Managing Anxiety in a Handicapped Dog

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taiga_merlin
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Joined: Wed May 09, 2018 1:10 pm

Managing Anxiety in a Handicapped Dog

Post by taiga_merlin »

Hello forum!

First, I want to say thank you to the creators, managers, and posters on this forum. I've gotten a lot of useful tips and tricks for helping to support my dog, Taiga through this time in her life from this site. It is very much appreciated!

So, some background. In January, my 10 y/o female Bernese Mountain Dog, Taiga, was diagnosed with an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma. We did everything we could to get the beast under control, including seeking treatment at one of the best animal cancer centers in the country, but by the time radiation and surgery were performed, it had already spread into her sacrum and invaded the spinal canal. It was heartbreaking to hear that we would lose her soon, so I vowed to make her remaining time as good as possible.

As the cancer progressed, it began to rob her of her stability, then her bowel and urinary control, and is now taking her mobility. Her right leg is mostly paralyzed, her left leg is getting weaker. We work well with a fantastic vet, and I think we have her pain management and other medical issues under control. The problem is that her anxiety level has skyrocketed with the decrease in mobility.

We have tried to do what we can to make her happy (keeping her outside as much as possible, improving her grip on the floors, finding her a well-fitting harness to help her up), but she whines and pants every time she tries to move and can't. She will do this for hours, trying to shift and get up and be comfortable--me helping her, giving her temporary mobility--and then she's back to being anxious. This cycle is slowly wearing me down and breaking my heart that I can't fix her and giver her the independence she craves. Every time I start towards her to help her, I see her try frantically to do it on her own until she relents and let me help her. I've recovered her from multiple surgeries, including three elbow arthroscopies, two CCL tears (fixed with TPLO's), and an idiopathic vestibular episode that left her unable to move for ten days. Every time, her anxiety level spikes with the increased handling and decreased mobility. Every time, she digs deep and tries her heart out and we've made it past our obstacles. She is a dog that likes to do things on her terms, and has been since I rescued her as a 10 month old with extreme trust issues from a puppyhood of neglect and abuse. She eventually bonded very strongly with me, and I consider her my dog of a lifetime--but she still resents being overly handled and touched without it being on her terms. She trusts me, and she tries her heart out for me, but in the end despite lots of positive reinforcement and training she just prefers to be near me, but not necessarily being pet or touched overly much.

She's still eating, and loves going for a swim now that it's summer--she will paddle serenely around the pond as much as she can and we go every day because I know it makes her happy. But she wants to go out for walks--she drags herself up and stands by the front gate--and then gets completely exhausted and frustrated when I take her out with her harness to stabilize her. Even though she is 10, before the cancer diagnosis in January she was still out running and skiing with me, she is a high drive, high energy dog so she still wants to be active. Once inside, she can't get comfortable with being confined to a bed or small spot on the floor. Given that she has very advanced osteoarthritis in her elbows, I think a wheelchair is out for her anyway, but more to the point, it's the other times that she's not mobile that are the most frustrating for her. She's lost interest in a lot of her toys, so when she is in a comfortable spot I can't keep her occupied.

I guess my question for the forum is: how did you manage the transition to being sedentary for your higher-level energy/anxiety dog? Are there any forum members for whom they could not transition their dog from being more able to handicapped? She means the world to me, and I want to keep her happy--but I'm worried that now I'm doing this more for me than for her.

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading!
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CarolC
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Re: Managing Anxiety in a Handicapped Dog

Post by CarolC »

I can't predict how a certain dog will respond, but generally they settle down and accept the new normal, it may just need a few more weeks? In the meantime, you are going bonkers. My one dog whined a lot when he first went down and I had to use ear plugs because it was getting on my nerves and there was nothing I could do for him. He did eventually settle down but it took a couple of weeks.

I don't know if you would have any luck with an AnxietyWrap. I've seen it in use for a German Shepherd that had fear of going in public or being touched, and it worked. Another brand is Thunder Shirt.

https://anxietywrap.com/

Some people recommend pheromones to calm the dog. You use them in a diffuser to diffuse the "scent" into the air, and the dog finds it calming and reassuring. I think the original brand may (?) have been DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) but there are many brands. Kind of expensive, but if it works it might be worth it.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issue ... 600-1.html

You could also just explain to the vet the situation and see if s/he can prescribe something. I am sure if the dog was really restless in the hospital they would prescribe something, so hopefully they would be willing to give you something to try with her at home.

Is she able to turn herself to her other side at all? I know you said she doesn't like being handled, so this may or may not be appropriate for her, but here is a link showing an easy way to flip a dog.

http://www.mzjf.com/turn-dog.htm

You've sure done a lot with her. She is a very lucky dog.
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critters
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Re: Managing Anxiety in a Handicapped Dog

Post by critters »

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