Help Needed: pinched nerve

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Dianne
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At last!

Post by Dianne »

Hi Carol,

Thanks for responding to Mary below. My schedule is always nuts, so any help is always appreciated.

The cart: We looked at the inexpensive PVC carts from "Dogs to Go", and decided they would be inexpensive and easy to copy. It cost about $10 including the free wheels from a child's riding toy. We're on model number 3 right now, and still hope to work out a few kinks. We'll make up a parts list when the final model is chosen, and post it so that anyone can copy. No need for paralysis to be expensive.

The difficulty in the design comes in keeping the back level, but keeping the feet from dragging. If you look at the "Dogs to Go" early models, the back is sometimes TOO elevated for my taste. It would appear uncomfortable with all of the weight on the dog's front feet.

Schnitzel is cooperative as long as a food is available. We lure him into the cart before being fed. I think he would be difficult in an expensive model, too. At last, he is on wheels, but the design changes continue.

Anyway, more will come on this subject as we progress.

Dianne
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Dianne
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Re: More than you ever wanted to know ;) *LINK*

Post by Dianne »

Hello Mary,

'Ole Roy is a less than premium dog food sold at WalMart. It creates voluminous feces. (Lotsa'!) Iams is very good but there are many others that are considered premium also.

Stress could be a cause of the diarrhea. I remember that my dog had diarrhea when he first became paralyzed, but as the days went by, he normalized. I never knew whether it was stress, or steroids that initially caused the "runny bowels".

Oh my goodness, 35 lb. is too much for you to stand and hold over the toilet if your back is bothering you. Try one of the other methods that Carol has sugggested.

***How to express urine: There is a link on this site showing how to make a dog pee. If your pup's belly is swelling, and he is urinating uncontrollably (in diapers), then you should probably be expressing his urine. There are a lot of us around here who do this several times per day. My vet never showed me how to do it; I read how to do it on the internet and taught myself. You can teach yourself too. If your dog is incontinent (unable to control when he needs to pee) then you should be doing this to prevent a bladder infection (urinary tract infection).

Link below shows where a pet's bladder would be located. It is a cat in the model, but your dog's bladder would be about the same. The cat is facing the left side of the page, and the tail is on the right.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... ourceID=42

We all certainly understand tears after a pet's injury. We initially feel helpless, frustrated, and a sense of loss with the injury or disability. Then, as your pup stabilizes, your life will also.

Best wishes for a Blessed Easter,

Dianne



http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/express/
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CarolC
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Re: At last!

Post by CarolC »

That is VERY cool. I like your motto, No need for paralysis to be expensive! ;) I hope you *do* post the cart specs. That little cart they made for SweetChachis was dirt cheap, too, and so good.
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CarolC
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Bless your heart, I hear you!

Post by CarolC »

I understand totally.
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CarolC
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Dianne, I fixed the pictures *LINK*

Post by CarolC »

more or less. Now the pinching is with the thumb and next 3 fingers. I'm still not 100% happy with that picture but it is accurate. (I know you don't wear gloves.) The orange picture below is a *good* picture of the way I express my dog's bowel. If it offends anybody, all I can say is that is really how it looks!

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets
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Dianne
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Ahh, you didn't need to do that...

Post by Dianne »

Ahhh, Carol, you really didn't need to make the correction. It is possible to do it with either the thumb and 2 OR 3 fingers. I'm impressed by your computer talents.

I think your pictures are great! None of us ever expected that we would need to do this to keep a pet healthy, but we learn to do whatever it takes...

Dianne
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CarolC
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Re: Ahh, you didn't need to do that...

Post by CarolC »

Thanks, Dianne, I fixed it one more time today after you viewed it and now I think it's good enough. I wanted people to see what we-all were talking about, so there can be no doubt that, yes, that IS what we meant. You DO do THAT. I was afraid some might read what was written in plain English and think, "Oh, surely they can't mean THAT!" Especially if they haven't had kids, as you point out. The mind naturally recoils and rejects the notion.

I wanted the pictures to be colorful to make the concept seem pleasant to people. They might think "Gross!" and never try it. Or be embarrassed. Today I made them slightly more attractive. I want to be sure the whole article looks attractive and colorful and gives an impression that the subject is wholesome and positive. It's taking time but it's worth it. How many people will put down disabled pets because they can't get past the ick factor? But instead they'll be comforted by the fact that they're in good company and they aren't weird doing THAT procedure with their pet. After all, they saw it right on the Internet, and it didn't look that bad.

I could go on and on (quite a zealot on this subject) but I'll quit! ;)
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CarolC
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Mary, a question for you? *LINK*

Post by CarolC »

Could you please tell me what brand and size of diapers you are using on your dog? I'd like to add the information to our diaper size chart to help people select the right size for their pet. Thanks if you can! :)

PS. Here is a link to see the diaper chart if you want--it will be at the bottom of the page.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets
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Mary and Roxy
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Re: Mary, a question for you?

Post by Mary and Roxy »

Hi... HaPPy Easter..I weighed Roxy and she is a whoppin 30 pounds. 5 pounds less then i had guessed. I'm in way worse shape then I thought I was cuz, my muscles are allllllll aching .. I'm not used to bending like this ;o) ..

I've been using the number 4 of Parents choice diapers 22-37 pounds.. I'm not sure where they came from, a neighbor picked them up for me, boy do they work.. My son and I were curious as to just how much they could hold. I stopped at 3 1/2 cups, he added 2 more cups = 5 1/2. We even bent it in half it didn't leak.(light bulb) Extra bonus I had used warm water so I put it in a plastic zip lock and laid it on her back.It molded perfectly and stayed warm a longgg time. So instead of using a bag of frozen veggies I poured ice water on one put it in a zip lock and used it for a cold pack.

Were starting to get used to using a harnes no pet stores had harneses (light bulb)so i just bought another leash and made loops on the end slip her legs thro it seems to be working.. shes pooped a few times but still stops if she hears any gas. ive tried to do the demand pooping, but its not working. from the look on her face shes enjoying the massage she gets from it tho.. She has never gone poop in the diaper but she's been peeing in it. I think she's peeded in it cuz when I go to pick her up she's so full from allllll the drinking she's doing, she's drinking a LOT aWHOLE LOT... its like she cant get enough water. She never drank a lot of water before. I don't know if its from her pills, I heard steroids make them thirsty but she's not on them...or because I never held her water bowl for her before..

Roxy never liked crates.so when I tried keeping her in it all she did was shake.So I got to thinking what else could I use. I wandered in the back yard and saw a half sheet of plastic lattice that I had cut down the middle the long way to use half for some flowers to grow up on.(light bulb) I took it and bent it around and wired the 2 sides together with somekinda twist tie type stuff...waaala .. Looks kinda like a tear drop but works perfect.and its kinda attractive in the living room .. I joke about weaving some fake ivy thro it..

Hope all had a nice Easter.... Mary
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Dianne
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A white cottage fence?

Post by Dianne »

Mary,

I think you have a great sense of humor about the little fence. "Adding ivy" was a cute comment that indicated you WILL get through this traumatic time.

It appears that things are going well at your house. The "poop on demand" was something that I struggled to learn after my dog had been paralyzed several months. Maybe later she will cooperate.

Dianne
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CarolC
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Re: Mary, a question for you?

Post by CarolC »

Hi Mary,

*Thank you* for the diaper info, I will add it to the chart. :) I agree, I always thought it looked like a person ought to be able to improvise a rear leash--sounds like you did! Your enclosure sounds good, does it open when you have to take her out? I'm thinking of your bending. My dog weighs less than yours and is easier to lift, but I have a back problem, too, and found it was a great help to have the crate up high where I didn't have to stoop to pick her up. I don't know how you might arrange that at your house with a cocker, but if you could it would save a lot of bending. You have to bend every time you pick her up, every time you change her bed, every time you give her a treat, etc. I ended up with the dog crate on the kitchen table and now I can't eat there anymore but I don't have to bend! If you know anybody with an old baby crib, that would be less bending.

I also ended up buying a playpen and the secondhand store for $25. It was clean and nice. That is where she sleeps at night, next to the bed, since she cried with being crated in the kitchen at night.

>> ive tried to do the demand pooping, but its not working. from the look on her face shes enjoying the massage she gets from it tho..

At first I was chuckling about that, then I thought, "Hey wait a minute--you mean she can feel her rear?!?" That's super! She may have a pinched nerve but she isn't totally paralyzed. That gives even more hope she may recover with crate rest. So many people here would rejoice over such a sign of sensation. Actually, my dog doesn't respond to the poop on demand reflex either. Even putting vaseline on a gloved finger and inserting it and wiggling it is not enough to trigger an evacuation reflex in her. I do the "Needs extra help" version of P-O-D described in the webpage. I basically pinch off and pop out the stools within the rectum. It's the only way. But she is paralyzed with an upper mid back injury. It took her 9 months to be able to walk 4 feet downhill. But with your dog, whatdya bet she has control? :) Congratulations!

What medication is she on if it isn't steroids? Steroids would certainly account for the drinking. Also, any clue what is causing the gas? You can give simethecone to dogs (like Gas-X)--you could ask the vet which *type* of Gas-X is safe and how much to give for her weight.

Thanks again for the diaper info, will add it now.
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CarolC
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Re: Help Needed: pinched nerve

Post by CarolC »

Mary wrote:I've been using the number 4 of Parents choice diapers 22-37 pounds.. I'm not sure where they came from, a neighbor picked them up for me, boy do they work.. My son and I were curious as to just how much they could hold. I stopped at 3 1/2 cups, he added 2 more cups = 5 1/2. We even bent it in half it didn't leak.(light bulb)
Finally found this post again. This diaper holds even more than the Poise maximum pad, which only holds 5 cups. I will look at it. It may be uncomfortable inside a male wrap if it has a lot of elastic gathers, the pads I ordered from Walgreen's might be more comfy, but these might be cheaper, will check.
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CarolC
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Re: Help Needed: pinched nerve

Post by CarolC »

Got the Parents' Choice diapers, tested them by pouring water on one. It held more like 4 1/2 cups when I tried it, but that's still a cup more than Serenity Ultimate pads. I bought the size 4 but they also make a size 5, maybe it would be even more absorbent.

It is kind of a pain to trim the elastic off, but once you do the thing you have remaining is similar in shape to a Serenity Ultimate pad. The diapers don't have any sticky tape to stick them into the male wrap, so your dog would have to hold still. You get 30 of them for $5.74, WAY cheaper than the Tena pads you can order through Walgreen's online.
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critters
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Re: Help Needed: pinched nerve

Post by critters »

If you want to make em stick, use double-sided tape.
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