Maltese Back Problems

Our 10 yr old male is having a disc?? problem. We think he always had a
problem with his back, as one time when he was about 18 months old, I
was playing with him and I touched his back, and he yelped. We
brought him to the Vet who could find nothing wrong with him. I told
the Vet that Sparky sometimes liked to go under the couch, which to do
so he had to lie flat on his tummy and squeeze under. The Vet thought
that may have given him a slight strain. We blocked off the area.
Two weeks ago Sparky was in obvious discomfort, panting and very
restless. When he walked he was very unsteady on his back legs, and
his tummy seemed to be very hard. We brought him to the emergency
and the Vet told us his intestines were inflamed. She gave him an
injection and gave us a 7 day supply of Metronidazole. After five
days he seemed to be back to his old self, so we took him for a
walk. After ten minutes he began to wobble on his back paws again, and
when we lifted him up his tummy was hot and hard again. We brought
Sparky to his regular Vet, who took an xray of his back, and pointed
out to us a slightly wider gap between two discs. The Vet also gave
him an injection of dexamethasone, and recommended lots of rest,
and no jumping around. (Yeah Right!!)

Can any member of the group shed some light on this?
Is it a common problem with rhe Maltese breed?
Would putting a hot pad on his back be recommended?
His appetite is normal, but when he eats (petfood) it seems to bring on the
discomfort.
Is it a diet problem or a back problem?

Any info would be very welcome.

Applying heat to a dog is a tricky proposition... it's very easy to burn
them unless you know what the temperature should be: discuss with your
vet.

The best way to enforce rest is in a correctly sized crate.... just
enough space to stand, turn around and lie down. If you can't or won't
use this, then keep the dog on leash and with one of you 24/7. With or
without the crate, have the dog in leash to go outside to potty.

Bring up the food issue with your vet again. It could be two
problems... a stomach/intestinal problem caused by the stress (physical,
mental) brought on by the back injury.... or something involving the
"wiring" of the nerves involved in the injured area.... Ask about using
a bland diet for a while; vet can then recommend some options.

I've known lots of Maltese and haven't heard that back injuries/disc
problems are particularly common. This can happen with any breed, but
is most common with the long low breeds like dachshunds and Corgies...
That said..... An active, playful tiny dog taking leaps off furniture
or steps and landing just wrong can end up with some of the same "sports
injuries" seen in agility and flyball dogs, or injuries seen more
commonly in other breeds/body types. You could probably get better
breed-specific information on an email list devoted to the Maltese.
Check out yahoogroups for potential lists...

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia