Ask the Veterinarian - scoliosis and kyphosis
lorihuntdvm March 16th, 2008
French Bulldog with scoliosis and kyphosis of the spine
I currently have a French Bulldog girl. I say she was my first baby and she is such and important part of me and my family. She is 2 1/2 years old and she has been diagnosis in having scoliosis and kyphosis of the spine.
I have taken her to a specialist in New Jersey, after a referral from my vet. I have been told that her symptoms and current spine status is not needing surgery at this time, however she experiences pain about every 4-6 months which we treat with a steroid, prednisone. The medication gets her back up an moving within a few days…
My question is, knowing that 80% of bulldog breeds experience this vertebral problem what other options are there for pain relief and prolonging the health for my little girl. Any suggestions or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
Dr Lori writes -
Unfortunately, we have all chosen a breed in which spinal instability exists, and I am doubtful there is anyone who owns a frenchie who doesn’t at least know someone who has been through this same situation.
I am sorry to hear of your French Bulldog’s spinal deformities, and I do believe that steroid treatment for short bursts of time a few times a year is not a bad thing for her, and helps relieve the inflammation which is being caused by her spinal abnormalities, which in turn prevents it from progressing.
It is quite important that you have her examined and initiate treatment for her as soon as you see the first signs of a relapse. The longer the nerves are compressed, the more damage which can be done and the risk that it may be irreversible.
As far as treating this medically, without surgery, you could also try muscle relaxers as well non-steroidal anti-inflamatories, such as Rimadyl or Metacam.
Another option would be adding omega fatty acids to her daily regimen as they are a natural anti-inflammatory and can help relieve the day to day inflammation on her spine, without constantly medicating her. Surgery is a final option but carries its own set of risks, but if her signs worsen, it may become necessary.
I do hope your French Bulldog girl lives a long and healthy life and that her back troubles are short lived and infrequent.
Good Luck!
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- French Bulldog Veterinary
- Comments(1)
I have a French Bulldog puppy born July 31, 2007. He is almost 9-months-old. I got him at 3-months-old from a reputable breeder whose references I checked and with whom I have spoken to quite frequently.
My Frenchie started yelping out at around 7-months-old whenever he woke-up from taking long naps. It appears that he is very stiff upon awakening. It also appears that his neck is very stiff and difficult to move after extended periods of sleep. However, the strange thing is that once he gets up and moving around, he wants to play and run and act like a normal puppy. He also yelps sometimes when we pick him up to love him. It seems that the pain comes from his chest or neck. We cannot tell exactly. We took him to our vet, who we believe is excellent, and she has put him on a Chinese herb called Chin Koo Tieh Shang Wan for acute neck pain. He also had a session with her rehab. specialist who performed deep tissue massage to the neck area.
Anyway, I am concerned that because my vet is conservative when it comes to using traditional “Western” medication and she mostly utilizes acupuncture, herbal therapy and massage, perhaps my Frenchie is not being helped. I am afraid that he may have disk problems that I have read about all over the internet. I don’t want him to be a pain killer “addict”, but I want him to enjoy a pain-free life.
Have you ever heard of such acute neck pain at such a young age? What do you think of my vet’s approach?