Topline curvature and back pain-- coincidence?
So, back a few months ago, Waffle came down with a GI infection that resolved itself after a couple of weeks on an antibiotic. During the course of trying to find out what was wrong, they discovered he had back pain and labeled him as having IVDD (and hip dysplasia) because he was a corgi. But, the X-rays showed no blown disc or any real problems with his back. They prescribed me a pain medication (Tramadol), but he has never shown any pain in his back end so I have never given any to him. Fast forward a month or two, or three, and he was on the couch with me and I did the "test" the vets performed to see if there was any pain. The "test" involved squeezing each vertebrae and gauging his reaction. I got only a minor reaction out of the spot the vets had diagnosed IVDD or something like it, but it was still more of a reaction than the rest of his back.
Tonight, I put Waffle on our kitchen table so I could photograph him and draw conformation lines as per this thread, and I noticed something curious. Corgis are supposed to have a flat topline, and Waffle clearly doesn't. In fact, the very crest of the rise near his butt is almost exactly where his back hurts. Is this a coincidence, you think? What does it mean, if not? :0 Also, here is an X-ray because I paid for it and I am going to post it in a relevant topic, darn it. Of course, the X-ray isn't curved in the same place as the photo, and isn't even facing the same direction.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on
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Well then my Bootsie must have issues too. My DD noticed this on Bootsie about his back, she keeps telling me something is wrong with his back.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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How old is your daughter? If she is at the age when kids have superpowers (<5) I would probably be inclined to believe her. :0
No sarcasm intended-- I really mean it. Kids are pretty empathetic before 5.
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She is 17 but seriously she told me that his back (pretty much pointing to where waffle hurts) doesn't look right.
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Maybe you should try the "test" on him and see if he reacts to it?
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I don't want to hurt him, but I will. What is it?
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You push/squeeze between each vertebrae in his back. Too soft and you won't get a reaction if you would get one, too hard and it miiight be bad. Not sure. My vets looked like they did it really hard. I'm trying to find a technique online but it isn't working out.
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I can't do it, I don't want to hurt my bubba I will have to let the vet do it. I did try but he looked at me with those adorable eyes.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Rachael, it is not a coincidence. I am not satisfied with this xray, especially between L7 and S, I can't tell if it's calcification or just S in the way, it should be much clearer in my opinion. If i was in your situation, I would get a Myelogram or the gold standard "MRI", it'll allow you to see the SC compression clearly (if any). Since your vet prescribed Tramadol to control pain, I would guess his diagnosis was grade 1 / 2? Did he prescribe steriods or NSAIDs to control the inflammation? Here's more basic info.
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They didn't talk about his back besides that it hurt, and they just told me to give him the pain meds. -shrug- They were looking at L3 and L4 vertebrae, but I've never been able to replicate that painful spot. Because they were looking there, I can see how they would miss L7-S. Having never seen a dog X-ray before, I didn't know if that was unusual or not. I contacted my breeder about it but she hasn't gotten back with me yet.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I can't answer your question at all. I do see his top line looks like he has a roach back. It would take someone much more knowledgeable to me to figure out what it means, though. I do know that in horses at least, certain minor conformation faults can become exaggerated by muscle development; for instance, a horse with a mild ewe neck (neck that dips instead of arches) can look like he has a very severe ewe neck if he frequently works with his head in the air, and therefore develops too much muscle on the underside of the neck and not enough along the top. And I know for humans the same holds true; modest curves in the spine can be exaggerated by poor posture. Severe muscle spasms can change the curve of the neck, leading to more muscle spasm and more change.
In humans and horses, certain exercises can correct the exacerbating musculature problems and minimize the actual conformation defect.
So if it's possible to work his topline in such a way as to correct the curve, that could provide some relief to his back. Is there a doggie PT in your area that you could consult with?
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Thanks for your insight. There's no muscle there making it look funnier than it should-- it's all bone. We're taking him to a GOOD vet when I go back to Virginia Beach to get him looked at. The vet school here was really unhelpful and really expensive. -_-"
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