Sniffkin is a 6 year old Border Terrier who first came to see us with back problems in 2011. Having had some previous back pain Sniffkin then came in unable to walk on his back legs. We were suspicious that Sniffkin had a problem with one of the discs between the bones in his spine and he went straight to a specialist referral hospital to have an MRI scan which can give detailed information about the structure and tissues of the spine.

The MRI revealed some material from one of Sniffkins’ discs was displaced and he underwent surgery to remove the material. Some dogs do not always need surgery and will get better just with rest depending on how much of the disc has been affected. However in Sniffkins’ case the best option was to go ahead with surgery.  Following this and a course of physiotherapy (including swimming!) he did really well, coming off pain relief completely.

However Sniffkin came to see us again this year after he slipped over when coming in from the snow. He wasn’t able to get comfortable and seemed painful in his back again. We were concerned that Sniffkin had done further damage to his spine, especially given his previous surgery. Sniffkin came in to hospital so that we were able to give him enough pain relief. Initially he did very well and we were happy to send him home on cage rest and some more pain relief. At this stage rest is very important, as too much movement can cause more damage and pain. One of the things we use to monitor dogs for signs of deterioration is neurological function – tests to check whether all the reflexes, positioning and balance of the body are ok. Any reduction in these can signify a more severe lesion. Over the next few days Sniffkin started to seem a bit wobbly on his legs at home and we were worried he may be deteriorating so he went back to see the specialist neurologist.

Although she thought Sniffkin had a problem with his spine behind where he previously had surgery she was happy he was comfortable with his pain medication from Hollybank and was only showing mild signs of a problem. Therefore Sniffkin is currently carrying on with his rest along with lots of TLC. He is currently making a good recovery and we are pleased with his progress. Hopefully soon he will start getting out and about again, just in time for the snow to end.