Advice Needed- Motivating GSD after IVDD 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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TitusMom
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Advice Needed- Motivating GSD after IVDD Surgery

Post by TitusMom »

New here and am in desperate need of some advice. I have a healthy, mellow 9-year-old German Shepard who is recovering from IVDD surgery. He had decompression surgery on T2/T3 at the end of June. We are going on 7 weeks of recovery and he has hit a plateau. He can sit up with his front legs and sit properly for a little while on his own, but he has lost complete interest in trying to move or push up on his hind end. He has deep pain sensors and can move his legs well when walking and being supported in the harness but plops down fairly quickly and cannot bear his own weight even for a second. He is doing PT twice a week and we have been swimming with him using a lifevest in the pool but outside of that, he would rather just take a nap. I am becoming discouraged and hopeless. Looking to hear if anyone has hit this same point and has had some success in motivating their pups to try on their own. Any success stories or suggestions??
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CarolC
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Re: Advice Needed- Motivating GSD after IVDD Surgery

Post by CarolC »

Hi TitusMom,

:group:

Is he on any kind of pain meds now? All I can think is, if I had spinal surgery 7 weeks ago, I'd still be feeling it. It doesn't take a lot to make you not want to use a sore part, whether it's your foot, knee, hip, back...

This is going to be the strangest answer you ever heard, but for some reason your post reminded me of an old TV commercial where a little girl was thinking, "It will hurt if I swallow. It will hurt if I swallow."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU5ms9ZJzj4

Some dogs can be very stoic. Supposedly it is their survival instinct not to show pain, because in a pack situation, other members of the pack may turn on them. I've never known if that's true, but it kind of makes sense. Anyway, reluctance to move may be because it hurts, or he thinks it's going to hurt because it did for a number of weeks. Only unlike the little girl in the video, he isn't going to call out to "Mommy!" He's just going to protect it.

It sounds like he's got what he needs. He moves his legs well swimming and in the harness. That is the best news! :trophy: But he doesn't want to bear weight. "It will hurt if I stand. It will hurt if I stand." Bless his heart. It's just my 2 cents, but I think I would try pain medication, or if he has pain medication, then see if the vet can try a different kind or a different dose, or sometimes a combination of meds. If it makes no difference, you could discontinue the meds.

If you are sure he's got adequate pain control, then you may want to ask the rehab therapist about practicing sit-stands at home. If he can't stand from sitting on the floor, ask about doing elevated sits where you sit his bottom on some sort of platform a few inches up from the ground and have him stand up from that elevation until he gets good at that. That might be easier for both him and you.

viewtopic.php?p=111660#p111660

Hope this helps. It sounds like his surgery was a success. He'll get there!
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critters
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Re: Advice Needed- Motivating GSD after IVDD Surgery

Post by critters »

:whale: How about a field trip to a pet store, dog park, or the like? Even a friend or relative he likes, or puppers he likes to play with?
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