In 2023, our French Bulldog Milka had an IVDD injury at 7 years old. It was one of the scariest situations we've had to go through. Milka was unable to walk, shaking all over her whole body... Her vet suspected a non-surgical herniated disc.
In this blog post, we are going to share our experience with IVDD and the story of how we healed Milka's IVDD 100% naturally under veterinary supervision, avoiding medication and surgery!
We created this below natural wellness plan for our dog Milka, utilizing natural remedies and supplements, bedrest, physiotherapy, red light therapy and veterinary guidance. If at any point Milka did not show improvements on this natural wellness plan, we would have immediately gone back to the veterinary clinic for integrative support and online consultation with a holistic veterinarian.
Disclaimer: We were able to treat our dog 100% naturally. The below pet wellness plan is what worked for our Frenchie. The information in this blog does not substitute professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Article at a Glance
| 1. Milka's Symptoms |
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2. Milka's Natural IVDD Treatment Plan 2.1. Natural First Aid Remedies for IVDD 2.2. Recording symptoms of IVDD 2.3. Natural Supplements for IVDD 2.4. Bedrest For IVDD 2.5. Veterinary Care for IVDD 2.6. Physiotherapy and Red Light Therapy for IVDD |
| 3. One Year Later... How has our French Bulldog recovered from IVDD? |
OUR FRENCH BULLDOG'S SYMPTOMS OF IVDD
Here's what happened: Milka was playing with another dog in the office and must have hurt herself in the process. After playing, Milka laid in her bed all day which is not unusual, so we did not notice she was hurt. When Larry picked her up to go potty, she screamed loudly. Milka is not a vocal dog at all, and she rarely shows any signs of pain. So her screaming was a big deal for us and we immediately knew something was awfully wrong.
After the scream, she started shaking on her whole body and could not move.
HOW WE TREATED OUR FRENCH BULLDOG'S IVDD 100% NATURALLY
In the past we have worked with holistic veterinarians all over the world and at PAWDEGA we have supported countless pets with IVDD. Our immediate reaction to this situation was based on our experience with this topic. We reacted to the situation really fast, as we have a natural first aid kit at home. A heads up: We called the vet right after we offered first aid to Milka.
NATURAL FIRST-AID REMEDIES FOR IVDD
Right after we realized Milka was injured, we immediately administered a dose of 'Your Go 2', 'Jump For Joynts', 'Herbaprin', and 'Inflapotion'.
'Your Go 2' is a natural homeopathic remedy for literally ANY emergency situation. It helps to reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain. It's always our first 'go to' when Milka gets hurt.
'Jump For Joynts' is an effective homeopathic remedy, very effective in reducing inflammation, pain, and any joint-related injuries.
'Herbaprin' is a herbal remedy that helps reduce pain and helps dogs rest and heal after injuries.
'Inflapotion' is a herbal remedy targeted at reducing inflammation quickly.
We honestly were not really sure what was wrong with Milka, we were guessing at that point and thought she must have hurt her spine, or there must be something neurological. But it wasn't very important in that moment to know exactly what was wrong with her. All of the products we gave her in that moment were natural, so they'll help her regardless of what the injury is.
We continued giving Milka the 'Jump For Joynts' and 'Your Go 2' four times a day for two weeks and the 'Herbaprin' & 'Inflapotion' 2-3 times a day for 1 week.
RECORDING SYMPTOMS OF IVDD
Video footage always helps document the injury and helps the veterinarian to get a better idea of what was going on. Immediately after giving her the remedies, we started video recording her shaking and limping. We also wrote down the symptoms, timings, and duration of symptoms in our phone notes so we can reference the timeline correctly and keep track of her progress.
NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR IVDD
For the past 5 years, we had already been feeding a variety of joint supporting, natural supplements on a daily basis. On the same day of the injury we started adding MCT Oil, Bone Broth, and Elk Antler Powder to her supplement routine.
Therapeutic MCT Oil supports energy, brain health, and immunity. MCT Oil is extremely beneficial for pets with seizures or any other neurological concern. Since we did not know if Milka's shivering was neurological, we just started adding MCT Oil as a precaution.
Bone Broth supports joint health and is an amazing source of collagen and gelatine.
We also started adding Elk Antler Powder which is honestly incredible and I believe it's one big part of why Milka recovered so fast. Elk Antler Powder is packed with important nutrients that support bone, joint, and muscle health. It also promotes an increase in strength & rapid recovery from injuries.
For the two months after the injury (and honestly still to this day), we focused very heavily on adding natural supplements that help to lower inflammation and support the natural healing process.
To summarize, on a daily basis, we fed her: 'Gut Soothe', 'Healthy Hip & Joint' (click here for a DIY recipe), 'Potent-Sea', 'Elk Antler Powder', Bone Broth, 'Inflapotion', and 'Herbaprin' for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as 'Your Go 2' and 'Jump For Joynts'.
BEDREST FOR IVDD
Right after the injury we immediately put Milka on bedrest and stopped walking her. We stopped using the harness and just carried her to a patch of grass where she can poop and pee.
Even inside the house we tried to minimize her walking as much as possible. No jumping either. We got a few moveable barricades and installed baby gates from Amazon to limit her walking.
We ended up not taking her on any walks for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, we started taking VERY short walks and we had to use lots of treats so that she doesn't pull the leash. We just always took the precautionary route.
VETERINARY CARE FOR IVDD
Two days after the initial injury we managed to get an appointment with our vet. I want to say I am beyond grateful for our vet. I cannot overstate the importance of having a mutually respectful relationship with a veterinarian who supports a natural healing journey.
Our vet was very surprised to see that Milka was already walking only two days after the injury. She watched the video footage that we had taken on the day of her injury and she read through our notes. Right away, she suspected a non-surgical herniated disc.
Given the fact that Milka was already trying to walk and and trying to stand up on two legs, our vet said that we should just continue doing what we are doing regarding the natural remedies we've been giving Milka. She did not prescribe any medication to us but recommended physiotherapy as well as veterinary supervision.
Being at the vet with an injured pet is scary, so the reassurance from our vet meant a lot to us.
PHYSIOTHERAPY AND RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR IVDD
We started Physiotherapy with Kirsten from Physio Evolution in Dubai one week after the injury occurred. We did one session a week for 5 weeks and Kirsten gave us lots of exercises to do at home on a daily basis. During each session, Kirsten did a few minutes of laser therapy, some strengthening exercises and a few stretching exercises.
Simultaneously, we purchased a red light device from Photonic to support Milka's healing from home. It was a big investment, but it was definitely worth it.
Red Light Therapy has so many incredible health benefits and helps promote healing after injury. We got the Essential Back Pad which I highly recommend for any dog with IVDD. I love the fact that it covers Milka's entire spine, so I can lay it over her like a blanked and in only one session her whole spine gets to benefit from Red Light Therapy! Ps: You actually get $25 off your Photonic Health Red Light Therapy Decide with code PAWDEGA!
ONE YEAR LATER... HOW HAS OUR FRENCH BULLDOG RECOVERED FROM IVDD?
I am very happy to let you know Milka has recovered amazingly and has not had any further IVDD injuries. It's like nothing ever happened. When we went for a check-up around 6 weeks after the injury, our vet was very surprised and happy with how quickly and how well Milka recovered.
Since this experience, we have made long-term adjustments to our French Bulldog's lifestyle and supplement routine to proactively prevent IVDD injuries in the future.
Milka has been on 'Jump For Joynts' for many years, but since the injury we have been very strict, making 100% sure she gets 'Jump For Joynts' on a daily basis. We also now feed her Bone Broth (click here for a free recipe), and Elk Antler Powder daily as well as 'Healthy Hip & Joint', and 'Potent-Sea'.
We still continue to use the Photonic Red Light device almost every other day, since we have learned more and more over the past year about the incredible benefits of red light therapy.
We are beyond grateful that we were able to avoid surgery and medication, taking care of this IVDD injury 100% naturally. Medication can come with long-term side effects and impacted gut health which we want to avoid as much as possible.
I hope our story inspires you to go the natural route under veterinary supervision, whenever possible. Every dog's healing journey is unique, so even if you are not able to go 100% natural, you can still incorporate the mentioned natural remedies into your conventional treatment plan.
Perhaps one of the biggest words of advice we want to leave here is: If your dog is injured, please do not just 'wait and see'. If you want to avoid having to use medication on your pet, you need to act immediately and do something that is going to help your pet heal and feel better. Immediately start feeding effective, natural remedies and supplements and implement lifestyle changes that will help you avoid medication before it's too late! Personally, I always have a Holistic Natural First Aid kit at home for situations like this.
Always work with your trusted veterinarian to find the best solution for your pet.
