animal catheters?

[willow]

my dachshund, patrick, developed a back problem recently on the 4th and he can't walk anymore. also, he can't empty his bladder on his own i have to empty it for him several times a day. i ordered some catheters through the vet but the cost was over 30.00 for a tube of 12.

does anyone here know of someplace where i can purchase the catheters other than my vet's office?

i've also ordered him a little cart and i can't wait to get it. i love him so much and i want him to have some sort of normal life and i know i can provide that for him.

any help or advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

[critters]

Have you tried expressing the pee? It takes some practice to learn well, but the beauty is that it needs no special equipment and can be done anywhere. There's probably less risk of UTI, too. Did you read the red "sticky" on this bb for more hints?

[willow]

no, sorry, i didn't read the sticky. my vet didn't mention how to express his pee. i will look into this as soon as possible.

thank you so much for your help.

[Dianne]

Did the vet suggest crate rest or possible surgery?

Many dogs have done crate rest, and/or crate rest after surgery. If he has a back injury, you need to rest his back, and NOT put him into a wheel chair so soon. He may or may not recover in crate rest. He has a better chance of recovery WITH surgery.

Read the information on the INcontinence site, and try to express/push the urine out. It is easier than using a catheter.

Dianne
Schnitzel, paralyzed/expressed since Feb. 2004

[willow]

Did the vet suggest crate rest or possible surgery?

Many dog have done crate rest, and/or crate rest after surgery. If he has a back injury, you need to rest his back, and NOT put him into a wheel chair so soon. He may or may not recover in crate rest. He has a better chance of recovery with surgery.

Read the information on the INcontinence site, and try to express/push the urine out. It is easier than using a catheter.

Diann
Schnitzel, paralyzed/expressed since Feb. 2004

after taking xrays of patrick my vet consulted with a neuro via a phone conversation and was told that, per the neuro, he's "not a candidate for surgery."

i originally took him to the emergency vet friday morning because he couldn't stand up. they told me that i should take him to his vet as soon as they opened [a couple hours later] to get him started on steroids. i did, and he was given steroid shots and i kept him confined to a crate until monday like she told me to do. as it turns out, he has no "deep pain" and surgery wont help. the neuro suggested i put him down but he doesn't have a terminal illness and i just can't do that to him. my vet agreed and she suggested the cart for him. she said he will probably do very well with one. so after a bit of researching, i found this site and i ordered one yesterday.

[Dianne]

Normally crate rest lasts 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the source. Was it about 4 weeks of crate resting?

The vet suggested I put my dog down also, and that he probably wouldn't live long. (That was 3 years ago. HA!) They never told me about expressing urine. Paralyzed dogs cannot urinate as usual and need expressed/catherized to survive. Without urine expression they get UTI's (urinary tract infections) or even worse, kidney failure and death.

If you notice a foul smell in the urine, or blood in the urine, Patrick could have a UTI. Do you notice any difference to his urine? If so, he needs a urinalysis.

If you have questions, just ask. Somebody here has experienced it with a pet.

Dianne

[willow]

she told me that if the steroids helped him that he would need to stay in that crate that long, but since he doesn't have what she called "deep pain" several days after the shots, there was no need to keep in confined in a crate. we have a large dog bed next to his crate in our living room and he spends some time on it during the day.

yes, he does have a UTI and is on anitbiotics right now.

thanks.

[Dianne]

Please read the instructions about expressing and bowel management here: http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ ... ic.php?t=4

Many of us do this every day to keep our pets healthy. If the vet is unwilling to teach you how to express, call another vet and phone interview the office to see if someone there can teach you. I learned by reading the internet, you can learn this too.

It turned out that the vet that I initially visited didn't know how to express, and therefore didn't teach me anything, or even talk about it. You need instruction, if you can find it, or trial and error using our instructions posted above.

I use the bowel management so that we don't have accidents throughout the house. It keeps things sanitary, and clean.

You may wish to consider a male wrap with Patrick while you are learning how to express.

Someone else will come along soon with more ideas.

Glad that you found us!!

Dianne

[willow]

i'm going to call her monday morning to see if she will show me how to do this, if not...i will take him elsewhere.

i will also read up as much as i can find on expressing pee.

i can't thank you guys enough.

[Dianne]

Willow, You're a good mom.

Read about expressing pee, and ask if you have questions. I use a closed fist and stand my dog on top of the dryer, with his back to my chest. The dryer is my height as I am tall. You may find another height works for you. We also use a diaper pail system with old washcloths. Ask...

I hold my dog over the toilet to express poo... If you have any questions just ask.

I would continue the crate rest a bit longer just in case he has some return of function. You can't go wrong as it is FREE.

I'm glad that you found this site.

Dianne

[critters]

With Buddy, frankly, I didn't find vet help all that useful with learning to express. They were SO sure I couldn't do it that the most I could get was one to show me how she does it. I got the most help from the sticky and from the critter parents here. I more-or-less already knew what to do, but learning to play tiptoe-through-his-guts took plenty of practice, and people here were much better at explaining things than the vets were.

[Dianne]

Agree with Critters, Too may vets treat us like we are idiots. I found a source on the internet and used trial and error to teach myself how to express urine.

Since your Patrick is on antiobiotics it is the perfect time for you to try to express. Start tonight. Move your hands on his hind quarters until you can get a trickle or stream of urine. You'll soon learn. We're here to help if you need advice.

Dianne

[Cindidoxiemom]

I'm just going to thow this out as an idea...
I have three dachshunds..two have IVDD and one is paralyzed.

Why not try crating patrick for 6 weeks and see. It will cost you nothing, and MIGHT make a difference. Trust me...vets have been wrong before!

I agree with Dianne about the importance of proper expressing. Once you get it down, it only takes seconds...but there is a learning curve.
Hang in there....Patrick is lucky to have you.
Cindi

[willow]

i've decided to leave patrick in his crate for 6 weeks. after that i will seek advice from another vet in regards to back surgery. in the mean time, my vet said she could give him more steroid shots in 3 weeks.

if hugs and kisses could make them better...none of my dogs would ever suffer a thing.

here's my babies.

patrick [before]


desmond in his "throw the ball NOW!!" mode


shaide [jack's mum]


jack [just waking up from a nap]



thank you, all of you, for your advice. i will keep you updated.

[pmilner]

Willow, I'm glad you are going with the good advise everyone has given you on the importance of crate rest and learning how to express the bladder. More information on expressing:
http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/Expressing.htm

Based on what you report your vet said about if the steroids don't help, then no crate rest needed, shows her education with this particular disease is not in depth. That is not uncommon as a general vet just can't know details about every disease. You wouldn't go to your family doctor to see about a brain tumor, that takes a specialist. There many cases where a general vet makes a wrong diagnosis about deep pain, again doing the test takes education and practice in this area.

Who was the neuro, what facility was he from? Was he board certified? The fact that this neuro suggested you put Patrick down, shows that person is not knowledgeable about how dogs live happy and comfortable lives with disc disease. Just as people may have to search til they find a doctor that can help them with a unique disease, it is the same with vets.

I would highly recommend to go on Monday for a consult with a board certified neuro and let that specialist observe for himself and do a hands on neuro exam on Patrick.

University Teaching Vet Hospitals have board certified neuros or find others near you http://www.acvim.org/Specialist/Search.aspx If you say which city you are in, we may be able to recommend one someone has used.

If surgery would be called for and is a consideration you might be interested in Credit Care No or low interest credit. You find out on-line if you qualify.
http://www.carecredit.com/faqs.html

100% STRICT crate rest for 8 weeks if no surgery is very key to to giving Patrick his chance at recovery. That means 24/7 in the crate except for potty breaks. No laps, no couch, no sleeping in bed with you, no meadering or walking around during potty times, no cart.

At potty time use a harness (no more collars as it is too stressful on the spine), a 6 foot leash and a sling to support and keep stable rear from wobbling and falling over.  The sling can be a scarf, an ace bandage, a wide belt. You stand in one spot and dog can only take minimal steps to do business.
http://dodgergallery.ourdogs.net/recovery/slingwalk

Good information on doing crate rest properly
http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/CrateRRP.pdf

While Patrick is on steroids (what is the name of the steroid?) his stomach needs to be protected from bleeding and ulcers. Pepcid (generic, famotidine) 5mg 30 mins before giving steroid. Usually not a problem, but do pass any med by your vet.

Patrick needs to be on a daily dose of steroid for a period of time and carefully weaned off the med, not another dose in 3 weeks as I now read in another of your posts. Another reason to get with a specialist and get the correct treatment for Patrick asap on Monday if at all possible. What other meds is Patrick on now?

There is a wealth of information available to educate yourself on this disease and in the care of Patrick at
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Dodgerslist/join

Patrick is a very handsome fella!

--
Paula Milner
Lewis and Clark
Dachsie IVDD Care FAQ:
http://users.cyberport.net/~milnerwm/dachsieFAQ.html