Acupuncture Anyone?

Well, my sweet little Bandit-dog isn’t doing very well. He hurt his back just before the Thanksgiving holiday and he has been having trouble getting around. Dan and I have hauled him into the vet every week since his first collapse in the kitchen, but he's still not 100%. He is taking three different medications and has had several rounds of acupuncture treatments at the vet’s office. Yes, acupuncture! Strange huh? When we dragged him in to the vet's office, I didn't know what the doctor would do for him and acupuncture was quite the surprise. Anyhoo, like I said, he seems to be doing somewhat better, but we'll see how it goes. Right now, Bandit is taking only nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). He was taking Carprofen (a/k/a Rimadyl), but our vet switched him to Deracoxib (a/k/a Deramaxx) today. He is also taking Tramadol (an oral analgesic/opiate-type drug with Codeine) and NaturVet ArthriSoothe Chondroitin and Glucosamine. Deracoxib is basically doggy Vioxx.

So, after a set of x-rays, acupuncture, and two different types of medication, our vet has confirmed that Bandit, indeed, has osteoarthritis in his lower back and that he also has two pinched nerves. He basically has no feeling in either of his back legs and, because his rear end is so out of whack, he now has a pinched nerve in his neck which is causing him to loose control of his front left leg, as well. Thankfully, he has not collapsed in over a week now, but he's still super wobbly and dragging his left back and front feet. He goes back on Sunday for more acupuncture, as does Scout (he’s showing early signs of osteoarthritis, as well). The acupuncture really seems to help the both of them.

At the present time, we're basically just trying to reduce and control the inflammation in Bandit’s spine and keep him from slipping a disc (or throwing out a front elbow) and get him through the winter. This, of course, should prove to be rather challenging since everything has been iced over off and on for the past three weeks and because more snow is on its way! So, other than all that, we're doing pretty okay, but we're just taking things day by day. Our vet, who has cared for the boys since they were eight weeks old, has also given us the name of a doggy chiropractor and an emergency surgeon. The soonest we could get Bandit in to see the chiropractor is February 9th (the chiropractor is not accepting any new clients until after the first of the year) and the surgeon is apparently one of the best in the state. Our vet says that if Bandit looses complete control of one, two, or all four legs that we need to get him to the surgeon immediately for emergency back surgery! Yikes! Let’s cross our fingers for the chiropractor! If you’re curious, here's a link to a YouTube video showing a canine chiropractic adjustment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu6PPjhxDQI This is basically the adjustment that Bandit will receive.

As you might expect, it is very hard for me to see Bandit in such bad shape, but he's such a little trooper and remains the same happy smiling dog that he’s always been. The only thing that gives me any solace is the fact that he isn't crying or whimpering in pain. Basically, he doesn't have any feeling in his limbs (because of the pinched nerves), so he isn't hurting. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because he's not hurting, but bad because he doesn't know he's hurting and tries to keep up with the three other maniacs that live in this house!

Our vet also said that I should start giving Coenzyme Q10 to Scout each day for his heart. Apparently he was born with a murmur or arrhythmia of some sort, but it's never really been of concern to her until now. After all that, she gently reminded me that both Scout and Bandit are getting up there in years and that 10 and ½ years is a lot of years for a set of blue heelers. I then promptly reminded her that she once told me that I should get a good 13 years out of them (and that I'm hoping for 16), so she just needed to get on it and fix them up! Damn, it’s hell getting old! I think I’ll just sit down and have a glass or two of Patches Pinot, Dog House wine and wait for a happy (and healthier) 2009 to arrive!