Caitlin's Belle 9/19 surgery 8 wks - Fr. Bulldog

Good Morning All, My name is Caitlin and my dogs name is Belle. In the very early morning of 9/18 Belle presented signs of what we later learned was IVDD.. she was panting, holding her neck up very stiff and could not walk very well (as the vet said she was "crab walking"). I met with the neurologists at the emergency vet later that day and they suggested the best course of action was surgery. Being it was a lot and I read a lot about dogs with the symptoms she had shown to us recovering I wanted to try the medical route. Once I got her back I had realized she lost complete use of her hind legs. Knowing that time was of the essence I drove her to her vet who had known her since I got her for a second opinion and they too said surgery was her best option at a full recovery.

I left her vet on 9/18 at 6 pm and Belle had deep pain sensation. When I dropped her at the emergency on 9/19 vet I got a call from the neurologist that she had declined significantly from the previous day and her chances to walk again were now 50%. I was devastated, and felt that I had let her down. 

However, on the morning of 9/21 I got one of the greatest calls, Belle was showing progress signs which were small but given her prognosis earlier the neurologist was thrilled. I picked Belle up the afternoon of 9/22 and everyone was very optimistic she would be walking again. She still did not have bladder control, and couldn't stand for long but she had gained deep pain sensation back. They also left me with PT exercises to do. Since coming home Belle has shown great signs of improvement.

We believe that she has gained full use of her bladder and has also regained bowel usage. On 9/23 I took her out in her sling and she did not start to pee until we hit the grass where she normally went. We had a couple accidents that day while trying to do her exercises as I think I pushed too hard on her bladder. On 9/24 she peed strictly outside, no accidents at all! She had not pooped since we brought her home which the vet said was normal given her pain meds and the fact she wasn't eating a lot. On the evening of 9/26 she pooped and it was on a peepee pad! We couldn't be sure that this wasn't a coincidence although, prior to surgery she was peepee pad trained. On 9/27 my mom walked her in the yard and she did 2 large poops and nothing in the house. We are now pretty confident she has gained full control back. 

With all the progress she has made we are hopeful that she will walk again. Her muscles seem to becoming stronger once more. She can put more pressure on her back legs sometimes, but does get very tired. She has also gained more feeling, she notices small brushes on her feet once more. Although optimistic it's still early but even without the use of her legs currently she's getting back to her mushy lovey self. My question is is this how it usually goes. Does gaining control mean she's on the right track?

★ 25 lbs,
Prednisone 5 mg 1x daily (taper starts 9/27 to 1x every other day),
cefpodoxime 100 mg 1x daily,
phenoxybenzamine 5 mg 2x daily,
tramadol 50 mg 3x daily,
gabapentin 100 mg 3x daily

★2 French Bulldog, Belle, Caitlin
★3 Did you specifically get a diagnosis of IVDD?     IVDD: herniated disk
★4 What was the date you saw the vet for  surgery?  Surgery date 9/19
★5 No signs of pain!
★6 Eating and drinking is back to normal, poop is a little soft, normal color
★7 No walking, cannot move legs, no signs of happy tail.
★8 She is sniffing and squatting, and then releasing urine, no wet bedding or leaks when lifted.