Luna’s IVDD Recovery Weeks 4-8

French Bulldog IVDD Recovery

I hope you found Luna’s IVDD Recovery Weeks 1-3 entry to be helpful. Whether you are currently experiencing IVDD, have previously, or are trying to be proactive – I am glad you’re here. Our IVDD journey with our French Bulldog Luna has been made bearable thanks to the community we found. IVDD isn’t talked about enough, but if we keep talking about it I really think we can save lives. People will be more prepared to spot early signs and act quickly. If you remember my previous entry, we went about 36 hours before Luna received a proper diagnosis, and we were literally in the final hours of getting her the correct medical help. She just had really strange and mild symptoms, but they were all pointing to IVDD the entire time.

IVDD is often misdiagnosed as a pulled muscle, torn ACL, luxating patella, extreme anxiety, etc. IVDD can only be truly diagnosed by an MRI, and no one is jumping to force people into getting MRIs for their dogs without complete certainty of what’s going on. This is understandable because they’re not cheap. So how do we conquer misdiagnosis? How do we shine a light on a disease that can be managed but some Vets are still recommending dogs be put down unnecessarily? A practically invisible disease can be hard to conquer, but I think we can do it.

We just need to know to ask the question – Could this be IVDD? We have to light the spark because this disease is somewhat invisible. When something is invisible, people often don’t think about it. Can you help me spread awareness? If we keep saying “IVDD” maybe we can prevent that initial misdiagnosis. Every hour counts when IVDD symptoms start, the sooner we mention the idea to our Vet when we see symptoms – the better. 

Disclaimer before we get started: This is my own experience. I am not a Vet or an expert on Intrevertibal Disc Disease, but I know what helped Luna for her specific needs. Every IVDD case is different, it can occur in different areas of the back or neck, there are different grades of severity, and there is not a “one size fits all” treatment method. Anything I write in this entry or other IVDD entries is not intended to replace high-quality Veterinary care. Your Vet and more than likely a referral to a Neurologist is the route you will need to go to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Only your Vet or Neurologist can recommend whether you should pursue a surgical or conservative treatment method. I will post resources at the end of this blog entry, where you can find information about this disease. Also, keep in mind that social media cannot be used to form a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is so amazing to connect with others, but please always consult with your vet before taking any recommendations from people via social media.

So, are you ready for all of the amazing strides Luna made in weeks 4-8?! If you remember, weeks 1-3 showed very little improvement for our specific case. Many Frenchie parents in a few of the other groups I am in agreed that they started seeing big changes around weeks 4 and 5.

WEEK 4 IVDD Recovery

This was the first week that I felt relief from my anxiety and an overall deep sense of doom. I know the word ‘doom’ probably seems dramatic, but I have to keep it real with all of you. Also, if you’re feeling as bad as I did I want you to know that you’re not alone. IVDD means we have to turn our “awesome dog mom (or dad) status” up like 100 notches. Our pups need us to be on top of it 100% of the time during their healing process, plus regular life is going on, plus managing IVDD can put a big dent in our wallets – that’s a lot. It’s going to be okay though – you’re tough and so is your pup.

We were approved to start Hydrotherapy and Laser Therapy in week 4. Remember, this is all going on during COVID, and we weren’t allowed in our Vet’s office to see Luna go through therapy. Such a bummer, but we could see improvements in her strength after the first session. We enrolled Luna in full-day therapy sessions. She would be dropped off at 8 am and picked up at 5 pm, and we would do this twice a week. The full-day would allow my Vet to really push her in different intervals throughout the day and take a full assessment of her progress. Eventually, we were able to reduce her to once a week, but she was still doing a full-day of therapy. Our Vet also provided us with a list of physical therapy exercises that Luna needed to complete on the days she wasn’t at a physical therapy appointment.

The strides she started to make as soon as we started therapy were amazing! Her balance was better, she could stand with more confidence, although she was still knuckling – it became less frequent. She was still restricted to her pack’n’play, but she started to try and engage with our other dogs more. I would often catch them trying to play with each other through the netting of the pack’n’play. We also started using supplements, a snuffle mat, and puzzle toys for enrichment. I will do another blog entry with a full description of these items and how they were helpful.

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WEEKS 5 and 6 IVDD Recovery

These were big weeks for us. Luna’s muscle definition started to return, she was eager to do her physical therapy, and we were completely off of her prescribed steroids. Things were looking pretty good! Our Vet encouraged us to give her access to a single room and to slowly re-introduce her to being with the other dogs. We started letting her spend time with Zeke first. He practically sleeps 22 hours a day and was not a threat in regards to rough play. We purchased a few new dog beds, put up some baby gates in our entryways, and put away the pack’n’play. Luna finally had a little freedom, and I could tell her depression started to lift. She could explore, sniff, and practice a little more independence. We were still carrying her in and out of the house for her potty breaks but had plans to build her a ramp from our back porch. 

We attempted to take her on short walks, but she got way too excited and would pull on her leash. Walking on uneven terrain was part of her at-home physical therapy routine. So we would spend some time in the backyard with her favorite treats, and she would slowly follow me from one corner of the yard to the other. Her attention span was much better in our backyard, rather than on walks. She would be worn out just from 10 minutes of slow walking in the backyard, but she loved every minute of it. She was overall getting stronger and showing signs that she was ready to find a new normal.

WEEKS 7 and 8 IVDD Recovery

Our Neurologist strongly advised against Luna’s use of stairs and reducing the risk that she might jump from even a small height – for the rest of her life. So around the end of week six, my husband built a small ramp off of our back porch. We needed to stop carrying Luna in and out of the house for her potty breaks, and building the ramp was the only way we could accomplish that. She surprisingly took to it very well, and almost seemed to love her new ramp. In fact, all of the dogs loved the ramp! It also proved to be a great exercise tool for her too. We could lead her up and down the ramp with a treat, and count that towards her physical therapy time each day.

We also resumed taking Luna on short walks again. It was difficult because she acts CRAZY whenever she gets her harness on. After some practice, we were able to take walks again without concern she was pulling too hard and/or she would potentially hurt herself. Our harness from the Frenchie Store proved to be so helpful. The D-ring on the front really reduced her ability or desire to pull.

Her little muscles were really starting to bulk back up at this point as well. Things were still a little off though. I maintenance Luna’s skin almost daily with products from Natural Dog Company (use discount JEDISYODALUNA if you shop directly through their site). I specifically put Skin Soother in between her little toes to help eliminate yeast and inflammation, and I use a q-tip to do this. Why is this relevant to her IVDD recovery? As the weeks went on I could see her reflexes start to return as I applied the Skin Soother between her toes! That meant that her nerves were healing! Nerves take the longest to heal. Seeing her muscles twitch more and more each week was a good sign! She was still knuckling now and then, but this was still becoming less frequent. I was happy with the path we were on as we approached the end of our crate rest period. The truth about IVDD is that there will always be work to be done. There are a lot of old methods and old bits of info out there about IVDD. I think keeping your pup strong, pursuing physical therapy with a professional and at home, and finding balance with crate rest is key to recovery. Keep reading for a little info beyond our crate rest period…

Beyond the Crate Rest Period

I know I’ve discussed all of the great strides Luna made in her IVDD recovery week 4-8. Many of those changes were positive. Please understand that healing is not linear. We had good days, bad days, days that I thought we took two steps forward only to take three steps backward. Not every dog will heal the same way from IVDD, and not every day will be a positive step to recovery. That’s okay! Just keep in contact with your Vet, try and stay positive, and reach out to your community. Please see the resources below for IVDD communities you can join to connect with other families experiencing Intervertebral Disc Disease in the French Bulldog.

 These dogs will overdo it, they will be tired, and things may not always seem to be moving the direction you want them to each day. There is not a timestamp for how long discs and nerves take to heal. While our crate rest for IVDD ended on paper, we still have to be conscious about IVDD for the rest of Luna’s life. Luna is still not the way she was before the IVDD episode. Her left leg doesn’t work quite as well as it used to, I still occasionally see her knuckling, and she has a wonky little run sometimes. She’s truly healthy, happy, can play, and enjoys her life. I am truly grateful for that. I may do another post at some point on how we continue to adjust to our new normal with IVDD and the changes we’ve made. For now, though I am just going to sit back and enjoy watching her chase squirrels and continue to get back to her sassy self.

Don’t lose hope. The probability that your French Bulldog will recover with the right course of treatment is pretty darn high! You’re tough and so is your Frenchie.

IVDD Resources

Instagram: If you use Instragram try using these hashtags to connect and follow the progress of other IVDD Frenchies. #IVDD #IVDDRECOVERY #FIGHTLIKEAFRENCHIE #FLAF #IVDDSUCKS #IVDDSURVIVOR #IVDDSUPPORTGROUP #IVDDWONTSTOPME #VETERINARYNEUROLOGY #IVDDSUCKS #IVDDAWARENESS

Facebook: This is the support group that I mentioned in this entry. French Bulldog IVDD Support Group.

Websites for IVDD Info: Dodger’s List and Southeast Veterinary Neurology

Other IVDD Enties: Luna’s IVDD Recovery Weeks 1-3 & IVDD Crate Rest Guide

This blog may contain affiliate links that allow me to make a very small commission if you make a purchase by clicking the links – including Amazon. This is at no additional cost to you and any money I may receive is put right back into this blog. Thank you all so much for your support! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclaimer: Any information in this blog is not meant to replace high-quality Veterinary care. IVDD can only be diagnosed by a Veterinarian follow by a proper treatment plan. Please refer to the beginning of this blog for my thoughts on proper care and how important it is to seek professional medical advice.

French Bulldog IVDD