Dogs: Does this ever get any easier?

[Shani]

It's so much to get Hershey out and express his bladder and do his exercises and clean him. No sooner than when we clean him, he poops (in the house) all over again. I'm just mastering expressing his bladder, so pooping on demand is a bit much for me right now.

I've just found myself crying everyday since this all happened, which is going on about two weeks since he yelped out in pain.

Today only marks a week since he's been home and 10 days post-op. I just don't know if I can do this for another 5 weeks of crate confinement and maybe potentially for the rest of his life. I know he could get better, but there's a chance he wont.

All I do is spend my free time reading on how to take care of him, reading on this site and the yahoo group. Even during down times at work. Maybe I just need a break from all this because I'm mentally exhausted, but I don't know anyone who was ever in this situation and nobody outside of my home seems to really care about offering support. They all think it's ridiculous that I'm doing so much for "a dog".

This is so hard and I don't know how many more tears I can cry

[Paul Coover]

It is still very fresh in your mind, so I can say that it WILL get better!.

First of all, with the other people, they don't understand how you feel and shame on them for Telling you that what you are doing is wrong.

With the crate rest, well, that is something that does not last forever. If your pet does not recover and get up to walk, you can always get a wheelchair cart. I can assure you, the wheelchair is a great tool in helping your pet live a long & happy life.

If things are getting too much to handle, just remember that there are people here who understand what you are doing and going through. We will help you and support you! We have all gone through this before. Good luck!

Paul

[Carol T.]

Shani:
You said "I know he could get better, but there's a chance he wont." That sounds like 50/50 odds, which is pretty good. It would be a shame to put him down when there are odds he could recover. Your attitude affects his, so it's important to try and stay positive around him. It's equally important to do something kind for yourself. As with anything new and unfamiliar, it's difficult, but once you "learn the ropes" and establish a routine, it gets easier. As Paul said, crate rest isn't forever. This, too, shall pass, Shani!

[Toni]

There are times when it seems overwhelming...and yes there are those that don't understand...

Many people on this bulletin board have spent way more time than I have working with critters of intense need...and we will all support you!

I've had cats with total paralysis from the neck down, dogs in wheelchairs and dogs with "cerebral palsy"...some recovered completely...some didn't at all...depended on the situation.

It has been very rewarding in the long run to take care of all these different critters in need.

We had one cat (Rags)who had her tail caught in a fan belt. He spinal chord was damaged and she was incontinant for 5 years..had to express her bladder and wash her behind every day..but she became very sweet about it and we got used to it (I use the term "we" in the sense of "Rags" and myself for the expressing and cleaning, and most of my customers adjusted to the "Rags spots" she left behind that we couldn't always get cleaned up before someone else found them . (she lived at our shop)).

Binky (the cat) was dropped on her head when she was a kitten and was completley paralyzed..she had to be force fed for several weeks. Now at the age of 11 the only residual is one eye has scar tissue on it as it doesn't completly close when she sleeps, etc..we put drops in it for several years, but she seems to fine without them...and of course she thinks she is human and tries to take whatever you are eating out of you hand.

Ivan, our German Shepherd mix, was paralyzed and used a wheelchair(see link below)...even though he didn't need expressing his bulk (160 lbs)made it a bit of work to take him out, etc and keep an eye on him for when he needed to go out. And until we got his "saddle" fitted correctly we had a lot of issues with feces in the saddle and pressed up into his fur). He liked to "talk" to get attention and there were times when we would assume his talking was for attention and we were wrong and would have to clean up after him(himself included)...(certainly not his fault..he was trying to let us know...we just weren't understanding Ivanese for "I have to go out now, I'm not just trying to get everyone to come over and pet me!").

There have been several other paralyzed critters I have cared for..even a 2000 Lb Percheron mare that required 3 people to flip her over when she got old and her hips were going bad...I went through a lot of my friends for that..but by flipping her over she could get herself up again..we did this for her for about a year before her hips finally couldn't do it anymore)

Sometimes I found myself crying at the amount of work caring for these wonderful friends and family of ours can be...but one look at those loving, grateful eyes, one wag of the happy tail, one lick, one bark...the tears just come to my eyes thinking about it.

The hope that your Hershey might get a little better puts a silver lining on the cloud. His love for you will not be decreased if he doesn't get better..your bond will be even closer.

IVAN'S PAGE

[Cindidoxiemom]

Well...I'm single..work full time and have 4 dogs..two have IVDD and one is paralyzed. I have everything down to a science, and Oscar's care maybe takes a total of 25 minutes a day! Did it happen overnight...nope...did I have periods of trial and error...yep. Did I cry..yes! Was I frustrated..absolutely...but I never considered putting him down. I can't imagine my life without Oscar Mayer Weenie Dog! And...not only that, but after 8 months he is now showing signs of regaining deep pain and he is moving his legs. Hershey is looking to you for support, and you have to be strong.
Yes, caregivers need time away. I hire my vet tech from my vets office to come by and take care of Oscar and my other pupper doodles every now and then so I can have a day, night or weekend to myself. Most of the time Oscar travels with me, and my Renaissance and Chili cook off friends look forward to seeing him more than me.
Take some time...give yourself a night off...but you have to be strong for Hershey.
And to answer your question...YES it does get better.
Cindi

[Deepika]

Hi Shani,

It will definitely get better as time goes on. When Rob was paralysed at 3 weeks I was also desperate and three vets I showed him to wanted me to put him to sleep. But looking at his bright eyes so full of life I could not do so. Now he is four months and is living happily thanks to the advice I got from this board. I learnt to express him and made a him a cart as I could not buy one. Sometimes I'm exhaused at the end of the day - we have 6 other dogs plus a baby but when I see Rob playing with the other dogs I feel that its worth it. And there are a lot of people here who understand you and who are willing to help you. So Good Luck !

[connie]

awwwww sweetie, yes it does. i myself cried till i was sick. but it seemed to get easier every day. crate rest is a must, 10 days is not very long. about bowels, have you tired poop on demand?
when i have to leave before cricket goes i use that method and it works. i have never had any support, family thought i was nuts, but i did it and never regret it. it is hard, no kidding, but you can do it i believe, just take one day at a time. we are here to help support you.
you can e mail me if you like, i will help all i can. i am no vet, but i lived it. of course my boy is little which makes it a lot easier.
take care, my prayers are with you.

hugs,

connie and cricket

[Friend2Dogs]

I have stood where you are standing now, and it does get easier . I honestly wish Mason was here, I would gladly do it again. It is hard at first, my back was weak and I got down in my back, but my back got stronger and my mind as well. After a while it kind of falls in place and you have a routine. Does your dog have bladder and bowell control? Mason did not so I used belly wraps and disposable diapers with a cloth diaper over the disposable diaper. That sure made things easier. If your dog has long hair ,I would shave hair on bottom or cut close with scirrors as that would help you on cleaning bottom. I found wet wipes were to messy , so I bought a stack of white wash rags and used just for him and washed with his cloth baby diapers I used in his belly wraps. You are lucky you have a chance your dog may get better, I had no chance with Mason. He also had cancer and we knew he only had a couple of months( and that is after cancer surgery) We are here for you even though you feel alone ,truthfully I could not of made it without this group and alot of private emails from two on this site to keep me going as at times when I wanted to give up. I looked into Mason's eyes and could not give up on him .

[kruzen55]

Absolutely!

My vet said after Molly's surgery that there was no chance that she would walk again. WRONG! It took 6 weeks for her to even move her tail to one side to wag, but 7 months later she is running around the yard....kinda like a drunken sailor, but nothing keeps her spirits down.

I too didn't know if I could do this and I cried for weeks and became very depressed being with her and caring for her when she couldn't move from the middle of her back down. The way she'd look at me like "mom, i love you and thanks for just sitting with me" was priceless. When we saw her tail move we cried.

If your vet thinks there's a chance she will regain use of her legs, please stick with it. It sounds promising.

Most of all, really keep her quiet with the crate rest. Molly would not stay still and was making herself sick in a crate so I ended up getting a huge rubbermaid container and put alot of pillows and blankets in it so she was raised near the top and could look out. It had wheels on it so when I was in the kitchen, dining or watching tv, she could be right there with me. I would put puppy pads on top because she was leaking urine and poop.

Now she holds her bladder all day while we are at work and we take her out and express her urine and poop outside, usually every 1.5 hours till bedtime.

You will learn all about this as time goes on. You will do things wrong and right. It's a learning experience but once you have it down, it will just become normal.

We too had many people saying that they'd have put her down....now they take that back when they see her progress.

Check out the 3 videos I made at www.youtube.com.
Search for....Molly Video; Molly Video Part Two; and Expressing A Dog Urine and Fesces. The first one was at 3 months post-op, Part Two was at 7 months post-op and the last one on expressing was done last week.

Hope it helps, Hang IN THERE!
susan

[maryjo]

I know exactly what you are goin through. My best friend woke up 11 days ago just not acting right. a trip to the vet revealed a slipped disc in his neck. Surgery isn't an option for us at this time, but we did hospitalize him over the weekend and they gave him iv drugs. We brought him home last monday pretty much an invalid. By mid week he was up and trying to walk. Our vet never mentioned anything about crate rest, and now he has had a set back...not using his front or back legs. Our biggest struggle is moving him in or out to use the potty....he can still use the potty if we hold him up....but after reading this maybe I shouldn't be moving him in or out yet. Can someone please tell me what would be best for him?

[CarolC]

Hi MaryJo,

I guess he is a big dog? If you are not doing surgery, did your vet send you home with medication for him? The vet may give him an anti-inflammatory or pain reliever if his neck is sore. It is also common for them to be prescribed steroids like Prednisone. I would ask the vet about the risks and benefits of steroids.

With any spinal problem you need to be careful about moving the pet, and that is especially true with a cervical (neck) problem. I am not a vet but my advice would be to handle him as carefully as possible.

I agree, it is my understanding he should be on strict crate rest. Here is a website giving guidelines on crate rest.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/After_Surgery.htm

Did the vet tell you that if the neck injury gets worse through moving around too much, it can cause ever greater paralysis? You said right now he can potty on his own. He could lose the ability to potty, and then you would need to help him eliminate urine by learning how to squeeze his abdomen (or how to use a urinary catheter). Of course, it is better for the dog and for you if his problem is not allowed to get any worse. Neck injuries have an added risk, in that they can become so painful that your choices boil down to surgery "right now" or euthanasia. Also, since paralysis from a neck injury can affect everything back, it can affect the major organs including the lungs. That means there are several good reasons to have him rest and give that neck a chance to improve.

One recommendation is to get elevated food and water dishes if you see he's having trouble bending his head down to eat and drink.

Dogs can recover from cervical (neck) problems, and I am glad to hear his problem is not extremely bad because he has bladder control. Here are two websites about dogs who recovered from neck problems.

http://geocities.com/mrsvrs99/boquetsdiscdisease.html

http://dreamemporium.com/Nyssas_Gift.html

Best wishes to you and your best friend, I hope you will update on how he is doing.

[Mary and Roxy]

Hi Mary Jo..
Some of the wise ones will beable to tell you more. But thats kinda what happened to Roxy Except my vet called it a pinched nerve.. he gave us some meds andwe were sent home.. Crate rest all the time except to go out to potty..I tryed all kinds of homemade things to help hold her up while going potty but found the "walkabout" harness heaven sent.. It took 5 weeks before I noticed any change and then they were tiny improvments.. When you hear crate rest it means straight crate rest.. its tuff to do but so worth it..Mary and Roxy

[Carolyn]

Dear Shani...At the time (10:50 July 17th) that you were writing this message, I was driving from Columbus, Ohio, back home to Kentucky. OSC. where my doberman had gone for surgery, called to say that Willow was not breathing well...by the time I arrived, I was able to spend 45 minutes with her... I brought her back to Ky. and buried her Tuesday morning at my home.I am reading your message and I feel your desparation, for I was there, wondering if I could care for my dog when I brought her home. Now, today, I would give ANYTHING TO BE IN YOUR PLACE.
Yes, It's hard...but take it one day at a time...you can do it.....Carolyn

[BethT]

Dear Carolyn,

I am so sorry to read about your dear Willow. I read your first post and was hoping that you would be back to update us. I just lost a beloved cat on Saturday so I am very aware of the pain that you are feeling right now. Like so many people have been telling me know that you did everything that you could for Willow and that she knew how much that she was loved. I am truly sorry for your loss.
Sincerely, BethT

[maryjo]

Shadow is a 60lb lab mix. The vet did send him home with prednisone and valium, alomg with pills for his stomach. What baffles me is that she never said a word about him getting up and moving around. We actually thought it a miracle that he was up and walking and we then were encouraging him to do it more. This lasted for like 3-4 days and then of course he had a set back. He can not use his front legs, however does have some feeling in them. His back legs are in much better shape than his front ones but dosent really use them either.{I think he is afraid to}
Potty time consists of us picking him up and taking him outside...he lays on his side to go. We don't have him in a crate, because he dosen't even try to move to go anywhere at this point. We do set him up and prop him with a donut pillow so he can eat{hand fed}, and drink or just see whats going on around him. We are trying all sorts of methods to transport him in and out. Yesterday I purchased a 50 gal rubbermaid container with wheels and am hoping that we can convert it into a makeshift cart/carrier.
He is still so full of love and very persistent that I just feel that he has more time with us. I know alot of people think I'm crazy because he is like an invalid and requires much work but I just feel like I need to keep trying.
Are there people out there who still keep their pets if they can't walk?? I feel a long as he isn't suffering that I can provide him with what he needs to help him live a full life. But if at anytime he appears to be suffering and we cant get the pain managed then I'll probably need to make the dreaded decision. I am open to any and all suggestions..please help!