# neck pain? cant look down



## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

On waking this am I was doing the usual routine, rubbing Nicky's head and neck and he yelped but I couldnt get him to repeat it. With me lying on the bed and Nicky sitting on the bed at my side, I noticed he wouldnt put his head down, kept it up in a 'sniffing' position. This became very noticeable. Normally when I say 'wanna go OUT?' or 'HUNGRY? wanna EAT?', if thats what he wants to do he will alert, go into a play bow and jump off the bed. Not today, his ears pricked, but thats all. We got off the bed and he was walking around like a snob with his head cocked up. A little lethargic. He didnt want to come down the stairs. Facing him, as I started slowly down the stairs, I realized he broke eye contact with me, still looking up or level. I did a few things that normally wouldve gotten his attention, head still up. As I came back up, he didnt make eye contact until I had moved into in his line of sight. Then very tentative coming down the stairs, sitting down on the stair every few steps. It was obvious he wasnt pleased having to go down stairs even tho it was time to EAT. Back legs wobbly, I picked him up in the normal fashion, one arm under his groin and the other through his legs at his chest and he yelped. I palped him all over couldnt get him to yelp again. He kept trying to put his head down to eat and would get halfway there and come back up. I put his bowl up on a milk crate and he ate, tho slower than usual. He was fine last night. Didnt go out in the rain to run around yesterday, just the usual frenetic chasing of the tennis balls that I bounced on the floor. WTF?


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Could he have hurt his neck or back? If so, you'll want to take him to the vet asap, especially if it's not better soon, or seems to be getting worse. The swelling caused by injury can get progressively worse, causing paralysis in some cases.
Here are a couple of links:
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_dg_intervertebral_disc_disease#.UtLpBJ5dXhN

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_multi_neck_back_pain#.UtLprp5dXhN


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Could it be intravertibral disk disease? My minpin had that years ago in his neck and did the same with crying when petting his neck. He was put on anti inflammatories and a glucosamine supplement and did ok after that. Too many years of shake and kill with his toys, probably.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

play it safe. go to the Vet then a specialist. i hope it's nothing
serious. good luck.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Shamrockmommy said:


> Could it be intravertibral disk disease?


I dont know, my MRI machine is on the fritz. :wink: Crap, I hope not. I wouldnt be able to fund that scenario. I read Georgiapeach's links, it doesnt sound like fun. On the bed its obvious he cant get comfortable . I dont know how he wouldve gotten injured yesterday. I hope he shows some improvement tomorrow. 

God, I wish they could talk.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

every once in a while Babs will do the same thing, she will yelp, but I can't replicate it, seems like she has a pain with no reason, I do a little doggie message, maybe a little anti inflammatory, and keep a close eye. she usually improves in a day.
I wake up hurting a lot in the morning for no reason, its from OLD AGE!


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## BeagleCountry (Jan 20, 2012)

I have a dog who is a spinal walking paraplegic and have some knowledge about spinal cord injuries.

No matter the cause of his symptoms he needs to be seen by a vet today. 

First, lets rule out something less serious, vestibular syndrome. Look in his eyes. If there is repeated, uncontrolled rapid eye movement, either side to side or up and down, vestibular syndrome is a good possibility. Dogs with vestibular syndrome do not usually yelp as there is no directly related pain. 

Another possibility is a severe ear infection but that would not cause him to yelp when you lifted him.

The one good sign you mentioned is the noise was a yelp. Dogs with IVDD and/or a spinal cord injury are known to give out a blood curdling scream due to pain. A sound you will never forget.

It is very possible that he has a disc that is pressing against the spinal cord. Due to the location, in the neck, it could be life threatening. The ability to breathe is controlled by the nerves located in the upper region of the spinal cord. This can happen in an instant if the ruptured disc puts any more pressure on the cord. 

Get him in a crate. The only movement is to go outside to potty. No walking except to and from the yard. Use a harness, not a collar. No running, playing or jumping on or off furniture. If you cannot afford a neurologist contact the best vet you know. An x-ray cannot show what is happening next to the spinal cord. It can only give an indication of a herniated disc protruding between the vertebrae. Without thorough diagnostics (MRI) local vets often make the diagnosis and prescribe treatment based on a best guess.

The standard treatment for non-surgical cases is long term (6-8 weeks strict crate rest), pain meds and an anti-inflammatory drug which is usually prednisolone. The meds will make him much more comfortable. Within a few days it will appear as if he is back to normal. He isn't. The meds, especially the pred, is masking the symptoms. The restricted movement must continue to be enforced to allow the body time to heal. Otherwise, you are back to where you are now or worse.

Treat him as if he is a fragile piece of glass that may break at any moment. Do not allow him to jump into the vehicle to go to the vet. Pick him up with his body horizontal. One of your arms securely around his front the other around his rear. If you need help lifting him ask for it.

The first few days to a week are the most difficult. Do not give in to your desire to let him out of the crate. The pred may make him thirsty. You may need to regulate water intake to avoid the constant need to go outside to pee. My boy knew how to use a Lix-it so I could frequently give him small amounts of water. If he has accidents in the crate or on the way to the yard just clean it up. He can't help it.

Do not feel bad because you do not know what caused this. That is the situation for most people with dogs that have spinal cord injuries unless there is a violent accident such as being hit by a car. 

I hope I am wrong. With symptoms as serious as the nose in the air, yelping and obvious signs of pain I would not postpone getting him to the vet. 

Let us know what the vet says and how he is doing.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Rvent said:


> every once in a while Babs will do the same thing, she will yelp, but I can't replicate it, seems like she has a pain with no reason, I do a little doggie message, maybe a little anti inflammatory, and keep a close eye. she usually improves in a day.
> I wake up hurting a lot in the morning for no reason, its from OLD AGE!


What is this old age?

BeagleCountry, you clearly illustrated the potential gravity of the situation. It is more than a little scary, not the least of which is 6 weeks in a crate. The whole thing gives me the chills. Weird thing is today he presents as _completely_ normal, none of yesterday's physical signs. None. Ears look fine (I check them regularly). I dont know about anyone else but I can tell if his ears are buggin him - he shakes his head just 1 or 2 times more than 'usual'. About a year ago, I reached down to grab his collar to keep him from chasing another dog. That contact with his neck made him yelp and I could not replicate it. On examination, he didnt want to turn his head to one side, he could follow the treat to one side but not the other. A friend who is a CCRT/vet tech figured it was just a pulled muscle. A little Metacam and it seemed to resolve in a day or two. 
With its phantom qualities, it makes me wonder if it is something serious lurking in the wings, just waiting...:scared:


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Discussing his posture, my friend the tech said it reminded her of Schiff-Sherrington syndrome.


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## rogerharris (Jun 13, 2013)

Hi friends. Well it quite relieving to know that you pet will get okay in a day or two. Wish you the best of luck.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

I know what I saw and it was pretty dramatic. Ive read lots about neuro and spinal cord disorders from intervertebral disk disease to inflammatory and infectious diseases to nerve sheath tumors and so far I have found nothing that describes the way Nicky presented. I hate unexplained mysteries. Any even wild guesses might offer a clue.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

How is he? still having the neck pain?


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

It was gone the next day and he's been fine since.


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## Taser (Mar 14, 2013)

You might want to try a canine chiropractor. A simple adjustment can do wonders for a dog.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

Finally, after 2 pages someone (Tasar thank you), mentioned canine chiropractic. My vet also does chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. 
Dogs are similar to people, the smallest movement done wrong can throw things out of whack!
If it were me, I would have a treatment or two done. 
Don't think it's the worst before you rule out a simple misalignment.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Well it happened again. Perfectly fine, lays on his bed. Gets up from bed and I immediately notice he walking stiff with his head up. I had to put his bowl on a milk crate again. Obviously in distress. I called the vet and he wasnt impressed, kinda a generic response. Pulled a muscle, trauma, etc. I gave him 50mg Tramadol on the vet's advice. I gave him 2, eight hours apart. He was being very tentative about everything, he wouldnt walk up the stairs so I carried him. Then he sat on the bed just dying to lay down but every time he tried, he aborted the attempt. He yelped when I tried to guide his head onto a pillow to keep it elevated. Once again I papled his neck and shoulders and got no response. I crossed my fingers and fell asleep. This am, same as last time, perfectly fine, like it never happened. Somebody said maybe lyme disease...He has had the vaccine so he'll always test positive. It happens so infrequently a run of doxy wouldnt be very diagnostic. Once again its the big Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Shamrockmommy said:


> Could it be intravertibral disk disease? My minpin had that years ago in his neck and did the same with crying when petting his neck. He was put on anti inflammatories and a glucosamine supplement and did ok after that. Too many years of shake and kill with his toys, probably.


Did someone say IVDD? Over a week ago after running around in the woods like he was bullet proof, he seemed a little lame which is normal because of his TTA knee. Some hours later I went to pet him while he was lying in his bed and the yelps he let go sounded like he was in awful distress, it was killin me. It seemed like he reacted that way no matter where I touched him. I gave him a 50mg tramadol and picked him up to carry him up the stairs and he sounded like he was being tortured. >_< In bed he just sat up because (I assume) it was too painful to go from sitting to laying down. The next morning, I hoped it had gone away like the last 2 times but that was not the case. When I was carrying him down the stairs, I dont know who it was hurting more, him or me. I took him to the vet and of course he had a miraculous recovery. Actually he was so amped up (I think its the gourmet treats they have there) you coulda dropped a side of beef on him and he wouldnt have noticed. She asked his age and when I said 9 1/2, she did a double take and had to look at the chart. She said she was gonna guess 2. He gets that a lot. My stock answer is "Its the fish oil". It was the same with Java.










She wasnt getting any reaction from him and she was about to ask me to pick him up so she could see where it hurt when she put some pressure on a vertebrae and got a reaction. She said the one where the last rib meets the spine (Im not sure if that is thoracic or lumbar). Then she said the words "inter-vertebral disc disease". She said it didnt seem so bad and that some dogs end up being orthopedic nightmares. She put him on Deramaxx, 1/2 a 75mg tablet every 24 hours. Of course before bedtime, he was as good as new and has had no further signs since then, 9 days ago.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

That is terrible, but good that you know what it is. Acupuncture works wonders for these type of issues, it has helped Babs & Macy a lot, Babs runs around like a 5 year old... insurance pays for the treatment


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

He's not on Trifexis is he? Just a thought.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Rvent said:


> That is terrible, but good that you know what it is. Acupuncture works wonders for these type of issues, it has helped Babs & Macy a lot, Babs runs around like a 5 year old... insurance pays for the treatment



How bad does Babs have it?


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

thegoodstuff said:


> How bad does Babs have it?



How bad does Babs have what??? Right now we are going through a lot with her


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Rvent said:


> How bad does Babs have what??? Right now we are going through a lot with her


IVDD



Rvent said:


> That is terrible, but good that you know what it is. Acupuncture works wonders for these type of issues, it has helped Babs & Macy a lot, Babs runs around like a 5 year old... insurance pays for the treatment


I thought thats what she was getting the acupuncture for


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