Pinched nerve in the neck

I have a cane corso who was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his neck in April of this year. Prior to that, he's had episodes of what I now know was pinched nerve flare ups for most of his life but they were very mild and would go away on their own within a few hours. Once they got worse, I would give him Previcox and he would be as good as new within one hour. In April, he started Prednisone along with Tramadol and Robaxin as the frequency of flare ups increased. He was fine until late July when he had a couple more flare ups which resolved with Previcox. He now has another flare up after 2 months but this time it didn't respond to Previcox. I am giving him Tramadol and Robaxin and waiting 3 days to start steroids.

Has anyone had any experiences with pinched nerves? Have you had a dog with several episodes who then healed enough to be free of them? Also, does anyone have any tips on how to keep him comfortable until I start the steroid? He's in a lot of pain and basically has just been laying flat.

I have no experience with a pinched nerve in the neck in a dog, only with a human, which might help.

A week after my first son was born I developed the most excruciating pain in both my arms together with numbness of both hands which was diagnosed as a pinched nerve in my neck. I was told little or nothing could be done about it apart from taking painkillers and avoiding any actions that aggravated the condition.

To cut a long story short, some 10 years later, talking to a friend of my husband who'd had a similar problem, he suggested I consulted an acupuncturist which I did. After only one treatment for the first time in years my hands were warm and by the time I'd finished the course of treatment I was completely cured and have nverr had anymore problem.

I know there are vets that practice acupuncture on animals and it might be a good idea to consult one to see if they can help your dog.

You are using some very strong medication here and all it is doing is masking the pain from the real cause which is a trapped nerve. If it were me I would be onto my Equine/Canine Chiropractor for a visit from her and also (as I have a river within a few minutes) be doing a bit more swimming, if you are not lucky enough to have water nearby, then a hydrotherapy centre would be worth trying.

Thanks for your responses. My animal hospital has a holistic vet on staff. I asked that she call me back when she comes in this week.

Does anyone have any experiences related to acupuncture for dogs?

Have you ever tried bringing your dog to a dog chiropractor? Medication for a pinched nerve will only help with pain, it won't unpinch the nerve. But a chiropractor can and they can do it without meds! Might be worth a try?

Pinched nerves in the neck, whether dog or human, are caused by unstable cervical vertebrae. In old dogs, this might be due to some spondylosis (arthritis) which at times, irritate the peripheral nerves coming off the spine. In young dogs, I am usually concerned about some cervical instability that we find often in giant breeds. That said, I like to use acupuncture and chiropractic to restore normal energy moment through the area. If you don't have a holistic vet, you might go to AHVMA.com and check their index for one in your area. Good luck

Your question helped me.