Jack Russell in pain and needs help

Question
Dear Patti
I really hope you can help as I am having no joy with my local vets. My "mate" Huey is an 8 year old tri colour male JRT that has been neutered.
2 years ago he started bending into a curved shape like he was carrying an injury, this became progressively worse until the vet said there was a slight shadow on his spine and he needed to take some bone away from one of the disks to release some pressure. This was done and he seemed fine for a short while. He has now gone back to the curved position but is exhibiting some other strange symptoms 1. he wont let me go near his front paws when i try to clean them after a walk ( they don't seem inflamed ) 2. when you pick him up and then put him down he quickly whips his head round and looks at his genitals. The vet who carried out the back operation says his side of the operation is fine.
Have you any idea as to what can be up with my canine chum ?
kind regards
Graham Eastham.  

Answer
Hi Graham,

I don't know how much help I can be, I'm not a vet. I certainly am sympathetic to your problem though.

I happen to live with back pain. Knowing the kind of pain that I experience, it's not out of the question that your dog might have a problem with his spine, and have radiating pain down to his front paws. Or he might be feeling some odd tingling sensations. That would explain the symptom of licking his front paws, but no outward signs of injury.

Back pain would also explain his curved posture. The way he whips around and looks at his genitals: he may be having radiating pains, or a "pins & needles" kind of tingling sensation. Something is going on! Dogs don't lie.

Aside from disc disease, there are also degenerative diseases which need to be checked for, and hopefully ruled out. Other possible problems can include spinal cord damage or tumors, arthritis, and other neuromuscular disorders.

Jack Russells are prone to neuromuscular conditions that can cause weakness or ataxia -- an inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements.  

If disc disease is present, surgery to alleviate the pressure on the spinal cord from the disc may help a great deal.

The first thing that you can do is contact the vet for a prescription if your dog seems to be in pain. There's no reason for him to suffer. Pain reliever/anti-inflammatory  medication such as carprofen (Rimadyl Rx) or etodolac (Etogesic Rx) are very effective.

The second thing you can do is make an appointment to see a veterinary neurologist. Some things are simply beyond the scope of the everyday neighborhood veterinarian, and a "specialist" is needed.
If you have a veterinary school or veterinary referral center near you, ask your vet about referral to a neurologist.

Given your dog's age you might not want to opt for surgery, for that matter, he may not be a candidate for surgery. In which case, pain management is the answer.

Mobility is easily regained by the use of a wheelchair cart. Dogs in need of these wheelchairs do very well adapting to them, and happily live out the rest of their lives without loss of mobility. You can read about pet wheel chairs here:

http://handicappedpets.com/wheelorder1.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/closeup/nualaiv_disabledpets.shtml

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti