13 1/2 year old bassett hound that can't walk

[Cindidoxiemom]

Barbara,
I would tell you to go to Dodger's list and read about the need for crate rest, but I don't think it would do any good as you have made up your mind.
I'm going to post the address anyway, because I'm not going to sit by and not say what I have learned to be the best for a back injured dog.

Here are their care instructions based on over 1000 IVDD and back injured dogs. The vast majority recovered with proper care.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dodgerslist/message/76117

I wish you and your dog well Barbara, but I'll be honest in saying I think you are not treating him properly. I'm not a vet, I am just saying this as the mom of two dogs with IVDD and someone who has seen this disease in so many dogs.
If you don't belive what so many of us have said about crate rest, go to Dodger's and you will hear it from 100's more.

Good luck and I will pray for your baby,
Cindi

[critters]

He seems to be very concerned with humphrey just laying around because of bed sores.

But, you know, bed sores are 100% preventable. Good bedding (a double layer of cut "egg crate" mattress--disposable if necessary), cleanliness, and frequent turning should take care of that problem.

[connie]

hi barabra,
i have to agree with others about crate rest before wheels. my cricket had a ruptured disk. even before surgery, vet told me that if we had known and crated him , he might have recovered.
no matter what happened, i am a firm believer in crate rest. like humans, they need to rest and heal before attemping anything. cricket had to be crated for 6 weeks, just out to potty and a R.O.M excersises. he NEVER got bed sores because i made sure he was moved every 2 hours. (just like humans bedfast). i would be afraid to get your babe in wheels to early, could cause more damage if it is a disk or spine injury.
i have 2 vets, one out of state, both told me crate rest was the MOST important thing. so glad yours is doing ok bladder wise. just make sure all urine is coming out, so no infection.
please keep us updated. and the best of luck to you.
you and your furbaby are in my prayers. remember miracles do happen, i have one. cricket overcame all odds and proved vets wrong.
hugs,
connie and cricket

[connie]

barabra,
if you didn't see my post earlier i will do it again.
please please condsider crate for a few weeks. i have 2 vets, one out of state, both said that if i had crated cricket in the beginning, he wouldn't have had to have surgery and would have been fine. as it is , he had to have surgery, 3000 dollars, pt, and pain and recovery. all because we didn't know (even after tests) that it was a disk in back.
my vets(who are wonderful)( i didn't take just one word),
said crate rest is the most IMPORTANT thing of all.
just like humans they need time to rest and heal. and as far as bed sores, like humans, turn your pet, every 2 hours. cricket was in crate for 6 weeks, and no bed sores. i took him out just to potty and i did just R.O.M. excersises only. he hated it, howled and carried on. but barabra, vet said if i didn't do that he would never regain his legs, in fact i could've caused him more damage.
crate rest for a few weeks isn't going to hurt your pet, i can not believe vet did not tell you to do that before getting wheels.
please ask again and reconsider it, we are only telling you what we ourselfs have been through. so many of us have been and are still going through what you are.
prayers to you and your babe,
hugs, connie and cricket
if you want to contact me, email at conniecpu_99@yahoo.com
i will help all i can. thanks to wonderful vets, crate rest and lots of p.t and the greats pals on this site, my cricket is recovering. he was almost put to sleep, he is my miracle.

[Dianne]

Barbara,

I have a 7 year old doxie that is paralyzed and incontinent. If you want to complicate your life, then DON'T CRATE REST. I'm agreeing with Cindi that crate rest could SAVE you many days of crying. Paralyzation and incontinency require MORE work than crate rest. Allowing your basset into a wheel chair now could mean he may never recover.

Think about someone with a back injury. REST is required...not activity.

I tell you this from experience. My vet did NOT tell me to crate rest my doxie (long bodied dog) when the IVDD injury occurred. He gave us steroids, sent us home with the option of surgery; which we didn't think we could afford. Now, I have a paralyzed, incontinent dog, 1 1/2 years after the injury. I manually express his urine and poop about 4 times per day to avoid a bladder infection and possibly worse. It's not pretty, but you do what you have to do to keep good health in your pet.

PLEEZEEEEEE... we have a lot of experience on this board. Some of it is VERY painful experience. It *won't cost you* anything to crate rest/confine your pup for about 6 weeks...and it may save you more heartbreak.

Learned the hard way...

Dianne

[Barbara Mullen]

Thank you so much for your concern. I can only go by the advice of two vets - one who is an othopedic surgeon and the other one - who is my vet who is caring for Humphrey now. If I don't put him in the wheelchair - I am not going to be able to handle him. I can't bring him home until we get the wheelchair. I am getting the doggone wheels and I am getting the harness that goes around his stomach and back for additional support. Humphrey will only be in the wheelchair to go to the bathroom. In and out. I really do not think Humphrey is going to come back from this. He is 13 1/3 - He is showing no pain when he is lifted from the rear to get in and out of his crate now. Its the problem of being able to carry him. He's heavy and it is dead weight. I feel my only hope for him is the wheelchair.
Barbara

[Barbara Mullen]

Diane: I am confused as to what to do. I have already ordered the wheelchair and it is to be delivered to the vet on friday - I don't know how to handle humphrey if he can't get out to go to the bathroom. I work full time - my husband works full time - our schedules sort of overlap - but we have four other dogs, cats, birds and grandchildren - family - etc. My vet seems to think the wheelchair will be good for humphrey- it will allow him to exercise his legs and perhaps give him strength in his back legs - I spoke with an othopedic doctor who I am planning to see with humphrey - He is 13 and 1/2 years old. I don't really expect humphrey to come out of this - the average life span for a bassett hound is 10 - 12 years. This is all so new to me - wheelchairs, etc. I have had animals all my life - all my past dogs - which includes two labs and two mixed breeds have not lived beyond 12 years. I kind of feel as if humphrey is in overtime - I just want to make his senior days comfortable. He does not seem to be feeling any pain and is eating and going to the bathroom normally.
Barbara

[Dianne]

Hi Barbara,

I'm sorry it has taken me a day to respond. My life is hectic also.

A 70 lb. dog would be easier to manuever with a rear end harness so you could "walk" Humphrey to do his business outside. Here is only one example of a rear ender.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/resleash/

If 60% of a dog's weight is borne on the front legs then you would be manuevering about a 25-30 lb. weight with the rear harness. It's better than carrying the pet.

Cindi and Carol - other ideas than a rear end support?

Carol ,Cindi, Paul, Jean, BethT and many others here work full time, and still care for paralyzed, and/or incontinent pets.

If the paralysis progresses you get to incontinency next. It is *possible* to avoid the progression to incontinency if you crate rest Humphrey. I am assuming that the diagnosis is IVDD- spinal disk injury. Normally steroids (to reduce swelling) are given along with the prescribed crate rest. (BTW- I am not a vet, but a pet owner.)

I would put the wheel chair in the closet for 4 to 6 weeks...that is standard resting time. If at the end of this time he is still not showing signs of recovery, then get it out of the closet and use it.

I learned the hard way and don't want to see that happen to you. It can get MUCH worse.

I understand what you mean about Humphrey approaching his golden years. If his will to live is strong, then you've got to think that he could live another year or two. A year or two of an incontinent/paralyzed pet could take a toll on you and your family.

I understand the frustration of a pet injury. I hope that you are taking care of yourself, too.

D

[ellie4dogs]

I posted "Ma. die's Story" on the IVDD forum on Sept. 1.Maddie is an 11 year old Basset who ruptured a disc in her back two months ago. She lost use of her back legs, and they were dragging like dead weight. Since then, she has VERY slowly regained some function in her left rear leg, and can now drag herself around the house almost as quickly as she did before the paralysis.

I still have several questions that have not been addressed. I have only received one reply in the past three weeks, and while it was helpful, I would like some more input from members, so I am asking members of this forum for their advice.

I'm sort of technologically challenged, so am not sure how to copy and paste the old post to this site. If you can help, please visit the IVDD forum and read the original post. I would greatly appreciate any advice from those of you who are dealing with mobility issues, especially with Bassetts. I have tried both the rear end harness and the bottoms up leash, and can't get either one of them to work. Because of her short legs, they tend to splay out to the sides when I try to put them on her. I have better luck with putting a towel under her when she goes outside, but now that she is regaining her mobility somewhat, she is more interested in walking around outside, but I can't support her with the towel for very long at a time.

I have heard the term 'spinal walk' on this site and am wondering exactly what that is. I think that's what she's doing now, but am not sure. I She gets around fine in the house, but can't drag herself around outside. I know that she needs exercise, but am unsure about how to take her for short walks without some kind of mobility device.

I'm hesitant about investing in a wheelchair, because they are expensive and bulky for use in the house. Also, after taking careful measurements and buying two products that don't work for Maddie, I'm afraid that if I did get a wheelchair, it wouldn't work for her.

I would like to add that my experience with Maddie has taught me that miracles do happen. I was resigned to having her put down when she first became paralyzed, but am SO glad that I found a supportive vet who encouraged me to not give up hope. Progress has been slow but steady, and I think now that she may actually walk sagain someday. She does not appear to be in any pain whatsoever, and I feel deeply sorry for others on this forum who have to watch their babies suffer while they are making tough decisions about quality of life issues.

Does anyone have any thoughts about why one leg has regained function and not the other? I am wondering if the right rear leg will 'come back to life' like the left one, given enough time. She definitely has pain sensation in both legs, and when I clipped her nails yesterday (she hates that, but it's necessary to make walking easier for her), she pitched a fit and dragged herself across the yard trying to get away from the clippers. She's stil as spunky as ever, and as long as she still has her spirit intact and no pain, we're going to love her and keep her with us as long as we possibly can.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Friend2Dogs]

Mason my Bassett went down 3 times, two times he laid around for a couple of weeks and then got back up and walking on his own. The last time he did not get back up, so we got him a dog wheel chair. How I got him to walk is I baked a boneless chicken breast , let it cool and put the chicken on the ground about ten feet from Mason. He run to it! He loved his chair , but later got so weak from his cancer that he could not walk in it, so we used a towel to help him walk out to potty. He laid around allot and never got bed sores. He lay on a memory foam pad with a sheet over the pad.