Labrador L5 IVDD post surgery

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.
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CarolC
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Re: Labrador L5 IVDD post surgery

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Lolalab wrote: Sun Jul 21, 2019 4:27 pm The whelping pad is a savior. I still take her out every 2 hours to see if she can pee alone. I’ve put her back on gabapentin and prazosin, even with those meds she cries and barks and whines for hours mid day. Eventually the meds kick in and she falls asleep and pees. I’m not able to express her. She’s eating and drinking normally.
I’m wondering if there’s any info on when the bladder control would/should return after 10 weeks of a u cath/uti.

I do not know of any info on that particular situation. Lola is the only female dog I can remember who came to the board with an indwelling catheter. Catheters are more common with male dogs because the plumbing is more accessible, with a female I was told they have to use a scope. I think you said she had to be sedated to insert it. As a general statement, my dog's physical therapist says that you need to give it at least 3 months for bladder control to return, and 6 months to be sure. However, there have been a number of cases on this forum where a dog showed the return of bladder control well after 6 months, so that is only a guideline. Let me know if you want the links for some examples and I will find them.

The thing to me is, looking at this from only what I know as a layman, the location of her injury should (as far as I know, and I think I've said this before) have produced a dog more likely to leak or dribble or have little control. I would not have been surprised if she was leaving puddles on the floor when you went to take her out the door. Her injury was L4 to L5 lumbar. If she had an injury up in the mid-back, for example, then it would make sense that she is not urinating, but with it being a lumbar injury, I can only think of one explanation, she is unwilling to urinate in the house and is controlling it. I could be wrong. Perhaps a specialist could give another explanation. If anything, the catheter should have made her more predisposed to leak and dribble, I would think? That, plus the fact that she has bowel control, just really makes me think she must be holding it on purpose??

So ***if*** that is the case, then what is needed to make her feel comfortable peeing? What would make her feel willing to do it. She isn't going to do it in the house willingly, she's already made that clear. She apparently does not urinate when you walk her outside, is that right? And I guess you could not get her to pee by putting a narrow sling under her belly and lifting slightly to let her own weight put pressure on the bladder?

Is there any spot in the yard which is her customary place to pee? Have you tried going to that spot? If she won't do it standing up, will she do it in that spot lying down?

Has she always been a dog who does not want anyone nearby when she squats? Would she prefer to be left alone in a suitable spot in the grass and you go to an appropriate distance and give her some privacy? Ohmygosh, I remember when I adopted a golden retriever who was on heartworm treatment and I'd been told he was not allowed to run off leash. I had to take him out to the backyard on a leash and we went round and round and round and round and round for-e-v-e-r because he was not used to toileting on a leash.

Do you have any customary words you use with her to tell her "Go pee-pee, good girl" or "Hurry up" or whatever she's used to hearing? (You've probably tried that.)

Is there another dog at the townhouses that pees near your house and she likes to go mark the same spot afterward? Do you know where it is, or are you able to watch when the neighbors take the other dog out?


She is normally an almost silent dog. The barking and whining is breaking my heart. Going to do water therapy 3 times a week for the next 3 weeks, and acupuncture begins next week.

Yes, it would. I would think it would also start getting on your nerves no matter how kindhearted you are. At some point I think I'd want to run away from home. I'd have to go sit in the car with a laptop or something. ***If*** it is behavioral, I hope you can find the key to get her to go.

I hope you got a chance to view all the videos for large dogs. There are a number of different ways to express. The fist method (we call it Martha's Method) is one that is recommended with large dogs, especially if you are not strong. It may help you overcome the sphincter even if she is resisting. If at any time when you are attempting to express you see her lift her tail slightly, that is a clue you are in the right place.

Here is another method using a fist. You may want to turn off the sound because it is in a foreign language, but the video is great. The part you want starts at about the 3:20 time hack.

That is great about the water therapy. Having several sessions close together will help her get used to it and "learn the drill". If you decide to continue longer, you might consider twice a week. She isn't going to be able to do more than the nerves are ready for, and it does cost money. With some causes of paralysis, like FCE or stroke, aggressive PT is recommended. With something like a disk or spinal fracture, I think there is an advantage to steady PT over time. I guess you will have to gauge how much you can invest in terms of the time and effort to take her to sessions, and the cost of the sessions, and so on. If you can't afford to continue 3x a week, it will still help her to go 2x or 1x.


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CarolC
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Re: Labrador L5 IVDD post surgery

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Wanted to share an old post by Joanne about her straight leg dogs.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15053&p=80035 wrote: I'm Joanne and I have 8 (soon to be 9) adopted/rescued special needs dogs. The one thing I have learned is NEVER EVER give up and don't listen to people who tell you something is impossible. Amongst my 8 dogs are 3 German Shepherds and a Tervuren with hindlimb deformities - their legs are stuck straight out. I can't tell you how many people told me they would never walk, must be painful and should be put down.

Of course everyone was wrong .... It took some time and I did some at home rehab, but now all 4 walk and run like the wind, can get up and down steps, climb onto the sofa etc .....
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