My 11 year old goldie has recently been diagnosed with Spondylosis. The Vet has me in a panic. The x-rays showed 1 disk already fused, directly above his tail. There are 5 other disks that have spurs. His gait is wobbly and sometimes his feet get crossed and he'll tip over. If you don't see him walk you wouldn't know there is anything wrong. He's on Prevacox once a day and Tremmadol as needed for pain. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. He still "runs" after the squirrels in our yard and barks at our neighbors dogs. I was just wondering if anyone else has been diagnosed with this and what plan of action you have taken. We have a firm baby mattress and shrimpy bed in the living room. He stays in the house at night cause the temps are so low, but when it is nice out, like today, I leave him outside. It's supposed to be 61 here today. He has his beds available to him outside plus his dog house that has a pad and flannel sheets in it. I've read so many things online, but I would like to hear from someone who has actually been through this. Any advice, encouragement you can give would be greatly appreciated.

My golden Finn has spondylosis. It makes me sad. He gets tramadol, gabapentin, and two adequan injections a week. I do add rimadyl if he seems very sore. He still hikes with us, but he has lost more than a step. I worry that he can fracture the bony fusing, but I think he s more stiff than in actual pain. Swimming is great, and the adequan definitely helps.

__________________
Jill &
Lush: GCH Am CH Harborview Sweeter Than 'Shine At PoeticGold CGC
Tally: Goldiva Raleigh Tangled Up In Blue CD RAE TDI TT CGC
Copley: BOS Chantilly's Bright Lights Big City RN TDI CGC
Finn: Sand Dancer's Infinite Sky TDI TT CGC
Tango: Topbrass Everlore Talk Of The Town TT CGC(co owned)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poeti...4205285?ref=hl
]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also have him on Glucosamine Chrondroitin supplements but the Vet said those really wouldn't help with this issue.

I would suggest acupuncture and laser therapy. I believe your vet is correct in G/C supplements not helping out any at this point.

__________________

The gabapentin is great bc any chronic pain carves neurological pathways, and gabapentin stops that.

__________________
Jill &
Lush: GCH Am CH Harborview Sweeter Than 'Shine At PoeticGold CGC
Tally: Goldiva Raleigh Tangled Up In Blue CD RAE TDI TT CGC
Copley: BOS Chantilly's Bright Lights Big City RN TDI CGC
Finn: Sand Dancer's Infinite Sky TDI TT CGC
Tango: Topbrass Everlore Talk Of The Town TT CGC(co owned)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poeti...4205285?ref=hl
]

How long ago was Finn diagnosed? How old is he? Did they say it would be ok for him to exercise? My Vet said limited exercise, I've walked him to the end of our street 3 times, but he pulls on the leash to go further. I'm like you I'm afraid of fracturing the bony fusing.

Well, we were taught in vet school that spondylosis was usually an incidental finding. Sooo since I am sitting here at work, I decided to look it up in one of the "bibles", Rhea Morgan's Handbook of Small Animal Practice. She states that it is "usually an incidental radiographic finding", "rarely osteophytes encroach on the vertebral column or spinal nerve, causing pain and deficits.". Further, she states, " treatment is usually not necessary.". And finally, "if pain or neurologic deficits are present, another condition is probably responsible.".

When my Laney was six, she had some recurrent urinary issues...so I radiographed her abdomen. Well, her spine was included and it was nose to tail spondylosis.. To be complete, I had a specialist ultrasound her bladder. When she saw the radiograph, she remarked that she had the organs of a six year old and the spine of a twelve year old. I don't think she had gotten her UD yet. She continued to compete because she lived for the training. But she died in October 2006, would have been 12 in January 2007, was never on rimadyl, only dasuquin and fish oil and was still jumping in the Rally Excellent class two weeks before her splenic tumor ruptured...

Spondylosis is not always awful... Laney showed neither pain nor neuro deficits...

__________________
Janice and The Celebration Gang -
"Samantha, George, Tiki, Emily, Mick and Basil" Gone but not forgotten, Sally(Windjammer's Ima Country Girl CDX CGC), Laney(Mandell Marlenes Celebration UD RA CGC), and Cookie(Starseeker's Kissmas Cookie CDX RE CGC).

My Rowdy was disgnosed with this a few years before he died. He received Adequan injections. Metacam was given as needed and he was on GlycoFlex throughout his life (as are all my adult dogs). Rowdy also had chiropractic and acupuncture treatments pretty much until he died, plus physical therapy to keep him limber while he was still running agility (water work, under water treadmilling etc).

He had a good quality of life until Larangeal Paralysis surgery led to the aspiration pneumonia that killed him. He would occassionally stumble but probably not more often than once every couple of months at that was with daily hiking.

ETA: I would have to agree that it is frequently an incidental finding - Rowdy's was found when we XRayed to find out why his neck had limited range of motion. Until the XRay, we thought 'just' arthritis, and the treatment really did not change once dx'd.

__________________

Golden moments shared with
Casey, Faelan, Towhee & Brady too !

and forever in my heart, my golden Bridge boys
Rowdy & King

I've read that it's usually an incidental finding, but I specifically asked the Vet to check his spine because another Vet said it was hip dysplasia, but I read online about it and he didn't have the symptoms of that. I'm at a loss of what to do. A person trusts their Vet to do what they can, but if Andy is being misdiagnosed.... I've also read that Spondylosis usually doesn't have any symptoms. I'm running out of money....fast! I've had him to the Vet twice this week. Bless his heart...he HATES the Vet. I guess I'm going to have to take another course of action. Thank you so very much for your post.

My senior Copper had spondylosis. HIs ortho vet said he had done everything he could so with the recommendation of forum members (including GC), I took him to a holistic vet. He walked noticeably better after his very first treatment of acupuncture and laser light therapy.

It sure sounded like black magic voodoo to my engineer minded self, but Copper went from trotting agitatedly on his front legs while strolling on his back legs to walking pretty normally immediately.

__________________

Copper's Mom (always)
Gotcha 10/2004 - lost ya 10/2010