I am sorry it is a new injury. Gretel’s longest flare up lasted almost 14 days. Most other issues were resolved after 5-7 days rest.

Hi Dee. I have asked my vet for prescription pain medication and anti-inflammatories to have on hand at home for flare ups. When Gretel is experiencing one, I give her those medications, restrict her activity (crate her if I need to but the pain meds keep her pretty sleepy/still), and give her some cold laser treatments. I’m getting ready to write a through blog post on back braces for Dachshunds, but I’ve mentioned them in various articles before. See #10 in this article. https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/how-to-help-a-dog-with-back-problems/

Your site has been very helpful. Thank you! My pup Tater tot (Poodle terrier) was diagnosed with IVDD herniation on T12 and T13 back in Dec 2022. We chose the surgery route due to paw dragging and our Neurologist was concerned worsening condition. 6 months later, had too much fun at the beach and flared up. Seeing your IVDD flare up vs IVDD injury chart, he’s leaning towards the IVDD flare up minus the shakes and obvious pain. It breaks my heart to see him in pain. My partner and I are getting worried since it’s nearing 2 weeks since the flare up and he’s still in pain. I know it’ll take longer than that, any suggestions to speed up the recovery? I did purchase a light therapy thanks to you! We’ll see if it works. Any thoughts on ortho-back brace “Lil’ Back Bracer?” Ty for your time!

Unfortunately, no pet insurance covers preexisting conditions. However, there are some “reimbursement programs” that can help cover a dog’s medical bills and a few of them have looser rules. Also, some insurance companies in the UK have time limits for what constitutes a preexisting condition. For example, if it’s been a certain number of years since a dog has had a particular issue, it may not be considered preexisting anymore. There may be some of that happening with US companies too. My friend’s Dachshund needed back surgery and then needed it again 4 months later. Trupanion covered both surgeries because the disk rupture happened in two different areas of the spine (so they were not considered the same condition). However, it’s important to note that they had Trupanion insurance before either of the surgeries were needed.

Trupanion is great but it does not cover pre existing conditions. To all who have a new fur baby it is definitely worth the price. My seven year old jack russell mix had ivdd surgery and they held true to their word. Keep in mind there is a deductible but well worth every penny.

Hi Anita. Gretel was with 24PetWatch when I adopted her from the rescue. I agree that it’s not a very good one. This was almost 11 years ago but, when I reviewed the fine print at that time, hereditary/congenital conditions were not covered (IVDD is a genetic disease Dachshunds are prone to). I switched to Trupanion and never looked back. I haven’t used them for IVDD surgery, although I have used them for several other things, but my friends have. One dog had to have two surgeries within 6 months of each other and Trupanion covered both of them.

Hi Jess. You didn’t mention crate rest. Did you do at least 5 weeks of strict crate rest after his first injury? That is how long it takes for the scar tissue to form over the disk and “heal” it. I can take longer (We did crate rest with Gretel for 8 weeks, plus rehab, before she fully recovered) but that is the minimum. Without doing that, he can continue to re-injure the same disk over and over. Unfortunately, even with that, a DIFFERENT disk can become an issue but it’s not as likely as re-injuring a poorly healed disk. I do have pain medication and anti-inflammatories on hand for Gretel. If it’s just a small sign of a flare up, I will give her both for a couple days and put her on crate rest for at least a couple days to see if it resolves itself. It always has but if it didn’t I would take her back to the veterinarian to be assessed (I would also do this if it were more than just walking a little stiff – I would take her right away if there was clear pain). Hope that helps.

My pup Rex (11 year old schnauzer) has his first Episode from a herniated disk in his neck about 3 months ago. We were lucky and blessed that we caught it on time before it got worse. He was on steroids for 1 week and Pain meds For 2
Weeks (tramadol and gabapentin) – he has been back to his normal old self for about a month now, maybe a bit over a month. Today he woke up and I noticed a slight limp and I’m afraid it might be a sign of a soon to come flare up. Is there anything that you would recommend to maybe avoid flare ups? I have his pain
Meds and the gabapentin for nerve pain. Should I maybe start off with the meds again to Avoid him even reaching pain??
Thank you so much for all your posts on this issue.

Jess

No, I did not. No pet insurance will cover a pre-existing condition. However, I think one or two that cover “hereditary conditions” like IVDD treat each different disk rupture as a separate incident. it doesn’t hurt to call and ask if ruptures with a different disk would be covered in the future. I would start with Trupanion if you want to call and ask.

If it were me, I would definitely go closer to the 6 weeks of crate rest for the flair up. I find that most veterinarians (as reported by readers) way under-recommend the proper length of crate rest. If you can afford it, I definitely do suggest talking to a rehab vet. You could even do that after the two weeks. The rehab vet can reassess him and give you a plan to rehabilitate him during the remaining weeks he is on crate rest (My Gretel was allowed very short walks in a controlled (safe) environment and some “doggy gym” exercises to strengthen her core). Good luck to you guys!

Hi Jenna. Sorry you guys had to go through this. Gretel’s case was mild so she was allowed to start short walks after about 2 weeks. Our rehab vet had us start with just 5 minutes and after the walks she was to be put back in the crate. We were still only at week 2 of recovery, not 6, so I wouldn’t expect that is what you should be doing with Dash. I’d definitely go back to shorter walks if she’s coming home wobbly and stop her from running around crazy when you guys get back. Part of Gretel’s rehab also included doggy gym exercises. You can see what she did here: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/ivdd-recovery-exercises-for-strengthening-balance-and-body-awareness/

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

I hope your pup’s recovery went well.

That’s good that Pip knows when and how to regulate himself. Gretel is a pretty ambitious girl so I don’t think she’s figured that out yet. Hopefully someday 🙂

Hi Sheryl. We have Trupanion. They are one of the only pet insurance providers that will cover congenital diseases – so back issues in Dachshunds caused by IVDD are covered. Unfortunately, NO insurance will cover pre-existing conditions. That means that it won’t be possible to get insurance for your two Doxies that will cover any future back problems. If you have a Dachshund that hasn’t had any issues yet, then it might be good idea to get it. For your two that had surgery, I suggest putting some money away monthly to help offset any future costs. I pay around $80 a month for both dogs with a moderate deductible. Putting the same amount away in savings might be a lifesaver if they ever need surgery again. Good luck!

Thanks. And great tip. I, too, have heard that time is of the essence if a dog has an episode. I’m so glad that meds resolved your pup’s issue.

Life is meant to be lived but it’s best when we understand our personal needs and have realistic expectations.
Stay strong my little furiend Gretel!

Nose nudges,
CEO Olivia

Thanks. Yeah, I know she could go hike 7 miles tomorrow if I let her but she shouldn’t. I keep our walks intentionally shorter than I think she can handle. It’s actually good for me too because I have a tendency to push myself too far and regret it later too.

Thanks. Yes, I expect a lot of ups and downs for the rest of her life. I feel good know we are out living it though 🙂

Yeah, it’s very important to rest your pup as long as the vet says you should. Many people cut that short because their pup seems to be feeling better but that can make them more prone to re-injury. Gretel was given a controlled, active rehab program but I was committed to keeping her in the crate the entire 8 weeks when she wasn’t doing approved movements. I hope the second recovery goes well for you guys.