Yorkie with pinched nerve in back.

Question
Hi, I am writing for some friends of mine, we both have yorkies. Neither of us know much about the condition that their yorkie was diagnosed with. He is 2 years old and was not wanting to move around much. Within a day he was screaming in pain and was rushed to the emergency. By this time he could not use his front end very well and could not walk. The vet diagnosed him with a pinched nerve, kept him, gave steroids, and said they would have to put him down if he did not come out of it within 72 hours.  It has been 48 hours and the dog is no better. Are there ANY other options than putting him down?? How common is this? Thanks for your time!

Answer
Have radiographs (x-rays) been done?  I would suggest finding out if there is an orthopedic specialist in your area.  You could ask for a consultation with them through your veterinarian or directly to see if there is a vertebral problem that could possibly be surgically corrected.

The steroids are to help bring down inflammation.  Hopefully by now they may have helped.  This seems somewhat rare at this age, at least in cases I have seen, but I would definitely suggest seeing if there is a specialist in your area that might consider checking x-rays to find if there is a surgical alternative to euthanasia.

My best of luck to you and your canine companion.