Yukon Lyme Positive and neck/spine issue

[outrag]

I can't believe I'm posting in the Senior section so soon after all I went through with Tanner last year. Yukon was 4 years younger than Tanner but he will be 10 in November, so he's not that young anymore.

Anyway, Yukon appears very fit, he's lean and strong (approx. 71lbs) and has never really had any medical issues outside of a premolar slab fracture that got extracted a couple years ago. At this age I expect him to show some wear after lengthy activity and if he's walking for 90 minutes he'll be stiff later that night and a little gimpy on one of his front legs. This is all typical and most likely arthritic based in my view.

I took him for his annual senior checkup two weeks ago. Clinically he looked good and lab tests were all perfect with the exception he tested positive for lyme. This surprised me because he was displaying no symptoms that I was aware of. He gets monthly topical treatment as well as wears the seresto collar. He got started on 400mg of Doxycycline per day for 30 days.

A few days after this I noticed he was a little fragile in his moving around and thought he was just sore from a couple walks we went on or horsing around with his 6mos old brother. A couple times however he yelped abnormally and I got concerned and brought him back to the Vet. She gave him a thorough exam and all checked out with the exception of the final test. She had him sit and put a treat above his head and he was clearly uncomfortable and yelped during the exam. She feels it could be soft tissue but also could be spine in the neck area. She also feels the lyme/doxycycline have nothing to do with the supposed orthopedic issue. He was then prescribed Rymadyl 100mg to 150mg per day as needed.

It's been about 5 days since taking the Rymadyl. He's still on the Doxy for another 2 1/2 weeks. Yukon has not been himself. I don't want to stop the Doxy because he will have to start the whole regimen all over at some other point in time. She did suggest she sometimes likes to hit an injury like this with Prednisone first but we ended up going more conservative.

I talked with the Vet again yesterday to try and get a timeline and prognosis. She felt the prognosis is good but he should be on a rest regimen for at least a couple weeks. She also suggested Gabapentin as another supplement in case there may be some nerve involvement.

Sorry for the long note. I guess I'm asking some of the experienced people here if this type of injury takes weeks and not days to see improvement? Yukon is fully functional, gets around, pooping good and no obvious lameness but he's walking more fragile and clearly is bothered, with his head down a lot. He's also getting picky about finishing his meals, which could be pain and med related.

I asked the Vet if we should do Xrays and she didn't feel it would show us much except a fracture and OA. An MRI would show more but would be done in advanced stages. Would the Pred have been a better first line treatment? Is there other things I should be doing?

Thank you.

Bob

[Shelley]

I am sorry you are having trouble with Yukon, Bob.

I do not have any experience with this, but maybe some physical therapy, and range of motion type exercises would help him, along with some cold laser therapy. I would continue with the Doxycycline for the 30 days since you are so far into it. Did they pull any blood before starting him on the Rimadyl to make sure his liver could handle it? Good thoughts for Yukon.

[POPTOP]

So sorry this is happening to Yukon. Definitely get follow up blood work done in a couple of weeks to make sure he is tolerating the Rimadyl OK. You could also start him on milk thistle and salmon oil to help support liver function since Rimadyl is hard on the liver.

Sending mojo and good thoughts.

[smartrock]

I've had a dog on doxy but not the issues with his neck/spine. Someone recently had a dog they thought was acting "drunk". I'll post the link but I don't know if it will help about the neck or spine problems your pup has. There is a vet who sometimes posts on here, Dennis Thomas, whose response is #30 on the thread and he talks about head or neck issues that would make a dog yelp, not with any solutions though.

Chocolate acting drunk - Page 3

[outrag]

His initial bloodwork was perfect (outside of the lyme). He will definitely get a repeat blood panel done to check liver and kidneys after being on NSAIDs.

The test that Dennis Thomas talks about in that link was performed on Yukon. He passed every range of motion with the neck except lifting the head straight up, that's where he had the discomfort. Vet suspects C-spine injury or possibly soft tissue. Yukon is very strong though and he just pulled me up the hill (in a gentle controlled manner) to go the bathroom so he's not incapacitated or limping that I can see. He appears fragile, especially in the morning and just not himself. He clearly got hurt (or it's a chronic issue that's progressed) because he yelped during that test.

Thanks for everyone's feedback

Also, PT is on my mind as well. Currently doing massages and stretches with him gently at this point. All four limbs have full range of movement.

[Shelley]

I was thinking of range of motion exercises for the neck, just to get him loosened up, and the cold laser.

Let us know how he is doing

[SunDance]

I've known people whose dogs were diagnosed with Lyme with no symptoms at the time of diagnosis....sometimes showing signs during treatment.

Check the second paragraph in this (neck pain is a definite possibility with Lyme):

Lyme Disease: Fact from Fiction - Dr. Allen Schoen – Holistic Integrative Veterinary Healthcare

Good thoughts that you'll get Yukon back to normal soon.

[outrag]

I've known people whose dogs were diagnosed with Lyme with no symptoms at the time of diagnosis....sometimes showing signs during treatment.

Check the second paragraph in this (neck pain is a definite possibility with Lyme):

Lyme Disease: Fact from Fiction - Dr. Allen Schoen – Holistic Integrative Veterinary Healthcare

Good thoughts that you'll get Yukon back to normal soon.

That's a good article, thanks. He does go on to say that the patients with "intervertebral disc syndrome in their neck" were actually suffering from Lyme and only improved when on the appropriate antibiotic. Tuesday will be two weeks that Yukon has been on Lyme treatment antibiotic at a pretty high level.

He does not mention that patients were non clinical at diagnosis but became clinical during antibiotic treatment. You said you know of people who's dogs were in fact like this and became symptomatic during treatment but not before? Did they ultimately resolve with the whole month of treatment?

The Vet I went to see concurs with the Dr in this article in that if Lyme symptoms are shown they typically resolve quickly within a day or two, even though antibiotic treatment is for a month or more.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[SunDance]

That's a good article, thanks. He does go on to say that the patients with "intervertebral disc syndrome in their neck" were actually suffering from Lyme and only improved when on the appropriate antibiotic. Tuesday will be two weeks that Yukon has been on Lyme treatment antibiotic at a pretty high level.

He does not mention that patients were non clinical at diagnosis but became clinical during antibiotic treatment. You said you know of people who's dogs were in fact like this and became symptomatic during treatment but not before? Did they ultimately resolve with the whole month of treatment?

The Vet I went to see concurs with the Dr in this article in that if Lyme symptoms are shown they typically resolve quickly within a day or two, even though antibiotic treatment is for a month or more.

Thanks for the thoughts.

One of the dogs most likely did fine after a course of treatment...the owner never mentioned it again.

The other dog...a little cocker/wawa mix....has been diagnosed three times (that I know of, anyhow; I don't see her owners that much anymore) in her long lifetime. I honestly don't remember how much time passed from one diagnosis to another...if it didn't resolve and was diagnosed soon afterwards or if more time had gone by. My gut feeling is that it was caught at annual visits each time...and Lola never showed signs any of the times. She's about 15 now, fairly blind and deaf, but still going strong otherwise.

I know a human who contracted it (had the bullseye rash) and has been fine after a single course of antibiotics...for whatever that may be worth.

[outrag]

One of the dogs most likely did fine after a course of treatment...the owner never mentioned it again.

The other dog...a little cocker/wawa mix....has been diagnosed three times (that I know of, anyhow; I don't see her owners that much anymore) in her long lifetime. I honestly don't remember how much time passed from one diagnosis to another...if it didn't resolve and was diagnosed soon afterwards or if more time had gone by. My gut feeling is that it was caught at annual visits each time...and Lola never showed signs any of the times. She's about 15 now, fairly blind and deaf, but still going strong otherwise.

I know a human who contracted it (had the bullseye rash) and has been fine after a single course of antibiotics...for whatever that may be worth.

If Yukon was not on Doxy, it would make total sense that his neck issue could be linked to the Lyme given the positive blood test. Evidence suggests (and professionals concur) that his neck issue is likely a separate issue given his age, weekend warrior activity level and an arthritic component. He likely injured himself or aggravated a chronic Ortho/Neuro condition. If it is the Lyme, then the Doxy is not working, at least not yet.

If the neck issue is separate, I'm trying to gauge when I'll see improvement. Some research suggests 6 weeks, my Vet said give at least two and see where we are. He's been on the NSAID for less than a week at this point.

Thanks again for all the input.