Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix

Dee & Buddy
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MALE - Dachshund

Posts: 5

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 9, 2016 15:06:23 GMT -7

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Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 9, 2016 15:06:23 GMT -7

Buddy is a 5 year old long haired Dachshund mix. He loves running and twirling in circles and hiking off leash. On our last trip to Lake Tahoe, CA, we were hiking to a waterfall when Buddy decided to leap off a boulder that was about 5 feet high. He fell and didn't act right after that. A couple days later he favored his right rear leg and began to curve his back. Shortly after that he could not use his hind legs to walk.

We brought him to an emergency vet who X-rayed him and said he needed an MRI and possible surgery. The only place that could give him an MRI and surgery on the Fourth of July weekend was the University of California at Davis Veterinary Hospital which was 115 miles away. We drove there and they operated on two disks that were crushed at 3AM. Thank goodness they are available 24/7.

The vet that operated on Buddy was a Resident student with a DVM. A day after surgery, Buddy could wag his tail and had some twitching movement in his legs. The UCD called us and told us we could bring Buddy home 3 days after surgery as he was able to move his legs a little and had urinated on his own after removal of the catheter.

We brought him home and gave him a blanket to lay on in a 4x2 adjustable pen to limit movement. We put him in a quiet corner of our bedroom where he sleeps most of the day. He had his first bowel movement the on the 4th day after surgery. We have a sling for his hind end to support him when he goes to the bathroom outside on our backyard lawn. He is on pain medication.

I suspect a bladder infection now as he licks frantically immediately after urination. We have taken a sample in a sterile cup provided by our local vet to see what the problem could be.

This is all new to us as we have never had a Dachshund before nor have we ever had any long bodied or short legged dogs before. The incision is about 6 inches long and I worry about tearing or infection at the area. We are lucky that vets can operate and give these loved pets of ours their life back. Hopefully Buddy will make a full recovery but it will be a slow process and we cannot let him get ahead of himself in his desire to resume his activities. We plan to keep him in his pen for 4-6 weeks. He gets a checkup in 4 weeks so we will know more then.

Last Edit: Jul 9, 2016 20:31:11 GMT -7 by PaulaM

Romy & Frankie
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Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 9, 2016 15:32:54 GMT -7

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Post by Romy & Frankie on Jul 9, 2016 15:32:54 GMT -7

Hi and welcome to Dodgerslist. Everyone here has a dog with IVDD so you have come to the right place.

I am sorry that Buddy had a disk issue. Although IVDD is more common in certain breeds any dog can have the disease. My pit bull had surgery for IVDD a little more than two years ago.

▷ I am going to ask a few questions to help us understand Buddy's situation better.

▷ What is your name? I am Romy.

Are you now doing 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty and the surgeon directed PT? …. No laps, no couch, no sleeping in bed with you, no meandering, scooting or dragging around during potty times. No chiro (aka VOM).

▷ What did your surgeon direct for PT and for post-op crate rest?

▷ Is Buddy still in any pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions or slow to move, tight tense tummy, can't find a comfortable position. Arched back. Holding front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight, head held high or nose to the ground. Not their normal perky selves.
Pain means your vet needs to know asap so that pain meds can be adjusted.

▷ How much does Buddy weigh? Please list the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mg's and times per day given? What was the start dose IF a steroid, date of taper?
Please include the all important stomach protector such as Pepcid AC. Phrase the question to your vet this particular way:" Is there a medical/health reason for my dog not take Pepcid?" If there is no reason, we follow vets who are proactive against not eating, vomit, diarrhea, bleeding ulcers by giving doxie weight dogs 5mg Pepcid (famotidine) 30 minutes before the anti-inflammatory.

▷ Currently can Buddy wobbly walk?

▷ Can Buddy specifically sniff and squat and then release urine or do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted up? If he has a UTI this could cause leakage even with bladder control.

▷ Is he eating and drinking OK? Poops OK - normal firmness & color -no dark or bright red blood?

Dr. Isaacs, DVM, ACVIM (Neurology) addresses some of Dodgerslist members' questions on surgery here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/surgery.htm

When our dogs have surgery it is very scary. it is less scary when we lean all we can about IVDD. An excellent page to start with "Overview: the essentials" and then read all you can as soon as possible. Here's the link:
www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm

Healing thoughts for Buddy

Last Edit: Jul 9, 2016 15:34:32 GMT -7 by Romy & Frankie

Dee & Buddy
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MALE - Dachshund

Posts: 5

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 9, 2016 16:55:10 GMT -7

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Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 9, 2016 16:55:10 GMT -7

Hi Romy!
My name is Dee. Yes we are doing strict crate with only potty 3-4 times a day for no more than 3-5 minutes.
No couch, bed, or lollygagging. Our surgeon said no hard slippery surface. We gave Buddy a towel to lay on in his crate. He is on easy intestinal diet from the hospital.

Buddy doesn't seem to be in pain but we are still giving him pain meds every 12 hours per our vet's direction. Buddy weighs 25 pounds and is not overweight. The pills are called

[25 lbs]
Tramadol Tab 50mg 2x/day

He can wobble walk with the help of a harness.

He has not wet unintentionally. He bends his back a little and urinates on his own. We just brought a sample of his urine to the local vet as it is a little cloudy and viscus. His poop looks good... solid and good color. He is eating Royal Canin dog food from UCDavis. It is "Gastro Intestinal Low Fat" labeled. 1/4 can mixed with 1/2 cup of same but in Kibble form. Water is RO filtered.

Thank you for having this website. You are saints!

Dee

Last Edit: Jul 10, 2016 10:30:23 GMT -7 by PaulaM

Pauliana
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Posts: 4,344

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 9, 2016 21:10:57 GMT -7

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Post by Pauliana on Jul 9, 2016 21:10:57 GMT -7

Hi Dee,

Glad that Buddy is recovering so well after surgery. Here are some tips on how to set up his crate recovery suite! dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm and dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm

Let us know when you hear about whether or not he has a UTI.

Healing thoughts and prayers!

Last Edit: Jul 10, 2016 21:19:14 GMT -7 by Pauliana

Pauliana & Tyler www.dodgerslist.com/monthstory/tylerApplegate.htm

Dee & Buddy
New Member

MALE - Dachshund

Posts: 5

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 10, 2016 19:12:09 GMT -7

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Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 10, 2016 19:12:09 GMT -7

Update on Buddy. It has been 6 days since his operation. He still sleeps alot probably due to the pain meds we are giving him. The vet said we can stop the meds after tomorrow if he doesn't show pain. He has been eating well and does not have a urinary infection. The local vet said his urine is a thicker than normal which is due to being dehydrated. The local vet advised me to try to get more liquid down him.

Buddy can wobble walk with a harness and is getting stronger everyday. His hind feet curl under occasionally but we always fix that when we see it. He fell on his side yesterday after urinating as he was about to lick himself. I was holding the harness and we thought he may have twisted his back but he appears ok. The surgeon didn't think the short fall onto grass was anything to worry about. The surgeon, by the way, is a specialist in veterinary neurology so we were very lucky.

We keep Buddy in a pen with a foam pad. We do not put him on a bed or sofa. We have taken him out for about 10 minutes a day to sit with us on the carpet outside of his pen. The pen is in our bedroom so he can be involved a bit but not too much. It seems to tire him out after the pee and/or poop session. I guess it takes a lot of effort to try to walk a little to find the right spot. We always pick him up immediately after he does his business and return him to his pen so that he knows that is the only thing expected of him. We take him out 4 times a day. We want to move him as little as possible.

I'm so happy that he is gaining strength. This is only the beginning. He still has a long way to go. We have not let visitors in to see him yet as he gets too excited and we fear he might hurt himself. If he continues his progress, I will probably let my grandkids see him in about 3-4 weeks but only to look and talk to him. No holding or feeding of treats.

Last Edit: Jul 11, 2016 10:21:32 GMT -7 by PaulaM

Pauliana
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Posts: 4,344

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Jul 10, 2016 21:28:13 GMT -7

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Post by Pauliana on Jul 10, 2016 21:28:13 GMT -7

Hi Dee!

__ Liquids: Good thick low salt/no fat chicken broth is full of cartilage-building proteins and amino acids. Freeze it up into cubes for easy access as you need it. Fun and keeps the body hydrated: place cubes in a bowl for licking. Or add the broth to his meals. Be sure to use broth that doesn't have onion powder added as onions are toxic to dogs.

Sorry to hear that Buddy fell over during his potty break. It may help to use a sling to keep him balanced:

www.dodgerslist.com/literature/slingwalk.jpg
__ Sling support at potty times:

Sling for supportive and minimal footsteps during potty break: ace bandage, a long scarf.

Here's one you can make from an old sweatshirt www.lyonpuffpetsit.com/htmlslp/sling.html

Kristen's figure 8 sling for male dogs made from two leashes.

dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies/Figure8.jpg

Last Edit: Jul 10, 2016 21:31:22 GMT -7 by Pauliana

Pauliana & Tyler www.dodgerslist.com/monthstory/tylerApplegate.htm

Dee & Buddy
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MALE - Dachshund

Posts: 5

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Nov 16, 2017 23:10:34 GMT -7 Julie & Perry likes this

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Post by Dee & Buddy on Nov 16, 2017 23:10:34 GMT -7

Hello Romy. Thank you and Dogerslist for all of your wonderful and helpful information.

We were very strict with Buddy's recovery and there was an incident where Buddy was finally feeling good and he tried to run. Well he hurt his back but crate rest for 10 days helped him recover. He had a couple of set backs with more crate rest.

At just about 12 months from the surgery date, Buddy made a giant step in his recovery. He could walk better and longer. Today at 16 months post surgery, he can trot and go for walks (under a mile) and seems to be quite happy. We still carry him up and down stairs but otherwise, he is pretty healthy.

I want others to know that although there were setbacks within the first several months after surgery, that slow and steady is the way to heal.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/forumads/Graduate.jpg

image hosting free no registration

Last Edit: Nov 17, 2017 8:39:56 GMT -7 by PaulaM

PaulaM
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Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA

Posts: 19,565

Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix Nov 17, 2017 8:45:15 GMT -7

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Post by PaulaM on Nov 17, 2017 8:45:15 GMT -7

Dee, thank you for letting us know how things went since you last wrote in July. You are very right, with graduation from post op crate rest a VERY slow and gradual re-introduction back to family actiivities is a must. The idea is to avoid confusion if another disc episode or sore muscles. Our article has a time table for that and many other good ideas in to make your home back friendly and training Buddy to be safer with his back. Check out our article on "Crate rest is over, now what?" www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htm

We love it when members have a mind to pay forward and help another. We invite you to hop on to our educational bandwagon team in any way that makes you happy. Education about disc disease is our number one mission! We wish we did not have to hear of another dog that was put to sleep because of disc disease nor one denied the correct principles of crate rest to help them heal.   

-- "Share" our FB/twitter/ posts to widen the reach of IVDD knowledge www.facebook.com/Dodgerslist twitter.com/DodgersList
-- Hand carry our literature and introduce us to your vet. When in conversation at the grocery store line or wherever you meet breeds most prone to IVDD (Dachshunds, Beagles, Poodles, Spaniels, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, and Chihuahuas) to give out our little cards. Ask Linda to send you our free packet: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/litorder.htm 
-- We have store where you might find something you absolutely need! Our earnings go to paying for our webpage and literature to hand out. www.dodgerslist.com/store.htm
-- Help another trying to make quick decisions about surgery… We have a directory where you can share surgical costs at this link: dodgerslist.boards.net/board/10/guidelines-posting

State:
Hospital:
Address:
Cost:
Date of surgery:
What was included in cost (MRI?, days stay, ER? PT? meds for home, sling, etc.)
Comments:

-- Don't forget to add a photo to the gallery and 1-2 sentences. Give inspiration to others just starting a scary IVDD journey. Directions to u/l here: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/2262/put-dodgerslist-photo-gallery-calendar

Hi there Guests❗️ REGISTERING would help us to help you and your dog best: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/7353/register-bookmark-dogs-post-thread

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Dee's Buddy 7/4 Surgery 4 wks -dox mix

Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 9, 2016 15:06:23 GMT -7

Post by Romy & Frankie on Jul 9, 2016 15:32:54 GMT -7

Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 9, 2016 16:55:10 GMT -7

Post by Pauliana on Jul 9, 2016 21:10:57 GMT -7

Post by Dee & Buddy on Jul 10, 2016 19:12:09 GMT -7

Post by Pauliana on Jul 10, 2016 21:28:13 GMT -7

Post by Dee & Buddy on Nov 16, 2017 23:10:34 GMT -7

Post by PaulaM on Nov 17, 2017 8:45:15 GMT -7