Wobblers......is there an alternative to surgery?

Sylvia's Story

#2 - THE NECK WRAP

Sylvia's neck was wrapped from just below her ears to the top of her shoulders. This wrap was on 24 hours a day and was changed at each acupuncture appointment. It was very thick and pretty tight to give her stability and allow the healing to take place.

At our next appointment he had some rather interesting news. He had talked to Dr. Durkes about the effect of the implants on Wobblers. While Dr Durkes had seen improvement through acupuncture, he had had real success with the use of a neck wrap. He explained the treatment to Dr C and we decided to give it a try. The dog is wrapped in sheets of cotton from under the ears to the shoulders and then a layer of vet wrap holds it tight. The wrap is made quite snug and should be thick. The immediate effect is to stabalize the area, but long term (this is done for at least 3 to 6 weeks and possibly longer), the theory is similar to that of surgery, just a more gradual and non-invasive route. The vertebrae is supported over a period of time, allowing the tendons and muscle to build up and support the vertebrae. (Bear with me on this, as my explanation is less than scientific or complete). In surgery, a little tool pulls the vertebrae apart and bone glue is used to fill in the area to create the stabalization needed. It requires some kind of stiff cast and extremely restricted activity, in most cases NO activity, which is one reason this was not an option for Sylvia.

The wrap did not inhibit her desire or ability to suck on her 'suckies' nor did it limit her movement or agility in getting in chairs, or under the bed covers.

SO, we began to wrap Syl’s neck. When she was first wrapped, it was clear that she felt very off balance as the wrap was thick and was cumbersome. (Dr Durkes told us that you should be able to "thump it like a watermelon). But by the time we walked out to the van, she was already used to it and hopped up into her crate without a problem. As soon as we got home, she was flying around her yard as if she had been wearing this "muffler" all along. It never slowed her down. On the contrary, I believe she felt more secure and steady. At least, it certainly appeared that she did.

Oddly enough, when the treatment for wobblers began, Sylvia's ear began to stand. To this day, the ear that once flopped, stands perfectly about 95% of the time.

Christy Waehner
Atlanta, GA