Simone Update 9/22

We received a call from the vet today, which was good because it's now been five days since Simone walked unassisted. Dr. P-K said that the radiologist's report had come back and indicated that Simone had some narrowing between two different sets of lumbar vertebrae (L2-3 and L5-6), which suggested a possible disc problem (specifically, either crushed or bulging discs). This is just one of those things that can happen to dogs as they age, and may have been exacerbated by her new three-legged walking rhythm. It's possible that she doesn't have a disc problem, that the narrowing the radiologist saw was due to her position on the x-ray table, but the only way to know for sure would be to have her undergo additional imaging (CT or MRI). If it turned out that she did have a bulging/crushed disc, the only treatment option would be surgery, and Simone is not a good candidate. We think she's been through enough and have no desire to put her through another difficult surgery if that's what is recommended. So, we have decided to wait and see. Dr. P-K has prescribed lots of rest, walks with assistance, and possibly physical therapy. We made an appointment with the vets at OSU again for another consult to see if they can determine whether her inability to use her hind leg would benefit from PT. We have an appointment on Monday and will know more then.
In the meantime, we'll just continue to take things one day at a time.