Hi. When our Murphy was paralyzed due to a ruptured disk, the hospital gave a brief instructions on how to express his bladder manually. Needless to say, the instructions just didn't do it and I was not up to the task. On top of that, Murphy didn't like it. After 2 emergency visits to our vet to hav...

Never underestimate your dog or stop trying. They can and will surprise you every time.

Congrats. Give her rubs from us.

Its been a while since I have been here. Over the last few weeks Murphy has been declining. I took him to the vet. his vet told me to have Frani come to the hospital. She showed us the x-rays and the changes since a month ago. X-rays were taken and compared to the ones done a month ago. The changes ...

CM, I have been through this twice, both times with beagles, both with differing results. Murphy went down 8 years ago (he is 12 now) with 2 herniated disks. After surgery, 8 weeks crate rest. 9 months swimming rehab. He learned how to stand on his own. Walking took a cart. Over time, he learned to ...

I can vouch for Doggon Wheels Carts . They are light, sturdy, reliable and well built. Its very easy to adjust, be sure to get the leg tie-ups. In three years, all I had to do was occasionally tighten the bolts (regular maintenance) and replace the tires. I do agree with the others, its not for 24/7...

Keep in mind, only consider starting any therapies until you vet clears your pet for such activity. If you can not find a hydrotherapy facility, call local horse training/rehab facilities. They might let you swim him in their pool, they might even have a trainier. If given permission, get a life jac...

Update: Yesterday, Summer went in for her 2 week (actually 11 days) and had the staples removed. My wife reports that she had a very happily surprized neurologist and surgeon. They said her progress is outstanding for a beagle that has had two knees rebuilt and major back surgery. They knew she woul...

Summer report... WE HAVE POO! She went this morning.

She is starting to feel better. She wants up on the couch badly. I keep telling her no, not for a while.

Thats the difference between the neurologist and the surgeon. The surgeon was the same vet who rebuilt her ACL. His wife did the other. Happily all taught at the U of Penn and all are highly regarded. She was in excellent hands. The weekend went smooth enough. The ENTIRE family sleeping in the famil...

Summer is home and resting. She can walk but is weak and is slightly uncoordinated. She has done her business on her own. The surgeon (same one who rebuilt her ACL), said he expects a full recovery. She has 6-8 weeks of crate rest (not 2). No jumping, no running, no play. She gets her staples out in...

I just got the call. Summer is doing well. She is eating, walking and doing her business on her own! She is a little weak in the rear and needs a lift from a sitting position, but that is normal the neurologist said.

She comes home tomorrow morning!

Well, Summer is out of surgery, she is awake and alert. The surgery went 'smooth and slick", as the neorologist put it. The two disks were not just bulging as the CT scan showed, they were ruptured. There was much more disk debris than expected, both inside and out of her spine. He was surprise...

Well, I have been trying to get Summer to the vet for the last few days (possible UTI), but due to a lack of vets (one left for a position at Johns Hopkins) and the others on vacation, they have been booked solid. To make matters worse, I got my days mixed and we missed Summer's appointment on Monda...

Expressing a dog can be difficult. When Murphy came home from surgery, my bladder expressing course from the UofP was about 5-10 minutes. The first night we were in a panic because I could not express him and his bladder was VERY full. After two trips to the emergency room our vet decided I could ha...

You need to be calm in your thinking about this. Your girl was paralyzed, had MAJOR spinal surgery, and is now very early in her post-op recovery. This is not a quick fix, your surgeon was being optimistic with 3 weeks. This could take a long time, as in months to years. The good news is you see som...