Herniated disc no dps

Neurological Disorders Resources. Treatment and care for pets having pain or trouble walking or standing due to spinal injuries or neurological disorders like IVDD, FCE and DM.
rick45
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Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Hi everyone I'm new on here but in a bit of a state about my cocker spaniel poppy
10 days ago I got called from work saying poppy was in some distress
So rushed home and got her straight to the vets in carried her in there anyway whilst waiting to be seen she was wieghed she stood on the scales and when she was seen by the vet she stood on his table he said she had a temperature and gave her a shot anyway she then walked back to the car but on our return home she could not stand on her rear legs so of to the emergency vets were she was examined and there was not any response from her back legs anyway she stayed there the night and was referred to a spinal specialist the following morning were he said she was level 5 dps and that he was going to scan her that day and he confirmed there was herniated disc she was operated on that day so less than 24hrs after she last walked
So where are we now she is still in the vetenarey hospital 10 days post op she still hasn't regained dps but apparently she is really happy and enjoying the attention she is getting we've been advised not to visit poppy as it would upset her advice we have taken on board
But I'm starting to get panicie now as each day passes and just hope dps comes back
My question is do you reckon there is hope even after 10 days
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CarolC
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by CarolC »

rick45 wrote:But I'm starting to get panicie now as each day passes and just hope dps comes back
My question is do you reckon there is hope even after 10 days
Yes, dps can be found days, weeks, or even months later. In addition, testing for dps is not always 100% accurate, so in some cases it might be present but missed during testing.

Also, as far as having no deep pain, my dog had no deep pain, but they found she did have it again 149 days after her injury (that's nearly 5 months).

Cindi's dog took 9 months:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5673#p31267

I am not saying that to make you worry it might be that long, mostly it is not, but I am trying to tell you not to panic if you do not see it right now, you are still in the early days.

:gang:
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Thanks for your reply
Still no improvement today day 11
But the vetenery nurses love her saying she is happy and loves there attention
Can't stop thinking of her she is a lovely little dog
What ever the outcome if she is happy we will do all we can to make her life good I'll get her some top of the range wheels
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

We are getting a bit worried now as poppy has been in the vets 2 weeks on Friday! We speak to them daily and they say she is happy but reading through various posts a lot of dogs are discharged before now
Am I worried over nothing
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CarolC
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by CarolC »

That does seem like kind of a long time. :thinking: Did they say why they are keeping her?

If the issue is that she needs help urinating, they can show you how to do that. Many people here have learned to help our disabled dogs urinate. It does not take long and you do it 3-4 times a day if she can't do it without assistance.

If that is the case, they should start training you how to do it so you can do it at home. You would go to the hospital and they would let you learn "hands on". If she does need help urinating, I would not recommend taking her home right before a weekend, but maybe on Monday? That way if you run into any issues getting her to urinate, they will be available to help you.

Or maybe there is another reason they are keeping her. I think maybe you should ask them directly. She would probably like to be home again. :wub:
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critters
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by critters »

Many vets don't think that non-vets can learn to express pee; I was told that I couldn't, even after I *proved* I could!! They seem to forget that THEY weren't born knowing how to express, either!! It's a skill well worth learning, and it takes some practice. It's like Braille, only it's "Tiptoe Through the Guts." :D
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Poppy is home now and she is peeing and pooing by herself as I carried her out to the garden she peed on me and then she pooed outside
She is very excited to see us all just trying to settle her into her crate
The vet said to my misses not to get her hopes up but as she is going toilet by herself it's very possible deep pain will return I really do hope so fingers well and truly crossed I will keep you updated on her progress
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CarolC
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by CarolC »

Oh man, that is great. Yes, getting them to settle in the crate is an adjustment, the first week is the hardest. But rest is very important, so you continue to have progress and do not risk a setback. Here is some good information on crate rest after surgery:

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

I always say a few weeks in a crate is a small price to pay for a lifetime of walking, but a lifetime of paralysis is a huge price to pay for a little playtime when they should be resting. If you have any children, be sure they know that she needs to be quiet for now.

Glad to hear the good news, and glad she is home! :D
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Thanks Carol
We have to give her the best chance of recovery
As I said the vet said to us not to get our hopes up but he has a feeling that she could recover
She is a cracking dog
I touched her back feet before and she gave me a look
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Poppy definitely has bladder control she let's us know when she needs to go toilet
Would you say this is a step in the right direction I've read everything comes back in reverse
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CarolC
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by CarolC »

Yes, Dodger's List and other sources say bladder control usually returns before walking.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingnerves.htm
http://www.ovra.com/resources/paralyzed ... sing-care/

However, my dog did not recover full bladder control but she did learn to walk again. I think it is fair to say each case is different, so you can read how things usually go, but you also just have to be sensitve to the individual progress of your dog. Either way, if she is telling you when she needs to potty, Woohoo!!!

:yay:
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Day 17 post op
Poppy has settled into her crate routine we are taking it in turns sleeping downstairs with her and poppy seems fairly happy
Still no sensation in her back legs but I'm fairly sure she is toileting by herself
Me I had to come home from work today (I work for myself) feeling a bit down over this need to snap out of it and stop feeling sorry for myself
I'm praying there will be a positive outcome
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CarolC
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by CarolC »

You might consider the option of putting a baby playpen (playard) upstairs in the bedroom so she can sleep upstairs in your room and you can both sleep in bed. She will probably love it and you will both get the sleep you especially need right now. Basically you line the bottom with towels or blankets or even specially fitted playpen sheets. If she wets any spot overnight, usually they will move away from it. This means you will be doing a load of doggy laundry every couple of days but it is no different than a baby, just a little urine, and the urinary tract is a sterile tract. You could even get her her own laundry basket or bag. I do not recommend lining the playpen with disposable pads, they are not absorbent enough to ensure her skin is protected. You will need a tip proof water bowl. A secondhand playpen is fine if you can get one at the thrift shop, or there is a good chance one of your friends will have one in the attic or basement they no longer need. However, if you decide to buy one, there it no need to spend a lot, a cheap one will work just as well as the fancy ones. I think they are so heavily regulated, they are all very sturdy and durable, even the inexpensive ones. If you do not have much space upstairs in the bedroom, they make a smaller playpen called a side sleeper, they are more expensive but take less space.

If you look at this example of a doggy playpen, what I do in the morning is, I untuck one end of the bedding and simply roll it up (like a sleeping bag) to carry downstairs and put with the laundry. If she doodles, you can either pick up the doodles with toilet paper and flush in your upstairs bathroom, or shake out the bedding in the back yard or over the trash can when you get downstairs, before putting in the laundry hamper. It all works really well. I am suggesting this because when it is morning and you and your wife are dressed in nice clothes to go to work, it keeps you clean if you roll up the bedding instead of kind of grabbing the corners and bunching it up (like we normally do with human bedsheets). If you roll it, you have a nice, neat roll to carry down the stairs and everything stays tidy.

If there is any issue with her dribbling a bit when you carry her downstairs, you may want to wrap her in a towel, you'll figure out what works. :)
playpen.png
playpen-pink.png
rick45
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by rick45 »

Hi everyone quick update on poppy it's 4 weeks tomorrow since she last walked anyway we've been vets tonight for a check up and there is still no deep pain and he said it would be highly unlikely she would walk again but also said it wasn't possible
Well last weekend I picked her up and her legs moved a little she stretched them and pointed her toes also her tail moved a little she also tells us when she needs to toilet yes she does wet her bed occasionally but I do believe she has some control
The vet informed us that it was one of the worst he has seen and there was quite a lot of bruising on the spinal cord but it wasn't severed
The thing is we acted really quickly when she last walked I.e she was operated on in less than 24hrs to decompress
Anyway I'm not going to give up on her as reading on here there is no real time frame
Poppy is really happy yes it's hard work but there is no way we could enthanize her when she has still got her character and we are now going to look into a cart for her and try and get some normality back into our lives
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critters
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Re: Herniated disc no dps

Post by critters »

A cart can also be used in a legs down position, like humans use walkers, so they can help with walking, too.
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