Post op IVDD 13 weeks

[dolorctlh]

I know it’s been a while since I last posted here. As for an update on Bosco’s progress here it is…It is now 13 weeks since his IVDD surgery and there have been many changes and some improvements since the last time I posted in early July. After having 10 laser therapy sessions and doing water therapy at least 5 times a week in a pool we purchased ourselves, Bosco’s spirits and energy level has increased tremendously. Since starting the water therapy we have seen so many new reflexes happening with his legs. They kick and twitch often and when he is in his cart we see them always moving in the slings like he wants to walk. Often I have let his legs remain free to feel the ground and I have seen him moving them, but his feet are always knuckling after a few steps. (I am now thinking about getting him supports for his feet to prevent this from happening) He loves to run and chase his ball in the cart and to spend as much time as possible outside. When he first started his water therapy we had him in a life vest to help to give him extra support. He did very well and began taking a few tentative steps in the water. After several sessions he became more brave and mastered walking in the water, following a ball I hold outside of the pool while I walk outside around its perimeter. Over time he has picked up his momentum and he pace has become faster. We also have begun to make him walk without the life vest and he has managed to walk quite well! He still cannot yet stand on his own or take a few steps on dry land, but with a little help he can stay standing up on his legs without support for a few seconds. We were hopeful that everything was moving in the right direction but when we took him for a follow up visit last week with his surgeon we were dismayed to learn that her diagnosis of Bosco was that he most likely will be a spinal walker. While she was impressed with the increase in muscle tone on Bosco’s legs and how well he was moving his legs in his cart, after examining him she felt certain he had no feeling in his legs and would most probably not regain cognitive recognition of his legs and bodily functions. This was very disheartening to hear especially after seeing how strong his new reflexes have become and we wonder if there is a possibility that Bosco can prove this diagnosis wrong. Is it unrealistic to hope for this? Could there be a possibility that he can still regain feeling or since it is already 13 weeks in with no feeling does that mean the window of opportunity is closing for Bosco? I know nerves take a very long time to heal, but I don’t know if the damage done to his spine was so severe that there is very little chance for any of that to happen.
We know either way, Bosco still has a way to go even if he is to be a spinal walker. So we will continue doing as much therapy as possible with him. If anyone here on this forum has had their dog diagnosed as being a spinal walker, I would appreciate hearing from you and knowing what your experiences have been like. Is it possible that they can even regain their bodily functions if they are spinal walkers? It is one of my main concerns because this is the hardest part of caring for a pet with this condition. We’ve been as diligent as possible trying to get the timings right to avoid accidents, but they still do happen often.

[CarolC]

Could there be a possibility that he can still regain feeling or since it is already 13 weeks in with no feeling does that mean the window of opportunity is closing for Bosco? I know nerves take a very long time to heal, but I don’t know if the damage done to his spine was so severe that there is very little chance for any of that to happen.

My dog had a very severe spinal injury. My dog had no deep pain, but they found she did have it again 149 days after her injury (that's nearly 5 months). She first became a spinal walker, and later began doing some regular walking as well. I have a seen cases on this board where deep pain was found even later.

If you are talking about accidents, have you tried expressing his bowel? It helps a lot. There are ways to make a dog eliminate at a time and place of your choosing. I like the ice cube method, many people like the Q-tip method. My favorite is the pinch method because it is easiest. You can see descriptions here.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586

13 weeks is still early. My dog's physical therapist says that with a back injury you need to give it at least 3 months to see if bladder control will return, six months to be sure. But there have been cases on this forum where bladder control improved even later, so it is only a guideline. Experience on this board shows that recovery continues not for weeks or months, but for years.

Bosco is a lucky dog to have so much PT and such care. I hope you can keep up the swimming for as long as the weather holds. Not sure where you are. Here the weather would be good through September. It is a lot of work and investment of time, but it helps. Every day his nerves are healing a tiny bit more in the background, and the PT is helping him get the most out of his recovery. Those tiny little improvements you are seeing is what recovery looks like. It sounds like you are taking excellent care of him and giving him excellent PT and I would just keep doing it!

[critters]

Iher diagnosis of Bosco was that he most likely will be a spinal walker. .

My reply would be so what? My Buddy was a walker. I never heard if he was declared a "spinal" walker or a regular one, but I didn't care either way. This all sounds GREAT to me!!

[dolorctlh]

[img]Thank you all for your advice and words of encouragement. We live in the northeast and so the summer will be coming to an end on us in another month. We will continue to give him as much water therapy as we can while we still have the warm weather. I have seen it do wonders for him and it definitely has brought about the big improvements I am seeing Bosco do. He loves to run in his cart chasing his ball and many times now I have begun to leave his hind legs free from the stirrups so he can feel the ground. Each time I do this I am beginning to see improvement as he begins to move his feet to try and run but his feet keep knuckling a lot. I am thinking about getting leg braces to support and correct this....any suggestions?? He still has balancing issues and does not have the strength to hoist himself up on his own unless he gets a momentum going with a running start. Lately he manages to get himself to stand up when he eats at his bowl. I'm guessing the excitement of eating is giving him the motivation to try to stand. I have also seen therapy being done with an inflatable peanut ball and I was thinking of trying that on him to get the balance and the strength in his legs to improve. As for his bladder and bowel functions, we are trying our best. Sometimes we have it timed right but it can be a hit or miss. I do manually stimulate him to poop and I find the pinch method to work the best. So I will continue to keep my fingers crossed that he will one day be able to walk and hopefully have some control regained of his bodily functions. We will just have to wait and see. Once again thank you and I will keep you posted on his progress.

[critters]

I don't know anything about the fancy splints, but I've had my paws on the regular HP splints, and I like them a lot. https://www.handicappedpets.com/walkin-rear-splint/

[csimple46@hotmail.com]

Thank you for sharing your experience with your dog. I am so glad I found this site. I was beginning to think we were the only pet parents with this problem. It sounds like you are making progress! Our 15 pound Shishon ruptured a disk 11 weeks ago and had surgery. He is 3 years old. He is hit and miss with his elimination. I have a question about spasms in his legs when we stand him to per or eat. Is this where I ask the questions?

[critters]

csimple! You'd probably be better off starting your own thread, but, yes, the paralysis board is where you belong. You can also reply to other threads for specific information, but there's no guarantee who else is around and will answer.