9 days post ruptured disc surgery...depression/barely eat

[ilovemydobbys]

PLEASE HELP!

9 days post ruptured disc surgery.

Went to visit my baby today. He is having some green nasel discharge but xray shows everything good.

The past two times he has been on the stability ball he has put weight on his back legs as well as front, and also starting to support head on own.

Today when I saw him though he is not doing much movement at all and just seems so sad.

I cooked him chicken, beef, and rice and he barely ate anything. The doctor is saying that him not eating is a big concern right now. He is losing weight. They know he is depressed. We decided we will be bringing him home tomorrow. There is not much at the ICU they can do for him that we cannot at this time. They think him being depressed is why not eating. Whether it be because he misses home and us, or the doctor thinks bc he cannot walk. He is used to walking and thinks he feels hopeless and like giving up bc he doesn't realize that he could possibly walk again.

The doctor suggested we take him home for the week and see if he improves. If he continues to not eat though after the week being home the doctor seems to think at that time it might be the end of the road. PLEASE any tips, tricks, prayers!!!!

We overcame surgery! We overcame the GI issues! Nasal drainage ok! It's this depression and not eating we have to get past!

THANK YOU in advance for any help!!

[CarolC]

To me, and I am not a vet or a rehab therapist, it sounds like expecting too much too soon. I would focus on the basics. 1) Making *sure* the pain medication is adequate. Pain can present as depression in dogs. Just because they gave him pain meds does not mean the particular med or dose is working for him. You might ask them if there is something else you could try, or something stronger for now. 2) Making sure his stomach is being treated medically with something to soothe and protect his stomach if needed. Big dogs can bloat following surgery, so a mild diet might be best. Definitely monitor his stools for any sign of bleeding. 3) Making sure the stability ball is not having a negative effect on him because of the Wobbler's. Personally I would not recommend putting a dog with Wobbler's on a ball, there are other exercises that would strain his neck less. If he has deep pain sensation in all four legs, I would expect him to recover and walk again, but I would rest him right now. 4) Keep an eye on his urination. Dogs sometimes seem to have bladder control but are not emptying completely, and the little bit of stale urine in the bladder will cause a urinary infection, which could make him mopey and under the weather as well. If that is the case, 9 days is plenty of time to develop a UTI.

All kinds of basic health issues, like those mentioned (pain, stomach upset, infection) can make his neurological condition seem worse than it is because he just doesn't feel good. If he still has deep pain sensation in all 4 legs, I would kind of relax, back off a little, let him rest. Get him up to move around the house very briefly several times a day but let him rest otherwise, and see if he seems to be improving in the next few days.

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

[Bobbie]

If he doesn't perk up, you might try a bike trailer/stroller and take him out to visit and "walk." But he may do much better at home.

[slshepherds]

Hi

I'm a vet tech who works in rehab. Sorry to hear about your pup. We work with inpatients and where possible we try to have them go home over weekends because we notice that they do get depressed if they are hospitalized for several weeks. Hopefully your pup will brighten once he gets back to his normal environment. When you do pick him up see if you can talk to the rehab staff at the hospital to get some exercises you can do at home, and also information on bladder care and general hygiene if you are new to this.

regards
Joanne

[ilovemydobbys]

Hi Everyone!!!

Thanks for all of the help!!! We got him home and guess what HE IS EATING!!!!!!

Like seriously gobbling it down! Today they only want a half of cup every six hours because he hasnt been eating and doesnt want him to get sick. We raise it to 3/4 cup tomorrow. SOOOO EXCITED!!!! He will literally bend him head down to the bowel and LICK IT CLEAN!!! THANK YOU GOD!

He has been yelping a lot or chopping his teeth together if we are not near him to try to get his attention. Been told could be separation axienty or hungry even. Any ideas or tips? Doc doesn't think it is pain bc he did the same thing when I left the room two times on Sat. New thing though. He is not usually a vocal dog at all. Has done it when we are not near him, but also when we are near him. He also has done it when I am cooking. It seems like to he held his potty all day till 9 pm. We figured it might be bc he knows he is not suppose to potty in house. He is such a good dog!!! But it made me feel bad. He was yelping in middle of night and finally went potty again.

Also having trouble trying to keep the potty off of him. He urinates a large amount! We have towels down and throw away pads, and have the cloth ones suppose to get in mail tomorrow. We try to make a towl under the pad like a snake so it pools near his penis but it just tends to leak up to his front legs. Been washing him with diluted doggie shampoo and washcloth, then wipe with just clean water washcloth, then dry off. Any other tips would be appreciated! The doc doesn't want him in diapers bc doesnt want the urine against his skin. They have him all shaved on belly.

Next step water therapy tomorrow!!! Will learn a lot more I am sure! We also are looking into accupuncture, but don't want any chiropractic things or cranial adjustments bc he did have surgery on the neck!

Thanks again and talk to you soon!!!

[CarolC]

I suggest calling the doctor and asking if it is OK to use a diaper if you put a barrier cream/ointment on him to protect his skin. (Hoping they have not closed for the day.) The best way to prevent a urine burn and subsequent bedsore of the hip, is to use a male doggy diaper. You do put barrier cream/ointment under the pad of a male doggy diaper, so hopefully your vet will give the OK.

[Bobbie]

Hmm, a male belly band with an absorbent pad doesn't let urine stay near the skin, it wicks into the pad. You can use an adult diaper cut open flat as the pad (or maybe a size 5-6 overnight diaper. He's getting urine on his skin now. A diaper will prevent it, not cause it.

[ilovemydobbys]

i Everyone!!! So sorry I haven't posted!!! It has been a long few days!

Our baby boy continues to eat which is awesome (chicken, beef, and some of his hard food).

He had not had a bowel movement since last prob Sat at the ICU. He had not had anything since he had been home. The doc was starting to want to do something to help, but he had a HUGE bowel movement last night! Awesome! My husband actually had to express his bladder yesterday bc had not peed for 24 hours. He actually did pee on his own today. Peeing on his own had never been an issue because he always has.

We continue to do therapy. He works with a physical therapist once a week. An acupuncturist two times a week. He does do electro acupuncture. We use towels and carry him to help him try to walk. He also has an upper and rear harness we use as well. We work him on a ball. He is continuing to bare small amounts of weight when on a ball esp with one of his upper and one of his back legs. Still pain sensation in all four and PT says that he does have motility in all four (even though he is immobile). Water therapy was interesting. No movement in the pool, but he did hold his head up good. We can get him sitting up on his side when propped up. He is stronger on one side than the other. He also seems sore on the one side so he hasn't been wanting to sit up much on that one. Slowly, but surely.

NOW FOR THE HELP I NEED!!! He is having major ANXIETY!!!

We know he is doing much better since he has been home. He is happier, eating, and doing more...but he is also vocal which he was not at all at the ICU nor prior to any of this at home.

I have only been getting a few nights of sleep a night, which all of you know makes it even harder to care for him when you are running low on sleep. I am not "complaining" about it, I manage. I would do ANYTHING for him. I just know I will get to a point where it might start affecting me more so really trying to look for help. My husband will sleep through anything. We were getting up in the middle of the night to fiip him and feed him. We have since the past few days (per the docs recommendations) cut out the middle of the night feeding and flip, and just have increased the amount of his other meals. I get up several times to check to see if he has gone potty. He tends to whine most of the night except maybe 3-4 hours.

I try to do the "tough love" as recommended by some vets I know as much as I can, but lots of times I give in and go sleep on the ground next to him throughout the night. That way my husband can sleep some, and also I can get him to quiet down some. Looking for help with this though because not sure what to do. Been doing this a week. It seems to be getting a "little" better as I have gotten 3-4 hours of sleep the past couple nights, vs a couple hours earlier in the week. We also try to do therapy prior to bed so he is tired. He also will whine if we are anywhere except for next to him. My aunt who has worked with dogs told me to tell him "no" so he knows he can't do that all day. It is just hard because I don't ever raise my voice at him!!! It makes me feel so bad to be stern with him, esp when I know he is not feeling good =( Any help would be appreciated!

There are some times that he ends up whining even through I am there 1) because he wants me to pet him and not sleep and continues to push me with his nose 2) he has to go potty and knows he isn't suppose to go in house; even though he has to learn to go in house. I have tried Rescue Remedy (which really not sure what dosage could be wrong). It doesn't seem to affect him at all. I also just bought a Comfort Zone Diffuser today with Dap today. You can google them. It is suppose to help to reduce whining, trembling and destructive chewing.

Which brings me to our next issue we are dealing with and concerned about. When we are not home he has started chewing on the towels, cloth pads, and disposable training pads he sleeps on. Right now we have not found any pieces missing, but the mats/towels are wet and have wholes in them bc of his teeth and can sometimes have blood on them from his gums. We are highly concerned about this because we do not want him to chew off a piece of one of them an swallow it and choke because he is lying on his side when we are not home. He is not strong enough to sit up all day.

He is my baby! I am trying to do EVERYTHING I CAN to help him!!!!

Any help would be great and much appreciated! Thank you so much for all of your help, support, prayers, and concern!

[Bobbie]

I know it is a different situation, but one thing that seems to help our DM corgis with nighttime anxiety is a small fan. They often sleep much better with it. So I'd try that, you never know, it might work.

Otherwise, sleeping near him for awhile is probably a good idea. Put a mattress on the floor and camp out. If he gets restless during the night flip him over- often that's the problem (imagine if you could not turn over when you wanted to.) it will just make life easier and you'll get more sleep, even if it seems extreme.

[CarolC]

I agree sleeping next to him would probably be best if you can do it. If you have one of those pressure-foam mattress toppers (think they cost about $25 at Wal-Mart) it might make the floor more comfortable. Or they sell really thin plasti-foam roll-up mattresses to put under a sleeping bag at sporting good stores like Academy and I think those are more like $10. You do need to get your sleep for your sanity, and also because your risk of injuring your back will go up if your muscles are not properly rested. I had a situation with a an elderly dog who barked at night, and I ended up moving to a different bedroom. I found if I slept in the bedroom on the other side of the central air closet and left the a/c running non-stop on fan all night, the roaring sound from the central air closet kind of blocked out the sound of the barking and I could sleep. You could also try plain old earplugs from the drug store. You don't have to get the uncomfortable kind, they make them now where they are little foam things that you roll between your fingers to make them small and then they puff up after you insert them. They're cheap. I don't think you should feel apologetic about trying something like that, you need your sleep.

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with giving him treatments and therapy. My dog went on the treadmill for a number of sessions (7 or 8 ) before she started moving her feet, but you should have seen the celebration in the PT room the day she finally did! I would not worry if he is not moving his feel on the treadmill yet, it is still helping, I would keep doing it if you can afford it.

I don't know what to do about the blanket licking. I suggest asking the vet. I'm sure if you put a cone collar on him it would stop, but they may have a better idea. They make a spray called Bitter Apple (you can get it at PetsMart) and it helps prevent chewing, but I don't know about spraying a whole blanket. Do you think one of those knotted rope chew toys would work?