slipped disk?

[binellishtr]

My lab has a suppossed slipped disk, 9yrs old. He stood like a horse for a day and a half and couldn't pick his head up. He's done this 4 or 5 x in his lifetime, but no this bad. Dr said he had a slipped disk and should not hunt anymore.Well i held him out for as long as i could and he hunted and was as good as he ever has been. I don't doubt the vet, but what's a product or pill that will help with arthritis, or joint pain, because it kills this dog to sit at home, and i'd rather him hunt then die a miserable death on the couch.

[g8rvet]

I have a pretty different opinion on this than a lot of vets. Nothing I would recommend would be OTC, so I would suggest maybe a second opinion. See if you can find someone in your area that is known to treat lots of sporting dogs, especially labs. Maybe call a kennel or trainer somewhere near you and see who they use. Tell the new vet of your concerns.

[binellishtr]

what do u think about vitamins for dogs? Gluconjointin(sp)

[D Duck]

what do u think about vitamins for dogs? Gluconjointin(sp)

You mean Glucosomine and Condroiton?

[binellishtr]

yeah..

[Hoss1jjc]

I'm a believer in feeding them vitamins such as G & C, biotin, saw palmetto (yes that's for healthy prostates), etc. but these are for preventative maintenance and probably would not do much to reverse such an injury.
Be careful with any pain killers the vet might prescribe. We had Hoss on a Ketamin, morphine cocktail to relieve the pain of a shattered pelvis.
The PAIN KILLERS CAUSED ULCERS THAT ALMOST KILLED MY DOG.

Go to the grocery and get some artichokes, baby oil, chicken and pasta.

1. cook the artichokes, pasta and chicken to his liking
2. light some candles
3. use the baby oil to give him a sensual deep back rub.

:laughing1

Seriously, the vet told us my dog probably would never work again without extensive reconstructive surgery. long story-->short, we opted out of surgery and just massaged him every day for 6 months. he hasn't missed a duck season since then and that was 5 years ago

[g8rvet]

Glucosamine/Chondroitin has about the same success rate in my patients as humans (around 50% improve). It would probably not help with back injuries because there is not much role in cartilage or joint fluid for the soine articulations. But it would never hurt.

Many patients will improve from herniated disks with no treatment whatsoever, so many many remedies have been proposed as helping when sometimes, they just get better on their own (like acupuncture - may help with chronic pain, but not specicially with herniated disk).

[binellishtr]

happy to report he seems to be doing much better with the time off he's had. We shot snipe in front of him last week,and he did great. I just need to be careful how hard he goes.
I've also made sure to not let him jump from too high of a structure such as a tailgate,and a few other little things. I think he does more damage when the UPS man comes to the house barking then any other thing,but nothing I can do for that.