Back pain (sometimes a slipped disk or bulging disk)- You may see weakness, loss of coordination or balance, slow to move or get up, yelping or meowing when moving or trying to move.
What we will do
- Gather Historical Data: It is important to determine how long ago the symptoms started and if they are worsening. Was there an activity that triggered the pain? Sometimes abdominal pain looks like back pain (and vice versa). Is there a change in the pet’s ability to move, ae the back legs moving correctly and/or is the patient staggering when standing or walking?
- Gather Current Data: We will perform a thorough physical examination and take radiographs if needed. At times we can localize (isolate) the area that has the most pain. A neurological examination will also help determine how serious the condition is. Severe cases with absent movement in one or more limbs can be referred to a specialist for an MRI. Bloodwork is almost always a useful tool because sometimes when a back is injured, organs can be too. Or, sometimes a patient is already compromised from illness, which led to falling or another impact that caused the back injury. Even patients that appear otherwise healthy benefit from bloodwork as these patients will likely be placed on medication for the pain and baseline bloodwork will help alert us if we need to avoid a certain type of medication and also be useful for comparison should symptoms develop later on and bloodwork needs rechecked. It should be noted that some blood values can change in hours.
- Treatment: Most patients that have back pain, but have normal mobility can go home with medication. Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are often the first choice for back pain, and they can be safely supplemented with other types of prescribed pain medication if indicated. We ask clients to refrain from giving aspirin because it can be harmful to the gut and extremely harmful if an NSAID is also administered.