Tips for at home care of a Neck disc

Home IVDD neck care includes owners knowing the extra things to help with cervical neck pain during a current disc episode.

Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) is a disease a dog is born with and can involve any of the 27 intervertebral discs whether in the neck or in the back. Although premature aging of the discs begins while the dog is still technically a puppy (by age one), most dogs will not show symptoms of a disc problem until they are between 3 and 7 years old.

The treatments for a disc episode are the same no matter whether the affected disc(s) is a cervical disc or another disc lower down in the spine:  conservative treatment or surgery. A disc problem in the neck can be more painful and may take longer to resolve because a dog moves its head with almost all body movements. That constant movement means that healing can take longer because the neck doesn’t get the necessary rest. Conservative management is successful in 2/3 of dogs with a cervical disc episode, while 1/3 require surgery to physically remove the offending disc material. Make at home IVDD neck care part of the things you do.

With neck episodes, neuro diminishment may include some weakness in the front limbs…the dog might slip while trying to walk. NOTE: with a neck disc, while not as common, the back legs can also be affected, even to the point of needing a rear end sling

• DIY Idea to be used as a front leg sling for support: http://www.lyonpuffpetsit.com/htmlslp/sling.html
• NOTE: option–use a beach towel and cut leg holes for a front leg sling.
• DIY Figure 8 rear end sling kinder to the male anatomy:

Tips for at home IVDD neck care during a current disc episode in addition to the 8 weeks of 100% STRICT rest 24/7 (only out of the recovery suite for a very, very few footsteps at potty time) of conservative treatment:

1. Raise food and water bowls to head height to avoid bending down to eat and drink. This is one of the easiest at home IVDD neck care things you can do which can really help!
2. If you feed kibble, moisten each meal with equal parts water and kibble. Store in the fridge overnight to soften and rehydrate. Before serving, warm slightly in microwave, just to take the chill off. This will eliminate pain from crunching kibble.
3. No chew treats or Kongs during recovery. Chewing on them makes the head and neck move a lot and can disrupt the healing process of the disc, causing more pain and more time to heal the disc.
4. Pain meds must be adjusted to give full, round-the-clock 24/7 pain relief.
5. Properly adjusted meds are the first line in getting pain under control. An adjunct of acupuncture and laser light therapy in severe cases may help resolve inflammation and pain.
6. Your dog may like a pillow or rolled-up blanket or bolster where he can choose to rest his head on or lean against. Mary’s tip: warm up lightweight, 100%-synthetic fleece in the dryer to drape over shoulders/neck for coziness.
7. When you are at home to supervise, place a non-slip mat on a sturdy table, and place the recovery suite on top of it. Now there is no need for your dog to raise the head to look at you or watch the world from his recovery suite.
8. During conservative treatment, any time out of the recovery suite is a dangerous time for the healing disc. Movement of the back/neck can increase a disc tear and the escape of disc material into the spinal cord. Seek out mobile vets for house calls with acupuncture or laser therapies.
9. For an animal with very mild neuro deficits, the risk of a transport to therapy has to be carefully weighed against what benefit is to be gained. OPTION: Find an acupuncture vet who does home visits to avoid back/neck moving during transports. For transport to only the most necessary and valuable of visits, pad out the recovery suite’s extra space snug around your dog with a rolled-up towel/blanket to prevent body shifts during braking or cornering.