weak hind legs

[anne]

If you can afford the MRI go for it. It was $1300 at the UW Madison clinic for the diagnostic test and we skipped it and went straight to Marion, IN for the Gold Beads from Dr. Durkes 8/20/2004. I swear it saved Emma's life. She had lost so much mobility and had such severe neck spasms before we went that she was a wreck. It took several months of a neck wrap and healing for us to see the results, but she does very well now. Her wobble has worsened, but she's as mobile as she's ever been and in no pain. GBI is a great option for managing the effects of wobblers/spondylosis.

PM me if you have any specific questions. All the best as you treat your boy~

[gstation]

My little boy was diagnosed at 3 months of age w/ wobblers, by means of an MRI. I also did a spinal tap while he was under, to cover all grounds. Between C5-C7 in his neck his spinal column was pinching off his spinal cord. I was told that he would worsen with his next growth spurt and need to be put down. Even the great Dr. Durkes said that there was nothing that he could do for me in this case.(He is ETREMELY helpful and open to questions)Since my pup was never in any pain, I looked for other options.
I immedialtey changed his diet to a combination of raw and senior kibble (low protien 17-18%), cut back feeding quantities, and try to keep the calcium as low as possible, started acupuncture/aquapuncture treatments, and 10ml of prednisone daily.
Over two months and 20+ lbs later I have a completely different, and super healthy dane. He has been active like never before, runs like the wind, and is super stabile on his feet. His acupuncture sessions went from once weekly to now every 3-4 weeks, his prednisone has been cut half to only 10ml every other day.
So, dont give up hope, it can be a very grim situation to deal with, but in my case seems to be treatable, to what extent I dont know, only time will tell, but my pup seems to only be getting better with time. I'm also looking into other alternative treatments to fase out the prednisone completely.
Best off luck to the both of you, and thanks again to everyone here that helped out!

[jacksmom]

I thought i would post an update. I went to a doctor today in my area that does the gold beads with my xrays and vet reports. He told me he had only done 1 weim for wobblers and all the rest were for hips or arthritis. He warned me that it may or may not work which i am aware of but surgery is just out of my ballpark. He told me he would use 300-400 beads total and cost around $400. Because i left there a little uneasy, i did have a call into Akron vet hospital (ohio) and did talk with one of the doctors. This dr said that he has done them several times with different success rates. He said he does it a little different than Dr.Durkes in that he uses less beads and no neck wrap unless he felt it was necessary. He said the fee was around $250 plus $77 for consult. Now I am blown away by the low prices that i am hearing when i have read that Durkes is around $1000. The Akron hospital is a preferred vet clinic in Ohio and performs even neurological surgeries so I feel like i can be more confident in going there. I just wanted to share and see if anyone had any thoughts.
Side note, unfortunately, i think my Elvis is getting worse as he seems to be favoring his front leg now also :( I am already trying to get this all done as fast as possible.
thanks for your input
Thanks

[mcburkel]

At the bottom of the page gives some costs and also this site had alot of info.

http://goldbeads.blogspot.com/search...max-results=50

Marian

[anne]

Dr. Durkes can charge $1000 because of the high demand for him and his successful procedures. This doesn't necessarily mean your quality of care will be less via another vet, but success is more easily ensured with Durkes because he taught everyone else and has the most experience.

If budget is keeping you from going to him- then go to Akron and all the best to you and Elvis. I believe GBI is his best bet for a normal life. I also suggest consulting via phone or email with Dr. Durkes on a neck wrap. I think that was also helpful to Emma in her recovery both before and after the procedure.

Keep us posted and I think you're right to rush. The damage that is done to the spinal cord is typically irreversable so time is of the essence. Good luck and keep us posted!