New handicapped "mom"

[dazeemaedoink]

Our Aus. shephard/heeler (Doink) ran into the tire of a pick up last Tues. 3/9/10. Vet recommended putting him down then said to bring him home on Fri. 3/12. Other than the fact he can't use his back legs he is perfectly healthy & only 5 yrs old. Nothing was broken, no internal issues. I'm at a loss as to where to go now. Could anyone please give us some advice to help our precious Doinker Dog.

[Bobbie]

From last Tuesday it is probably too late for surgery to be helpful even if it might have worked if done immediately (only a veterinary neurologist could evaluate that for sure) so he may be that way for good. Some dogs do recover with rest but usually if there is no deep pain even surgery isn't as useful.

Can he urinate and defecate on his own?

Where you go now is rehab, if you can, you can do a lot of passive range of motion now, and if you have anywhere with swimming in a warm pool available that would probably help, too. But before doing much, if you can afford it, consult that neurologist. What you want to find out is whether or not doing much movement now could make things worse. If he says no, go ahead, then you can get a cart, start rehab, and start the next phase of Doink's life. He may suggest you rest him and give him some anti-inflammatory meds for awhile to see if there is any improvement but my guess is not when it was a traumatic injury and no change in three days.

He has a good life ahead of him- the key issue right now is not letting him get UTI's- even if he seems to be urinating on his own you need to find out how to express him and make sure he is emptying his bladder- if he is, you won't have to do it, but if he isn't he can get urinary tract infections which could be fatal.

I have a corgi whose back injury was almost six years ago and he is very happy and very healthy today, at almost ten years old.

[dazeemaedoink]

Thanks sooo much Bobbi. Doink hasn't had any problems urinating or with his bowels. Our vet said he does have "deep pain". Made an appt for him at a larger vet hospital. Living in such a rural area we took him to the nearest Dr. Your information was very helpful and gave us hope. At the moment he is on an antibiotic and they had been giving him steroid treatments. He gets up and wants to "slide" himself from place to place. We try to limit that because I'm worried the movement could harm him more. We carry him (all 80 lbs.) outside and from room to room. His appetite is still good (constant). Now I'm having a dilemma with figuring out what to use for piddle accidents. Trying a diaper band for male dogs at the moment. So far so good!

[puremutt]

Just want to give you thumbs up for being such a good mom, hang in there your dog is still happy and will be with you for many more years I am sure.
Keep us posted please.

[dazeemaedoink]

Doink has an appt tomorrow w/ a Dr. experienced in spinal trauma. Told us the fact he has deep pain & seems to know when he has to go potty is a good sign. Worried about the time since the injury but what will be will be. Not excited about getting up @ 4am so we can be there (125 mi) by 8am but our Doinker Dog is worth it!It breaks my heart to see him so sad, wanting to go to the barn w/ Jay (Barn cats seem to be smiling though!) Another question for anybody..vet gave me more pain pills for Doink yesterday. He doesn't act like he's in pain. No whining, yipping or anything like that. What does anyone think about if I should give it to him 3x a day like perscribed or cut back on it. Yesterday I gave him 1 in the am and 1 before bed.Thanks everybody for putting up w/ all my questions. I'm just a nervous mommy.

[CarolC]

I agree on keeping him quiet, let the injury heal. I'm not sure what medication they gave him, I would call them and ask whether to continue it. If in doubt, I would definitely continue it. There are some medications we think of as "pain meds" that reduce pain and inflammation, and even if he does not seem to be in pain, he almost certainly has inflammation around the site of the injury and reducing inflammation there is a must. Reducing inflammation will help the neurological status improve. I agree it is no fun being stuck inside while everyone else is outside playing, but a few weeks of rest is a small price to pay for a lifetime of walking, and aggravating the injury now and not letting it heal could mean more permanent disability. I am glad you are seeing a specialist.

[Bendy Kitty]

Wanted to say welcome to the board & glad u found us.
all the trauma cats we have cared for have had crate rest recommended for at least a week, and sometimes a month, to let swelling go down especially if it is a nerve injury of any kind. Nerves can take a long time to recover, but they can recover. We've seen many a fur here recover function long after the vets had given up. glad you are able to see a specialist for him, please let us know how that goes!

headbonks & purrrs

bendy

[dazeemaedoink]

Hi everyone. Today is suuch a bad day! Done nothing but cry since yesterday. Sure you all have had the same times. Took Doink all the way to Cornell University yesterday. On the good side..they think if we crate rest him for 8 wks he may get some motor control back. He does feel pain + he also has deep pain. The bad part is they can do surgery IF we give them 7000$.
Right now Jay & I are putting everything we possibly can up for sale to try raising the money.
(If anyone is interested in snowmobiles or a tractor trailer please let me know! lol) What has me really upset is trying to express him!!! Been trying for the past 2 hrs and I just don't seem to be getting it. The vet at Cornell showed me how to do it. She made it look sooo easy!! He does go a few times a day by himself. (enough to soak 3 pee oads and a diaper!) I've tried standing him up, laying down, sitting and nothing. Does anyone have any advice. Vet said he's such a big dog and has a large bladder and sometimes that makes it difficult.Thanks again for letting me "vent" to you all!! I appreciate it more than you can know.Please say prayers for my Doinker. Well, back outside to try again!!!

[dazeemaedoink]

Hooray!!! Doink peed up a storm. That made me feel much better!!

[puremutt]

I remember being unable to express in the beginning, looks like you found out how to do it now?
I hope so!

[dazeemaedoink]

Starting to think this morning was a fluke. Got him to go fairly well this afternoon but not since. Vet said 3-4 x a day. Does how you give him his phenoxybenzamine make a difference? Trying to express him a certain amount of time after giving it? That and I'm so afraid I'll hurt him if I do it to hard or not in the exact spot. And people think pets are so much easier than children!!!

[Bobbie]

It helps to do it before a meal and after the bladder is fairly full so you can find it. It can take a lot of pressure. I'm not sure how long after the drug to do it.

There is a video at http://www.scoutshouse.com showing several ways to do it.

[dazeemaedoink]

You guys are my angels. The video helped alot

[CarolC]

Phenoxybenzamine has to build up in the system, I've been told it takes up to a week to reach full effect. In addition to trying to sell things, you could apply for a loan for emergency veterinary care through http://www.carecredit.com. (click on 'Veterinary')

I would check with the vet whether there is a time factor involved. If you wait to do surgery, will it still be as effective?

It is absolutely normal to have trouble expressing at first. There are additional tips in this article:

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat

If you are having trouble (I did at first) you might ask the vet about putting your dog on an antibiotic to prevent infection for a week or two while you are getting better at expressing. It definitely gets better with practice.

[Bendy Kitty]

expressing ws incredibly frustrating for my mom to learn.
i don't know about dog, but kitty bladders are very slippery! she woudl feel it, and think she had it and then wheeeeee, it woudl shoot out of her grasp and seem to hide.
the vet made it look like the easiest thing in the world.
sometiems it worked, sometimes it didn't, sometimes she got pee everywhere...
then, suddenly, it just started working. she has developed a way to trap the bladder against the pelvis so it can't escap and then SQQQUUUEEEEEEEZZEEEEE. it takes a lot of pressure, it is not something Mimosa enjoys at all but it ahs to be done. usually mimosa lets out a big ROWL right before pee explodes everywehre. Mom has been expressing Mimosa 2x day for 7 years now. you'll be amazed at the things your fingers will learn to feel.
glad the videos helped!



bendy