# Lumbosacral spondylosis



## VomBlack

My 9-10 year old GSDx Harley was diagnosed over a year ago with lumbosacral spondylosis when I was noticing some lameness in her back end. We tried physical therapy but towards the end it seemed to make her more stiff than it helped so I decided to discontinue that.

We've tried Rimadyl, Previcox, Gabapentin, and Dasuquin with little or no effect. I can't give her Tramadol because she's on Clomipramine for anxiety. Since the back isn't exactly a joint it also puts a limit to what'll be effective for her.

We did a senior panel a few months ago and found she was severely hypothyroid and she's on Soloxine for that, and while it has helped her activity level some the lameness is still there. We can only do short walks before she'll start scuffing her back feet as she walks and her gait becomes uneven, almost as if her hips were bothering her (they looked great in the x-rays). One of the vets at work suggested it may be a nerve issue if pain meds aren't fixing anything, which may be harder to treat.

Does anyone else have a senior with this condition? Has anything you tried been helpful? I'm very open to the idea of finding a holistic way of managing the lameness, as she doesn't seem to be overly painful when her back end is manipulated, but if I can at least help the lameness i'd like to give it a shot.

Here's a picture of the old lady in question:


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## vomonyxhaus

My dog Rex had this... he wasn't in pain from it it just made him weak in the back end..... He was 15 and 5 days when he passed....















He would still try to run up the stairs (he was a fast old coot) before you could get there to help him( independent as a hog on ice... as my Mom would call it...LOL) ... sometimes he made it sometimes he would fall over...... I did have him on glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM it may have helped a little but it was more the spine collapsed on the nerves was the main problem... But my boy was never painful from it just weakness in the rear.... He was about 13 when he started showing signs... thought it was the hips maybe due to his age... nope... vet said his hips were that of a 4 yr old and looked perfect!!!! His spine had degenerated and was pressing on the nerves......
Not sure if that helps or not..... Good luck with your pup....


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## VomBlack

That sounds like what is happening to her, she doesn't seem too painful but the back end you can tell is getting weak. She was about 8 when we caught it though she was a rescue and her age is just a good guess. The nerve issue was brought up last time I had her checked out and sadly that sounds like what may be going on. 

Not many people had heard of this, it's nice to have someone who can relate to it. Thank you.


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## Chicagocanine

My Golden Retriever Ginger had severe bridging spondylosis. She also had DJD in her hips and arthritis in her hips and wrists. She was diagnosed with spondylosis at 7 years old and by the time she was 9 or so the bridging involved much of her back. She could got curve her back really at all. However she was still running and jumping some and could go on 3+ mile walks. The only time I ever had to reduce her exercise is after she had a (negative) bone biopsy at 11, even after healing she still limped on the front leg where the biopsy was taken at times... 

My vet attributed her exercise and good condition as a big reason she was able to get around so well. 

Some of the things I did with her which seemed to help:
Acupuncture
Chiropractic
Water treadmill hydrotherapy
Massage


Supplements:
Syn-Flex joint supplement
Vitamin C
Salmon oil
Duralactin
DLPA
Dog Gone Pain (not sure if this helped)

Eventually I also used Metacam with her if she seemed sore, but I didn't have to start use that very often until she was 11 or so.



Here is a photo of Ginger lure coursing at 10 years old:


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

Welcome from WNY!

I will post more later, but I thought Adequan, when it works on a dog, was just incredible! Within two weeks of loading I could put my hand and push on his formerly mushy back end, and it wouldn't go anywhere. 

I used that in conjunction with Synovi G3 and then some other stuff rotated around. 

She's adorable!

Manufacturer website: http://www.adequancanine.us
A consumer's website: http://www.caberfeidh.com/Adequan.htm


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## LisaT

Ahhhh, she's a beautiful girl









I would definitely try acupuncture, chiropractic and supplements. First thoughts are G/C as mentioned above, cetyl myristoleate and alpha lipoic acid. 

Unfortunately, this board sees too much of this type of diagnosis. Others will most likely post later, and if I recall, some links were added on this in the sticky at the top of the health forum.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

Getting out the "Adequan rules" pictures! This was Kramer at almost 16 (and who knew-with a big old tumor going on) running after his Adequan shot. This was November or December, 2008. 









He did chiro/acupuncture in the summer of 08 and being a nut, thought he was way more flexible than he was, and ended up hurting himself. At that time, I let him try Metacam (fear of NSAIDs-mine) because you can dose that by weight-so I could give him 15# under his actual weight if that worked...and taper down. That worked really well and then stopped it once he was better. 

With the Synovi G3, I'd rotate through different other stuff like hyaluronic acid, the C-M, coconut oil, and anything he'd take willingly. I stayed away from things, as much as possible, with proprietary (secret







) ingredients. He couldn't tolerate Tramadol. Made him woozy. OH! And DMG by VetriScience. No idea what that does...but I like it. 

He got his Adequan for I believe 3 years, every 2-3 weeks. 

I liked where he went for the chiro/accupuncture and feel like the accupuncture was good for him, the chiro not so much. I went here with a former foster (she's getting a prosthetic leg!) http://www.thera-vet.com/canine-feline-services.php and would take a dog there as well. 

But again, his hind end went from sagging to strong after the loading dose. If it works for a dog, it really is great.


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## VomBlack

Oh yes, Theravet! I love them, that's where Harley went, as well as a GSD I had fostered. I was thinking of giving them a call to see if Odin could get some swim time in the underwater treadmill, they have a (new?) puppy program thing.

Unfortunately Har wasn't too comfortable there and she hates water so no tradmill for her, and I don't know how she'd do with accupuncture or chiropractic work. I forgot about Adequan, i'll have to look into that. Thanks!


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## Chicagocanine

My terrier mix Pooch was not a big fan of water but with all the treats we gave him while on the water treadmill he got used to it, and it helped him SO much that I kept it up. Pooch had FHO hip surgery and was in rehabilitation for that for over a year due to complications, and then we continued the therapy after that to keep up his muscle tone. He would still bark and carry on sometimes if you didn't keep the treats coming fast enough...

Pooch also did not like vets or shots (or being touched by strangers much either) but he tolerated the chiropractor and the acupuncture. Once the acupuncture needles were in, he always relaxed a lot which was not something he'd normally do in a vet office!

Ginger being a water-loving Golden who also loved the vet and would wag her tail when she got a shot had no problem with any of it.


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## natalie559

> Originally Posted By: LisaT and if I recall, some links were added on this in the sticky at the top of the health forum.


Sure were- go check them out! My Penny's post is included in the link, she's only 5 and suffers from the same condition. Wobbly rear end, scuffs feet and an occasional yelp while lifting her.


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## angelaw

There's quite a few of us with dogs like this. I keep Oxana swimming as she does enjoy it. But it does take a toll on her.


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## VomBlack

I didn't realize it would be as common, guess I should have checked the forums a bit more. Thanks everyone.


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## LisaT

No worries, you don't know unless you ask!

Those links are for posts in the archives, so if you have more questions, do be sure to ask them here!


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## 3K9Mom

My senior has moderate spondy too. She goes for walks every day (and walks on a treadmill every night). I do exercises that were prescribed to her where I hold a treat next to her rear hip and she bends back to get it. This keeps the spine naturally nice and flexible.

She didn't respond well to acupuncture, but does great with chiropractic. She has also responded very favorably to Adequan (she is on the maximum dose because it's been working so well, so my vet felt, let's load her up!). She takes glu/chond/msm and fish oil (krill). 

She had done warm water therapy (swimming) and warm water treadmill. I think both are phenomenal. We stopped because she had other health issues arise, and I felt that they weren't a good idea. But I strongly recommend them for any dog who can and will tolerate water treatments. 

She had been taking Rimadyl and Tramadol, but we had to withdraw the Rimadyl (which worked great) when she developed kidney failure. That's a major reason that we increased the Adequan dosage, and it's worked nicely. 

I let her do everything she wants to do (as if I could tell her not to!). In fact, we have a ramp off our backyard deck, and she only uses it about 20% of the time. The rest of the time, she bounds up the stairs. 

It's a multi-pronged treatment plan for us. Staying active is the most important thing. The more muscle tone she has throughout her whole body, the more support the spine has. For example, she knows "give me ten" which is one of her favorite tricks. This builds up and maintains core muscles. We do it quite frequently throughout the day. She doesn't realize it, but she's training. She just thinks she's doing a trick and getting a treat for it.







As she has built up her musculature, she now walks up, across, and down our agility dog walk (slowly, but she does it), which works different muscles than she uses on flat ground.

So, we're always looking for ways to keep her moving in different ways that aren't too taxing. Our orthopedic specialist suggested having the dog walk on an uneven surface, like a bed (dog or human), gravel, sand, or high grass (where they lift their legs higher) where they have to use different muscles. You alone know what your dog is capable of, but I've found that the more my girl does, the more she CAN do (the more muscle builds up to support her). 

Good luck.


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## VomBlack

Luckily i'm pretty active, and i've been walking the dogs separately since Odin tends to get overly excited with his "big sisters", but I think this week i'll try taking Har with Odin and I when we go hiking in the woods which has high grass, sand, etc. I've mostly just been taking her around the neighborhood as she tires quicker than the other two, but she's awesome off lead which may make it easier with Odin.

Her muscle tone is really good since i've always kept her busy, and now that her thyroid is back on track she's no longer sluggish and cranky, so we'll be able to do more. She's starting to play with Ichi and Odin more now which is a good sign.









I think for now i'm going to slowly up her activity as long as she's still energetic and eager to go, and see where that takes us.


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## 3K9Mom

I'll drive my senior to the park (where the woods start), so we don't waste her energy just walking neighborhood streets to get to the park in the first place. I'd much rather she use ALL her energy walking trails (especially the hilly trails)and through grass than part of it on paved surfaces. Plus, I don't have to worry as much "does she have enough energy to get home?" 

I KNOW she's rather spend all of her walk sniffing in the woods than some on neighborhood streets and sidewalks.


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