Hey Radica!
Okay, so here are a bunch of ideas, in no particular order:
Laser for sure if you have it. If the area is always hypersensitive to touch, then hover over the area to laser (class 3b) or wave your wand over the area as per usual protocol (class 4). Aim for at least 10J/cm2.
I’d try CBD as well. I don’t know what the specific rules are in BC for vets… but you could direct them to an online source of Hemp sourced CBD - we sell the products from
www.Earthmade.store (Pettanicals Daily for Dogs).
We’re seeing great results!! (And for what it’s worth the Serenity / Anxiety Cookies are fabulous for dogs with thunderstorm issues… so, if there is a component of anxiety / stress, that could be an adjunct or side-product to think about as well.)
Assuming the nerves are irritated, have you tried any manual therapies? Chest lifts in particular and/or tail pulls. Chest lifts could help open / flex the facet joints and the tail pulls could have a bit of a myofascial release aspect.
Along the lines of thinking about myofascial components, would she tolerate anything like gentle skin pulling in a caudo-ventral direction away from the spine? Or even simple petting in that direction? This can help to stimulate the nerves in the direction in which they exit the spine.
You / the owner could also try simple skin lifting over the spine - again for nerves & fascia.
Would she tolerate hanging traction? Holding her under the forelimbs / scapula and just allowing her to dangle. Thus allowing her body weight to traction the spine?
In some human cases, we would sometimes try de-sensitizing an area by rubbing the skin with different textured fabric - starting with smooth and soft fabrics / items, and building up to rougher textures. Along those lines, perhaps using a blow dryer on a cool setting… maybe wetting the area first with a spray bottle, to achieve a cooling effect. (Cold may help slow nerve conduction. Although, I’m not sure if cool water and a cool setting on a blow dryer would be cold enough.) Just something to try… might simply help with desensitizing.
If we’re lucky, perhaps someone else will have a great idea to share!
Best of luck!
Laurie
