CA: Paralyzed Welsh Corgi Needs Help

[BuddyNeedsHelp]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 4.5 year old purebred sable Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Buddy available for adoption. On Thanksgiving morning he ruptured a spinal disk and severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He is unable to defecate or urinate on his own. Unfortunately a week after his accident he had another accident where he smashed his penis accidentally. He currently needs surgery to possibly amputate his penis and have a permanent catheter inserted so he can empty his bladder properly.

I am currently a graduate student at UC Davis and I do not have the necessary time or funds to properly care for him. He needs to be expressed at least four times a day (approximately every 5 hours).I do not want to put him down because he is still so full of life. He still loves to play fetch indoors. He is also able to play outdoors since I got him a wheelchair for dogs. He needs someone to interact with him because he is such an intelligent dog. He has brought so much joy to me the entire time I have raised him. I wish I could continue to care for him, but my circumstances prevents me from spending quality time with the boy.

Please give him a chance to capture your heart. He is an extremely beautiful, intelligent, and loyal dog. You will love him when you meet him. I just really need someone who has the time and a big heart, to give him a chance. He deserves it...

We are located in Davis, CA

[Bobbie]

I don't understand the penis problem- what exactly is wrong and how are you expressing him now if there is a problem? A permanent catheter is likely to lead to multiple UTIs- it would sure be better (and easier to find him a new home) if he didn't have that and just needed expressing.

[Jean]

With a male cat who blocks continuously don't they do some type of surgery where they essentially make the cat into a female so it is less likely to develop a blocked bladder? Could they do the same with this little doggy?
I agree about the catheter being a continual source of infection. My Pug Louie had to be catheterized and infection was impossible to prevent . Jean

[BuddyNeedsHelp]

His penis does not retract back into the prepuce so while I was taking an exam, Buddy somehow took off his diapers and dragged himself around the room. While dragging his body around the room he accidentally stepped on his actual penis and cut it/smashed it badly. His penis did not heal back normally and the urethra ended up closing up and there may be some scar formation within the tubing. He needs to see a specialist and get surgery to enter a permanent catheter. We have gone to the vet multiple times and they are never able to enter a catheter in even after trying for 2 hours. I do not have the money to get further diagnostics done and for him to see a specialist. The urethra is not fully closed/collapsed so he is able to leak (incontinence). However, he is not leaking enough every day and his bladder is extending. I have been working on expressing him more times a day as a teeny bit more comes out while expressing him versus letting him dribble. He indeed can go through surgery, but as a full-time first year graduate student, I can no longer invest the time and I have no more funding. I have already been warned about caring for my dog so much...

Jean, how has your life changed since Louie has been catheterized? I heard I would still need to express him and I was wondering if he would be dripping into a urine bag or if it's just a catheter tube being inserted so he can pee? I will be going back to the vet to ask but I would really love for someone to help me care for this little boy.

[Jean]

So, would the penis need surgery so that you could insert a catheter ? But, if he had surgery so that a catheter could be inserted then why not just express him. Any use of a catheter introduces infection. A permanently placed catheter seems like a continual source of infection. Louie was on daily antibiotics. He was essentially a quadriplegic . He was thrown from a car. I had to reposition him continually since he couldn't even roll over. I always was afraid he would die from an ascending descending infection that went to his kidneys. But, a blood clot took his life first. He was such a sweet, sweet boy. I never understood how someone could have throw him from a car. Sigh
It is a real concern that your doggies bladder Is so extended. If he gets an infection he could be in real trouble.

[Bobbie]

He might not need a catheter as much as surgery to remove what is not retracting of the penis and open the urethra (that is, the catheter wouldn't have to extend into the bladder itself.) But having a serious medical need makes it much harder to find him a home. (It is already difficult with a cart dog.) Can your vet call and get some idea of the cost of the surgery? That might help someone make a decision.

[BuddyNeedsHelp]

I am actually not sure what type of surgery he needs but I know for a fact that he needs surgery since he cannot be expressed. He is just dribbling. I will take him to urologist to get diagnostic tests done. Although I cannot afford it, I will apply for Care Credit and try to figure out what exactly needs to be done and how much it costs.

Poor Louie! I cannot believe someone could do that to an animal. I am really happy to hear that you took care of the poor baby though, Jean.

Bobby, I will go to the vet and pay for the test to be done so I have a better idea of the costs. I know it is going to run a few thousands. He also needs to get a tooth extraction done because he chipped it and it happens to be a tooth that has three roots; one, which leads to the eye and so if the cavity gets infected then he can have eye issues.

[Jean]

I don't know what I would do without Care Credit. That is how I can afford all these guys.
Please try to get Buddy in ASAP. That urine backing up into his kidneys can so quickly lead to infection and acute renal failure. With you being in CA you likely are close to specialty clinics. Kansas has so few specialty clinics. sigh
Have you thought about setting up a Chip In to solicit funds ? We did this when I adopted my little Kyle who had globoid cell dystrophy from Illinois. We raised almost $1400.00.
Please keep us posted. Thank you for trying to help this little fellow. He is adorable!! /Jean
PS: I feel kinda blessed to have cared for Louie. I miss him terribly!!

[CarolC]

Please Buddy's Mom, forgive me while I talk to Jean and Bobbie "right in front of you".

Do you two agree on what I am going to say? It seems to me no surgery is necessary at all. I am not a vet but I don't see why you would do surgery. Common sense says if the urine is able to dribble out of the urethra, then the urethra is still adequate even if the penis was damaged. I do not see any need for a catheter, to me it sounds 100% like a matter of expressing technique and a possible need for medication to help expressing. It's true some dogs are hard to express, but I think perhaps being difficult to express is being confused with structural damage to the penis. The difficulty in expressing can probably be aided with medication. And most people have trouble expressing the first few weeks their dog is paralyzed. Why do surgery?

We have had two or three dogs here where the penis did not retract. Dianne said her dog's penis would be out of the sheath from a full bladder but would go back after expressing. One owner found she could get it back in the sheath during a warm water bath.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4163&p=21489&hilit ... nis#p21489

Marni's dog, Simon, also had this.

Marni's dachshund Simon

We've had at least 2 dogs here who chewed their penis. With paralysis, there can be a prickly pins and needles sensation, more often in the hind feet, as feeling slowly returns, kind of like when we sleep on our arm funny and it goes numb and then starts to wake up. It is not uncommon for a dog to begin licking/chewing where the annoying sensation is. It is a temporary phase some dogs go through during recovery from paralysis and there is a wonderful medication called gabapentin (Neurontin) that relieves the problem. Are you quite sure he stepped on it?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12546&p=65205&hilit ... nis#p65205
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10910&p=63931&hilit ... nis#p63931

[Bobbie]

It's unclear to me whether or not just dribbling is enough. If good expressing technique can only get a dribble, I'd worry. If the penis won't retract it needs amputation, though.

You might be able to call and get an estimate (min and max) of treating- maybe minimum of just exam and amputation and max if the urethra needs to be opened or a catheter installed, too. But I agree if you can swing it getting it evaluated would give a better idea.

Is your dog 100% paralyzed? Do his legs move purposefully at all, and does he feel any pain if you squeeze his toes?

[Jean]

Carol what you said makes sense. If urine is dripping from his penis then it may all have to do with learning to adequately express. Buddy's mom did the vet work with you on expressing his bladder? It does take a while to master expressing but you can learn it with a little practice.
When Caleb my paralyzed dachie was at the vet he would emphasize the importance of keeping his penis in the sheath. It needs to be kept moist. When Caleb would drag his penis was always out until we helped him get it back inside. I'm sure if it was out for days and dried out and likely swelled it could reach a point where it couldn't be put back into the sheath.
I would get in and have him seem by a neurologist. But, Carol is likely right but will the penis ever be normal if it has been left out for so long.
If all avenues are exhausted I guess the catheter is your only option but from experience I know placing a catheter leads to ongoing dangerous and expensive infections. A catheter that is left in the bladder should be your last option.

[BuddyNeedsHelp]

Hi Everyone,

In the beginning I was concerned that it was my inability to express Buddy properly which was causing the problem. However, I brought him to a vet and then to a specialist and they both were unable to successfully express him. He would continue to dribble but when you push on his bladder, more did come out. There definitely was not a stream and it just continued to dribble. Squeezing his bladder did not help him to express any more or any faster. The vet and specialist have both verified this so it is not my technique. He was put on anti-inflammatory medication because his penis was so swollen after he smashed it somehow (we are assuming he stepped on while dragging since his back legs go everywhere). After the vets were unable to successfully express him, he was placed on two muscle relaxors.

His penis stays in the sheath. It does NOT come out. BEFORE his accident it would not retract until a few hours later, which is how he ended up stepping on it. But AFTER his accident, his penis has never come out of the prepuce again. The outside of the penis is healing but the doctor has informed me that his urethra has become much too small. They were unable to get a catheter inside his penis after trying for 2 hours. They even tried using a catheter for a tom cat. My dog is practically 100% paralyzed.Originally he had no pain sensation at all, but he has the slightest feeling in his right foot if you pinch the webbing. However, you have to pinch it pretty hard.

Buddy is able to drag himself around the house extremely quickly. I bought him a drag bag from handicappedpets.com and I let him move around the apartment while in the bag. He is also very good in his wheelchair and walk for 45 minutes. He is still hesitant to walk on grass, but I'm working on that with him.

I really love my boy and I wish I could keep him. However, I no longer have the time or funds, which is why I am searching for a loving owner. I am afraid I will have to put him down if I cannot find one soon...

[Bobbie]

I don't think they'd have to put a catheter into the bladder- just a stent in the urethra to keep it open. That still might lead to more frequent UTI's but possibly not.

Don't do anything drastic until I have a chance to see if we can find a rescue that could take him in. Do you know anyone who would consider adopting him if he didn't have the medical problem with the ureter?

[Jean]

So, the specialist said that his urethra is too small for him to be adequately expressed right? So, what is his suggestion? Was he a neurologist?

[BuddyNeedsHelp]

The neurologist said that he has an extended/"over-flowing" bladder due to being unable to be adequately expressed due to trauma to the penis. They recommend I go see the urologist. I bring him to the UCD Vet Hospital, which has a specialist in every field. The suggestion was I go see a neurologist and get diagnostic tests done to see what needs to be done.