Paralyzed pup won't poop

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jess091870@aol.com
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Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by jess091870@aol.com »

My dog had 3 ruptured discs. He was off food for a bit- I fed him babyfood for about four days, and now he's eating on his own again. I am adding nutri-cal to his diet. He is drinking on his own. He will pee when I take him out and tell him to. I gave him an enima several days ago, and he pooped. But, he hasn't pooped since then. He acted like he would like to, but doesn't want me to hold him up. I gave him another enima awhile ago- He didn't go, but , again, acts like he'd like to. He has a thing about getting dirty- when he pees, he wants to be immediately out of it. I wonder if he won't go because he's afraid to get it on him. Please advise.
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Christine »

Hi Jess,

Have you read about "poop on demand"? You can touch an ice cube to the anus causing a reflex that will usually get things going. You can also cause that same reflex by just a squirt of cool water. Another way is to take a Q-tip with some vaseline on it and insert it into the anus just enough to cause that reflex.

I found something that worked for me by accident when I tried to give my dog an enema and only succeeded in squirting her bottom with the Fleet bottle. From that point on, that is what I used. It was easier than trying to use a spray bottle and hold her up at the same time. Any of these methods can also be used while your dog is lying down. Just put something under them to catch the poop and then pull it out from under them, wrap it up and dispose. I watched my vet when she expressed her anal sacs while she was lying down. She just lifted her tail straight up and proceeded from there.

It just occurred to me that your dog might be tensing up making it difficult for him to go. Perhaps one of these other ways might be less stressful that an enema.

Do you have a harnass or something to support him when you take him out? I used the Lift and Assist Harnass sold on this site and it was extremely helpful and comfortable for her. Good luck with your boy - he is lucky to have you!
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slshepherds
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by slshepherds »

Hi Jess

Like Christine I have Carl "poop on demand". I use the q-tip trick twice a day and it works a charm! Carl used to poop randomly and drag it round the house, now we have no accidents at all :-)

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jess091870@aol.com
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by jess091870@aol.com »

Thanks so much to everyone!! We succeeded today- the ice cube did the trick!! We're still working on the wheelchair. He did 12 laps in the pool this morning And 12 tonight. His left leg is strong, but his right isn't much at all. Any suggestions? He took several steps today- and stood for awhile on all fours. He still looks like a toddler, learning to walk, though! Thanks again for all the suggestions!
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Christine »

Yay!!! Welcome to the world of "I am so happy, my dog pooped!!" It doesn't take much to make us happy around here :mrgreen:

Seriously, though, now you can relax a bit knowing that one hurdle has been jumped - hopefully, he is fully emptying his bladder also so you don't have to worry about a urinary tract infection.

As far as one leg being weaker than the other, this is not my expertise at all, but you might ask if you can do physical therapy with him and play little tickle games that would make him push on your hand with that weak leg. Again...please check with your vet so you don't cause any damage or slow down the healing of the discs.

Keep up the good work. We would love to see pictures...what is his name?
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily »

Yup, there's no where else on planet earth where puppy poo is quite so celebrated!
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by CarolC »

I am not clear on whether the dog has had surgery, or what kind of dog it is, or how the disks were diagnosed. There is usually a period of several weeks of crate rest following a disk injury if you are not doing surgery, so it may be too soon to do any weight bearing exercise. Doing exercise too soon could injure the disks before they have a chance to heal.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Biscuits dad »

The ice cube really works I think it might have saved my dogs Life we thought we were going to have to put her to sleep.
Michaelharris99
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Michaelharris99 »

What do you mean by ice cube thing. Our dog is having severe trouble standing and can not support himself to poop. So it will after a time come out while he is lying down. Mess, of course.
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CarolC
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by CarolC »

Hi Michael,

Don't know if Biscuit's Dad got a notification of the reply. Here is what they are talking about. It was a tip given by Murphy's Dad.
Murphy's Dad in http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5889&p=32323&hilit=+ice+cube+#p32323 wrote: The simple way. Lift his tail up, and place and ice cube on his sphincter and hold it there. When it gets pushed out of the way, he's going.
Here is a whole article containing that technique, and more. :)

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

If you're doing it inside on a puppytraining pad (just slip one under his hip if he's lying down) you'll want a box of kleenex nearby so you can cover it instantly, it's nicer for both of you that way.
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Elloyd »

Thank you guys so much!!! My dachshund's back legs became paralyzed the night of the 4th of July ,so 3 days ago and she hasn't pooped normally since then. I've been worried I'd have to put her to sleep if her bowels were not functioning properly. I just took her out and the q-tip worked like a charm. I feel so relieved!!! Also, I swear she moved her legs a very small bit when she peed. I can decide if its wishful thinking tho so we shall wait for my husband to take her out and see if he notices anything. Fingers crossed! This is my 2nd dachshund to have spine issues and become paralyzed. The other dachshund regained full function back in his legs after two weeks or so but the current one is starting to make me doubt she will. Has anyone else gained back there dogs functions in their leg after they have became paralyzed?

And again thank u so much for the information. I feel like I've been holding my breath these past few days just praying for her to poop!!! I feel such relief now!!!! :D
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CarolC
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by CarolC »

Hi Elloyd,

It sounds like you are treating her with conservative treatment, is that correct? Back issues in dachshunds can be handled either with surgery or with conservative treatment (crate rest + medication). The choice of rest + medication is usually for mild cases. Did I understand correctly that she can still urinate by herself? So she is not fully paralyzed, however she is having problems walking? Did the vet give her an anti-inflammatory or a pain med? If it was my dog, I would probably want her on prednisone (with a stomach protectant like Pepcid a/c). It helps the swelling go down and you may see return of function more quickly. Crate rest should be very strict, in the crate 24/7 and only out to potty (you have to use tough love to do this). If you are following this course of treatment, they recommend crating the dog for 8 weeks, even if you see improvement sooner. I would recommend talking to the vet. Hopefully she will improve with rest, but if by chance you do not see the improvement you are looking for, you may want to consider surgery. However, it is also important to know that even a dog who remains paralyzed can have a great quality of life, so there is no need to put a dog down unless there are other reasons why the owner cannot continue to care for her.

There is some good information on how to do crate rest for a spinal problem here:

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm

You can find a lot of information on doxie back problems at http://www.dodgerslist.com.

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Cassiestillyg
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by Cassiestillyg »

I am having this issue too. Except my Lulu won't pee outside she is on strict crate restriction due to a disk in bulging into her spinal cord and since she not supposed to be taking more then a couple steps in a day we have to hold her in place when we put her outside and she just won't go! The only time she goes is right when we get home she gets really excited and pees a little in her crate. besides that she hasn't pooped or peed (really) since yesterday. Any advice?
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CarolC
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by CarolC »

One idea is to set her down in a spot where she normally goes, if she has a preference. Some dogs wait till they are in their favorite corner of the yard and are not interested in going anyplace else. I would keep taking her out every few hours, if she has bladder control she will go eventually. If she's really not urinating, then you need to consider whether it might be neurological. Some dogs lose bladder control when they have a disk problem. That can either mean they dribble and leak and have accidents, or it can mean they have difficulty initiating a stream. You may want to consider expressing her bladder. That means you squeeze her tummy to help her urinate. This is appropriate for dogs with loss of bladder control or dogs who have incomplete control, for example a dog who can urinate with your help but may have trouble starting or emptying. Here is some information on expressing the bladder. If you scroll to the end there are a lot of videos.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =5&t=16027

Here is information on crate rest, although it sounds like you already are doing well with that.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm

The bowel will pretty much take care of itself. It's not unusual for a dog not to defecate for a few days after an injury or illness, there are so many reasons. Lack of exercise, change of diet, medication. But the bowel is an automatic function, it just may be a little slower right now. If she has not gone number two after a few days (maybe 4?) you might ask the vet if there is a stool softener you can give her. Please check with the vet before giving any human products, some may not be safe for dogs. If you find you need to express her bladder, sometimes that will cause them to go number two, and it is easier to express the bladder when the colon is empty. :)

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BullyBreedLover
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Re: Paralyzed pup won't poop

Post by BullyBreedLover »

My Bully is Paralyzed to where his back spine and nerves no longer work making his back legs essentially lifeless.. So when he's not wheelchairing around and can't poop the ice trick does work great but sometimes their a little to hard or big and our still difficult if you put a glove or bag on you can use your thumb and push in where the anal gland sac is gently and itll will help him give a lil more behind it to push out a big one lol :-).. I also use grocery bags and slide his butt into the bag with a good part of it slid under him and that way if its not solid you can inch the bag out a bit and keep it clean!!

Good luck and don't be discouraged they will be a little depressed but once they realize that you are still their and they can still have a great life they will become extremely happy again and the best thing I ever did was buy a Wheelchair he rolls around at dog parks in woodchips and all just chasing dogs again and also they are the center of attention not just with dogs trying to figure out what he is wearing but all the other owners which makes my dog so Happy he can't stop smiling and stealing other dogs treats lmao!!!
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