[Margsim]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the group and looking for support on the matter.

My 3 year old amazing most lovable dog ever Mason has passed away due to IVDD. Ivdd if not familiar is a Intervertebral disc disease.
Mason was a fun loving dog who enjoyed running , jumping moving and showed no signs. Just 2 days ago he was running and jumped up which cause his back legs to go numb. After bringing him to the vet they said it his patellas that needed to have surgery and gave him morphine and sent us home. With less than 12hrs Mason was paralyzed from the waist down and was getting worse. We rushed him to the emergency hospital who determined that he had a herniated disc that erupted and was leaking onto his spinal cord that had paralyzed him.
We did not have the option for surgery at this point given that he was likely not going to survive. We had to make the toughest choice and put him down due to all the pain he was in.

Has anyone ever experienced this issue in their dog? If so, was there any signs? It mentions online there is 4 stages of IVDD but he automatically was at stage 4 unfortunately.

Thank you

 

[twyla]

I am truly sorry you lost your pup.

I lost my first poodle Baby to IVDD, she slipped off the couch and ruptured a disk in her neck and was paralyzed from the neck down with in 4 hours, ended up letting her go she was only 8 years old. I was destroyed I thought I missed something. That I did something wrong. I have rugs and ramps now. But according to vet sometimes there are no signs, but thankfully I knew when my 6th poodle Pia started limping and got wobbly after slipping on the bathroom floor, something was wrong, with out MRIs it is hard to tell, so she was put on steroids and crate rest for 6 weeks. Pia has recover, I now have my entire bath room covered in mats.
With IVDD stage 4 is so fast, there are some dog breeds that are prone to it, especially long back breeds like dachshunds.

 

[Raindrops]

I am so sorry and only have sympathy to offer. Mason looks like he had the sweetest lovable face. IVDD is known to occur in smaller poodles, and is typically associated with a gene that also causes shorter legs, which is why it is most often seen in short legged breeds. Although poodles are supposed to be square dogs with long legs, it's not unusual to find shorter legged varieties that likely have this gene that makes them especially prone to IVDD. I have not experienced it but it sounds like an extremely heartbreaking way to lose a family member, and I don't think there's anything you could have done to avoid it. It sounds very sudden.

 

[cowpony]

Oh how sad. What a horrible helpless feeling for you.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I'm so sorry

 

[EVpoodle]

I am so sorry, losing a furry family member is never easy.

 

[fjm]

I am so sorry - what a terrible shock. Sophy, my papillon, suffered from a slipped disc (not IVDD, but we think just landing badly), and my vet warned me how very serious it could be if it ruptured. In her the first sign was a reluctance to jump, and then occasional brief spasms of extreme pain, after which she seemed fine. I checked her symptoms online and watched her carefully for the next few hours, and noticed slight weaving of the hind legs as she went upstairs - at that I took her straight to the vet. Fortunately Sophy recovered with strict crate rest, pain relief and osteopathy, although jumping awkwardly can still cause a flare up of sciatica like pain. Like Twyla I am now careful to put non slip mats everywhere she may jump.

With a young, active dog it is impossible to avoid risk completely, and one wrong twist could have been enough to cause the disc to rupture without any warning signs. What a sweet face - it sounds as if he packed a lot of fun and happiness into his few short years with you.

 

[Asta's Mom]

What a darling pup and so sorry that you have lost a wonderful companion. Thoughts and prayers.

 

[Mfmst]

I am very sorry for your loss. Mason looked like a sweetheart. Virtual hugs your way.

 

[Dogs4Life]

I am so very sorry for your unexpected loss. Thank you for sharing a picture of your baby.

 

[Porkchop]

I don’t have any experience with this but want to say I’m so sorry you lost your sweet baby. 😢

 

[Fenris-wolf]

I'm so sorry you lost your baby. Mason looked like the sweetest pup.

 

[Charmed]

I am so sorry about your little Mason; it has been my experience that the cases vary wildly. I think the mild cases probably go undiagnosed. The road to recovery after surgery is not easy, and sometimes I have wondered if the dog would have suffered less had they been put to sleep right away. Of course, you always want to hope for the best outcome. I am sorry you did not get to make a choice... but then, again, I am glad you did not have to agonize over a long drawn out decision. Mason had such a happy face; I hope he is running, jumping and waiting for you to join him when the time comes.

 

[Mufar42]

I am so sorry for your lil guy and you. It is devastating to lose one . I had a chihuahua that ruptured a disc in his neck and had surgery and recovered. However after the MRI and surgery the vet told us he could never be on a collar and never be allowed to free roam the house if I couldn't keep him from jumping off furniture. So whenever we could not watch him he had to be crated. It was sad in many ways as he loved to jump on and off the bed and the furniture. But it need keep him well. Again I am so so sorry.

 

[spindledreams]

Recent research has shown a relationship between IVDD and the CDDY gene. This page by UC Davis talks about the research, chances for IVDD and what they have discovered in their testing. Over 50% of the miniature poodles tested by them have a copy of the CDDY gene. While it is described as a leg shortening gene the effects can be barely noticeable so even a long legged appearance is no guarantee that your dog doesn't have the gene.
Yes my standards have been tested. Yes one of my long legged appearing dogs has a copy of the gene and we will make sure the vet is aware of that fact. On the other hand my friends mini/toy with extremely short legs is free of CDDY but has the much safer CDPA mutation causing her legs to be short.