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Post by Dlana & Tikka on May 21, 2018 15:29:26 GMT -7
My name is Tikka and I am a 4-year-old miniature, piebald long-haired dachshund. I live with my half-sister Beretta who is a sable. I own two humans named Diana & Don who love me very much. She is an RN
I am a just slightly overweight 10 lbs but we are working on that. I take daily Cosequin and 4cyte for joint support as I injured a CCL back in February and had just completed my treatment of meds and activity restriction for that in March.
Last Monday, I jumped and I was immediately put in my kennel and rushed to my Dr. Megan. She is a DVM, she is the best and she owns a dachshund with IVDD too!
On the day I hurt my back, I had one paralyzed leg (right) and one seriously weak leg on the left. My tail only slightly moved and I couldn't pee on my own. I didn't yelp in pain but I shook a little as I was so scared. She sent me immediately to my new surgeon in Dallas and one hour later I was seeing Dr. Radasch and the surgical team at DVSC.
I had surgery on my back 5-14-18 within 8 hours of my injury. They were able to remove nearly all of the fresh ruptured disc material. I woke up with no leg or tail movement for 2 days. I was told for the next two days that I probably wouldn't go home til Saturday at soonest, or more likely Monday, but I showed them in my own way I was over this! I went home early Friday!
I went home with Cefpodoxime 50 mg & a 10# dose of Metacam daily x 7 days, Neurontin 50 mg every 12 hours for 7 days as needed.
[Moderator's note: please do not modify
10 lbs
Metacam 10# dose 1x/day
Neurontin 50mgs 2x/day
Cefpodoxime 50mgs]
By discharge I had leg movement, the right side still significantly weak, and I wag my tail for everyone who loves on me. My rear end doesn't listen to the front end and I wobble walk and drag my right toes. I have no obvious signs of pain. They now watch me pee on my own!
The Dr, says I can't run, jump or rough play for 6 weeks. Ha! I can, they just won't let me! We are currently on kennel rest with supportive walking with a "walk about" 5-10 minutes 2-3 times a day when I go out to potty. I work out many times a day doing Passive ROM includes abduction leg lifts, also flexion, extension, bicycling my legs, sit to stands, supportive standing to tolerance. I must be pretty important as I get free massages many times a day!
I go back in 10 days for my stitches to be removed and a PT evaluation if needed.
I go back in 8 weeks for something called an LDA evaluation
I'm not so thrilled with my plain Taste of the Wild dog food but I eat some. However, chicken, veggies and fruit are great!
I have been home for 3 days and my walking gets better every day. I am lifting my toes better already and I try hard to not cry all the time to beg to get out of my kennel.
I would like to know how many of you have had LDA and has it been a great choice for you? I want badly to go back to running and chasing my ball and playing fetch! If this is the answer well then I'm all over it!
Love, Tikka
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
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Post by PaulaM on May 21, 2018 15:52:57 GMT -7
Welcome Diana, we are glad you found us. Sounds like the surgery decompressed the spinal cord quickly and now Tikka is able to walk pretty good. IVDD is a nasty disease in that there is no predicting if a dog might have only one disc episode their entire life or have multiples. This is why we say be prepared, learn all that you can about IVDD in case of another disc episode and to be able to live many happy years ahead with your Tikka. Knowledge is the power to fight the IVDD enemy and win!! Our IVDD Treasure Trove: view the 9 IVDD videos and then follow the buttons that apply to things at hand. Follow the rest of the buttons in the next couple of days. You will be amazed with yourself on how well IVDD educated you can become in a such a short time! Here's the link to bookmark to start your education: www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm Laser Disc Ablation will addresses about 7 adjacent discs in the procedure.
We wrote Dr. Dugat at Oklahoma St. U. about her thoughts on LDA and she wrote: Hope this helps you out in further researching information on LDA. |
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
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Post by PaulaM on May 21, 2018 15:55:11 GMT -7
Thank we would appreciate if you would add Tikka's surgical info to our Member directory: Here is where you can share your dog's info: dodgerslist.boards.net/board/10/guidelines-postingState: Hospital: Address: Cost: Date of surgery: What was included in cost (MRI?, days stay, ER? PT? meds for home, sling, etc.) Comments: |
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Post by Dlana & Tikka on May 24, 2018 14:47:48 GMT -7
Wobble walking and toe drag is improving in small, progressive amounts each day. We see our DVM for suture removal Saturday. Meds will all be completed by Saturday as well. I'm hoping she continues to tolerate the kennel rest well while off meds. She is very impatient with being locked up and the inability to play ball and snuggle. Any tips are more than welcome to help entertain and comfort her. Diana & Tikka  |
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Post by Romy & Frankie on May 24, 2018 15:04:35 GMT -7
A lot of dogs get restless in the kennel. Especially as they start to feel better. Here are some tips to help keep Tikka entertained:
Place the crate near a window with a view, on the coffee table in front of couch where you sit. Place the crate so the dog will be in the middle of family activities, near your bed at night. Secure crate to a flat moving dolly (or put casters on plywood) to easily move the crate room to room.
Fill a kong with a slight slather of soft dog food and freeze. Put part of the dog's total daily dinner kibble in the kong to lengthen time to consume dinner. Good low cal snacks are carrots, apples, or frozen green beans, licking a frozen low sodium broth ice cube.
You can try soothing music. This is designed for dogs:
Some dogs like wildlife TV shows.
I put on some Mozart for Frankie. I think he liked it. I liked it. I sometimes needed calming myself.
Teaching self-calming exercises can also help your dog to relax more. You can make something as simple as eye contact a very rewarding behavior that also acts as a way for your dog to “ask permission” when he wants something. When dogs have a focus and an understanding about how to behave to get what they want, they are much calmer overall. To do this, each time your dog looks at you, say, something like, “Yes!” or use a clicker to mark the second he looks at you, and then give your dog a high-value food reward. [NOTE: for crate resting dogs, shift your body a bit] .... wait for your dog to look up at you again, say, “Yes,” and reward again. Do this exercise 10 or so times and then say, “All done,” and put the treats away. Come back later and do it again until you can see that your dog is really starting to make automatic eye contact in hopes you will say, “Yes,” again and give him his reward.
[NOTE: treats should be subtracted from the normal daily kibble ration so as not to gain weight during crate rest.]
wholedogtraining.com/images/stories/Are_all_dogs_trainable.pdf
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