To Rajah's mom: How's Rajah??

[Karol]

I was just reading back through the posts. Rajah was the one who had an FCE. I was reading when he/she ws 6 months post? And still wasnt walking? I ofrget what kind of dog is Rajah is... I think I recall him/her (sorry I dont remember if Rajah is a he or she) being very big. My dog Oreo had an FCE on Feb 24. I feel like their recovery time is on the same track. Much different than many of the other dogs that had a faster recovery. How is Rajah doing now? Walking? Bladder or bowel control? It's been a little over 3 months here and Oreo is slowly but surely making progress. He is always a mess though. He constantly leaks urine even after expressing him. He likes his pool and then likes to roll in the dirt. He is walking about 90% of the itme. But its nota good walk and he is still very unsteady w/ legs crossed behind him. For the first time on Saturday I watched him stand, I think try to pee, only a tiny bit came out, but he turned and sniffed it, then went and laid down from where he came from. So I think he was trying to pee. It was very exciting. I wish he was walking better, but if Rajah's been 6 months I feel like there's hope. Do you have a wheelchar? Oreo sees his coming and starts barking and barking because hes so excited! He runs all over, flips it over...he's a nut in it. My goal is to sell it one day. When I can do that, I know Oreo has made it. Please let me know how Rajah is doing since they seem to be on the same recovery path. Best wishes to you! Karol

[Rajahs Mom]

Rajah (she!) did not have an FCE, although the results are similar. On Thanksgiving she fell and the result was a very, very severe spinal cord injury. She has not walked since. We take her to water/physical therapy once and week and just recently started her on Rimadyl. I haven't been able to tell too much of a difference with the drugs yet, but I have my fingers crossed. We also have her on a joint supplement. Rajah is very large (100+ pounds) and yes, she does have a wheel chair. She flips hers too!!! Rencently, my husband purchased 16" wheels and they really seem to help with the balance. Rajah does have some bladder and bowel control, it just depends on how tired she is. A lot of times, when she is sleeping, she will poop, but she can definately hold the pee. This is why we now have a bladder infection (e coli). The leg crossing while Oreo's walking? I have a solution. We learned this at our $720 (:-O) month therapy sessions!!! Someone else should benefit from our experiences!! The therapist says to lay Rajah (Oreo) on her side and do leg lifts. Press the inner thighs apart. (If you want I can tape a short video of us doing this with Rajah and post it. I know it sounds confusing.) Also, we ace bandage a small baby pillow between Rajah's legs while she sleeps. All of this helps to keep the legs from crossing. Lack of use tightens the muscles/tendons or whatever is left down there and causes them to cross. We have seen a huge difference with this. I hope one day that Rajah doesn't need her wheel chair too, but I don't think I will sell it. I know that with an injury like this in a large dog, when she gets older she is going to need it again. I am quite sure she will have arthritis from the weight she has to carry!! You know? Either way, I love her just the same. She is my hero. That little (okay, not so little) booger has amazing strength. Keep in touch. I would love to know how Oreo progresses. It sounds to me like you are doing wonderful!

[critters]

If you do a video, Mark may be able to give it a permanent home here at HP so others can see it.

[CarolC]

Hi RM, Thank you for the information. We have a problem with leg crossing too. If you don't mind, today was our day to go to hydrotherapy and I told my dog's physical therapist about Rajah. She wanted to know what sort of exercises Rajah does in her therapy sessions. All I could tell her was I thought she works out in a pool, not an underwater treadmill. Could you tell my what she does during therapy, and what they have you doing with her between sessions.

By the way, it's tempting not to tell you this, but I didn't figure out Rajah's lines by looking at her picture. You said she was a Shepherd/Akita mix in a message one time a while back!

[CarolC]

Yes! I would love to see video of anything and everything, including the leg stretches to prevent crossing. Do you know a way to post it?

[CarolC]

JM where are you? No facilities in the entire state? Do you mind if someone else doublechecks?

[Jennysmama]

I would love to see video/pictures of the yoga ball trick. I had been thinking of something along those lines but couldnt figure out the logistics. We have no therapists available in the state even if we could afford those prices!!!!!WOW!!!!!

[Rajahs Mom]

My husband video tapes all her lessons and we do a lot of it at home. If you want, I can try to post some of it here? One of the biggest things is the leg stretching, which I wrote about before. The other one is a yoga ball. We blow it up and put it under Rajah. Then we put the weight on her back legs (her arms are just holding on to the ball) and bounce the ball. It builds lots of strength for the back legs. Oh, I wish you lived closer so you could come over and try! I would love to help you! Let's see, we also bought a little trampoline and we stand her on it and I bounce a little. It helps with the strength too. Um...we put in a pool and instead of the treadmill, which I don't think works on down dogs, we put her in a life jacket and let her swim. Sometimes, I stand behind her and work her legs. You might be able to get one of those blow up pools (I forget where you live, house/apt?) And we stretch her feet a lot!!! It helps with the tendons to not tighten up and cause them to knuckle. Email me if you need help or if you want pictures/video. I want all the furkids to walk again!

[critters]

Mark can probably give it a home here at HP.

[Jennysmama]

No dont mind at all. I am not even sure where to look. I found one vet college that offers hydrotherapy for small dogs only . I am in Alabama (the western side so I am close to Mississippi).