Read Willi's Story

From day one, 'Chelsea' has  been a dog with only two speeds:  flat-out run and stop. There were  never any barriers in her life, just  obstacles. Six-foot fences, barbed  wire fences, stone walls, car windows (in or out), all could be overcome easily.

Even as a puppy she was hard  to stop. Twice she knocked herself out cold, once running head-first into a tree while retrieving a  tennis ball, and another time running into a fence while retrieving.  At the speed she was running, she  hit things hard.

Chels' lifestyle put many miles and countless bruises on her body and at seven, she started to show signs of wear. In the fall of '98, while out pheasant hunting, she came back from a retrieve slowly instead of at her usual dead run. I put her away and ran her son for the rest of the hunt, thinking she had just pulled something. Crate rest did seem to improve things, although not 100 per cent. But it was hard to pinpoint any area of pain. During the winter, she was out running but seemed to tire more easily. X-rays showed no arthritis or anything else suspicious. By March she was reluctant to jump, had some difficulty climbing stairs and moved stiffly in her hind legs.  X-rays were again inconclusive and I was referred to a neurologist for a second opinion.

The neurologist, suspecting a compressed disk, did more x-rays and a myelogram. Again the tests were inconclusive. Chels had something wrong but we just couldn't find it. Then an MRI was done (at a human hospital) and three herniated disks were diagnosed.

Five hours of surgery were performed in May. Laminectomy and preventive fenestration (creating a window in the disk) were performed from T11 (mid thorax) to S1 (near her tail).  Prognosis post-op was good.

Three days after surgery, Chels returned home. She was very ataxic, had little bladder control, was in a lot of pain and had no feeling in her tail. It was hard to see my wild girl like this. However, she started to feel better very quickly. Chels was on strict rest for 10 weeks and then very gradually began a progressive return to a normal level of activity. She started swimming daily and had short leash walks. By late September, she was back to her old activity level. In October, she was out pheasant hunting again and brought in 20 birds that day.

There are two types of disk problems identified in dogs. Type I is a more sudden onset, an "explosive" disk; type II is considered more wear and tear of the disk. Chels was diagnosed with a type II herniation. After Chels' surgery, I started to collect information on disk problems in Tollers and was surprised to find I was not alone with this problem.

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it is to offer hope to other Toller owners faced with a problem similar to Chels'. If you do opt to go through with the surgery, and stick to the rigid recovery program, quality of life for the dog is excellent in many cases.  Diagnosis may be difficult and referral to a neurologist is always recommended.

Secondly, I would like to collect information on any Tollers that have suffered from a disk problem - symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. I have heard of quite a few now, many in the neck region, with varying degrees of success in treatment. I can be reached at pkish@glen-net.ca

Willi herniated his disc when he was about 5 years old.  The only sign I can think of was that every once in a while he would let out a yelp when running or jumping up onto the bed.  Shortly after this started, we took him to his first Toller picnic where Willi was probably the first one in the water and the last one out.  I regret not limiting his swimming that day, but he is a voracious swimmer and was having soooooo much fun.  After we left the picnic, we drove down to our cottage where he did his usual jump from the car, down the hillside and into the lake. There were no signs of injury that day.

The next day,  Willi was walking stiffly.  We immediately drove home, and when I put down his dinner, his hind end gave out on him.  I called the emergency clinic and Willi was having surgery by Dr. Kuzma less than two hours later.  Dr. Kuzma performed a laminectomy (sp?) on his lumbar vertebrae and a discectomy.  Dr. Kuzma said the herniated disc could have been from continual stop/start jerks associated with fetching or from a trauma experienced at the picnic.  Ever since his herniated disc, we try to lob the ball ahead of Willi so he can catch it on the fly and continue the run without a sudden stop.  Willi never did show signs of pain with the herniated disc - only walking stiffly and then the paralysis.

His recovery was nothing less than remarkable.  He walked "gingerly" out of the emergency clinic three days later.  Within a week, he was walking around the block. Within two weeks, he was doing stairs.  Within three weeks, he was swimming!  He has never had any repercussions from his back surgery.

Linda French and Willi