Pippa recovering from spinal disc surgery

[Pippasmum]

Hi there,
I'm new to this forum and having a dog with spinal problems.
Our beloved 3 year old Cocker Spaniel, named Pippa had surgery 2 weeks ago for 2 slipped discs.
It all happened so quickly, one day she seemed unwell & looked uncomfortable, I took her the vet and he said she had strained her back & gave her an anti-inflammatory injection. Over the evening she became stiff in her movements & when we woke up early the next morning she couldn't move her back legs. We rushed her to the Emergency Vets & by lunchtime she was in surgery
The vet said Pippa's injury was 4 on a scale of 5, no movement but could feel pain in her toes. She spent 10 days at the vets, she has a bladder infection which delayed her release.
We've had her at home for 4 days, looking after her is taking a bit of getting used to, mainly because I'm scared of hurting her. She's taken to her crate quite well, we have it on a sturdy table in the kitchen so she can see us & for ease of getting her in and out of it.
She's eating reasonably well, we have to encourage her, sometimes hand-feeding her. She can urinate on her own most of the time when I take her outside, other times I gently touch her lower belly which seems to work. Her bowels are working twice a day.
The only movement she has in her legs is she extends them backwards sometimes when she's asleep on her side and she does it while I'm supporting her with a sling. She also lifts both legs up when she's about to urinate.
Are these real movements of some sort of reflex?
She also wags her tail when she is outside having a little walk around on her lead and sling.
I've been massaging her legs and doing physio exercises (as instructed by the vet) with her. She has some tone in her leg muscles and can stand in a crouch for a few seconds on her own.
I think the worst thing is the uncertainty that she will recover and be able to walk again.
It breaks my heart to see her like this, reading through some of your posts I feel heartened that she will regain function.
Here ends my therapy session! It helps to know we're not the only ones who have gone through this!
Any tips to help us help our little girl would be most welcome
Barb and Pippa
in Australia

[CarolC]

Hi Barb,

The things you describe in your dog are things my dog did, too. She would stretch her legs back whenever I would put her sling around her waist, or she would also stretch and point her toes in a sitting position sometimes, and she would put them in a squat when urinating. She did eventually learn to walk again. If your dog has partial bladder control, that is very encouraging, I would be optimistic about her prospects. Also, she still had deep pain perception going into surgery, so that's good. My dog had no deep pain perception but she regained it later. I had my dog in a crate on a table, too, it's much easier on your back and your dog can see out the window, too. Recovery can be slow, but I always say a slow recovery is still a recovery! Every little improvement is cause for celebration, and all those little improvements will add up, and it is exciting to watch it happen.

[Pippasmum]

Hi Carol, thanks for the reply! It's great to hear your dog is walking again, how long did it take?
Yes little improvements are cause for great celebration!
Since I first posted Pippa is able to stand alone for short periods with her legs straight. When she sits down she is drawing her legs up into a "proper" sit rather than stuck straight out in front! Also she is using her legs to move around her crate.
Also when I play with her feet she draws them away from me, like I'm annoying her.
It's 3 weeks today since her op, we go back to the vet in a week for a test to make sure her bladder infection has cleared.
Pippa is telling us when she needs to go outside, unfortunately sometimes I'm not quick enough but at least she's aware of it happening!
She must be feeling better as she searched out a puppy training pad I had under her blanket and made confetti out of it! It's the first "naughty" thing she has done since her op!
Thank you for your support, I need all the help I can get!
Barb

[Bobbie]

Even if she does not walk again she can have a quality life...I have two dog's in carts,one after unsuccessful surgery and one without surgery. Ironically the one who had no surgery can stand and wag his tail and the one who had surgery has nothing from the waist down. Both do great in carts and are very happy, healthy dogs.

It is wonderful when they do recover enough to walk again but it isn't the end of the world if they do not.

[Pippasmum]

Thank you Bobbie, yes, since this has happened to Pip I've realised just how well dogs cope with what life throws at them. An awful lot better than we humans that's for sure!
I know now that we will be able to give Pippa a good life even if she doesn't walk again.
I'm still hoping and praying with everything that I can muster that she will!
It's comforting to know there people who know first hand what we would be up against if we're faced with this.
So thank you to all the people who post for the good information on this forum, it has helped me a lot with Pippa's care.

[CarolC]

Hi Carol, thanks for the reply! It's great to hear your dog is walking again, how long did it take?
Yes little improvements are cause for great celebration!
Since I first posted Pippa is able to stand alone for short periods with her legs straight. When she sits down she is drawing her legs up into a "proper" sit rather than stuck straight out in front! Also she is using her legs to move around her crate.
Also when I play with her feet she draws them away from me, like I'm annoying her.
It's 3 weeks today since her op, we go back to the vet in a week for a test to make sure her bladder infection has cleared.
Pippa is telling us when she needs to go outside, unfortunately sometimes I'm not quick enough but at least she's aware of it happening!
She must be feeling better as she searched out a puppy training pad I had under her blanket and made confetti out of it! It's the first "naughty" thing she has done since her op!
Thank you for your support, I need all the help I can get!
Barb

You list a lot of good signs, I especially like the fact that she is sitting with her legs in a proper sit, as my dog never did that until recently, and only sometimes. It took my dog about 9 months to begin doing a little walking, but it was a different type of injury, she had a spinal fracture, a complete break where the 2 parts of the spine separated and were knocked out of line with each other. She had no deep pain sensation but they discovered she did at 149 days (nearly 5 months). To me it sounds like your dog is doing very well and I think you have more than average reason to be optimistic.

[Pippasmum]

Thank you Carol, I'm now scared of letting her overdo things! Never happy!
One big thing - for me anyway - this morning while she was having a little walk with lead and sling her back legs actually moved in a walking motion! I nearly dropped her in excitement!
She seems to be moving on quite fast, of course she would have lost a lot of strength in 3 weeks so we will have to be very careful.
I came in from toileting her and had a little weep - for joy!
It feels like there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
You must have been over the moon when your girl started to walk after 5 months, her injury sounds very bad.
Thanks again,
Barb and Pippa

[CarolC]

Yeah, you're right. Actually, she had deep pain at 5 months but wasn't walking till 9 months, and by then I'd long since given up the idea she would walk again, so it was really amazing. Glad your dog is doing so well!

[Pippasmum]

Just an update on Pippa's progress: The vet was very happy with her progress! Now we have another problem of trying to keep her from injuring herself, because she thinks she's more able than she is! It's a "problem" that I'm more than happy to cope with!
Yesterday we went to a clinic that offers as well as physio exercises and instruction for me, an underwater treadmill.
Pippa did quite well once she realised she had to walk and not have a free ride! We're doing walking practice ( 3 times a day for 5 mins) with a chest harness and a spare lead under her hips - just to steady her not really hold her up. She's getting more and more able everyday, she can balance and moves her back legs really well. She loves getting out in the garden and checking everything out.

So my message to anyone reading this whose pet has just started on this "journey" there is hope! We were devastated when Pippa first had her injury but with love, care and a bit of work things can improve! We don't know how able Pippa will become but we will help her get as good as she can! Also we now know if she hadn't got back any use in her legs we would have been able to manage.
Barb and Pippa xx

[HanksMomLisa]

How is Pippa doing? Any updates to share?

I agree you must have hope! It does seem almost impossible at first but give the process time. Amazing things happen all the time! Sometimes you just have to believe and take it one thing at a time, and a path will be provided! Glad Pippa is moving on down the road, even if she is doing that a bit too quickly!

Lisa

[Pippasmum]

Thanks Lisa, I was just reading about your Hank, I had tears in my eyes, so I can imagine how happy you must be! It must be so much easier to manage such a big boy now he's up and about, fantastic news!
Pippa is still improving with her walking and with her stamina.
She can walk on her own quite well - but she isn't allowed to yet! We have lengthened our walking sessions and can now include up and down one step as well as rough surfaces and sand. As you can imagine she loves to walk around and have a good sniff!
The water treadmill is going well she's increasing the time she walks up to 4 X 2 minutes.

[Pippasmum]

Hi everyone, I've been thinking of posting an update on Pippa's progress for a while. A little background - Pippa, a cocker spaniel, suddenly became paralysed in her back legs last July, we rushed her off to the emergency vet and he diagnosed a suspected slipped disc. They operated on her and found there were 2 damaged discs, happily the operation was successful.
Eventually she got her feeling and movement back in her legs and is able to walk again.
So now more than 12 months on we have a happy active little dog who can run around and have a fun life! She has a few limitations, we don't let her jump up or onto furniture etc.. She still walks and runs a bit funny but she moves pretty fast!
She can't walk backwards or change direction quickly, when she's excited she kind of forgets her back legs and they get a bit tangled!
Her bladder control is good, it only lets her down if she's scared or excited! Poo happens, the notice she gets is now as long as 10 seconds, enough to get off the carpet onto the tiles or even outside.
The best is she has no pain and the vet says she doesn't have any more chance of developing arthritis than if she hadn't injured her back.
So there you have it, not as good as new but pretty darn good!
Thank you for this forum, you helped me more than you know in the early days
Good luck to all of you and your precious pets
Barb and Pippa

[CarolC]

Dear Barb,

Nothing is better than to hear such a good report a year later. I am so happy for Pippa and your whole family. Don't be surprised if your dog continues to improve even more in the coming year.

[Pippasmum]

Thank you Carol, yes Pippa is improving all the time, she is a lot surer of what she can do and has more confidence. People notice it more if they haven't seen her for a while.
We're just so happy we have a little dog who is happy and healthy!

[Maggie07]

We went through something very similar with our 5 year old cocker spaniel, Maggie. In April she suddenly yelped out in pain and she couldn't stand on her back legs anymore. We rushed her to the ER where they diagnosed her with a herniated disc and she was still able to walk until the next day. She had stayed overnight at the vet and the next day they said she still had DPS, but she couldn't walk. We decided on surgery, which she had the following day. Going in and coming out she still had deep pain, but somehow lost it the day after surgery. We did the acupuncture thing and some PT at home, but she still has no feeling. It's hard seeing how limp her legs are becoming. Sometimes she'll sit or lay in such a way that makes me wonder if she might be dislocating something by doing it. Of course I adjust her when I see it, but how can you know for sure? We think that at this point she probably will never regain feeling, but should we still be doing PT often? Should we go to a professional therapist? I just don't know...is that something most people do only after their pet regains feeling?