Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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CarolC
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by CarolC »

That is *really good* news that the sore spot has improved. Not sure why he would develop a UTI since he never lost bladder control, so I hope it's a false alarm, but I guess any dog could get a UTI. Your sister hasn't been giving him sweets, has she...? Did he eat anything that might make the urine smell stronger? Or has he been drinking less than usual and it's just more concentrated (though that does not sound like what you are talking about)?

The licking can be a sign of UTI like you said or it can also be a sign that feeling is returning during recovery. It was mentioned before but probably worth repeating, some dogs will lick and chew until they injure themselves, so it's something to keep an eye on, as the male area is one of the places some dogs will lick/chew.

For the first time I tried spraying the carpet for fleas in 2015 and it didn't work. If you ask me the best thing is to just vacuum every other day and dispose of the vacuum bag outside. It's more work and bags aren't free, but it has always worked here. With his short coat a flea comb would probably help, too, especially if you could put him on a white sheet? Some (many? I don't know?) of the flea products (like Advantage) are nerve toxins (active against the nervous system of fleas). I always felt hesitant to use them on a dog recovering from paralysis. Nobody ever said not to, and it's probably me being too cautious, but I'd rather use the flea comb.

We've been lucky here so far, just mosquitos. Think we had a hard freeze last winter, can't even remember now, but that's supposed to help. Don't know if you ever get that where you are.
kandykane
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

Questioned my sister she said gave him a 1/2 cookie, I also bought him his pupperoni he likes he only got a small piece though, other than that no changes,
I take that back did give him some cranberry juice, thinking if it is a uti maybe they would help and put apple cider vinager/water mix thinking get the fleas off him

strange thing is 1 day he'll drink alot next day hardly anything the last 6 days and the days he drinks alot hardly no pee and when he doesn't drink he pees like no tomorrow
Pee still smells a little strong and more yellow than normal

I know he has allergies, he has a cough not sure if it is his allergies or not, could be haven't had time to mow

I invested in vacuum bags today take your advice, thank you
and I do have his flea comb, got a couple off him today
I don't like them flea products either when he's not feeling up to par

This whole thing is scary do I or don't I

I'm in Florida, we didn't have a winter hot and humid and rain rain rain,
and now we need rain
no mosquitoes to speak of, darn fleas and fire ants though. I miss the 4 seasons
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CarolC
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by CarolC »

As far as I know, yellow is usually good. Yellower than usual could mean more concentrated, not drinking as much. Not sure why his drinking varies so much. Maybe the temperature? They say you can encourage the dog to drink more by giving chicken broth, or freezing chicken broth into ice cubes and adding one to his water. I've never tried it. I don't know how long you could leave a bowl with broth sitting out before it goes bad, but maybe they mean give it and let him drink it, then take it back up and rinse and refill or something. I've seen enough people mention chicken broth, it must work.
Dianne wrote:
My doxie refused to eat and drink for a brief period of time. We cooked up a chicken cutlet, defatted and cooled the broth inorder to get him to drink. Chicken baby food is another option, but the homemade chicken broth (NOT canned with the high salt content)really worked for us.
kandykane
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

Thinking Skipper is depressed, can't blame him, from being happy and healthy to

won't go out to pee and poop unless I carry him out
just will lay in his small area
i do massage him and move his legs so he doesn't loss dexterity
he still does try to stand

Is back to drinking normal, good looking pee and poop
but was constantly licking his ding dong I bought some itchwipes and he stopped
also got the fleas off him with the itchwipes, but have been vacuuming every other day also
still has his cough and inverted sneezes
still not sure if it's his allergies or UTI or if the constant licking has caused his coughing

checked to see if he has a fever no he does not

wanted to get him in the pool but been raining bad here
was thinking it would be a 2 for 1
get a little exercise and be able to really get the dirt and dead hair off him good

still got to get his nails trimmed the lady who usually does them I talked with her, she said yes she
has done handicapped dogs and cats, had it all set up, she called this morning to cancel a good friend of hers passed away has to go to her funeral out of state she was in tears when she called, tryed to comfort her, think I helped had her laughing a bit, losing a Loved one is never easy. said she would call when she got back it would be free of charge, no I am going to pay her

Think I might let Skipper out of his confined area 1 night and let him sleep with me, might make him feel better, just a thought
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by CarolC »

Well, he's done his strict rest for 8 weeks and thank goodness the pain is gone. If you want to continue rest longer, it's a judgment call. 8 weeks is what they say, and you guys were strict, so you did what was recommended. The disk should hopefully be healed. Healing of the nerves that were affected will continue for months and literally years.

I wonder if he might be allergic to mold. I'm in south Texas and when it's humid like it has been lately, you get mold. Even if your house is clean, there's mold in the air outside. It's been neverending wet weather this year. Yesterday was another storm, knocked out power in some places and downed trees. I was out trying to get a big branch off the fence earlier, got half of it cut up, the other half needs the pole saw and is in the neighbor's yard. Not complaining too much, people in Mississippi would be glad if this was all they had to worry about. Anyway, rain yesterday and 100+ tomorrow, mold loves it. I wouldn't be surprised if you have some there, too. Had to get a dehumidifier for the house this year and never did before. Your weather channel may have the mold and pollen count, they do here.

Or could it be your sister uses different laundry detergent than you are used to? Does she have scented things in the house? Some people put those fragrance products all over the house.

Here I go with the same old song, but I really do wonder if he is having some odd sensation in his male area while his nerves are recovering. The theory is it's like a pins and needles feeling, like when you sleep on your arm funny, then it starts to wake up. Dogs will lick and chew trying to soothe it. It's a temporary stage for some dogs, but something to watch for.

That is kind of strange he is only going out if you carry him. Maybe sleeping together would cheer him up. In dogs depression could also be from something like a UTI, but your mentioned his urine seems back to normal. Having him back in bed would probably make you both feel better. Too bad he didn't get that bath! :wink: :wink:
kandykane
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

Well, took Skipper to the Vet
says Kennel cough, don't get it, he hasn't been any where except the Vet
and he had kennel cough when I first adopted him from the humane society
and it was not the same,sure he had a cough, but different cough and he peed as normal and didn't lick his ding dong like he is on and off doing, but he is on antibiotics

I did let him sleep with me a couple of nights, cheered him up a bit I think, but forgot what a bed hog he is haha

Skipper is still trying to walk and or stand and he did go out without me carrying him, won't figure it out why he wanted to be carried, still gets massages and not suppose to have no rain for the next couple days so gonna try the pool

Hope you got your tree cleared up as much as possible, I know you all got alot of rain this year, feel for everyone who is getting flooded out

I went and bought a dehumidifier also cause it is awfully humid

and no I am keeping Skipper grounded, rather do it a little while longer, better to be safe than sorry
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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kandykane wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 8:03 pm Well, took Skipper to the Vet
says Kennel cough, don't get it, he hasn't been any where except the Vet
and he had kennel cough when I first adopted him from the humane society
and it was not the same,sure he had a cough, but different cough and he peed as normal and didn't lick his ding dong like he is on and off doing, but he is on antibiotics

Weird. It seems like he could have got it at the vet, but I'm trying to look it up right now. It says 5-7 days incubation. Did his cough start 5-7 days after his last vet visit? It says it is airborne. I guess that means if they had another dog with it in the building and then you took your dog, he could be exposed. It reminds me of that saying, "The no smoking section of a restaurant is like the no chlorine section of a pool." I imagine the same is true of vet clinics and cough germs. The vet clinic I go to has a sign on the door that says, "Please keep coughing dogs outside". But they're going to have to bring the dog in at some point to be seen unless the vet goes out to the car, and then how can he weigh the dog etc. I'm not even sure all clinics have an isolation room. One clinic I go to has 2 isolation rooms, but the other clinic I go to is more crowded for space and older, it was originally a large animal hospital. And anyway I think the isolation room is used for inpatient care, not appointments. That stinks that you took him for one thing and he might have caught something else. But do you think that's really what he has? You said it is presenting differently than when he had it before.

I did let him sleep with me a couple of nights, cheered him up a bit I think, but forgot what a bed hog he is haha

You need a bigger bed! :lol:

Skipper is still trying to walk and or stand and he did go out without me carrying him, won't figure it out why he wanted to be carried, still gets massages and not suppose to have no rain for the next couple days so gonna try the pool

Every little bit helps. Even if you don't see him using his legs much, it is still helping. PT is something to a certain extent you just do it on faith without seeing any immediate results.

Hope you got your tree cleared up as much as possible, I know you all got alot of rain this year, feel for everyone who is getting flooded out

Yeah, we got it. Not a very clean cut up where it broke but there's not much we can do about that.


I went and bought a dehumidifier also cause it is awfully humid

Well, I'm sure it wasn't cheap, because ours wasn't, but in spite of what it cost I haven't regretted it. I guess mold wasn't what was bothering him, though.

and no I am keeping Skipper grounded, rather do it a little while longer, better to be safe than sorry

Seriously, one of the moderators on Dodgerslist told me that just from experience they have seen fewer relapses with dogs that rest 8-10 weeks, so there may be good reason for continuing if you can. I think a lot of people have trouble even doing it for 8 weeks. There is a lot of patience needed with spinal injuries. A watched pot never boils, Rome wasn't built in a day, and all those good old sayings.
kandykane
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

Went back in my records
it was 11 days at the last Vet visit that a small cough started
now it's cough, like he has something stuck in his throat (hacking) and inverted sneezes
the hacking started more frequent now that he is on Amoxicillin 250mg twice a day
more after he gets the capsule like it gets stuck or ?
there was a few dogs and cats there but didn't hear any coughing etc but wasn't paying much attention to the other animals, going to now and it's 1 room waiting room

I do need a bigger bed, but then he would hog it any ways

doesn't want to drink neither now he is pooping and peeing good, does have wet farts since on Amoxicillin and they stink, I tell him man you stink good must be poop time and out we go, had to sit up a poop and pee area in the house with this rain, but clean it up right after wards, he has peed without me knowing and has layed in it, don't know how long before I notice,
I think I need 10 of me and another me day

still wants to keep licking his ding dong though, I know you said it could be a sign of healing nerves and he has feeling there and doing it because he can and tension relieve, but scared that could make him sick or not helping matters

Does keep trying to walk, still a no good and no feeling changes did another nerve test

Your right dehumidifiers are not cheap, they did have cheap ones, but if I'm gonna get it got to go for a decent one

Glad you got the mess cleaned up best you could

keeping Skipper grounded though

Was doing his moving the legs exercises and it seems as though the clicking is coming from his right knee, thinking it is out of joint and trying to reset its self doesn't seem as smooth as the left side there
guess another trip to the vet ?, don't want him catching something else though

Tell Skipper, you are giving me way to many grey hairs here and he is getting a few more too, guess we are going to grow old together, as we are in it for the long haul and we'll get through whatever is thrown at us

Worries me
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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kandykane wrote: Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:21 am Went back in my records
it was 11 days at the last Vet visit that a small cough started
now it's cough, like he has something stuck in his throat (hacking) and inverted sneezes
the hacking started more frequent now that he is on Amoxicillin 250mg twice a day
more after he gets the capsule like it gets stuck or ?

Do you think he found something around the house that he swallowed? I had a memorable experience with a mini-dachshund I adopted who coughed up an object that did NOT come from our house, and she must have had it in her throat when I adopted her. I reported an odd coughing wheezing sound when I adopted her. Then she coughed up a piece of plastic that must have been in her throat since before I adopted her. Then the vet also told me the cough was normal for her breed (like your dog with the reverse sneeze) and related to sinus drainage. :)

there was a few dogs and cats there but didn't hear any coughing etc but wasn't paying much attention to the other animals, going to now and it's 1 room waiting room

I don't know how long kennel cough stays in the air but possibly you might not see a dog that was there earlier and left some germs. But 11 days is outside the window for incubation, he should have got it 4-6 days earlier. You must keep good records. :trophy:

I do need a bigger bed, but then he would hog it any ways

doesn't want to drink neither now he is pooping and peeing good, does have wet farts since on Amoxicillin and they stink, I tell him man you stink good must be poop time and out we go, had to sit up a poop and pee area in the house with this rain, but clean it up right after wards, he has peed without me knowing and has layed in it, don't know how long before I notice,
I think I need 10 of me and another me day

I just hope he doesn't get real diarrhea, it's not what you want with a down dog. :roll: :roll: :roll:

still wants to keep licking his ding dong though, I know you said it could be a sign of healing nerves and he has feeling there and doing it because he can and tension relieve, but scared that could make him sick or not helping matters

Another option might be to try a male wrap. That's a male doggie diaper. It is not enough to keep a determined dog from licking, but possibly it might help.
:malewrap:
Does keep trying to walk, still a no good and no feeling changes did another nerve test

Your right dehumidifiers are not cheap, they did have cheap ones, but if I'm gonna get it got to go for a decent one

If mine lasts a couple of years I'll be happy. I have one pet with allergies and it has really made a difference in our house so I feel it was worth it.

Glad you got the mess cleaned up best you could

keeping Skipper grounded though

Was doing his moving the legs exercises and it seems as though the clicking is coming from his right knee, thinking it is out of joint and trying to reset its self doesn't seem as smooth as the left side there
guess another trip to the vet ?, don't want him catching something else though

I don't have a clue on this. I just looked up clicking knee joint in dogs but it looks like it could be more than one cause.

Tell Skipper, you are giving me way to many grey hairs here and he is getting a few more too, guess we are going to grow old together, as we are in it for the long haul and we'll get through whatever is thrown at us

Worries me

I hope you get your me time. Even 2 hours would be something. When can you arrange 2 hours to get out and do something different? We are supposed to have nice weather and for a couple of days.
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by CarolC »

P.S. I just remembered, did you get to try the swimming?
:swim:
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

I don't keep to good of records
Just got 3 calendars for Dr. appts
Skipper, me and my Sister and some side notes

He don't need diarrhea please no and I think I am making to big of a deal
him licking his ding dong and he won't let me put a diaper on him
was thinking all the licking he may have hairs stuck in his throat

thought I'd take him out to the place he eats grass when he has an upset stomach at least I think that is way he is eating it when he does, doesn't do it often, he usually does when I hear his stomach making noises and he will find his spot eat alittle and poop good a few minutes later and feels good then, hasn't done that in months though

Yes got a little pool time in, not as long as I wanted, he moved around good in the pool though and got a small bath, then started thundering out, so dryed off and he peed and came in

getting some me time sunday got a flea market I am going to, i do get me time but not me me time often
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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That's great about the pool. It does them so much good. Every little bit of kicking the hind legs while swimming or taking ANY kind of steps with the hind legs while walking around in the water is rehab. Does not matter if they are short steps, steps out of sync with the front legs, steps where one leg moves better than the other, just steps or any kind of attempt in that direction, it's all good practice. It only gets better. I hope the weather and your schedule will allow more chances.

All of a sudden I just thought of Murphy's website. Murphy was a beagle with 2 herniated disks. They didn't have a doggy rehab place nearby so they took Murphy to a horse hospital where they had an equine rehab pool and he swam there. You can see it mentioned halfway down this page.

http://murphysworld.jaisp.com/recovery.html

Here is the homepage. It is archived and it appears one of the pages from the website was not archived, but most of it is.

First day of Summer is June 21! :D
kandykane
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

Post by kandykane »

well I set up a doggy cam, just to see what Skipper does when noone is with him
interesting video
I thought at times I wasn't taken him out enough cause the area he likes to lay was wet to often
as I was worried about him licking his ding dong was not aware he was doing it more than I thought
I know I said I thought I was making to much of it But
I really think that is why he is coughing, he is getting hairs stuck in his throat, So then
decided I would really check his poop out, my goodness I have never seen so many hairs in poop before
I told him I was gonna have to put a cone on him he kept it up, he didn't like that word cone to much
funny how you can be talking to your dog and you know the expressions they make

But, he does try to stand more than I knew, I gave him more space to move around, he is grounded but not super duper grounded and I let him sleep with me a few nights, he is still a bed hog, but if his pillows are just right he stays in his spot most of the night

We did get a day of pool time, had 8 inches of rain in 2 days here, this weekend the weather is suppose to be nice so we are getting out in the pool and he still gets his massages, did the toe pinch test again no improvement at all, nuts, he is moving his back legs though more stretching and did see him licking and biting at 1 of his rear legs like he felt something there,right rear leg that was a first

I like the murphys world website

Hope all is well with you
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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Hey there,
Sounds like you guys are ready to build an ark. :rain: We had one nice day Wednesday, then hot and cloudy with intermittent showers the rest of the week, and more rain forecast this weekend. I've been spending 2 weeks without a washer and that is a problem in a house with as much pet laundry as we have, where I usually do a load every day. The repair guy came and tried to fix it, but right now we are waiting for a part. In the meantime I am trying to stretch laundry and just make the long drive to do it twice a week. I have one dog that uses washable potty pads and I've been clothespinning them to the fence and hosing them off. It works as long as it isn't raining. Gosh, we need a clothesline smiley!
:wash: :laundry:

I can't believe a whole week has gone by. It sounds like maybe you were right about the hairs since you found them coming out the other end. :lol: Sorry, I shouldn't laugh! :blush: That is very cool that he is trying to stand, I think he is going to do it.

Now I'm going to be really-really serious. The rest of this post, if you read the links, is going to be very sobering, sad, and hard to read. It will be about this chewing issue. You'll see what I mean when you read the links. I will try to put them in chronological order. These are real stories, and as sad as they are, they show what we need to watch out for and try to prevent in the future.

What I want to say before I give the links is, over the years things have changed and improved for handicapped pets. This chewing issue is one example. Back during the first few years I was here, if a dog started chewing his toes or leg or male area, there really wasn't as much that could be done. You could try a cone collar, but a determined dog will eventually get out of one. There were various bad-tasting ointments you could put on the area to discourage chewing, such as Bitter Apple, Yuk-2-E, another preparation used to prevent chewing of bandages (think it was called Bandgard or something like that), or a homemade preparation. NONE of these things really worked. If the dog wanted to chew bad enough, he didn't care if you put something foul-tasting on it, he'd chew anyway. I think one family had some success making a rigid leg cover out of electrical conduit that helped their dog. But basically, collars, covers, and ointments do not work or cannot be trusted.

For example, Sheri's dog, Pete (JRT), chewed his leg repeatedly during his recovery, and required several trips to the vet. Eros (German shepherd) chewed his foot and chewed off a toe. You will see one post below where Bailey (dalmatian) chewed his p*nis completely off. And you will see a post below where a dog chewed so badly he was euthanized. I think I know of 3 that were euthanized because the chewing was so bad, and in all cases happened unexpectedly. One if I remember correctly, the owners weren't home and came home and found the damage. The other I think (?) happened during the night. And the other one was unusual, the dog was 4 years post-injury and suddenly started chewing. The owner was taking steps to prevent it but the dog managed to do it anyway, it happened fast.

It wasn't until they started using gabapentin that there was any real treatment for the chewing problem. I know you said you had been given gabapentin yourself for something one time and it made you feel out of it. All I can say is, I would rather have my dog a little loopy for a while, than chew his foot off while I am at the grocery store or something, Heaven forbid. You would think they would stop chewing when they draw blood, but for some reason they just keep at it and self-mutilate.

The thing is, the chewing isn't permanent, so they don't need to be on medication for it permanently. It's a temporary phase some dogs go through. They think it may be a pins-and-needles sensation, like when you sleep on your arm and it goes numb and then starts to wake back up. I don't know, I wonder if it could also be an itching feeling because I have been rear-ended a number of times and I have a spot on my neck where it is like that spot is numb but it itches and I want to scratch it, but it isn't a normal itch, it's neurological.

Anyway, here are the links to some of the stories I mentioned. Good thing you got him on camera so you know.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 758#p28758
(chewed his toes, had to have surgery on his foot)

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 297#p15290
(chewed both hind legs,double amputation doxie)

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 931#p63931
(Bailey chewed his p*nis off)

http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ ... =4&t=11598
(doxie mix got out of e-collar, chewed foot nearly off)

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12506#p64984
(chewed foot off in minutes, euthanized)

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 205#p65205
(doxie chewed male area during crate rest, euthanized)

Gabapentin. It's a lifesaver. The first time I saw it mentioned was 2004. We didn't used to have anything for this problem. Now we do. People have posted that some vets are also using another medication called Lyrica (pregabalin) for this purpose. I don't know anything about it, but it may be another option.
:angel:
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Re: Please help new to this Skipper my dog is lame both back legs

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I used Lyrica 2 years ago when I had shingles (the herpes kind, not the roof kind. LOL) in my eye because they had samples. It was expensive then, but, yes, it's a bird of that feather. Gabapentin is the tomcat's kitten!
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