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Post by Nancy & Brady on Jun 14, 2019 8:40:39 GMT -7
[Original subject Am I hurting my Dog with PT? ] All, My 12 year Old Dachshund is 2 weeks, 3 days out of IVDD surgery. His staples are out. He shows no hind leg movement and is exactly the way he was prior to surgery. No improvement, Not worse. Just healing. I have kept him crated and only moved him to go outside and to clean the crate. When I gently do the PT exercises that the surgeon recommended (or any of the ones I see on-line) my dog uses his nose to swoosh away my head from touching him. He does not yelp. Am I hurting him? Is he not ready? Or should I ignore and keep doing gentle movement for him. Sometimes he starts to tremble (his first symptom of IVDD) when I move his little legs. Sometimes he trembles when I pick him up to take him outside. I don't know if this is normal or part of the healing process Is there anyone that can advice? Thanks so much for any help. I feel just as paralyzed as him This is an update of Brady - His first sign of IVDD was Friday night of Memorial Day weekend Friday May 26.
- He started with trembling in the evening and could not get comfortable as he went to bed.
- Saturday Morning May 27th he lost all movement in his back legs.
- Saturday afternoon May 27th he had an MRI and was suggested surgery for an extruded disc.
- We waiting until Tuesday May 28th because the MRI showed a dark spot that could be Cancer.
- When we were cleared of Cancer, His surgery was that day Tuesday May 27.
- He is 2 weeks 3 days from IVDD Surgery.
- His 12 staples are out.
- Brady is off all meds (He was on 5 meds but I don't have them memorized and I am not home to look at them 3 pain meds, 2 urination 1 for inflammation).
- He currently does not show signs of pain.
- He is not showing any signs of improvement (that I can tell) .
- He is on strict crate rest unless we take him outside.
- He eats and drinks water.
- He does not have control of his bladder or bowel movements.
- He wears a diaper but we can usually express him before he loses bladder control.
- When I perform small movements of PT he nudges my hand away.
- He can't stand on his hind legs.
- His hind legs go off to one side when he sits. Usually to the left and he sits on his right side
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Jun 14, 2019 13:31:38 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist, Nancy. Everyone here has dog with IVDD so you have come to the right place. We’ve got valuable information we’ve gleaned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you. I am so glad that Brady did not have cancer. Two weeks post surgery is very early on in the healing process. Brady has a lot of healing still to do. Don't be concerned that you are not yet seeing signs of improvement. Neuro functions have returned weeks, months and in a few cases years after the disc issue. When Frankie had his surgery he came out as paralyzed as he went in. At least the terrible pain was gone. At the one month checkup he still could not move his legs let alone stand. Months went by before neuro function started to return. Eventually he regained the ability to walk and bowel and bladder control. Try not to be discouraged. Trembling can be a sign of pain. Is he still trembling? Is he showing any of these other signs of pain we look for; ☐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? If Brady is showing any signs of pain please let the vet know as soon as possible. The legs going off to the side is a sign of nerve damage and is often seen with paralyzed dogs. As he recovers he may sit more normally. Can Brady wag his tail in response to some happy talk? This is the first sign, that we pet parents can easily see, of neuro function starting to return. How are you doing with expressing Brady? Expressing is a skill and takes practice. You will know you are doing it right when you are getting a steady stream and he stays dry between expressing sessions. You can also express for poop. Once you become experienced in expressing, diapers will not be needed. We have information about expressing here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htmThe type of PT that may work for Brady is underwater treadmill. This was extremely helpful after Frankie's surgery. I do not think he would have recovered nearly as quickly without it. Usually this type of therapy can start after the staples are removed. You can speak to your surgeon about this. Here is a video of how it looks. There are also water exercises you can do at home in the bathtub. Using warm water may loosen Brady's muscles and make it easier to do the other PT exercises. You can also try a warm towel on his legs before you do the PT. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htmHealing thoughts for Brady.
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Post by Nancy & Brady on Sept 16, 2019 9:31:35 GMT -7
My Dachshund (Brady) had IVDD Surgery in late May.
After our 6 week check up, The doctor said his prognosis was very grim in terms of walking, especially because we did not have the surgery immediately due to a dark spot on his spleen that made us wait 4-days to have the surgery
I then had to wait 3 months to bring him to Physical Therapy due to all of the costs.
When we finally brought him to therapy, after the first visit, I am very HAPPY to say he had movement in his hips and was able to stand and bear weight on both legs. After 6 visits, he is hopping, kind of walking, but mainly hopping.
I do try to get him to walk slow but he can't. When he walks slowly, he drags his back legs. When he is motived to walk, or is excited, he hops. Tomorrow I will talk to the Physical Therapist about this but wondering if this is just part off the process.
Does anyone have experience with this and can explain?
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Post by Julie & Perry on Sept 16, 2019 11:08:14 GMT -7
It's called a bunny hop and is pretty common for dogs recovering from IVDD. As they get stronger and can walk better it should go away.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,541
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Post by PaulaM on Sept 16, 2019 19:53:04 GMT -7
Nancy, would you be able to take a video with your phone and post it on Youtube so we can see him "walking" in that slow manner? Get down on your knees so you are at his height so we can have the best view of his legs moving, changing directions as whe slow walks. And some of the hopping. —First upload your video to YouTube.com —At the top of your browser when viewing your uploaded video you will see a "share" button below your video window. — Pressing it will expand to reveal the URL (it starts with <http...> ) you can paste into a Forum post. —How to details for mobile devices and computers: support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?hl=en
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Post by Nancy & Brady on Sept 21, 2019 9:57:47 GMT -7
Thank you Julie. I will cross my fingers. We are 4 months into this and we are happy with the progress so far. UPDATED post on 9/21/2019 My husband and I took 3 videos last night, 9/20, each about a minute I am looking for information as to what I can do in regard to PT to help him get movement back in his hips. Physical Therapist said he did not know....and maybe this is the best he is going to get.
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCWea9e0JQAs8yD7UHNZDzoB-8fJkiAom
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,541
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Post by PaulaM on Sept 21, 2019 10:04:56 GMT -7
Nancy, I've moved your message over to the Forum. Your update is attached to your post above What I was trying to watch for was if there was an indication of spinal walking. Can you reshoot the video holding the phone in a horizontal position and during the day for best lighting? Dogs who do not have deep pain sensation can learn to walk via their natural wired in ability to move their legs via reflex. The below questions are to help understand about his deep pain sensation ability. --- Have you of recent times had a board certified neuro (ACVIM) or ortho (ACVS) surgeon identify existance of deep pain senssation or not having any? What date if you did? --- Can Brady do a happy tail wag specifically if you have done some happy talk to him, or if he sees a very yummy treat coming his way? --- Does Brady have bladder control? That is if you set him on an old pee spot he will sniff, maybe circle and then his brain will make the decision to release using on the old pee spot. Lack of bladder control would be leaking on you when lifted. Lack of bladder control would require you expressing his bladder every 4-6 hrs or even every 8 hrs especially overnight to keep him dry session to session. you would also be able to express for poop, too: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm#poop Do fill us in on his bladder control. Information on spinal walking with a video and comment by Dr. Clemmons over at our Main Dodgerslist Website: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/IVDDcourse/spinal_walking.html
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