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I am concerned about my sisters dog. He suddenly developed pain
and weak ness in one leg. The vet said he has a slipped disc which is common in hounds (he is slightly overweight and a couch potato) .The vet did not do a xray. The dog, Sparky, was started on steroids and a medication to protect his stomach (zantac?) from the steroids. He was in pain over the weekend (moans and restless) The vet started him on a muscle relaxant today. His activities are restricted - no jumping up or jumping on the couch. It is heart breaking to hear this. does anyone have experience with this?

>>I am concerned about my sisters dog. He suddenly developed pain
>>and weak ness in one leg. The vet said he has a slipped disc which is common in hounds (he is slightly overweight and a couch potato) .The vet did not do a xray. The dog, Sparky, was started on steroids and a medication to protect his stomach (zantac?) from the steroids. He was in pain over the weekend (moans and restless) The vet started him on a muscle relaxant today. His activities are restricted - no jumping up or jumping on the couch. It is heart breaking to hear this. does anyone have experience with this?

>>>>>>>>>>

Tell the owner to be absolutely meticulous about restricting the activity. Otherwise the dog is more likely to need surgery and/or to end up permanently paralyzed. That restricted activity--NO RUNNING and NO JUMPING whatsoever--on leash or in crate 100% of the time--is CRITICAL. Make SURE she understands that. You can spare this dog some real agony with that care. Do it for the full length of time recommended by the vet.

I understand the vet not doing an x-ray, because I don't think x-ray will show this structure. I think it requires an MRI or something. CAT Scan might work--I'm fuzzy on all the bells and whistles. I just know that the structures involved don't show up well on x-ray. I had a dog with a bulging cervical disk we managed with great success for the 4 more years he lived, and the vet never x-rayed it, either.

She will of course need to slim the dog down. Do not plan on doing this with exercise. Do it with diet, and not by going to a "diet" dog food. That tends to cause new problems, like fecal incontinence, skin problems, etc. Instead, figure out how much he is getting, weigh him, cut the total food by 25%, divide into three meals a day, and weigh him again in two weeks. If he's losing slowly (1/2 to 1 pound in that time), keep that amount and weigh at least once a month. If he's losing too rapidly or too slowly, adjust the amount.

You don't want to starve weight off a dog rapidly, because that can interfere with his immune system and healing ability. You also don't want to plan on running the weight off him, because that kind of plan never seems to work in the long run. Plus, he's not up to hard exercise anyway.

Dogs enjoy the smell of food and the experience of getting a little something-something. They don't have a very good concept of how much they are getting. So give small amounts. For treats, TINY amounts. Beagles love to eat, and we now use food a lot in training. That doesn't have to mean a fat dog. And of course this dog's back is going to last a lot longer and hurt a lot less if he loses that fight. But easy does it.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Kathy's advice is greyt, but I'd also like to suggest accupunture to help ease the pain. We do that with my 12 year old greyhound who has pinched discs and it does wonders for her.
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Melody/PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.

an experience chiropractor that is avca certified should also be able to help with this.
http://www.avcadoctors.com/search_for_avca_certified_doctor.htm