Dog hit by car, now not able to control bodily functons

[danijades]

My dog was hit by a car this past wednesday. We brought him to the vet on thursday they looked him over adn the whole nine yards and came back with that he was just bruised up and nerve damage. It might come back it might not. He now still limps on his right legs, and has no control over his bladder or bowel movements. I need help! luckily i have a job i can bring him to work but is there anything I can do for him now. and How do we get through this for now to wait and see if his nerve damage heals? PLEASE HELP!

[CarolC]

Hi dani,

Can he wag his tail or is it limp? Is he dribbling urine? Did the vet put him on prednisone?

[CarolC]

If he is dribbling, you will find malewraps are a huge help. They are a wide belt that goes around his waist, you put an absorbent pad inside to cover his male area, and change the pad several times a day. Here is more information:

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php/Diapers_and_male_wraps

If he is urine incontinent, you probably need to be expressing his bladder several times a day. If he is dribbling a whole lot, he may be emptying his bladder, I have one dog who does that. However, you really can't assume he's emptying completely without checking the bladder at various intervals. I would go on the assumption he is not emptying completely and express, to help prevent infection and permanent stretching of the bladder. Your vet should show you how to do this, and I would want the vet's assurance there are no internal injuries you need to worry about, before you start squeezing the abdomen. Here is info on expressing, but please talk to your vet:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat

Bowel incontinence can definitely be managed. Nerve damage does heal, but it heals very slowly, often taking weeks or sometimes months. You may see quicker results with prednisone if swelling is the problem. If he is an indoor dog, I'd start by confining him to an area of the house so he isn't going everywhere, and adjust his diet for firm stools that don't soil your rug. Here are tips on bowel management, they really work:

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

[danijades]

Thank you. yes i've read i think everything on this site about the incontinence issue. i have been expressing his bladder i've known how to do that with working with animals and a boarding kennel, grooming and showing dogs for years. its just his bowels that are a problem, he has no feeling in his anus or anything his tail is completely limp, no feeling what so ever. he only poops as waste gets passed through his system, so its not much at a time. The vet procribed him rimadyl, and anti inflamitory i believe.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

My guy was crushed by a car, nerves, organs, bones and scar tissues tied everything in knots. Doc said he would never have function, also said he would never survive (he was also shot and starved), never mind walk and co-exist with other dogs (he was completely wild and extreme fear based aggression). He had seven magnificent years and regained all function, including running, jumping, doing stairs and playing with my pack. Here's hoping your pup regains. It's amazing what they can overcome with what human medicine might consider primitive care. I can't second enough Carol's wrap recommendation. Wasn't available to me so many years ago, or at least I was unaware. Save you a lot of cleaning up of not just puppers but house.

The urge to evacuate will return as well, and it is just a matter of recovery. Remember what he's been through and patience is the biggest lesson we learn from our handicapped pets. Glad you both are doing so well right now!

[danijades]

Would anyone be able to give me any hints and tips about things i should do, or not do.
thanks!

[CarolC]

I am very glad to hear you are already familiar with expressing, that is unusual and very helpful. I don't think there is a lot you can do to hurry the healing. You may want to have your groomer (or preferably vet) shave his bottom for sanitary reasons. If it is possible, you might want to consider a referral to a neurologist to have him checked. I am not sure how much rest or activity is proper when the main symptoms are a tail injury, that is probably the most important thing to find out. Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory as you say. If I had my personal choice (and I am not a vet) I would prefer prednisone and tramadol for pain if he needs it. I don't think there is a lot you need to do, other than the expressing, and managing the bowel. I will see if Dolcezza's mom is available, she may be able to tell you more.

[theservs]

Danijades,
Sorry to hear about your little guy. I will share a bit about our experience with our little Dolcezza Mia. Hope it helps.
Dolcezza Mia is a 4 lb Maltese that had a tree fall on her May of 08' She sustained a broken tail and ruptured bladder requiring a uretherostomy.
The reason, as I understand it, that a broken tail results in incontinence is the tail was broken high enough to innervate the nerves that control the bladder and bowel but not high enough to effect motor mov't. Dolcezza Mia can run, play, jump but her tail is broken right where the bladder and bowel innervates so she was incontinent of both as well.
First of all, I spent a great deal of time on this board and kept her crate rested for nearly 8 weeks. She oozed poop all the time and it was a mess. Her tail was completely limp and we considered amputating it but the vet said to wait as it would cause more spinal cord irritation.

I "craig listed" a plea to anyone in the Tampa Bay area that could sew to help me make a panty that would catch her urine and poop but not let the poop get near the uretherostomy tube. I lady responded and has made beautiful panties that collect the poop in a pouch and I just changed the pad inside the panty and washed the panties.

Secondly, and most important, is the tincture of time! We did get a neurology consult, used laser, accupuncture and herbs and after all that and 17 months, Dolcezza Mia has control over her bowels! Her tail is usually curled up over her back just like before the accident and when she is tired it will drop again, but a big improvement! She wears the same panties but they no longer have the poop pouch!

I would say, although I don't have a boy, that the panties were a blessing! It allowed and allows Dolcezza to be a dog and run around! I take them off outside and let her run naked. And she will squat and poop just like before.

I would never have guessed it would happen, and it's been a rough 17 months, but I wouldn't give up on her and she didn't give up on herself!

My humble advice is to get the panty to catch the poop/pee and enjoy him. Give him some time, what a difference 17 months has been for us!

I've attached a picture of Dolcezza Mia with her pouch panties on, taken May of 09' and the picture of her in the purple ones are the panties with no poop pouch taken July 09'. If you are interested, the woman will make some for you, send them, and custom fit them before she charges you. They are a blessing! I have several pair and change the pad inside (which are the bladder pads from TEVA/SERENITY). Then once a week I launder all her panties for the following week. Let me know if you need her contact information.

And lastly, please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to talk, it can get pretty frustrating and I'ld be glad to share my experience with you!

[danijades]

thank you so much theservs and CarolC. I hope he improves. Logan still just has the worst look on his face, and the other day my bouvier decided to be a pest, they got into a fight and he hurt his ear so now he doesn't feel good. Hes kidneys are bruised still so im battling with the vet to give him an antibotic just in case he gets an UTI. Luckily Im a dog groomer and that I am able to bring him to work with me. One question.. With his bowels is there really anything i can do or is he just going to have to go as he is just when he goes he goes? is there a better time to feed him so we can get a better schedule on the poop thing? He eats a RAW diet so his poop is very solid and not very often, or it was before all this. right now it is not a pretty sight because the vet wanted to put him on his special diet... he is isnt a small dog. im just hoping everything gets better we dont have alot of money to spend.

[varoxy4u]

I have a foster dog who has neurological issues. He is unable to control ny of his bowel movements. I saw the post referencing a poop pouch and would like to have the website and/or contact information to see if it would work for my foster dog.

[CarolC]

Hi varoxy4u,

The website theservs was referring to was http://www.pouchpanties.com, but the last time I checked the site was no longer active and when I checked just now it is still not active...perhaps the lady that was sewing them is not making them right now.

There are a couple of other things that might work as a substitute, however if you adjust the dog's diet for quality stools (firm, well-formed, non-sticky, low odor) they are really not a problem, even if he is dropping them on the carpet. You just toss them in the commode and do not even have to spot clean the carpet. Different foods will work for different dogs. Science Diet w/d dry kibble gave excellent stools for several of my incontinent dogs, but people have reported satisfactory stools with quite a variety of diets...it's whatever works for you dog's system.

There are a couple of brands of diapers designed to keep stools in. This brand has a cord-lock tail:
http://www.samsdoghut.com/catalog_g3.html?catId=56269

This brand has a drawstring lock tail:
http://www.doggon.com/dog_incontinence.html

Here are tips on diapering:
https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php/Diapers_and_male_wraps

There is one more thing you might try, which is to stimulate the dog to evacuate so he isn't doodling all over the house. There are a number of ways you can do it. I've found with my paralyzed dog it is completely the way to handle the problem, however if your dog has some feeling in the rear you will have to see how the dog responds.

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

Hope this helps a little, and sorry the thing you really wanted does not seem to be available right now.

[Cheree]

So grateful to have found this forum. I took in a young female chocolate lab (13 months) surrendered by her owners after she was hit by a car. She suffered a sacral fracture and bilateral sacroiliac fractures. I was told that she had tail movement after the accident, but I have come to the conclusion that isn't true. Her tail is limp. She cannot urinate on her own (I am expressing her bladder several times a day -- thankfully she is easy to express), and she oozes soft stool. I had kept her on the same diet she had been on, but will definitely try Science Diet w/d as recommended her on this forum. She is walking, which is great, but I want to do everything possible to try to help with the neurological issues so that she can regain function over her bladder and bowels. I'm VERY encouraged to read about dogs that have regained this function. I know that tincture of time is important in nerve injuries. I see someone saw recovery after 17 months. What other time frames have people seen? Besides changing the diet and feeding at scheduled times (which I do already), is there anything else I can do to try to help her heal and regain function?

Again, thank you for this forum. Anxiously awaiting the day when I can post pictures of my recovered girl!