Little Bailey's Back Problem

This afternoon I was running back and forth between vets, with Chance and George at Bill Brown's clinic for chemotherapy (see post below) and little Bailey at Dave Bostwick's clinic for a complete exam.  We wanted to know why Bailey's rear legs don't work right and why his back seems out of whack. 

We also asked Dave to ultrasound his organs, do an echocardiogram of his heart, and run a full blood panel.  (Our usual 'oil/lube/filter' for the old ones.)  We don't have the blood work back yet, but his organs and heart generally looked pretty good.  His bladder has thickened walls, so Dave said we should treat it as a 'presumptive' urinary tract infection and start him on antibiotics.

In the photo Dave is examining Bailey's spine and back.  Dave's hands-on exam combined with X-rays told us what the problem is:  Bailey has a 'transverse thoracic-lumbar myelopathy,' which means his nerve signals are interrupted somewhere between the 3rd thoracic vertebrae and the 3rd lumbar vertebrae.  In other words, it's a slipped disk.  Dave thinks he could tell from the X-ray which disk is causing the problem, but the only way to know for sure is a myelogram. 

The good news is that surgery IS a possible option, and would be done by our veterinary surgeons in Spokane at Veterinary Surgical Specialists, Dr. Howard Lawrence or Dr. Joe Harari.  We will call them tomorrow to discuss Bailey's case.  However, Dave did caution me that if Bailey has lived like this for many years, we may not be able to correct it surgically.

I asked Dave if he thought Bailey was in pain.  He said Bailey didn't seem to act like it, which is what Alayne and I thought, too.  Bailey likes playing with toys, gets very animated about food, and loves to  wrap himself in bedding so he looks like a Saudi prince.  He enjoys being picked up and held, and has never once cried out or yiked.  One explanation, Dave said, is that after several years without treatment, the nerves in the problem area can start becoming numb (a blessed relief, when you think about it).

So at this point we really won't know much more till we get him to Spokane.  We'll keep you posted!

(Click on photo for larger image.)

Comments

[Leigh]

I hope you can get a photo him wrapped up like a Saudi prince. I love how the short legs love to burrow in blankets. Hugs to Bailey he is adorable.

[sarah]

Bailey is adorable!!! I love his little wee body! Can you pretty please post some pics of him playing with toys...

[Karen/ TX]

I can't help but think you should maybe not do surgery on this little guy, until there is no other choice (pain, paralysis). After the hoarder case, the Ranch must be paradise to Bailey, and back surgery on a little, old dachshund so soon after arrival just seems extreme. I think he should just enjoy himself for awhile. Anyway, that is just my feeling.