mini daschund newly paralyzed Help

[mandy101]

On Sunday my eight year old daschie began yelping. I did not automatically think of his back because he has never had an episode before. But when it seemed that he was having some trouble walking I crated him immediately and called the vet first thing the next morning. They started him on cortosone right away and crated him assuming that it was a disk. By the next day he had gotten worse and so we consulted a neursurgeon who gave him less than 70% chance of recovery and if he deteriorated further before he got to surgery it would be even less. Paying the 5000+ for surgery would have completely strapped us and so we decided to continue with crating him and cortisone. Now (Wednesday) he is home and we are trying to decide whether or not to get him a cart or to put him down. The vet is not telling us that he will never walk again, she is just telling us that it is extremely unlikely. She is very shocked that he has not responded to treatment considering that we got him there while he could still walk and had full bowel and bladder control, now he has no bowel or bladder control.
My whole family has been devestated at the thought of putting him down, so I guess by question to all of you is, how much work is it to take care of a dog in this condition?
I have four children and a sick father to care for plus I am a full time student who is away from the house 10 hours a day twice a week.
I am totally lost right now.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mandy

[Cindidoxiemom]

Mandy~
I have three dachsunds and a mutt who thinks she is a dachshund. I have gone through three surgeries with two of my dachshunds for IVDD. Hunter has had two surgeries and is walking just fine....Oscar..Hunter's son went down and despite surgery is still paralyzed.

I have been taking care of Oscar for over a year now, an dI assure you it takes no more thatn 10 extra minutes a day to tend to him.

I express his bladder 3-4 times a day. It really is no big deal. He has a cart and is a happy pup.

There is NO reason to put a dog down just because he is paralyzed.

Now...if you can not do the surgery, then 6-8 weeks of STRICT crate rest....steroids and proper expressing are going to be VERY important.

Strict crate rest means NO scooting or moving about. You will only take your dog out of his crate to express.

After the crate rest, there are therapies, acupuncture and other treatments you can try.


I highly recommed that you join Dodger's list. It is a yahoo group just for the parents of IVDD pups....most are dachshunds.

I know this is a scary time, but I assure you....after a period of adjustment, taking care of your pup...paralyzed or not will not be much of a problem at all!
Cindi

[mandy101]

Thank you for your supportive post.

What about when I am not home though? And what about his bowels? On the days that I am gone I cannot come home as I am 2.5 hours away from home.

I do not want to put my dog down but before I decide what to do I want to make sure that I am able to take care of him properly.

Mandy

[Dianne]

Hi Mandy,

I have a 22 lb. doxie that is paralyzed and incontinent for the last two years.

Now (Wednesday) he is home and we are trying to decide whether or not to get him a cart or to put him down.

Yikes! You don't need to do anything drastic. If I were you, I would continue with crate rest another 6 weeks or so, and THEN get the wheel chair. You've got nothing to lose by crate resting, and he could possibly recover some mobility. It's free.

Look at the link on the incontinent forum and learn how to express urine. Do NOT allow him to get a UTI. Use one of the different methods of urine and bowel management, and you'll have a happy dog.

http://handicappedpets.com/help/viewtopic.php?t=4

i can see that 4 children and a job would require a lot of you, but the main care of a para pup is expressing urine.
This may surprise you, but my dog still chases his ball, races across the room, and jumps up and down on his front legs only. If he is in his wheel chair, he is fast~~~~~~~~~

Others with para pups will be along soon. No need to PTS (put to sleep) if you want to keep him.

Dianne

[Cindidoxiemom]

What about when I am not home though? And what about his bowels? On the days that I am gone I cannot come home as I am 2.5 hours away from home.

I do not want to put my dog down but before I decide what to do I want to make sure that I am able to take care of him properly.Mandy

Are you saying that nobody is home for 24 hours at a time, or that you can't come home at lunch?

Oscar can go between 8-9 hours before I expressing him if needed.
I have a vet tech that works at my vet who has come to my home for me on days when I have to be gone more than 10 hours.
She only charges me about 5 dollars a visit.
That may be an option. You can teach family memebers to express.
Honestly...I know you are worried right now, but just read what others have written....taking care of a special needs dog becomes second nature.

I am single...have four dogs...work full time...travel both over seas and in the US. Oscar comes with me...or he is boarded. Nothing has changed. I do everything I used to, and Oscar does everything he used to. He just does it in a cart.

Bowels can be managed with feeding times and "poop" on demand techniques.

You are emotional right now...tired and scared I'm sure. Give this 8 weeks or so.
Cindi

[connie]

hi mandy,
oh i know the stress you feel , we all been there. but believe me, it will get better. my cricket( yorkie mix) went paralyzed last nov. he went into surgery with only 30% recovery . the vet told me if we had known it was a ruptured disk and i had crated him , he would have recovered. anyway he had surgery, had to be on complete crate rest for 6 weeks, only out to express and bowels, and range of motion on hind legs to keep limber. if you could see him now you would be amazed. it took 10 months for him to get some deep pain back, but it coming a bit at a time. but he started spinal walking early on. he runs, plays ball, hops, he doesn't know there is anything different about him. he isn't even in a cart.
i am single, i have to get up at 2 and 3 am, do cricket's P.T. run to my elderly mothers, give her meds, and whatever she needs, get ready, go to work as home health aide to the elderly, i work 9 , 10 and more hours a day, some weekends too. i know it is stressful( i just now had to slow down). but it is possible. i drive by my home 3 times a day to empty cricket's bladder. he has never had a UTI, thank god. and if his bowels haven't moved by the time i leave for work , i use poop on demand i learnt on this site. you won't go wrong listening to these gals and men. they helped me so much and still do.
most important, COMPLETE CRATE REST FOR AT LEAST 6 WEEKS, even if no surgery. no dragging or moving around. pet must heal. next important, get all the urine out of bladder. expressing is not hard after you learn. any vet can show you, or we can teach you. so many rush in and put pets to sleep, when they can live long, healthy, happy lives. a lot of us here are raising paralyzed pets. they are amazing.
i have videos on www.youtube.com of cricket. in video search, type in conniecpu's video's. my cricket does not think he is disabled.
we are here to help, to listen, just ask us anything.
all the advice you have gotten already is from the best here, they saved me from myself, was so upset when i found this site last year. i owe them a lot.
god bless you and your baby, hope you get a miracle as i did.
a big hug for you, connie and cricket

p.s. i taught my neighbor how to empty cricket's bladder, he helps me when i can't get home. i hope you have someone nearby that can help. your in my prayers.

[marilynb]

Hi Mandy

I have a dashound that is paralyzed, he has been this way for over a year. He is also incontinent, I can't tell you how many of my friends and sadly even vet. that tol me to put my dog down. My dog ios not sick he is paralyzed. I know how you feel at first it all seams so over whelming believe me and the othrs on this board it all falls into place. Wally is still the same loveable dog he was before this happened to him, and he is happy. Take a deep breath and let your dog tell you what he wants believe me he will.
at this point crate rest is the best.Take care you have a lot of supportive people on this board.


Wally's Mom
Marilyn

[slipmonki]

My miniature dachshund has been paralyzed for 3 months. This all started at the beginning of the semester, and I was already enrolled in 16 hours worth of classes and am at school 9 hours a day twice a week. Factor in the commute to and from school, and I am gone 10 hours every Tuesday and Thursday. I put the dog in her crate with blankets, food, and water, and left her. I just make sure I express her last thing before I leave and the second I get home. I also live 30 miles away from when I work and from most of my friends. SO I'll go to work, get in my car, make the 45 min. drive home, express the dog, and t hen make the 45 min drive back to my side of town to go out with my friends. It's a bit of a pain and people think I'm crazy, but it's a relatively small sacrifice and I really don't mind it.

Lady ended up having surgery, but was only given a 30% chance of recovering with the operation. It's now 2 months after surgery, and she's already urinating on her own and running (clumsily and with many falls). When she's in the house and on the carpet, she gets lazy and scoots around, but she chases her toys, plays tug of war, and leads me on dog chases all over the apartment. She's so happy it's ridiculous. The vet that initially properly diagnosed her was walking on air when he saw the progress she had made 2 weeks after her treatment. Don't think that you need to put the dog down just because it's paralyzed. I and many others have paralyzed pets, and they can be just as happy as those with 4 functional legs. Talk to your vet about other options.

[slipmonki]

[quote="Cindidoxiemom Oscar comes with me...or he is boarded. Cindi[/quote]

I have a quick question for you. Have you ever had problems with a kennel properly expressing Oscar? When I worked at the clinic, the kennel staff went home at 6 PM and didn't come in until 7 AM the next day (8 AM on Sundays). That's 13-14 hours that the dogs go without anyone around.

More concerning to me is getting the staff to properly do it. Have you ever had him get a UTI while being boarded?

And now my "poor, pathetic, sad, should-have-been-put-to-sleep disabled dog" (my mother's laughable words) has knocked down the miniature Christmas tree while chasing a gecko all over the house. Sigh.

[mandy101]

Ok I am managing to express his bladder and get him to "poop" on demand but he doesn't look happy.

He was a very happy, easy going dog but now when he is not in his crate we have him in a basket and he doesn't even try to get out. He seems depressed.

Will this change? Will he get used to this and be happy again?

Mandy

[Christine]

Dear Rachel,

What a delightful picture you put in my mind this morning..so glad you and your Lady are doing so well...Merry Christmas! Love,

[Christine]

Dear Mandy,

My last post in response to Rachel's description of Lady chasing a gecko and tipping over the Christmas tree - it looks like I am making light of what you are going through right now.

Rachel's story is just one of many here to give you hope with your little one. Your baby is being quiet and trying to heal so that is a good thing. It is a good thing that he is not trying to get out, giving you more concern that he is not doing what he needs to. Remember too, that they pick up on our feelings so if you are sad, they will be too. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, but it will get easier and we are all here for you even if you just need to vent. The fact that you are already having success with the bathroom duties is amazing - you have already managed the first and largest hurdle towards his recovery. What is his name? I would love to see a picture sometime. Take care of yourself as well - we are glad you are here.

[Cindidoxiemom]

Slipmonki asked, "I have a quick question for you. Have you ever had problems with a kennel properly expressing Oscar? When I worked at the clinic, the kennel staff went home at 6 PM and didn't come in until 7 AM the next day (8 AM on Sundays). That's 13-14 hours that the dogs go without anyone around."

Nope..If I'm gone for an extened period of time, I take him to Texas A&M and they give 24 hour care. The vet techs at my vet are wonderful and take excellent care of Oscar. Oscar has never gotten a UTI while boarded or in the care of my vet techs at my house. Again...it isn't something that isn't managable. If I am gone for a weekend my techs come to my house. If it is just overnight I can board him. When I went to Europe for 2 1/2 weeks, he went to A&M. I just do what fits for the situation. La Quinta and selected Super 8's allow dogs.


Slipmonki asked , "More concerning to me is getting the staff to properly do it. Have you ever had him get a UTI while being boarded?"
My vets and techs are all trained to express...they are the ones who really helped me learn. I wouldn't leave Oscar somewhere that wouldn't care for him properly.
Find a tech who expresses well, and ask if they are interested in pet sitting. That is how I ended up asking my techs. They were THRILLED to get the extra money!
Cindi

[Cindidoxiemom]

Mandy~
Have you considered that he may be having some discomfort or pain? You might ask the Vet for some tramadol if he seems like he is uncomfortabe.

It has only been a few days....your pup is trying to adjust to something he dosen't understand yet. Give him some time. You can't expect everything to be back to the way it was before he went down over night. It takes time and patience, but it is sooooooooooooooooooooo worth it in the long run.

Cindi

[connie]

i wouldn't worry about being unhappy in a crate , we wouldn't be happy either would we? i think he just misses all the play time. when i crated cricket he howled so much , my neighbors thought he was ill. lol. it was a longggggggggg 6 weeks.
but i was so glad i did it after he healed. i did take him out to sit beside me when i was home for long periods. as long as he was with me he was happy. he got depressed too, but now he is back to happy cricket. just make sure he gets lots of loving, and time with you when you can.
your both in my thoughts and prayers, hope things get better soon. give the little one a big hug , cricket sends a slurp.
connie and cricket