Newly Injured Pet Mom

[Baxter's Mama]

My 4 year old male dachshund Baxter suddenly lost the use of his back legs last weekend and after 2 emergency vet visits, it was discovered that he did not have deep pain sensation in his back end and could not go to the bathroom on his own. He had surgery on Tuesday, 12/6 to remove some disc debris that was pressing on his spinal chord (lumbar and lower thoracic area) and is now recovering at home. We had our first PT visit yesterday with an amazing vet who will give him cold laser therapy, acupuncture and pt 2x/week for the forseeable future. I do not have the finances for all of this ($8-10,000 ballpark) but luckily I have supportive parents and my best friend and roommate has set up a Go Fund Me site to help pay for all of this.

This week has been a rollercoaster ride. I have had panic attacks, uncontrollable bouts of crying, depression, acceptance and then denial all cycling over and over again. I have been learning how to express his bladder- which is unbelievably impossible feeling for a newbie. I worry about him all of the time- am I getting all of the urine out? Is he comfortable? Is he okay? I can't leave him alone for one minute without fearing the worst.

Going back to Sunday, our second ER vet visit, when the 2nd doctor to look at Baxter came out and told me Baxter's prognosis, he immediately said that I need to think about the quality of his life. After crying uncontrollably and yelling at the doctor, my support system kicked in and I was surrounded by great friends who knew I would never euthanize Baxter without trying everything I could to help him get better. With the surgery behind us, we are focusing on adjusting to this new life. I am trying to establish a routine for him and learning a lot. I feel like this forum might be a good place to get advice and hear from other pet owners who might have experienced the same or similar situation. Last night was the first night I was able to sleep for a couple of hours without waking in a blind panic every 30 minutes and checking on him.

Please any advice or helpful words would be greatly appreciated. I am trying my best to deal with this and I know you guys can help. Thank you!

[CarolC]

Hi, and welcome. From all you say, I think you can feel very good just knowing you are doing everything possible. It is natural to feel like you have to keep checking him, and to feel like you are kind of on a tether where you don't really want to leave the house, and if you do you are thinking of him and want to get right back. I think it is our protective parental instinct, especially the first couple of weeks. You do need your sleep though. The better you take care of yourself, the better you can take care of him. I hope you are eating and can start to get more sleep soon.

Nearly everybody feels pretty incompetent when you first start expressing. The ones who don't feel that way are just lucky, and I think they are the minority! In spite of that, dogs do survive our learning curve. If they do happen to get a urinary infection during the first couple of weeks, it usually clears up pretty easily with medication, and by the time the antibiotics are gone, chances are you have gotten better at expressing, so it kind of all works out. I like to say, as long as you are getting some urine out, you will soon be getting all of it, so it sounds like you are on the right track. It is always an option to take him back to the vet and ask the vet or vet techs to give you another lesson on expressing, hands on, not just verbal instructions. It should be you doing it, with them coaching. If you think you would benefit from another lesson, don't worry, they will understand. Like critters says, none of them were born knowing how to express a bladder, either.

I don't know if you saw the expressing article here, which has loads of video links at the bottom. You can watch people expressing many different sizes and shapes of dogs, and possibly get some tips that may help. If you have any problems seeing the photos on the articles, let me know as I think they are updating some things on the server right now.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16027

Here is an article about bowel management, as well.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586

I don't know if you have checked out Dodger's List yet. It is a website that specializes in doxie disk problems. They have great articles as well as a support area with trustworthy advice.

Here is some very important information about crate rest.

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

Here is their article about post surgical rehab, which discusses cold laser and other modalities.

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

[leighbeebry]

I remember the night my little Skipper lost the use of her back legs. I cried and held her all night long. The next day i started research and found this site. I went through the five stages of grief in about 4 hours. I've had friends and family ask if we would remove her back legs (ummmm what?!) or have her euthanized (#### NO). We're now at the 4 year 2 month mark and it's all just our normal now.

You'll feel like you can't deal at some points. It's ok! Just take a minute and breathe. My pup Skipper is the same happy and playful little nugget she was before her injury. Patience is key. Also, don't take life with a handicapped pet too seriously. You're going to get peed on. You will step in poop. There will be midnight accidents and baths and carpet cleaning. That's life, but doing all that is worth it to keep the sweet furry face in my life. I love her so much, I can't imagine life without her.

Eventually you'll get a routine and you'll start to recognize the signals they give. Good quality dog beds, check them for injuries regularly, keep their legs moving at home by having 'play time' to move their legs, watch their weight carefully (every extra pound is extra work to get around) and ALWAYS a bath after tinkle accidents. The urine will hurt skin if left to dry.

You'll make mistakes, but you'll learn and do things differently after. Get a vet you trust and maintain that relationship. I hire vet techs for dog sitting.

This site is awesome for support! And the products on here are spectacular.

[CarolC]

The part about getting peed on, been there, done that.

[Baxter's Mama]

Thank you so much ladies for your kind words and advice! Baxter is doing very well in his recovery. We are a little over a month now post-surgery and he has been progressing better than anyone has ever expected! He is now (just this past weekend) going potty all on his own back outside- with the exception of a few poops in the house since we had an ice storm! After I have finally mastered expressing his bladder he is not needing it anymore- but hey, I can add that to my resume right? He is still going to physical therapy 2x/week thanks to the Go Fund Me site and I think it has really made all of the difference. There he is doing underwater treadmill exercise, laser therapy, acupuncture and swimming.

This has been such a crazy time for the both of us and I think we have both learned a lot. I am so grateful for the support that I have received this past month and hearing similar stories like yours has helped tremendously! Baxter is trying very hard to walk on his own and he can for a few steps but still looks like drunken sailor If I can figure out how, I will try and post a video of him so you can see how well he is doing. Thanks again ladies and if you ever need any advice from me please let me know!

[CarolC]

That is wonderful! The wobbly walk is called ataxia. If he crosses his legs while walking it's called scissoring. If he turns his paws under, that is called knuckling. The scissoring improves with time very gradually, he may still be crossing a little even a year from now but recovery continues for several years. Knuckling can cause scrapes and wear down the nails but the dogs are usually too intent on what they are doing to mind. Some people try boots. There are also special braces to keep the paws from flipping, that his therapist could get if appropriate.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/no-knuck ... ining-sock

Congratulations!