HandicappedPets.Net

The vet was afraid of bladder rupture with expressing the bowel. The vet gave a bladder pill to relax the urethra.
She is still not eating and drinking (day 4). The vet was concerned about her quality of life.
I've been giving her water via medicine dropper and can't get her to eat - even the prescription low residue high calorie dog food.
Meanwhile the other two dogs are begging for the food because it smells so good.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and insight. you are an

How is she doing today?

I know some of the medications could cause a decrease in appetite. Several are listed in this link. You might check your list of meds for loss of appetite as a side effect. If you don't see it in this link you might check further online or ask the vet.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/drugs.htm

Here is something I wrote about my dog not wanting to eat after her accident, just so you know you're not alone

CarolC in http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2505&p=11064#p11064 wrote:I had an impossible time trying to get my dog to eat following her accident. I received all sorts of advice, including mixing chicken broth in her food, and trying cottage cheese. One day I stood in the aisle at PetsMart and had to go get a paper towel from their "Oops! Clean-up Station" to dry my face because we'd tried every kind of healthy expensive food and cheap junk food there was and she wouldn't eat anything. Finally, I tried frying some hamburger, and that was the first thing she would eat. Another person on this message board actually fried **porkchops** and took them to the hospital for her dog! I don't care if it works.

She would eat better if I hand fed her. That included little bits of American cheese rolled into tiny balls. Also there is a vitamin paste that comes in a tube called Nutri-Cal. I was able to get it at the vet as well as as PetsMart. I would squeeze a 1" ribbon of it onto my finger and she would lick it.

One more thing that often works is Gerber baby food. If you get the plain meat varieties, such as turkey or chicken (no seasoning or onion) you can dip your finger in and let her lick if off your finger. If she is interested, she may lick it out of the jar if you hold it, then she may eat it without you holding it. The stuff is expensive, I have never understood why it should cost so much to puree turkey, I think it is surely overpriced, but it works.

Also, when my dog would not eat regular food, for some reason she did eat plain Milk Bones. I was just happy she would eat them.

I second the hand feeding. Sometimes they are so uncomfortable, they can't get in the right position to eat and they just give up and that extra attention of hand feeding, I think is comforting to some. I would also like to second the ice cube or a tiny squirt of cold water from a spray bottle to get the bowel moving. I used the spray bottle with my dog and it was like magic - all you are doing is getting that reflex started.

Welcome to our board

She's eating!
First it was only roast beef. Tonight she ate her prescription dog food.

I tried the ice... still no pooping. But at least her pee is yellow today instead of stinky brown.

If it weren't for this forum, I don't think I would have tried as hard. So cocoa thanks you.

That's wonderful! Try mixing a tablespoon of plain pumpkin (no spices) in with her food. It will help with her bowels. If she is constipated, it helps soften; if she has diarrhea, it helps with that too.

Great suggestion! I forgot about pumpkin. Can I use canned puree?

Yes.

How long should it take for the pumpkin puree to work?
She loves it straight by the way.

So glad to hear that she is eating and likes this! Here is a article on the subject which also gives you an idea of how much to give her. http://voices.yahoo.com/pumpkin-natural ... 20746.html

I am guessing that if she has not yet gone, it is because of the paralysis and needs that extra help going. The pumpkin is going to make the consistency softer making it more comfortable to pass. The ice cube, cool water in a squirt bottle, very gentle squeezing on either side of her anus as you see in the videos Carol shared. So many of us tried all those methods - its not always the same for each pet.

One of our members was able to get her boy dog to urinate by just touching the area with a baby wipe. That worked for them and she still uses that. How is her urinary infection doing? Does anyone in your vet office know how to express and could help you learn? If your vet does not do that, is there another vet in the same clinic or even another vet in your area that you could just call and talk to over the phone in regard to this subject? Even though your vet might not be comfortable with it, another might be and it could make a world of difference for her and you.

Sending prayers for both of you.

Tried the ice several times. I think she is starting to hold her urine. Because she will go when put on a wee pad outside of her basket. However ice on her bottom and gentle squeezing around her anus isn't working. Wondering if she needs an enema. I'veworked with quads (human) who would go every A M with the help of an enema

It's possible. Her situation is a little like my partially paralyzed dog in one respect, she is always on her bottom. My dog bounces on her bottom as part of her mobility and only passes stools mainly when she is lying on her side, like in bed at night. You mentioned your dog did not want to lie down (plus she wasn't eating well for several days), so the stool that has been moving through her colon has probably kind of bound up near the exit.

I'm familiar with the anatomy of constipation in humans. Just wondering how it translates to dogs. She is lying down now. She gets upset if you put her on her side... only wants to sleep belly down. I'm so tired. This has been so much work. I hope we figure out a routine.
Another strange thing. She always slept with my older daughter (18) but now wants her basket out in the living room with her sisters (cockapoo and Doberman).

She pooped
Something else I noticed.... as long as she is not alone, she tries.
She needs her people. Last night my brother slept on the couch with her in his lap and she woke up so happy and recharged.
He's awesome

Yay!!! Glad things are improving on that front.

You said it right. It is a lot of work. I could add, even when you are not actually doing any work (bathing, changing linens, lifting, expressing, etc.) it is a lot of worry. At least at first. You spend all your time wondering how to do things better, or if there is something else you should be doing, or a million things. In a way, it's more tiring worrying about why they won't eat or why they won't poo than the actual work involved. Even when you are doing other things like fixing dinner or getting ready for bed, the thoughts are sort of like a soundtrack to your day running in the back of your mind. It gets better, but it may be several weeks until you really feel like you have things well in hand. By then you will have thought through every angle many times over and a lot of it will be on autopilot. Everyone agrees, the first weeks are the hardest. It surely has to help that you are a nurse, you are so far ahead of the game. Can you imagine the folks who are squeamish about bodily functions or disability in general, and they find themselves in this situation? But it is still an adjustment to find your dog suddenly like this, and to be scrambling to meet each new aspect of the situation. I could go on and on about this, but I'll stop, but that doesn't mean I won't start up again later.

YAY!!!!

Welcome to the world of finding pleasure in the fact that your dog peed or pooped. This is a very select society! Your dog is lucky to have you and we're glad you found us. I am the "cheerleader" of the moderators, but you are getting some first hand, very knowledgeable information from the others, Carol, in particular. She has lived this every day for years and she knows what you are going through. Hopefully, you will share things you have figured out on your journey too. All of our experiences help others along the way.