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.