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Post by Carla & Lily on Feb 17, 2019 15:08:59 GMT -7
Good afternoon. I am new to this group. I have 2, 6 year old miniature Black and Tan dachshund’s Litter mates named Frankie and Lily. Lily seemed to be having a bit of pain for about a week. I was giving her metacam to see if she would improve and she seemed to. Then on Feb 14 she lost all control of her hind legs. She was seen right away by our veterinarian and she said she needed to be seen by a neurosurgeon asap.
The next morning I boarded a plane with her to the specialty clinic in Vancouver where she has undergone surgery.
‘This morning she resting comfortably and eating well. She said there were bugs in her urine and they would be testing her and starting antibiotics. She still has no feeling [DPS] but the dr said that that was not unusual at this point.
She may be released tomorrow and I am a little nervous about bringing her home and the long road to recovery.
I’m so glad this group was recommended to me by the dr. I have already found a lot of helpful hints.
Thanks
Carla
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Post by Pauliana on Feb 17, 2019 16:27:39 GMT -7
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Post by Carla & Lily on Feb 22, 2019 12:02:17 GMT -7
Lily is home now. She’s on crate rest.
‘I’ve started to do basic physio therapy will her. Still no feeling in her back legs. Praying it will return.
We woke up this morning to a poopy crate. I’m wondering if we are to take her outside to poop or just leave her on a pad in her pen?. She seems to just lay there while pooping.
Thanks
Carla.
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,534
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Post by PaulaM on Feb 22, 2019 12:18:32 GMT -7
Carla, good to hear she's back home with you now. With additional information, we can best comment. Did the surgeon say she has bladder/bowel control? That is she does not leak on you when lifted and you do not find urine leaks in her bedding. Often bladder and bowel control will be the same...lack of or in full control. Just laying their and poop just plops out, sounds like she has no bowel control and thus may not have bladder control as well. Let us know. If no control, did you get a hands-on-top-of-your-hands type of expressing lesson? Viewing the video at this page: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm will help not only with manually expressing the baldder but also for poop. Was the poop loose, diarrhea like? Can depend on meds she is on. What are all the meds she was sent home on? Names, mgs and how often you are to give. Is Pepcid AC one of the meds? How much does Lily weigh? |
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Post by Carla & Lily on Feb 22, 2019 17:46:44 GMT -7
Hi she’s about 5kg [11.2 lbs]. She has a catheter in at the moment as she still has no feeling in her hind legs so I’m guessing no control of her bowels either ?
[Moderator's note. Please do not edit
12lbs
gabapentin 50 mgs 3x/day
trazodone 50 mgs 3x/day
Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]
‘She’s on Gabapentin 50mg and trazodone 50mg. Each is given every 8 hours.
Some of her stool was solid and then runny [stool]. I did pick up some Pepcid ac and gave her a quarter tablet this afternoon. Also a bit of pumpkin in her dinner. She’s eating and drinking well otherwise.
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Post by Pauliana on Feb 22, 2019 17:59:17 GMT -7
Carla,
Is Lily on an anti inflammatory?
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Post by Carla & Lily on Feb 22, 2019 18:00:42 GMT -7
No she is not.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,534
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Post by PaulaM on Feb 22, 2019 18:01:27 GMT -7
Is a quarter of a whole tablet equal to a 5mgs dose given every 12 hours? How many mgs in one whole tab?
One teaspoon of plain pureed pumpkin once a day can help to firm up stools. Let us know how that is going.
The diarreah can be due to the meds used during surgery and could be a not so common side effect of gabapentin.
How is her pain being controlled. Full comfort round the clock, dose to dose?
Curious who the surgeon was that recommeded Dodgerslist?
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Post by Carla & Lily on Feb 22, 2019 18:08:57 GMT -7
The [Pepcid AC] tablets are 20mg.
i took her to a clinic called Canada West in Vancouver and they recommended this site. .
She seems comfortable.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,534
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Post by PaulaM on Feb 23, 2019 8:44:54 GMT -7
Glad to hear Lily is comfortable. The Pepcid AC is to suppress extra stomach acids that anti-inflammatory drugs can cause. Stress is alos a big factor in increased stomach acids and may be a factor in the diarrhea or may be some of the drugs used for the surgery. Let us know if the runny stools are getting more firm. If poop is not firming up, be sure to call your vet at Canada West or your own local vet to let them know. Was there a reason your surgeon sent Lily home on a catheter rather than giving you a hands-on-top-of-your-hands type of expressing lesson? For example, some dogs can just be very difficult to express due to being overweight or other reasons so the catheter then becomes a last resort option to care for the bladder. If Lily has no reason she can't be manually expressed, you might discuss with your local vet about getting a lesson. First reading and viewing the video at this page will enable you to get more out of the lesson the vet gives you: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm You will also see you can express for poop. Poop expressing is not to avoid serious health reasons as the bladder is, but rather to relieve LIly's anxiety of finding poop plopping out where she sleeps. There's a video and tips to explain it all on the same page. A benefit to expressing is you have the ability to give the "sniff and pee" test periodically to see if bladder control is starting to return. When you have witnessed the return of a happy tail wag--that is you have specifically done some happy talk to Lily and then see a back and forth tail wag, then very often the next neuro function to return will be bladder control.
SNIFF AND PEE TEST
The only way for humans to know if there is bladder control is with the “sniff and pee test.” Carry outdoors, set them on an old pee spot to sniff. Make sure the sling or your hands are not on the tummy area as that can press on the bladder. See if they will release urine on the old urine area. If urine comes out after sniffing, bladder control is returning. You would then continue to do a quick manual express check to verify there is full voiding until you are certain it is consistently happening. Let us know when you observe a happy tail wag and then results of the "sniff and pee test."
When things settle down abit for you, how about helping another trying to make decisions about a surgery? We have a directory where you can share surgical info. 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: For how many weeks did the surgeon want for post-op crate rest which does include all the PT he has directed? What PT at home or at a clinic did he want for Lily? |
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