advice and information

[ladydogsmama]

On November 3 my 7 lb. Chihuahua was struck by an SUV. I was able to get to the E.R. in time to save her life. Unfortunately her pelvic was shattered and her spine was severed right before her tail. After an MRI revealed that there was no disc compression or further spine damage, we went on to have the surgery. I feel so blessed to report that she will eventually have the use of her legs. However this injury has left her with permanent incontinence. They give her a 15% chance of being able to pee and poo on her own. Until then if ever, I have to learn how to help my furbaby use the potty. I want to learn as much as possible so that her recovery is as smooth as I can make it.
I've watched some of the YouTube videos and I've found some that were helpful. However my dog has had pelvic surgery, there was a lot of soft tissue damage as well. I worry about expressing her bladder with such painful injuries combined with my inexperience. Is there any precautions or techniques I can use to make it less painful?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, I am bringing lady home on Wednesday next week and I worry about her getting a UTI.
Thank you in advance

[CarolC]

It's never a situation you want, but the good news is that with the type of injury you describe "her spine was severed right before her tail", she is either going to require minimal pressure to express, or she may simply dribble herself empty and not require expressing. Injury that close to the tail will result in a loose urinary sphincter, not a tight one requiring firm squeezing. She may end up needing a diaper, which is not a big problem, you simply need to find the right size. How much does your chihuahua weigh? My 7.5 lb chihuahua takes a size XS in Simple Solution Pupsters washable denim diapers and I would estimate they would fit down to 6 lbs OK, possibly a bit smaller. If you are not sure the size you buy will fit her, since you are going to be putting a pad in it anyway, be sure to put the pad in it when you try it on so you have an accurate idea of how it will really fit, and if it does not fit it will be clean so you can return it. You want to be sure she has plenty of pain medication that is really working for her when you bring her home. If you think the pain meds are not adequate, tell the vet and they can give you something stronger, you have to be able to handle her, as you said. Some vets will put the dog on preventive antibiotics for a week or 10 days while you are learning to express, you might discuss that with your vet. If she does get an infection, it is usually treated pretty easily with antibiotics so although you do not want one, it will not be the end of the world. I like to say, fortunately pets do survive our learning curve while we are learning to express.

I have found with 2 paralyzed chihuahuas that a playpen is a great place for them to sleep. I understand your dog will be able to walk, but if she is incontinent, it may be easiest for you to have her sleep in a playpen. That way she can spend a number of hours a day without a diaper, which will be good for her skin. It means a little extra laundry, as you will probably need clean bedding every night, but that is not a big deal. If you would like tips on bedding to use with a playpen, let me know.

You are probably going to want to monitor her and be sure she is not getting constipated. There is a stool softener called lactulose syrup that will help you be sure her stools are not too firm. You get it from the vet, only takes a little bit. When you have an incontinent dog that drops stools in the house, your best strategy is to ensure the dog has quality stools. In other words, low odor, non-sticky, well formed stools that you can pick up with a tissue and toss. You may need to adjust her diet to get the right stool quality. I have always had the best success with Science Diet w/d dry kibble for quality stools with 4 incontinent dogs. (Canned does not produce the same results.) You can also express the bowel. Please ask if you decide you need tips on this. Did they save her tail or did they have to remove it?

[ladydogsmama]

First let me say thank you for taking the time to help.
My Chihuahua weighs 7lbs. I may have to express her stool as well, though it was mentioned that it might not be necessary. I know more on that front before she's discharged. There is some bruising on her spine, so we're waiting to see what the long term damage really is. I normally feed her blue Buffalo dry kibble for small breeds.
I would gladly do more laundry if it means less time in a diaper, I worry about urine being on her skin. She has some road rash on her tummy still. Unfortunately she will have to have her tail amputated. They were unable to do so during her pelvic surgery, because the skin was partiualy degloved and the surgeon didn't want to comprise the skin further. She will have to go in to have it removed in 10-14 days.I've been visiting with her twice a day while she's been in the hospital and her poor little body is so bruised I worry about the soft tissue and what pushing on it will do to slow her recovery. I realize that she'll be on pain medication, so my main concern is to avoid compressing her healing soft tissue.
Again thank you For your time, I am really greatful to find this site. It has been a wealth of information.

[critters]

Frankly, I wouldn't put any stock in the numbers they're so fond of throwing around, because nobody has a crystal ball to see the future. Critters almost always do what they are able to. Recovery isn't linear, however, so they may well be able to do something today and not tomorrow, but, eventually, they might be able to do it all the time. My spinal cord injured boys have been the gamut, but so have their injuries--1 shot, 2 tail pulls, and 1 hit by car.

[critters]

PS--You will want to see the neuro board above for LOTS more information and plenty of people in similar situations.

[CarolC]

I'm sorry, I just realized you gave the weight at the beginning of your first message. To some exent this will be trial and error at first. I was lucky, by the time I got my "diaper dog" the original foster had already figured out what diapers fit her best. I am sort of thinking maybe you might want to start her out in disposables. They cost more but maybe the elastic around the waist would be gentler. The cloth diapers I use have very strong elastic and velcro. Of course you can always adjust either kind looser, but somehow I'm thinking the disposables will be more comfortable while she is healing. They also sell a jersey knit cloth diaper at PetsMart in packs of 2 or 3, those might be gentler than denim, take one out of the pack and stretch it and see what you think.

With her tail being amputated, there might be a temptation to simply put her in a preemie disposable diaper with no tail hole but that is probably not a good idea. You want the stools to be able to fall out of the diaper with a female dog, not collect inside. You do not want fecal matter contacting her urinary area, that is a way for fecal bacteria to cause a urinary infection. Don't worry, any diaper you buy with a normal tail hole should be adequate to allow stools to drop out. I am attaching a photo of my diaper dog in her denim diaper to illustrate placement of the pad. She wears the denim diaper with half a Poise Pad inside and I overlap the pad in the tail hole. Do you see how about an inch of pad is sticking out from the tail hole? This works well and stools still fall out perfectly fine.

Let me give you a tip about playpens. When you buy a playpen, you are going to be putting fresh bedding in it every day. The new playpens have a bottom "mattress" a half inch thick that sticks to the bottom of the playpen frame with velcro. So annoying. I am sure they make them that way in order to prevent kids from getting under the "mattress" but it makes changing the bed a lot harder when you want to put a fitted sheet on the mattress or fold the ends of a blanket under it. If you go to Wal-Mart or the fabric store, you should be able to get some velcro. Put a little piece of velcro over the velcro that comes attached to the frame, so it is no longer sticky. You could also put little pieces over the velcro on the mattress if you want. Now you have a mattress that does not stick to the frame and life is easier. I actually went one step further, I just bought a foam mat (like a yoga mat) and cut it to size and laid it in the playpen on top of the "mattress" and I leave the playpen mattress stuck to the frame and simply put the sheets and bedding on the mat instead. It weighs nothing and changing the bed is so easy. The mat I got was actually a foam roll you put under a sleeping bag when you are camping, it came from Academy.

For the bottom layer of the bedding, I love the crib pads that are like syntheic white fleece on 2 sides with a waterproof layer in the middle. They come with elastic or without, I buy without. You can get them 54" long at Target, the brand is Circo. On top of that you can put a blanket or quilt, however you like. In the morning when you are ready to take her out of bed and put her in her diaper, you just roll up the bedding and put it in the laundry room. The beauty of this is that when you roll it up, the urine on the bedding it rolled up inside a waterproof crib pad and does not smell while you are waiting to run your laundry. I normally do doggy laundry every other day, so I have 2 rolls of bedding to wash, meaning one roll is sitting around in the laundry room for 24 hours...but not causing a lot of odor. Below is an example.

Here is an example of a doggy playpen for an incontinent dog.

[ladydogsmama]

So far I have bought three washable pee pads (the kind used in nursing homes) two packs of disposable pee pads, three small fleece blankets, five white towels that will stand up to bleaching,
a pack of non scented sensitive baby wipes, and a box of disposable gloves. I know I will need more than this, so I'm compiling a list tonight before I head to PetSmart tomorrow. I really do appreciate
all your advice, It's been practical and encouraging.
I was determined to learn what I could to help lady and give her the best quality of life that I could provide.
The surgeon's attitude wasn't great, he seemed to think that with her incontinence it would be better to let her go. It brings me so much comfort to know that there are so many out there who
chose to ignore convention, and keep their pets. Not only the fact that they're alive but thriving and happy. I agonized whether or not I was making the right decision. I didn't have time to do research,
or consult with anyone but my husband. With his sage advice "if she's still fighting, so will we" I told them to do the MRI and the surgery.
I was given the impression that life with incontinence was
full of painful infections and constant medication, maybe it was arrogance or just listening to my gut, but I knew I could do right by my friend,
and that there were alternatives out there.
Thankfully the technicians are very supportive, and her regular vet is as well.

[CarolC]

I have a collection of the quilted pads they use in nursing homes, too. They wear like iron and they are good if the pet does not move around too much. I discovered the fleece pads as shown in this post are easier to launder and keep the dog up out of the dampness better, and they come in 2-packs for about $13 so they are cheaper, so they are good, too:

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... 61&#p97561

I've got a stack of white towels here, too!

The disposable incontinence pads will mainly serve to protect the bedding, they will not keep the dog dry. They are so thin they do not absorb much. If your dog is lying on a wet incontinence pad, you have a wet dog. But they are easy to change and nice to have on hand.

One more good thing to have on hand is spot remover. I love the unscented Oxi-Clean. It would be great if you have any drainage from the sutures (blood spots) or any soiling while you are getting her stool quality regulated. You just pour a little on the spot, wait a few minutes, and wash. A little splash of bleach in the laundry is nice, too.

clean doggy bedding

[ladydogsmama]

Thanks again for all your help, I'm bringing my girl home today.
I can honestly say that I feel more prepared because of your and critters advice. Not to mention the other post full of information.
You all have been a God send.

[CarolC]

Please post back if you have any questions, sometimes the small details are what need sorting out to make things work well. It will likely be stressful at first, but it gets better. She must be so glad to be home.

[critters]

She'll be SO happy to be home! I expect you'll be a lot happier to have her home, too, but it'll take time to get into a routine.