakness as well as front leg weakness, and bowel/bladder dysfunction.

The other option that worked very well for me (herniated disk, myself) was accupuncture. It helped tremendously with the pain, not so sure it helped the weakness as that took quite a bit longer, but it takes the nerves time to heal.

Good luck!

Jake's mom

[lizbud]

I probably would pay any amount to give my dog a better, pain free
life, but, that's me.

If that's all this puppy needed (9 mos old) & the success rate of the
surgery good, I'd do it. She's still a baby really & can have a good long
life.

[Jakesmom]

The best decision is not always surgery, sometimes it is, sometimes its not. Even if you're willing and able to spend any amount of money, you need to make the best decision about treatment options, and often this takes getting more opinions and reading/learning more about the problem yourself so you can make an informed decision. Your vet will offer their best opinion, but you have to live with the outcome, so you need to feel you made an informed choice.

Jakesmom

[tsteele93]

To operate or not to operate, that is the question.

My 9 month old female 75 lb. Lab has a congenital malformed disk in her neck that recently poped, pinched her spinal cord, and paralized her during a walk on Thanksgiving day.

First thought: I like one of the other suggestions here - get a second opinion. Never hurts!

Operation: $3000 (on top of $3200 spent so far), convelessance: 3-4 weeks in skull cast, recovery time: 4 months with no play with other dogs, lifetime: no rough play with other similar big dogs, as the fusion could break.

Should we say goodbye now and put her to sleep or put her through the operation, recovery, and cautious lifetime?

Lots of "it depends." Can you afford it? What is your home like? Is it an environment where she is able to easily avoid rough play with other dogs, or do you have a pack of big dogs? If you are in a one dog home and she will be indoors or fenced much of her life, then I'd go for it if you can afford the treatment. If you can't afford it, search for charity to help pay for the operation and ask your vet about payment plans.

These are very tough questions when you get to the point where you realize as much as you love your pet, money does matter after all.

I almost got to that with my Pom, although under different circumstances. He was 13 years old and had cancer and I was making decisions that would cost thousands of dollars, and might only give us a couple of months. Those are hard decisions.

We spent quite a bit at the end, but we were spared from the ridiculous $ options by the aggressiveness of the tumor which made it pointless to try radiation and chemo.

We love her very much but are torn as what to do. Any opinions??

I'll say this, I am an animal lover and I understand where those people are coming from that say, "I'll spend whatever it takes to save my buddy..." but I also think you should be told that it is reasonable and fair to reach a point where you cannot go on with treatment.

If you dump a dog at the first sign of trouble, then I don't have much use for you as a person. But in your case, you've clearly made financial and personal sacrifices and if you cannot make any more, you should rest easy with a clear conscience.

I hope you are able to save your lab, but my thoughts and best wishes go out to you either way you decide.

Sincerely,