Hi all,
My little dog Oreo went through IVDD surgery on 2/17. She suddenly yelped when I picked her up on 2/16, had a little bit of a wobbly walk, and then also fell from a chair I had put her on without knowing she had IVDD. I took her to the vet. The vet saw that she could still walk, so she prescribed pain and steroid medications and told me to put her on crate rest and to pinch her toes to monitor for deep pain. On the morning of 2/17, she was not reacting so we took her in for surgery. She was operated on about 24 hours after the first sign of her symptoms. The vet gave her a 50% chance of full recovery, and prescribed 4 weeks of crate rest.
She is now about 5 weeks post op, still no deep pain that I can see, and we are starting to go through PT. We have a check up appointment with the neurologist in 4 days. I still have her on crate rest, although I let her have a little free time in an enclosed carpeted room while I watch. I express her 3-4x a day (thankfully she is very easy to do so), and she poops in her bed about 3x a day. I noticed she started eating it!! The poop is the most worrisome part. I work full time and am single, so having to worry about whether my baby is eating her own poop in my absence is causing major anxiety. I have some luck expressing her bowel movements and have tried changing her feeding schedule, but no matter what she has a poop around 11:30 every day. I am perfectly okay with getting her a wheelchair if she can’t walk but it is very important for her to regain control of her bowel movements for long term care.
Now on to the good things - she’s happy and out of pain, I have a wonderful support system at work where they let me go to PT appointments when needed and treat Oreo as if she was a human, and I do not have any added financial worries from the surgery.
I have come to terms with me possibly having to take constant care of her for the rest of her life and it is making me anxious, sad for her, and also unsure on whether I can continue this for many years. She is only 4! I had such bad anxiety last night, I couldn’t sleep thinking of all the what-ifs.
I am looking for any tips to help me keep sane, as well as any success stories about dogs who did not recover deep pain several weeks after surgery.
Need advice for long term care
Re: Need advice for long term care
OK yes, first of all there have been dogs here who have regained deep pain many weeks or months after the injury. I would not be worried if you are not seeing it at 5 weeks, it is still early days. It is really hard to predict how soon any individual dog will recover certain abilities because every injury is different. My dog had no deep pain at all after surgery. At 149 days (almost 5 months) they said they found deep pain. It really can take time. It sounds like you did everything right, you got the surgery in the recommended timeframe, you have her on crate rest, that is good.
I am glad she is easy to express. As for eating her stools, I totally appreciate what you're saying, I don't care for it either. I know it is common for dogs, most dogs will snack out of the kitty litter box and eating dog waste does not seem to bother them either, nearly as much as it does us. I have a dog (Dolly) who never ate her stools until she was put on prednisone and began doing it and I think it is because the medication just made her hungry all the time. It is also possible your dog is just being tidy and cleaning up after herself to keep her crate clean. My dog is actually a very clean dog, she does a lovely job grooming herself. Part of the reason it bothered me was because I just didn't want to be kissed by a dog that had been eating waste so it was affecting how I felt about her.
Anyway, there is a powder you can sprinkle on your dog's food that makes the taste of the stools unappetizing and it is supposed to break the habit. It is called For-bid. Your vet may have it and you might want to read about it and consider trying it. Since you are expressing her bowel, that will help, and you will probably continue to get even better at emptying her, however in my experience there can still be some doodles in the bed overnight even if you do a thorough job at bedtime, but it helps.
Yes, working full time and having a paralyzed dog does kind of change your routine, but you DO get into a routine that works for both of you. I'm glad your work environment is flexible, that helps a lot. The first weeks are the hardest, and really the first six months give or take. After that, somehow you get used to everything and life seems normal again. Right now, and probably for a while yet, it is very challenging. A lot of us here are single without any help on pet care, it can definitely be done!
You may not have time right now to spend a lot of time reading a long story, but an example of a (very) slow recovery in a paralyzed dog who learned to walk again is at http://www.fourfurfeet.com. Please keep in mind it was a very slow recovery, in all likelihood your dog will not take that long, but it may help to know how long healing continues, and not to give up.
I am glad she is easy to express. As for eating her stools, I totally appreciate what you're saying, I don't care for it either. I know it is common for dogs, most dogs will snack out of the kitty litter box and eating dog waste does not seem to bother them either, nearly as much as it does us. I have a dog (Dolly) who never ate her stools until she was put on prednisone and began doing it and I think it is because the medication just made her hungry all the time. It is also possible your dog is just being tidy and cleaning up after herself to keep her crate clean. My dog is actually a very clean dog, she does a lovely job grooming herself. Part of the reason it bothered me was because I just didn't want to be kissed by a dog that had been eating waste so it was affecting how I felt about her.
Anyway, there is a powder you can sprinkle on your dog's food that makes the taste of the stools unappetizing and it is supposed to break the habit. It is called For-bid. Your vet may have it and you might want to read about it and consider trying it. Since you are expressing her bowel, that will help, and you will probably continue to get even better at emptying her, however in my experience there can still be some doodles in the bed overnight even if you do a thorough job at bedtime, but it helps.
Yes, working full time and having a paralyzed dog does kind of change your routine, but you DO get into a routine that works for both of you. I'm glad your work environment is flexible, that helps a lot. The first weeks are the hardest, and really the first six months give or take. After that, somehow you get used to everything and life seems normal again. Right now, and probably for a while yet, it is very challenging. A lot of us here are single without any help on pet care, it can definitely be done!
You may not have time right now to spend a lot of time reading a long story, but an example of a (very) slow recovery in a paralyzed dog who learned to walk again is at http://www.fourfurfeet.com. Please keep in mind it was a very slow recovery, in all likelihood your dog will not take that long, but it may help to know how long healing continues, and not to give up.
Re: Need advice for long term care
I can't add anything to what Carol said. Re: Need advice for long term care
I went to a new PT today, he gave a grave prognosis for a full recovery, <10%. I think he is just a blunt guy and didn’t want to get my hopes up. Sad day 
he recommended that we try everything we can for the next 2 months - acupuncture, laser therapy, electromagnetic therapy, and medication. We agreed to acupuncture and laser therapy weekly, but I paused at electromagnetic therapy and medication.
He recommended The Loop for electromagnetic therapy and 4-AP as medication for nerve regeneration. I read reviews online for both and will probably purchase after clearing with the neurologist for the medication. Has anyone had experience with either one?
he recommended that we try everything we can for the next 2 months - acupuncture, laser therapy, electromagnetic therapy, and medication. We agreed to acupuncture and laser therapy weekly, but I paused at electromagnetic therapy and medication. He recommended The Loop for electromagnetic therapy and 4-AP as medication for nerve regeneration. I read reviews online for both and will probably purchase after clearing with the neurologist for the medication. Has anyone had experience with either one?
Re: Need advice for long term care
If I was you, I would have chosen the same two things, acupuncture and laser.
There have been a few people here over the years who have reported on 4-AP. I don't remember anyone saying anything like, "Wow, that helped a lot, that made all the difference." We had a moderator who was a vet tech at a veterinary teaching and research hospital, and one of her dogs was in a medication trial of 4-AP and another drug. The doctors felt Carl got no benefit from them, but Joanne felt maybe he did. It is unclear from her posts which drug she thought might have helped. He did not have IVDD, he had a different spinal injury. Here is the thread.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14382
The thing that concerns me about the rehab person is I'm afraid his negative attitude will transfer to your dog or you. I don't want to be flippant, rehab is wonderful, but I'm being honest when I say it's almost like he's in the wrong business. It is not helpful to work a dog intensively with lots of therapy and then throw in the towel after 2 months. 2 months? My dog didn't even show deep pain until about 5 months, and she walked at 9 months. Thankfully I didn't have anyone around telling me we should stop therapy and give up at 2 months. Nerves heal slowly, and steady PT over time will help you get the best outcome.
Hydrotherapy is wonderful. If you could just do one thing, I'd do that, along with your exercises at home. I'm really sorry this guy talked like that. I wonder how many dogs he's affected negatively or caused their owners to give up after they invest lots of money and effort for 2 months and get discouraged. That's just wrong, in my experience. And the bigger the dog is, the easier it is to be discouraged. I'm glad your little friend is small.
You might want to check out Dodger's List if you haven't already done so. www.dodgerslist.com They will also tell you it is too soon to worry about no deep pain and that healing from spinal injury is a special kind of journey. Time is your friend. Steady PT over time. This is slow cooking, not microwave, that rehab therapist should know.
There have been a few people here over the years who have reported on 4-AP. I don't remember anyone saying anything like, "Wow, that helped a lot, that made all the difference." We had a moderator who was a vet tech at a veterinary teaching and research hospital, and one of her dogs was in a medication trial of 4-AP and another drug. The doctors felt Carl got no benefit from them, but Joanne felt maybe he did. It is unclear from her posts which drug she thought might have helped. He did not have IVDD, he had a different spinal injury. Here is the thread.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14382
The thing that concerns me about the rehab person is I'm afraid his negative attitude will transfer to your dog or you. I don't want to be flippant, rehab is wonderful, but I'm being honest when I say it's almost like he's in the wrong business. It is not helpful to work a dog intensively with lots of therapy and then throw in the towel after 2 months. 2 months? My dog didn't even show deep pain until about 5 months, and she walked at 9 months. Thankfully I didn't have anyone around telling me we should stop therapy and give up at 2 months. Nerves heal slowly, and steady PT over time will help you get the best outcome.
Hydrotherapy is wonderful. If you could just do one thing, I'd do that, along with your exercises at home. I'm really sorry this guy talked like that. I wonder how many dogs he's affected negatively or caused their owners to give up after they invest lots of money and effort for 2 months and get discouraged. That's just wrong, in my experience. And the bigger the dog is, the easier it is to be discouraged. I'm glad your little friend is small.
You might want to check out Dodger's List if you haven't already done so. www.dodgerslist.com They will also tell you it is too soon to worry about no deep pain and that healing from spinal injury is a special kind of journey. Time is your friend. Steady PT over time. This is slow cooking, not microwave, that rehab therapist should know.
Re: Need advice for long term care
I agree, he’s not the most positive person but he is my only option in my area. I will start hydrotherapy with her at home and will remain patient.
Oreo unfortunately took a tumble down the stairs yesterday, she somehow escaped from her cage trying to follow me out the house. I’ve called the ER and they said there’s nothing they can do to evaluate the damage besides a CT scan, so they said to monitor her for pain. I have an appointment with her neurologist in a few days and she will examine. Oreo does not seem to be in pain and there has been no change in her spirits or appetite. Such a sad day and I’m beating myself up for this mistake, but it is what it is. It’s just a waiting game now.
Oreo unfortunately took a tumble down the stairs yesterday, she somehow escaped from her cage trying to follow me out the house. I’ve called the ER and they said there’s nothing they can do to evaluate the damage besides a CT scan, so they said to monitor her for pain. I have an appointment with her neurologist in a few days and she will examine. Oreo does not seem to be in pain and there has been no change in her spirits or appetite. Such a sad day and I’m beating myself up for this mistake, but it is what it is. It’s just a waiting game now.
Re: Need advice for long term care
Well, as for the tumble down the stairs, hopefully there won't be any long term effects. I don't know for sure, but I do know that when they operate on the disk for IVDD, the surgeon removes all the disk material that was pressing on the spinal cord, so that's gone and it's not an issue any more. And you're 5 to 6 weeks after surgery, so much or most of the swelling should have settled down by now if she's been resting. If she had tumbled while she still had a bulging disk, that could have made it much worse, but I don't think it's as big of a concern after surgery at this point. I think you can probably relax about that a little.
It's surprising, isn't it? We think they are paralyzed but sometimes they seem to move as fast on 2 feet as they ever did on 4!
Hugs to your baby! She thought that was a lot of fun and she never meant to worry you. She was just being herself! 
It's surprising, isn't it? We think they are paralyzed but sometimes they seem to move as fast on 2 feet as they ever did on 4!
Hugs to your baby! She thought that was a lot of fun and she never meant to worry you. She was just being herself!