# 6yr old with inflammed disc



## kytroutmanoh

Hello.. I'm looking for advice. About 2 weeks ago, my super hyper active dog quit running, he would only walk.. then one day he couldn't jump in the chair with me, then he started shaking and panting, could barely walk.. Took him to the vet, she said inflammed disc with a swollen spleen? Said his shaking/shivering and panting was a dog's sign of intense pain. Put him on steroid and muscle relaxer. We did 5 days of steroids at twice a day.. then we went to one steroid once a day with the muscle relaxers.. The 3rd day of only one steroid he started shaking and panting again, so I called back and she said 3 more days of twice a day steroid.. Tomorrow will be our 3rd day of this 2nd round. He still can barely walk, having to go the bathroom leaves him shaking in pain for about a hour afterwards. He is not overweight, but she said his back problem is common with the Cocker Spaniel part of him.. 
Has anyone had this with a dog before? This pain he is in, is no way to live. This is hurting me as much as him cause all he can do is lay. I have to pick him to take him outside because he can not do steps at all. Is there any hope that he will get better enough to be semi normal again? Suggestions please for the next vet visit!


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## caradunne

Sorry no help but I want to send you and your dog my love and sympathy, it must be awful for you both and I hope the vet can help more xx


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## Dylansmum

That's really awful for you both. We hate to see our lovely dogs in pain. Is there a possibility of an operation to correct it?


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## kendal

a friends cockapoo slipped a disk in her back a compleatly loat the use of her back legs, she ended up with an operatio and phisio therapy including hydro thrapy swimming she is still not perfect but she can now do se gentle running in the garden flr short periods of time. 

have they taken an x ray yet. 


another thing that may or may not help is a magnetic coller, i know humans that use magnetic braslets for joint and back pain. and dogs with hip displasia that have a hole new lease of life when wairing their magnetic collar. 

realy hope your dog gets better soon.


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## Cockapoodledoo

How awful for you. Hope your dog shows improvement soon. It must be tearing you apart.

Karen x


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## DONNA

Thats awful im so sorry
Did the vet say it was an inherited condition or was it just something that can happen to any dog??

Thinking of you both Donna and Buddy x


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## JulesB

So sorry to hear this and hope something can be done so your dog can run around pain free again. x


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## doodlebug

Are you cage resting him? if not this will give his disc chance to heal, is he on any pain relief? i know vets often prescribe tramadol, this also has a sedative effect so helps them rest whilst while healing.


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## Ali79

I am so sorry to hear about your poor dog and hope that you are able to seek some more help and advice on here  X


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## kytroutmanoh

He is on Robaxin, a muscle relaxer for pain right now.. but that runs out TODAY.. and yet our next vet appt is not until Sept. 7th.. He is on cage rest and she has us putting him in a wading pool for 30 minutes a day to help relieve the pressure, as his back end floats.. Not quite deep enough for him to have to swim, but yet deep enough that the back floats a bit. 
She has mentioned surgery at a price of 3-5 thousand dollars.. cant' do that, and it may NOT help him, and it's a 90 minute drive to where they do that. Soooo..... When we leave the house, he is shut in the laundry room, where his cage/kennel is at.. I tried moving his kennel to the living room so he could be near us.. but he kept going back to the laundry room and laying in the floor next to where his kennel had been.. I gave up and moved it back in there, guess he wants his privacy too!


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## kytroutmanoh

She said it is common in Cocker Spaniels, and since he is part Cocker, he apparently inherited that trait from his father...


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## wilfiboy

Oh I really feel for you, you just feel so useless, I hope the treatment works and your poor boy ends up feeling himself again soon x


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## doodlebug

kytroutmanoh said:


> She said it is common in Cocker Spaniels, and since he is part Cocker, he apparently inherited that trait from his father...


So did the vet say it was degenerative disc disease? this is a genetic condition that cockers can be predisposed to, and why breeders need to know the health of the cockers in their dogs pedigrees, 

If the vet confirms that it is degenerative disc disease you must inform the breeder so they dont breed any dogs with these lines.

Is surgery an option for your dog?


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## Fifi

Hi, Have you looked for a Canine Bowen Therapist? This link www.caninebowentechnique.com/ may give you more information.

I am a Bowen Therapist for people and I know how often this Technique can cure pain with very gentle moves, that convential medicine does not.


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## kendal

cockers are now starting to suffer from conditions that are normaly asosiated with larger breeds like hip displasia which is know in labs, standered poodles, GSDS. i know 2 cockers with it and a cockapoo. 


i really recomend you look into magnet therapy.


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## 2ndhandgal

The most important thing with disc problems is correct diagnosis and then either total rest to allow the discs to heal or surgery to resolve the problem. X-rays won't always show the problems fully so you may need an MRI scan to show what is going on and decide what to do from there.

Having had a previous dog suffering from severe disc problems you have my sympathy and I hope you are able to see the vets again today if he is still in pain as 7th Sept sounds a long time away.


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## DONNA

Fifi said:


> Hi, Have you looked for a Canine Bowen Therapist? This link www.caninebowentechnique.com/ may give you more information.
> 
> I am a Bowen Therapist for people and I know how often this Technique can cure pain with very gentle moves, that convential medicine does not.


Fifi ive used bowen therapy for a frozen shoulder and i must say i wasnt sold on it at first but IT WORKED for me it was amazing!!! I couldnt move my arm at all and i think i went about 6 times and got almost full movement back.Bowen therapy gets a thumbs up from me:twothumbs:


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## Fifi

Hi Donna, great to hear of some one who knows about Bowen and who has had a successful result. Although I haven't been trained to use it on animals I do occasionally give my mother-in-laws aged cat a few moves and also our friends 13 yr old lab, they both benefit.


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## kytroutmanoh

As of Sunday my dog seems a bit better. He has a tiny soccer ball that he's had since he was a little puppy, the only toy not torn up.. that he plays with in the pool when he's doing his water therapy and Sunday after he got out of the pool, he wanted to play with it more in the yard. I did play with him by tossing the ball maybe 4 feet away, and then when I quit because as I told him, you are not resting, he whimpered and whined and did his usual I want to play routine.. So that is hopeful as I had not seen that behavior, since he was in so much pain. He was the same way yesterday, but again I wouldn't play long.. He was 'caging' himself by staying in his kennel most of the day, but yesterday I had to actually shut him in the cage as he wanted to be out.. And the I know he's not healed, as you can tell by how he is walking.. and the vet did say to make him cage rest if he doesn't do it himself.. So I got the stare of what did I do when I shut the door on him...  I have also ordered magnetic collars, figured why not.. I'll try about anything. Talked to the vet yesterday and we did get more steroid, but only enough to slowly wean him off.. His pain seems to be less, less shaking or panting, so we'll keep with the cage rest and hope for the best. He's feeling better and wants to be out but that is just going to aggravate the problem and not let it heal properly..


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## Tressa

Really hope he is on the mend soon - my heart goes out to you.


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## ali-s.j.

Just caught up with this thread, hope he's continuing to improve


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## kytroutmanoh

It's been about 16 days since he first went to the vet barely able to hold himself up.. I don't know if it was the medicine, the cage rest, the water therapy, or even the magnetic collar he's had on for a week.. but he is so much better now. The first week I was worried I was going to have to put him out of his misery.. but now.. he's about 90% back.. Still walks funny and the vet did say he may never walk great again.. but he's walking.. He's running down the steps even though he's not suppose to yet, he's wanting to play, he chased the birds out of the yard today, he's wanting to go outside anytime you go near the door, he's barking at every little noise again.. etc... He is back to himself other than his back legs still work a bit odd and he can't run more than a few feet, but he can trot fast again! It is cooling off so the water therapy is pretty much done.. in the wading pool he could play.. if I just put in him the bathtub, all he can really do is stand there  He goes back to the vet in 2 more days again..


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## Kel

Glad to read that he is so much better! I hope he continues to improve


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## kendal

fantastic, let us know what the vet says. glad he is back to some form of normality. 

just keep the weight off him seeing as he isnt running asmuch as he used to. that will hopefully help too.


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## Tressa

Bless him - hope he continues to improve. Such a worrying time.


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## Ali79

Excellent news - am so pleased he is making a good recovery


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## Zeina22

This happened to my cockapoo last year, he was 4 almost 5 years old. We did the same thing, muscle relaxers, steroids and lots of rest. The vet told me to keep him rested for 2 weeks, but I kept him rested for more like 4 - 5 weeks with his crate just to be safe. 

He is doing great and made a good recovery. He has a little trouble jumping sometimes, and I try not to encourage it with him. It's also been recommended to avoid going up and down stairs. It's pretty hard though in my house. I hope we don't get another episode of it again. It's awful to see your little doggie go through pain.


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## Tressa

Can only imagine what it must have been like to go through that with your dog. Hope he recovers completely before too long. It must be hard keeping him from going upstairs!


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## kytroutmanoh

Yes, the vet was pleased with his recovery. She is putting him on a supplement that is aimed at his back/spine, but for the life of me, I can not remember what it is, however, we are still waiting on it to come in at the vet as they ran out of it. Still does not want him jumping or doing stairs, or very rarely. Well HE did not listen. He runs down the steps to go outside, and the other day actually jumped off of them, and I fussed and I got the aww come on look, but then later on I could tell he wasn't walking so good. Even though he runs DOWN the steps, when it's time to come in, he waits at the bottom for me to carry him up the 4 steps. He is out and about and running to the door for noise more, yet at the same time you will find him in the kennel a lot too resting. Still eating out of his raised dish, as I don't want to tempt it with him bending over and stretching the back. She did say that rainy dreary days will tend to hurt him, just like older folks with arthritis.


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## Jedicrazy

kytroutmanoh said:


> It's been about 16 days since he first went to the vet barely able to hold himself up.. I don't know if it was the medicine, the cage rest, the water therapy, or even the magnetic collar he's had on for a week.. but he is so much better now. The first week I was worried I was going to have to put him out of his misery.. but now.. he's about 90% back.. Still walks funny and the vet did say he may never walk great again.. but he's walking.. He's running down the steps even though he's not suppose to yet, he's wanting to play, he chased the birds out of the yard today, he's wanting to go outside anytime you go near the door, he's barking at every little noise again.. etc... He is back to himself other than his back legs still work a bit odd and he can't run more than a few feet, but he can trot fast again! It is cooling off so the water therapy is pretty much done.. in the wading pool he could play.. if I just put in him the bathtub, all he can really do is stand there  He goes back to the vet in 2 more days again..


I'm sorry to have only just read this thread and hear about your poor dog and the pain he's gone through. It's so hard when you feel so helpless . I've been watching my own dog shake and pant with pain so I can relate a little. I'm so glad to hear that things are improving for him and I hope he continues to improve. I would remain uber cautious with him as I'm sure these type of injuries take a long time to recover from. What is your dogs name by the way. Do you have any pics?


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## kytroutmanoh

The dogs name is Tater.. our other weiner dog's name is Chip.. My husband picked out the names.. Tater - Chip taterchip, yep ha ha..


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## Laura(L)Izzie

Just read this thread, very sorry to hear about your dog  butb glad to hear that he is recovering  If you have any pictures we'd love to see what he looks like  Best wishes x


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## Tressa

kytroutmanoh said:


> The dogs name is Tater.. our other weiner dog's name is Chip.. My husband picked out the names.. Tater - Chip taterchip, yep ha ha..


Very amusing names,


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## filiaecclesia

Hi - I just found this thread, and hope your dog is still doing well. I just got the same diagnosis today for our 4 year old cockapoo, Beatrice. She's resting now with codeine, a muscle relaxer, and something else for pain. I'm glad to see your dog recovered and also that the time frame was about two weeks to see improvement. I'll try to be patient!

Hope he's better every day!


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## Jedicrazy

Hope Beatrice makes a good recovery. It's so good when you can hear/read about other dogs going through the same thing and that they come out the other side doing so well .


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## puppylove

Hi, one of my cocker spaniels was diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease. I understood that his disc was pressing on his spinal cord causing intense pain. He couldn't get into the correct position to do a poo, he would sit with a hunched back and he was unable to go up stairs. Also he would go and hide as he didn't want to be bothered. He was treated with morphine and anti inflammatories and this treatment did help. The vet sent his xrays to a specialist who was talking spinal surgery, but he would need more that one op. I opted for the wait and see approach. He had a few episodes over the years but in his old age he had no such problems. He lived to 13 years without being on any medication and I think I made the right decision for him.


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## kytroutmanoh

Tater is still doing good. He did regain everything as he went back to running as hard as he could after the ball.. However, his back does flare up. I've not seen him shake in pain anymore though. I can tell by how he drags his back right leg, and if we are inside, he'll sometimes go to his kennel instead of being in the room with us. Right now his leg is dragging but yet he is wanting us to throw the ball, and I won't for a few days to give his back a chance to re-coop, but he isn't happy about that, cause there is a ball to chase and he is a ball nut!!


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## filiaecclesia

We opted for the spinal surgery for our little Beatrice. She had two completely ruptured discs, bleeding around the sites, etc. A long surgery, and three nights in the hospital. We brought her home yesterday, and she's already bearing weight, with support, on her hind legs, is eating, drinking, etc., and is tolerating the meds well. She needs two weeks of very serious cage rest, and won't be able to walk at least until then. Her vet is very optimistic that she'll make a good recovery.

A lot of money and work, but she's our responsibility and part of our family. I hope, with a lot of caution and retraining not to jump on and off everything in the house, that disc problems are behind her/us!

All the best to my fellow cockapoo lovers who are dealing with dogs with tricky backs!


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## M&M's mummy

Wishing all your dogs a speedy recovery from their recent back injuries and operations.

You may like to read about one of our Cockapoo Onwers Clubs members dogs who had a slipped disc :

http://www.cockapoo-owners-club.org.uk/heslth_issues_bonnie.html


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## maggie t

kytroutmanoh said:


> Hello.. I'm looking for advice. About 2 weeks ago, my super hyper active dog quit running, he would only walk.. then one day he couldn't jump in the chair with me, then he started shaking and panting, could barely walk.. Took him to the vet, she said inflammed disc with a swollen spleen? Said his shaking/shivering and panting was a dog's sign of intense pain. Put him on steroid and muscle relaxer. We did 5 days of steroids at twice a day.. then we went to one steroid once a day with the muscle relaxers.. The 3rd day of only one steroid he started shaking and panting again, so I called back and she said 3 more days of twice a day steroid.. Tomorrow will be our 3rd day of this 2nd round. He still can barely walk, having to go the bathroom leaves him shaking in pain for about a hour afterwards. He is not overweight, but she said his back problem is common with the Cocker Spaniel part of him..
> Has anyone had this with a dog before? This pain he is in, is no way to live. This is hurting me as much as him cause all he can do is lay. I have to pick him to take him outside because he can not do steps at all. Is there any hope that he will get better enough to be semi normal again? Suggestions please for the next vet visit!


our dog has the same back problem. we took her to vet gave us meds and we are now going back (3 weeks) today with the same problems with walking.


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## kytroutmanoh

Maggie - lots of kennel rest, we carried the dog up and down steps, told him NO and WAIT if he we knew he was going to try to jump. The wading pool 'therapy' was the biggest thing that helped him. His back end floated and we found one of his toys that he would walk back and forth in the pool to grab and bring to us on one side of the pool. 

A year later, he runs and jumps just like always, but you can tell when he has over done it, as he drags a back leg a bit, you hear it in non carpeted areas of the house. 

He also hated soft areas to lay in when he was in pain. I fixed him up a big doggie bed pillow inside the kennel and he would not stay in there or would try to avoid me so he wouldn't get put in, once I took it out and just put a a couple of blankets on the hard bottom, he was fine and went in there on his own often.


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## Cat 53

You could see if a canine Bowen Therapist could help. It has amazing results and is very gentle. I would take my own dog to one like a shot.


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## Michael Williams

*Same Issue*

Just wanted to say I had the same issue with my 5 year old Cockapoo. The treatment of steroids, muscle relaxers and pain meds along with crate rest seems to be working. We were told never, never any more stairs or jumping off beds. According to the stats we have a 31% chance of reoccurrence.


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## mymagicman2628

*Magicman*

I came home today to find my big baby Magic shaking and panting. Took him to the vet and they said he had a slipped disc...I dont understand how this happened..He was fine yesterday, and today he is in so much pain..It is almost like seeing a baby hurting and they cannot tell you what is wrong..My whole
family is crying and upset. Magic cannot stand on his hind legs. I want to believe that the pain meds and anti-inflammory medicine will help him, but I am really scared...I don't know what to do to make him comfortable..I love my big baby so much..Please keep Magic and our family in your prayers....


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## dio.ren

mymagicman2628 said:


> I came home today to find my big baby Magic shaking and panting. Took him to the vet and they said he had a slipped disc...I dont understand how this happened..He was fine yesterday, and today he is in so much pain..It is almost like seeing a baby hurting and they cannot tell you what is wrong..My whole
> family is crying and upset. Magic cannot stand on his hind legs. I want to believe that the pain meds and anti-inflammory medicine will help him, but I am really scared...I don't know what to do to make him comfortable..I love my big baby so much..Please keep Magic and our family in your prayers....


Oh so sad sending prayers your way! My friend has a dog he is a poodle cross and had a slipped disk and needed surgery but he is fine now. He had to go through extensive surgery to fix it and they were devastated! I hope everything works out for Magic! So sad..why does it seem like our poo's are always ill I am sending prayers your way!:hug:


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## Grove

Thinking of Magic and your family. It is so hard when they can't talk to you and tell you how they feel. Although it will be really hard, try and stay strong around Magic as he might be confused that you are all upset and this may make him anxious. I really hope he gets better as soon as possible.


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## RuthMill

Sorry to hear about Magic.

If you are at all concerned that he is getting worse or has other symptoms of being unwell get back to the vet. 

I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily but we have had a few cockapoos here with meningitis and an early symptoms is back pain/weakness. 

Please don't hesitate to go back to your vet if you are worried.

Wishing you all the best and Magic that he makes a full recovery.


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## RuthMill

Here is a link to the Meningitis sticky. Again, best to be safe and have knowledge of these things.

http://ilovemycockapoo.com/showthread.php?t=6790&highlight=Meningitis


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## HardlyMisterSoftee

Howdy folks, I'm new to the forum...been scanning the online universe for info re: herniated discs - would like to hear an update from those of you who have posted. Our story is a bit long and involved, but I will say this: 7 year old cockapoo, doing much better now, had an MRI this week (YES, a full-blown doggie MRI, folks!!)...only to discover five (5!!!) problem discs, basically inoperable is what the vets told us (fine w/us given the mounting costs and also the challenge of recovery). So what's a li'l feller to do? No more hiking, no more dog park crazy-play, certainly no more jumping onto (or especially off of) chairs/couches or any high-impact activity. Trammadol, Methocarbamol, Gabapentin are our friends (as needed), and we're wrestling with some gnarly skin issues. And make no mistake, friends: The Dude is supa-cute...and whatta personality, as these poos often are! Will share a pic or two soon. 

So please share yer updates...let's lend each other words of support. It's been one heckuva year here. We love our little tough-guy (sweet as though he may be...) and want to ensure he has many good years ahead of him. Has anyone tried doggy acupuncture for disc issues?

Cheers, and Happy New Year,
HardlyMisterSoftee & Friends


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## 2ndhandgal

Not with a cockapoo but one of my last dogs has spinal problems caused by his previous owners kicking him. He had back pain for a few years which we managed with acupuncture (which worked far better for him than the likes of metacam) then he started to have problems with his back legs and plenty of x-rays and an MRI scan showed bad damage in one area of his lumbar spine with slight damage in his cervical spine.

It was a real gamble due to the severity of the damage and the other area of damage but we opted for surgery on his lumber spine and he made a reasonable recovery from that although still struggled a lot with his back legs. We then went onto the search for decent physio help which was an important key to good recovery. Sadly although we found a good one they were a fair distance from us and we were badly let down by local people.

It was not a great success in the end for my boy as those dodgy discs in his neck also started to affect him and problems with a front leg coupled with still struggling with his back legs were just a step too much for him.

I hope your boy has more luck, definitely give acupuncture a try if you can find a good vet and a good canine physio is also worth their weight in gold. I can give you details of the very best - but she is based in Wales in the UK and I am suspected you are US based?


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