Lumbosacral spondylosis

[VomBlack]

My 9-10 year old GSDx Harley was diagnosed over a year ago with lumbosacral spondylosis when I was noticing some lameness in her back end. We tried physical therapy but towards the end it seemed to make her more stiff than it helped so I decided to discontinue that.

We've tried Rimadyl, Previcox, Gabapentin, and Dasuquin with little or no effect. I can't give her Tramadol because she's on Clomipramine for anxiety. Since the back isn't exactly a joint it also puts a limit to what'll be effective for her.

We did a senior panel a few months ago and found she was severely hypothyroid and she's on Soloxine for that, and while it has helped her activity level some the lameness is still there. We can only do short walks before she'll start scuffing her back feet as she walks and her gait becomes uneven, almost as if her hips were bothering her (they looked great in the x-rays). One of the vets at work suggested it may be a nerve issue if pain meds aren't fixing anything, which may be harder to treat.

Does anyone else have a senior with this condition? Has anything you tried been helpful? I'm very open to the idea of finding a holistic way of managing the lameness, as she doesn't seem to be overly painful when her back end is manipulated, but if I can at least help the lameness i'd like to give it a shot.

Here's a picture of the old lady in question:

[vomonyxhaus]

My dog Rex had this... he wasn't in pain from it it just made him weak in the back end..... He was 15 and 5 days when he passed....
He would still try to run up the stairs (he was a fast old coot) before you could get there to help him( independent as a hog on ice... as my Mom would call it...LOL) ... sometimes he made it sometimes he would fall over...... I did have him on glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM it may have helped a little but it was more the spine collapsed on the nerves was the main problem... But my boy was never painful from it just weakness in the rear.... He was about 13 when he started showing signs... thought it was the hips maybe due to his age... nope... vet said his hips were that of a 4 yr old and looked perfect!!!! His spine had degenerated and was pressing on the nerves......
Not sure if that helps or not..... Good luck with your pup....

[VomBlack]

That sounds like what is happening to her, she doesn't seem too painful but the back end you can tell is getting weak. She was about 8 when we caught it though she was a rescue and her age is just a good guess. The nerve issue was brought up last time I had her checked out and sadly that sounds like what may be going on.

Not many people had heard of this, it's nice to have someone who can relate to it. Thank you.

[Chicagocanine]

My Golden Retriever Ginger had severe bridging spondylosis. She also had DJD in her hips and arthritis in her hips and wrists. She was diagnosed with spondylosis at 7 years old and by the time she was 9 or so the bridging involved much of her back. She could got curve her back really at all. However she was still running and jumping some and could go on 3+ mile walks. The only time I ever had to reduce her exercise is after she had a (negative) bone biopsy at 11, even after healing she still limped on the front leg where the biopsy was taken at times...

My vet attributed her exercise and good condition as a big reason she was able to get around so well.

Some of the things I did with her which seemed to help:
Acupuncture
Chiropractic
Water treadmill hydrotherapy
Massage


Supplements:
Syn-Flex joint supplement
Vitamin C
Salmon oil
Duralactin
DLPA
Dog Gone Pain (not sure if this helped)

Eventually I also used Metacam with her if she seemed sore, but I didn't have to start use that very often until she was 11 or so.



Here is a photo of Ginger lure coursing at 10 years old:

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Welcome from WNY!

I will post more later, but I thought Adequan, when it works on a dog, was just incredible! Within two weeks of loading I could put my hand and push on his formerly mushy back end, and it wouldn't go anywhere.

I used that in conjunction with Synovi G3 and then some other stuff rotated around.

She's adorable!

Manufacturer website: http://www.adequancanine.us
A consumer's website: http://www.caberfeidh.com/Adequan.htm

[LisaT]

Ahhhh, she's a beautiful girl

I would definitely try acupuncture, chiropractic and supplements. First thoughts are G/C as mentioned above, cetyl myristoleate and alpha lipoic acid.

Unfortunately, this board sees too much of this type of diagnosis. Others will most likely post later, and if I recall, some links were added on this in the sticky at the top of the health forum.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Getting out the "Adequan rules" pictures! This was Kramer at almost 16 (and who knew-with a big old tumor going on) running after his Adequan shot. This was November or December, 2008.


He did chiro/acupuncture in the summer of 08 and being a nut, thought he was way more flexible than he was, and ended up hurting himself. At that time, I let him try Metacam (fear of NSAIDs-mine) because you can dose that by weight-so I could give him 15# under his actual weight if that worked...and taper down. That worked really well and then stopped it once he was better.

With the Synovi G3, I'd rotate through different other stuff like hyaluronic acid, the C-M, coconut oil, and anything he'd take willingly. I stayed away from things, as much as possible, with proprietary (secret ) ingredients. He couldn't tolerate Tramadol. Made him woozy. OH! And DMG by VetriScience. No idea what that does...but I like it.

He got his Adequan for I believe 3 years, every 2-3 weeks.

I liked where he went for the chiro/accupuncture and feel like the accupuncture was good for him, the chiro not so much. I went here with a former foster (she's getting a prosthetic leg!) http://www.thera-vet.com/canine-feline-services.php and would take a dog there as well.

But again, his hind end went from sagging to strong after the loading dose. If it works for a dog, it really is great.

[VomBlack]

Oh yes, Theravet! I love them, that's where Harley went, as well as a GSD I had fostered. I was thinking of giving them a call to see if Odin could get some swim time in the underwater treadmill, they have a (new?) puppy program thing.

Unfortunately Har wasn't too comfortable there and she hates water so no tradmill for her, and I don't know how she'd do with accupuncture or chiropractic work. I forgot about Adequan, i'll have to look into that. Thanks!

[Chicagocanine]

My terrier mix Pooch was not a big fan of water but with all the treats we gave him while on the water treadmill he got used to it, and it helped him SO much that I kept it up. Pooch had FHO hip surgery and was in rehabilitation for that for over a year due to complications, and then we continued the therapy after that to keep up his muscle tone. He would still bark and carry on sometimes if you didn't keep the treats coming fast enough...

Pooch also did not like vets or shots (or being touched by strangers much either) but he tolerated the chiropractor and the acupuncture. Once the acupuncture needles were in, he always relaxed a lot which was not something he'd normally do in a vet office!

Ginger being a water-loving Golden who also loved the vet and would wag her tail when she got a shot had no problem with any of it. :P

[natalie559]

Originally Posted By: LisaT and if I recall, some links were added on this in the sticky at the top of the health forum.

Sure were- go check them out! My Penny's post is included in the link, she's only 5 and suffers from the same condition. Wobbly rear end, scuffs feet and an occasional yelp while lifting her.