Woof everyone! It's
me again, Mr. Magoo, here to tell ya of yet another chapter of the saga that is
my life with mom and my sisters. And
Grrrr let me tell you, it has been a ruff couple of weeks for yours truly.
Mr.
Magoo
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| Have you seen my halo? I misplaced it |
A couple of weeks ago, The Magoo
Man wasn't feeling that great. Usually I
spend my days rockin' and rollin,' but on October 1st, I was shaking so badly
and walking all hunched over - all I needed was a bell to ring.
Mom rushed me to our veterinarian and let
me tell ya, folks, I have never been soooo scared. But I put on a brave face so mom wouldn't be
so scared, too. The doc diagnosed me
with what is called IVDD (huh? That doesn't even spell anything; actually it
stands for Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease).
On the way home mom explained it to me that I have discs (can I fetch
them?) in my back that have hardened to the point where they have broken and
oozed this material into the space where my spinal cord is. Yuck!
I was lucky enough not to need
surgery. No way is some doctor cuttin'
me open! Try and catch me first. I did get to take a cool ride in this machine
(MRI), like something out of some Sci-Fi flick, and that's how I was diagnosed
with IVDD. IVDD though is nothing to bark out; can be fatal for those fellow dogs that are not so lucky as I.
Doc and mom put me on bed rest and I'm
taking some pills (double yuck!) to help make the pain go away. Don't tell anyone but I might just get used
to all of this pampering. I get to lie
around and sleep all day. Mom even
carries me upstairs. Buffy and Carla Mae
are looking after me for a change.
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| Bed rest is not my idea of fun |
Mom
is out right now and I wanted to learn more, Google and I are BFF’s (just too
bad this BFF Google hasn’t caught on yet how to return the ball). I wanted to learn more about prevention; per
my BFF, Google, one item is to keep me lean, like a fighting machine. Yep, weight is down. Now, the item for prevention I am having a
bone chewin’ time with; no excessive jumping or taking the stairs like a race
track. This is going to be a ruff one to
stop.
Ooops! Mom's home!
Gotta go get in my bed (pretend to be fast asleep). Or, perhaps read a chapter in Real Dogs Don't Whisper; of course, first chapters to read are about me. Woof!
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| Yours truly pretending to be sleeping with Buffy |
Until
next time everyone.
Be well, Goo. And do as the doctor orders. What causes IVDD?
ReplyDeleteWoof! Woof ! Hey there Kim....first, congratulations on winning the Day 3 Real Dogs Don't Whisper Reader Appreciation Quiz...double woof to you!!
ReplyDeleteGrrrr8 question! Two paws up on this one. IVDD can be caused by several factors. One is breed; certain breeds are predisposed and they are: Dachshund, Pekinese, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Basset, Beagle, and Poodle. (not limited to these of course).
Another cause could be from forceful impact such as jumping and landing can cause one or more disc(s) to burst and the inner material to press on the spinal cord. Yup, this is what I did; I still I am a young pup. BOL
Other factors which cause or worsen the degeneration are the wear-and-tear associated with an active life, obesity, and a poor diet.
No matter the cause, prompt treatment is necessary! If the damage is severe enough, paralysis and loss of bladder and bowel control can occur.