Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 7: Treating Trauma-Induced Neck Pain
• Method 2 of 7: Treating Lyme Disease Neck Pain
• Method 3 of 7: Treating neck pain for meningitis
• Method 4 of 7: Treating Neck Pain Caused by Cervical Discopathy
• Method 5 of 7: Treating Neck Pain Caused by Wobbler Syndrome
• Method 6 of 7: Treating canine plague neck pain
• Method 7 of 7: Making Your Dog Live More Comfortable
• Tips

Dogs, like humans, can suffer from neck pain. The causes of neck pain range from harmless muscle strain to cervical discopathy, meningitis, or neurological disorders such as syringomyelia. Treatment for a dog's neck pain will depend on the specific symptoms, so it is very important to get a correct diagnosis. Take your dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible as soon as you notice signs of neck pain.

Steps

Method 1 of 7: Treating Trauma-Induced Neck Pain

1. 1 Assess the dog's injury. A dog is equally likely to suffer a spinal injury or a simple sprain. Your pet's neck pain can come from anything from sudden braking when transporting a dog to shaking his head while playing catching a ball and running with other dogs.
2. 2 Make an appointment with your vet. Your veterinarian will examine your dog and may order an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI to rule out possible serious problems. It is important to rule out these serious problems, as well as many debilitating diseases and infections that lead to neck pain and require prompt medical treatment. A serious spinal injury may require surgery.
3. 3 Provide supportive care for your dog. If your dog is suffering from neck sprains, your veterinarian may prescribe muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories to relieve pain and ease movement. Give your dog plenty of time to rest and recover.
   • Do not attempt to administer human pain relievers to your dog unless directed by your veterinarian, as these must be administered under the strict supervision of your veterinarian.

Method 2 of 7: Treating Lyme Disease Neck Pain

1. 1 Identify the symptoms of Lyme disease. Lime disease is caused by the bacteria borrelia burgdorferi, which is introduced into the host's body (in this case, the dog's body) through a tick bite. Ticks can thrive in a variety of climates throughout Europe and America. If your dog has been running through the grass or forest, he may have picked up ticks.While in humans, Lyme disease manifests itself as a characteristic ring-shaped redness in the area of ​​the bite, dogs do not have this symptom, which can complicate the diagnosis. Common symptoms of Lyme disease include:
   • pain in the neck;
   • muscle spasms;
   • soreness and sensitivity to touch;
   • apathy;
   • heat.
2. 2 Treat your dog with antibiotics. Lyme disease cannot be cured without veterinarian intervention. Your veterinarian will be able to prescribe antibiotics for your pet, which are necessary to treat the disease and make it feel better. Among the most common antibiotics, doxycillin, tetracycline and amoxicillin should be mentioned.
   • Your dog will likely need to take antibiotics daily for a month. Your veterinarian may recommend shortening or lengthening this period. Follow your veterinarian's advice and ask questions if you are unsure of how and when to give your dog antibiotics.
3. 3 Check your dog regularly for ticks. Dogs that often run in grass and forests should be checked frequently for ticks. To test your dog, follow the steps below.
   • Run your hands all over the dog's body. Check hard-to-reach areas: armpits, gaps between the fingers, and the area behind the ears.
   • Pay attention to bumps or bumps. As soon as you find a lump, spread the fur in this place to inspect. Take a magnifying glass if required. If you can see the bumps on the skin of the paws, then most likely it is a sucked tick.
4. 4 Remove ticks immediately after detection. It is important to act quickly, as ticks can infect their host with diseases if they come into contact with them within 24 hours. To remove the tick safely, you should follow the steps below.
   • Use clean tweezers to grab the tick as close as possible to the skin and the buried head. You can wear gloves to reduce your chances of getting infected.
   • Pull the tick out of the skin. If the tick ruptures, be sure to remove any leftover debris from the skin, as they can be a source of Lyme disease if left in the skin.

Method 3 of 7: Treating neck pain for meningitis

1. 1 Identify the symptoms of meningitis. Meningitis is an infection (usually viral) that causes inflammation of the pia mater surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can affect dogs of any breed, but some breeds have specific forms of meningitis, but it is not known how or why this happens. Among the breeds especially susceptible to this disease, beagles, pugs and Maltese lapdogs should be mentioned. Common symptoms of meningitis in dogs include the following:
   • heat;
   • pain in the neck;
   • "stiffness" of the neck and rigidity (difficulty in carrying out the movements of the head and neck);
   • weakness of the paws;
   • loss of balance;
   • seizures.
2. 2 Give your dog medications. Meningitis cannot be cured without the help of a veterinarian. Most often, treatment measures are to suppress the immune response, which is usually done with the help of high doses of steroids. Prednisone is most commonly prescribed for dogs with meningitis, but other drugs may or may not be prescribed by your veterinarian.
3. 3 Watch for signs of relapse. Dog meningitis is rarely completely cured, and while treatment can reduce symptoms and improve the dog's quality of life in the short term, relapses are common and can be fatal. If your pet shows signs of relapse, see your veterinarian.

Method 4 of 7: Treating Neck Pain Caused by Cervical Discopathy

1. 1 Identify the symptoms of cervical discopathy. Cervical discopathy is commonly known as dick prolapse, which is common in older dogs.Typically, the disc "falls out" in one of two ways: displacement of the disc, in which the nucleus pulposus protrudes from the center of the vertebra and exerts pressure on the spinal cord, or bulging of the disc, in which the annulus fibrosus around the vertebra thickens and creates painful contact with the spinal cord. Symptoms of cervical discopathy include the following:
   • pain / tenderness in the neck;
   • squeals or howls;
   • neck stiffness;
   • difficulty or inability to lower the neck for feeding;
   • difficulty in movement;
   • curvature of the back;
   • drooping of the head;
   • incontinence;
   • paralysis.
2. 2 Get an official diagnosis from your veterinarian. Only a veterinarian can accurately diagnose cervical discopathy. For this, he will probably order an x-ray of the neck and back to understand that the pain in the dog is caused by a type of prolapse of the intervertebral disc.
3. 3 Take proper care of your dog. Unless a veterinarian recommends surgery to correct a prolapsed intervertebral disc, supportive care is the best treatment for cervical discopathy.
   • Stick to short walks. Use a harness instead of a collar when walking on a leash so as not to put undue pressure on the dog's neck.
   • Give your dog a veterinarian prescribed pain reliever or muscle relaxant.

Method 5 of 7: Treating Neck Pain Caused by Wobbler Syndrome

1. 1 Identify the symptoms of Wobbler syndrome. Wobbler Syndrome is a painful affliction of many large breed dogs such as Dobermans, Great Danes and Mastiffs. The syndrome can be caused by a prolapsed or protruding intervertebral disc or bone deformity in the spinal cord. The name Wobbler's syndrome was derived from the English word "wobbly", meaning the staggering gait of dogs affected by this syndrome. Typical symptoms of Wobbler syndrome include:
   • weakness of the limbs;
   • Difficulty standing up or difficulty getting up after bending down
   • tendency to drag one or more paws (usually hind legs; note the characteristic presence of worn or broken claws);
   • loss of muscle mass in the shoulder area;
   • partial or complete paralysis of one or more paws.
2. 2 Get an official diagnosis from your veterinarian. Most likely, the veterinarian will order x-rays, computed tomography, or MRI to refute or confirm Wobbler syndrome. Depending on the severity of your dog's condition, your veterinarian may recommend surgery.
3. 3 Provide supportive care for your dog. Unless your veterinarian recommends surgery, the best thing you can do is keep your dog comfortable. Give her a veterinarian's prescribed medication to treat inflammation and swelling in the neck and back. You will also need to reduce your dog's activity. Some veterinarians recommend keeping dogs with Wobbler Syndrome in cages so they can rest and be restricted in their movements.
   • If your vet diagnoses your dog with Wobbler Syndrome, you will need to use a harness instead of a collar for walking the dog on a leash. Do not use a collar on a dog with Wobbler Syndrome.
4. 4 Consider using physical therapy. Some veterinary clinics may offer water therapy and acupuncture for the dog for global rehabilitation. Check with your veterinarian about what is best for your dog.

Method 6 of 7: Treating canine plague neck pain

1. 1 Identify the symptoms of canine plague. Dogs are usually vaccinated against the disease, but dogs with vaccination gaps can catch this debilitating infection. Common symptoms of canine plague include the following:
   • heat;
   • decreased appetite;
   • mucous discharge from the eyes and nose;
   • cough and pneumonia;
   • vomit;
   • diarrhea;
   • calloused paw pads and nose;
   • discolored or pitted teeth;
   • seizures / twitching / tremors;
   • loss of balance;
   • weakness of the limbs;
   • pain in the neck;
   • muscle stiffness.
2. 2 Get an official diagnosis from your veterinarian. The veterinarian will take a blood test from the dog. He may also do a polymerase chain reaction test (which tests for viral RNA), or may need to take a lumbar puncture to check the cerebrospinal fluid for the presence of plague antibodies.
3. 3 Provide supportive care for your dog. Some veterinarians believe that the only way to recover from the plague is if the dog has immunity to fight the virus. As your dog recovers, your veterinarian may recommend supportive care to relieve symptoms and promote a speedy recovery.
   • Your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial side infections such as pneumonia.
   • Your veterinarian may recommend the use of an airway dilator to relieve the dog's shortness of breath.
   • IV drips may be given to prevent dehydration and wasting, if the dog has persistent diarrhea.

Method 7 of 7: Making Your Dog Live More Comfortable

1. 1 Use a harness to walk your dog. If the dog is suffering from any kind of neck pain, the collar may put too much stress on the dog and cause neck and back discomfort. The harness will be a useful alternative to the collar as it distributes pressure across the dog's chest and does not strain the neck at all. Avoid the use of collars and lean towards the possibility of off-leash walking in a fenced-in area instead of walking on a leash.
2. 2 Use a heating pad. Heat therapy is a useful technique for relieving neck discomfort, especially in dogs with arthritis.
   • Follow the directions and apply warmth to your neck only for the correct amount of time. Talk to the dog affectionately, lay him down, put a heating pad on his neck for 5-10 minutes.
3. 3 Make food and water easily accessible to your dog. If your dog is suffering from neck pain, it may be difficult for him to bend down to eat or drink from a bowl while standing on the floor. Raise the bowls to the correct height that allows the dog to eat and drink without bending over.
4. 4 Watch out for any deterioration in your dog's mobility. Neck pain is often a warning sign of other impending health problems, so it is important to identify and rule out the cause of the pain, and not just deal with the pain symptom itself.
   • Any dog ​​with neck pain should rest as movement will make the pain worse. If your dog has other symptoms, such as refusing to eat, it is important to see your veterinarian.

Tips

• Certain dog breeds are more prone to neck pain than others. This may be associated with a higher risk of cervical discopathy in certain breeds, such as Dachshunds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Beagles and Shih Tzu. Check with your veterinarian if you suspect your dog is at risk for certain cervical and spinal injuries.