pinched nerve

Question
QUESTION: My 11 year old shihzu has been diagnosed with a pinched nerve. (First it was an ear infection and then possible vestibular disease) She did have blood work which showed an infection and she has had an x-ray done which did not show anything. She does not have arthritis in her neck. She was prescibed an antibiotic and a steriod at first. But she got worse and we took her back to the vet who said she thinks it is a pinched nerve in her neck. She is in a lot of pain. It has been 9 days since her initial visit. She cannot walk, stand or eat on her own. She cries out in pain. I must hand feed her and give her water with a dropper. She is now taking a muscle relaxant, a pain killer and the steriod. She does not seem to be getting any better. I am supposed to take her back Wednesday. When I spoke with the vet Friday she said there is nothing else she can do but refer her for an expensive MRI. How long does is normally take for a dog to heal from a pinched nerve. Can she die from this? I hate seeing her in pain. Unfortuneatley I cannot afford an MRI. Is there anything else than can be done?

ANSWER: Lisa -

If your pet has a pinched nerve, it may take a while for her to feel better.  the result will determine on the severity of the pinched nerve.  Obviously  your pet is very uncomfortable, but the medications you have mentioned are the most effective meds used for ailments such as the one you mentioned.   Pinched nerves can be difficult to treat; if you are not pleased with the results, you should seek the expertise of another veterinarian, most likely a neurologist that can help you better determine what is bothering your dog.  A neurologist most likely will recommend an MRI then suggest surgery if that is the best way to correct the problem.

I cannot answer if your dog will die from this nerve problem  because I cannot give her a physical examination. Be patient and give the medications time to work. Also, ask your vet if there are physical therapy exercises that can help to relieve your dog's discomfort.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I took her back to the Vet yesterday. She seen a different doctor. I got the feeling that her original doctor did not want to see her again because we waited while everyone else was called back that came in after us. He had not read her chart and we began explaining to him what was going on. He said that he can tell by looking at her it is a pinched herve. He said that it is not looking very good for her and that we may have to consider putting her down. He gave her a shot of cortizone and a relaxer. He wanted to give her another type of medication that had to be put directly in her vien. He said that it would be painful for her but it helped her for 6 hours the last time. He said that they no longer offer it in pill form so he could not send any home. I declined because I told him that she reinjured herself the first time she got the medicine because it only temporarily made her feel better. They had her in a cage for the day while they were trying to find out the problem and she kept jumping up and throwing her head back wanting out. The medicine lasted for about 6 hours and then it was down hill from there. He said that he can refer her for a myelogram and possible surgery which is very expensive and no guarantees. He said that he has performed the surgery before and it is very tedious and he could do it at a lower rate. However, he would not have the benefit of a myelogram to show him exactly what the problem is and he could not guarantee that it would help her or if she would survive the surgery. He said that more than likely it is a slipped disc even though it did not show up on the x-ray. He said the only way it would show up if it was calcified. He prescribed additional medicine, including morphine at night to help her sleep. He said we could increase the muscle relaxer and pain medicine to every 6 hours rather than every 8 hours. He said to keep giving her the predisone every 12 hours. It has now been approximately 12 days since she developed the problem with her neck. How long does it normally take for a small dog to start improving from a pinched nerve. She has had only 2 good days out of the 12. Thank you for your time.

Answer
As I said earlier, the recovery time is dependent upon the severity of the injury. I cannot tell you how long it will take for her to feel better.  Your specialist can better tell you because he has examined her and knows her condition.  Twelve days is not a long time for recovery from a nerve injury, especially a spinal one.  If you are still concerned, opt for the myelogram and the surgery for a more definitive diagnosis and treatment.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM