My dog Sherpa

[Sherpa]

Hi all. What a wonderful site I've learned so much already. Let me tell you about my little guy.

Sherpa is a 13yo Bichon, or, well, that's what I've always put him down as. He was a stray when he was rescued so the exact mix is unknown but he looks and acts like one. He's been with me for 11 years. Just two and a half weeks ago we had our grooming visit and he was his normal self. A few days later he developed a huge bump on his forehead above his left eye. He has bad cataracts and had run headfirst into the end of my bed the week before, so I just figured he'd done something similar. He didn't seem to be in pain from it though. Then a couple of days later he started showing symptoms of the back problems he has had sporadically over the years, which I now know is probably IVDD (I had never even heard of it before coming to this site yesterday). The last time he'd had a flare-up, we had done x-rays and everything and it showed a probable degenerated disc or two. Having meds left both from his last episode, and my other dog's recent tooth extraction, I started him on those (tramadol and meloxicam) rather than taking him right in to the vet, who would only ... give me more meds. When his condition only worsened after three or four days, I did end up taking him in on Saturday, because he was starting to have problems walking. The vet said the bump on his head was unrelated and probably a growth rather than an injury. But that's not what we're here about.

She did the foot test and he wasn't turning his back feet back over. Not a surprise, we already know he has a history of disc issues. We didn't take any graphs or anything, she just gave me more meds, including gabapentin for more pain relief. She did tell me she'd had a paralyzed dog and assured me that it wasn't a death sentence like it had been in the past. (My previous dog had a similar issue around 9 years ago and, well, things weren't as advanced as they are now.) She told me to get some yoga mats so he wouldn't slip on the kitchen floor and that was about it. Well ... I'm not going to knock her, at least she was positive about it, but oh boy! If I had just found this site sooner, because mistakes were made. Did I take him home and put him on crate rest? Nope. We went home and, other than giving him meds, it was business as usual. Stay in the large crate with his little Shih Tzu buddy during the day, hang out on the couch or recliner in the evening, then sleep in my bed at night. Walk in and out and around the backyard. Whether because he wasn't forced to stay still, or because it was going to happen anyway, within a couple of more days he had lost almost all use of his back legs. Tuesday night was horrendous as he couldn't sleep which meant I didn't sleep. So after I drug myself into work yesterday I searched around and landed on this site. Wow. Did I have a lot to learn!

Thanks to all of your great posts, I learned about crate rest, and most importantly, about expressing his bladder. No wonder he couldn't sleep Tuesday night! Yesterday on the way home I swung by a pet store and lucked into a perfect-sized crate (large enough to stretch out in and turn around if he really wanted to but not much else), on clearance and already put together. I got him a comfy yet supportive and most importantly, washable pad for it. When I got home, he had leaked all over the crate they share, so the first thing I did was carry him outside and get that bladder taken care of. I THINK I learned about all of this in time to avoid a bladder infection. *crosses fingers* I must be doing it right, because when I do it, he wags his tail. Yes, he hasn't lost all feeling or movement. He spent the evening in his new crate in the living room with us, then at bedtime I moved it and him into the bedroom with us. He did wake me up once in the middle of the night, so I took him into the bathtub to empty his bladder again and then he slept the rest of the night. Hallelujah!

Now it seems like the big hurdle to get over is Mom coming to visit next month. She does love my dogs but she's .. well, she's not like the people here. If the care is too involved or expensive she will tell me 'it's just a dog.' Nope. Nope, it's not. If he's suffering, sure, I can make the decision to let him go. But so far throughout this all, he is snarfing down his meals with gusto. To me that's like him screaming 'Hey! I want to live!' As long as he's not giving up, I'm not giving up on him.

[critters]

This all sounds promising! I'm IMPRESSED that the vet has a paralyzed critter. That's SO unusual!!! Congrats on learning to express! It takes practice, but it's certainly NOT impossible. As for your mother, yeah, I know what you mean.

[Sherpa]

Thanks for reading!

We're going back to the vet tomorrow, mainly just to make sure I'm doing everything right. I want to ensure that I'm giving him enough water, expressing his bladder correctly, and that he's definitely not got an infection. It seems unlikely that he does but I want to be sure. We are seeing the other vet at the practice but it might be good to get a second opinion anyway. Both vets have treated him his entire life so they are both familiar with his history.

[Sherpa]

Well, there's good news and bad news.

On the plus side, I was expressing correctly and he does not have an infection. He was doing pretty good on Saturday when we went to the vet.

However, on Sunday he wouldn't eat his regular food. He did have some treats and bites of what I was eating .. sausage, pork ribs. But not a full meal. Yesterday he didn't eat in the morning, but I brought home some canned food and he ate that. Then again this morning he wouldn't eat. So he's missed 4 out of the last 5 meals. On top of that, the bit of bladder control he had has failed so he's now incontinent. I hate hate HATE having to make this decision, but I'm afraid it might be time. He's doing his best to hang in there, but I don't think he's happy, and if he's not eating ... well, that's really it isn't it.

[critters]

Hmm. Is he still taking prednisone or an NSAID? Recovery isn't usually a straight line; most of the time it's a 2 steps forward, one step back kind of thing, and he may be having a step back. I'm wondering if he's hurting, and pred or an NSAID might help him feel better?

[Sherpa]

Yes he is still on meloxicam. Also tramadol and, when he eats, gabapentin.