# Has anyones dog had a bulging disk?



## bayley23 (Jun 6, 2010)

I was wondering if anyone had a Maltese or knew of a Maltese that had a bulging disk? My sister's five year old Maltese was diagnosed a week ago with a bulging disk. He is having trouble with his back legs giving out on him. He is taking anti-inflammatory medicine as well as pain medicine. Anyone have any information on this they could share with me? Thanks!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would get a referral to a neurologist if medication alone does not resolve the issue. Some dogs need surgery. Most do very well with it if the owners follow up with physical therapy after.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

My Bichon had one and it ruptured, causing back leg paralysis. She needed emergency surgery, then physical therapy afterward to lean to walk again. I did the therapy with her, and she was able to regain her ability to walk.


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## bayley23 (Jun 6, 2010)

My sister is taking him back to vet tomorrow. I hope to get some more answers even if it is surgery! Thanks for replying!


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

My Missy had developed multiple disc problems. When found she already had diabetes, bladder cancer, and enlarged heart. All the above were being nicely controlled, but 2 discs were inoperable and the others , though not as bad,...but due to her other health issues and the others not really 'fixable' we opted for pain management.
Since steroids are the greatest for a diabetic pooch we optied for just an injection for initial pain management... then went to "Zubrin" which as similar properties to steroid without the side affects. 
In her case once the initial 'flare-up' was controlled we had to switch back to the NSAID she was on for the bladder cancer as that one seemed to slow down the tumor growth and in some cases even shrunk the tumors so we felt we HAD to get back on that ASAP.
She did have partial paralysis in her right hind leg. I made a body sling for her to take her for potty walks as it helped her somfort when she had to 'squat".
We also had a doggie wheelchair custom made for her and did therapy with that several times a day. She adapted to it quickly... just had to entice her to take a few steps to get a treat and once she found her new found ease of mobility she was happy as a lark in it. It was designed so they can poop/pee while in it and I think it made that 'job' even easier on her than the sling.
I also did massage therapy on her several times a day and one day out of the blue I saw her get up from her little bed and walked across the room USING THE BAD LEG!! 
There's a photo of her in her 'bike' as we called it in my "Angel Missy" siggy .


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