|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Sept 23, 2019 6:20:27 GMT -7
Below are answers to questions asked, but a little narrative to add . . .
Riley had been on medication for discomfort twice in the month preceding his IVDD incident. On the morning of August 27, my husband carried him down the front porch stairs to the lawn to do business. After taking care of it, he was hurrying back through the lawn when his back legs gave out and he screeched for a minute. It was a most awful sound - I thought he was being attacked by another animal (my husband had him outside and I was still inside). He immediate had no control over his hind legs. He had surgery that afternoon, and ended up spending 11 days at the animal hospital. He developed a pressure sore (possibly from use of a figure 8 sling that was fashioned for us, but who really knows). At the time he was released, he could not urinate on his own and still had no use of his back legs. We had a rocky first few days as I was not able to express his urine at home and ended up back at the hospital twice a day for assistance. Eventually a second medication was added (Bethanechol) which allowed me to have success at home.
We are now at almost 4 weeks post-surgery with no visible changes, except the pressure sore is finally almost closed up. He is on crate rest but the vet did allow a bath, and said he can be on our lap. He also allows us to let him sniff around outside in hopes of stimulating bladder release. Are these mistakes? It goes against much of what I am reading here. At what point can I transition him to a cart?
Riley is pretty happy and content. I was happy to read your post about quality of life - made me feel much better about things. But I am stressing very much about an upcoming 5 day trip where I have to leave him. The hospital wanted $400/day to keep him. If that was my only option I'd forfeit my trip as I would lost less money doing that. However, a friend gave me the name of a vet tech who does dog sitting. Both my dogs are scheduled to go to her house for the long weekend. I am sure things will be fine but I am still very anxious. Life does need to go on though, right?
★1 How much does your dog weigh? 19 pounds - also he is 12 years/5 months old
Please list the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mg’s and times per day given? If on a steroid....what was the start date & dose? Date of steroid taper?
For 2 weeks after surgery: Gabapentin100 mg every 12 hours
For 2 weeks after surgery: Rimadyl 3/4 of a 25mg tablet every 12 hours
For 2 weeks after surgery: Simplicef 100 mg one a day
CURRENTLY:
Bethanechol (Urecholine) 5 mg every 12 hours
Prazosin Hydrochloride 1 mg every 12 hours
★2 What breed? Dachshund What is your dog’s name? Riley Your name, too? Jackie
★3 Did you specifically get a diagnosis of IVDD, aka: a disc problem, a disc herniation, a bulging disc, slipped disc? yes, IVDD
-- Is the vet a general DVM or a specialist surgeon (ACVIM neurology or ACVS ortho)? general
★4 What was the date you saw the vet for conservative treatment or date of surgery? Surgery on August 27, 2019
★5 Is there still currently pain - No pain evident. He seems quite happy and content although unable to walk or urinate on his own
★6 Eating and drinking OK? Poops OK - normal firmness & color -no dark or bright red blood? Yes, all good
★7 Currently can your dog wobbly walk? move the legs at all? or wag the tail when you specifically do some happy talk? No walking on hind legs at all. When holding him, tail will wag somewhat at happy encounters
★8 Can your dog specifically sniff and squat and then release urine which is bladder control - OR- do you find wet bedding or leaks on you when lifted which are indication of an overflowing bladder and loss of control? We are currently expressing his bladder three times a day. No leaking in between.
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Sept 23, 2019 9:41:17 GMT -7
Welcome, Jackie! For how many weeks did the surgeon direct for post op crate rest which includes his directed PT. That let's us know if Riley has now graduated or the surgeon still want a bit more healing time for the surgical sites involved. It is still very early in the nerve healing department, so never give up hope and stay positive. You are doing a good job with expressing if he is not leaking between expressing sessions. Good job! And good job in securing a vet tech to babysit during your upcoming trip.  |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Sept 23, 2019 14:41:05 GMT -7
Thanks so much for your encouragement. I am so happy to have found this forum - lots of good information here! The ER vet said two more weeks of crate rest, making a total of 5 1/2. He called this morning to encourage me to meet with the PT/rehab vet at the animal hospital, to have Riley evaluated, and talk about appropriate time to consider a cart. I am going to see her tomorrow.
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Sept 23, 2019 19:37:53 GMT -7
Jackie, then it appears graduation day will be on Oct 5th? Then you can begin a gradual program of introducing back into family life. You may want to take a look to see how you would handle that, what kind of scooting garment would best suite Riley and lots more good reading in living with your IVDD dog many happy years ahead. Here is the link: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmIf there is ability to do a happy tail wag, then that would bode well more more nerve repair to take place. No one will be able to give you a time table. But there is a predictable order to nerves self healing. A happy wag means that deep pain sensation has to have already come back....very good!!! Nerves heal typically in the reverse order of the damage to the spinal cord: 1. YES! Deep Pain Sensation (Only correctly identified by a specialist.) 2. YES! Tail wagging with joy at seeing you or getting a treat or meal. 3. _?_ Bladder and bowel control verified with the "sniff and pee" test. 4. __ Leg Movement, and then __ ability to move up into a standing position, and then __ wobbly walking. 5. Being able to walk with more steadiness and properly place the feet. 6. Ability to walk unassisted and perhaps even run. More info: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingnerves.htmLet us know what the PT person says. |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Sept 25, 2019 7:01:49 GMT -7
We had our PT evaluation yesterday, September 24. They are not recommending any assist device for at least several months as they feel Riley would stop trying to walk if he is free to get around on a device. The PT vet gave me a series of small exercises to do with him 4 times a day, including assisted standing, transition from stand to proper sit (instead of rear legs straight underneath him as he is doing now), tail stimulation, and several other small motions to help him remember the sensation of walking and to stimulate all his nerves and muscles. She also recommends in-hospital PT twice a week. She has scheduled the first appointment for Monday September 30 (even though he is technically still on rest until the 5th?)
She had asked about tail wagging and I tried to explain what we had been seeing - what we thought was probably intentional wagging although not as high and strong as before. A little while later the ER vet who has been taking care of Riley stopped in and we all were delighted to see an enthusiastic tail wag for him :-)
Thanks again for your replies - it means so much!
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Sept 25, 2019 8:14:52 GMT -7
Jackie, since you definately know he can do a happy tail wag, what comes next typically is bladder control. 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 should continue to do a quick express check to verify there is full voiding until you are certain it is consistently happening. Let us know what you observe. With nerve repair looking to be on a roll for Riley, you may find he will not need a cart at all. Normally, no one looks for a cart until all weeks of post op crate rest have been completed. THEN, you can best judge where $$ are best spent. IF there are signs of nerve repair, then money is likely better spent on underwater treadmill therapy. Is that the therapy that will start on 9/30? Why the underwater treadmill is such a good therapy: The movement of the hip joints and muscles and the changes in pressure on the paws from the underwater treadmill triggers spinal cord communication with the brain. Water bouyancy makes it easier than leg movements against gravity on land. There is not only the potential to regrow damaged neuronal pathyways but also for neuron to muscle re-education to learn the art of walking again. Why kind of vet did the surgery:
-- a general DVM vet
---a specialist DVM, neuro (ACVIM) or
-- specialist DVM, ortho (ACVS)?
What are the credentials of the "ER vet". a general DVM vet or a specialist?
|
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Sept 27, 2019 5:41:32 GMT -7
Awesome video! Riley currently still has a small pressure sore that is not yet healed over. It was very large, and it has made great progress, but until it is closed they can't put him in the water treadmill.
The vet that did the surgery is listed on their website as Jonathan Miller, DVM, MS, Diplomate, ACVS (Surgery). I assume this is general surgery and not a specialist in disks. The ER vet is also a general vet, but works specifically with emergency cases. We are fortunate to live near a large regional animal hospital (Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, NJ) which made visiting during his hospital stay, and now follow up appointments convenient.
Also, the PT vet gave us a new sling harness - a WalkAbout. It is much better for trying to do business outside, although a little trickier to get into than the plain sling we were using.
Thanks for your encouragement!
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Sept 27, 2019 7:24:31 GMT -7
Jackie, please let us know how that sore healing is going...hope soon it will close up so water theraphy can start. The Walkabout back end harnesss is a handy commercial sling. Dr Miller is a board certified surgeon, a specialist with the credential granted by the ACVS Board. Ortho (ACVS) surgeons have the extra traning needed to do the very tricky and delicate work of a laminectomy for disc episodes. Always good to understand the qualification a vet has for piece of mind the person has the appropriate training.. Good explantion here: www.acvs.org/what-is-a-veterinary-surgeon |
|
|
|
Post by Julie & Perry on Sept 27, 2019 9:54:59 GMT -7
Organic coconut oil is very good for wound healing. Dogs can also take it internally so it's OK if they lick it.
Ask your vet if it's OK.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Sept 29, 2019 19:14:12 GMT -7
Interesting insight into the surgical qualifications. I'm not sure we could have done anything differently - it doesn't look like our hospital has any of the special surgeons, and our next option would have been NYC, CT, or South Jersey. Hopefully Riley can still recover some function. His tail wag has been getting more exuberant, and we have been trying to do all the potty-ing outside. This is a little easier on the weekend when there are 2 of us around all the time. Monday the 30th of September we go for our first PT appointment at the hospital. We'll see how that goes :-) The pressure sore is so close to being healed but not quite there yet.
Thanks again!
Jackie and Riley
|
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Oct 17, 2019 6:23:28 GMT -7
Update October 17, 2019: Riley has had a few PT appointments now. His pressure sore finally closed and so the last two times he has been able to go in the water treadmill. I can't really say that I see any change in function though from my last update, except he did manage to urinate once on his own outside. He didn't fully empty his bladder, but I could tell it was a conscious decision to try and pee on a tree :-) Meantime we are continuing crate rest. He still seems happy.  |
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Oct 17, 2019 8:01:54 GMT -7
Jackie, that is wonderful news on lifting a leg and starting a stream. Likely more nerve repair to come to make that more of a full bladder void. Keep us posted. Riley should be graduated from crate rest as of Oct 5 with 5.5 weeks of surgeon directed rest. How are you easing him back into more normal activity since graduation? The idea is to gradually give more freedom under controlled conditions. Not free reign of the house or yard immediately! LOL Take a look at our information if you need some guidelines and then come up with a plan to gradually increase activity over about a month's time following the end of crate rest. Also check out how to teach four paws on the floor! www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmWhat about some home modifications so that you can reduce the stress on the spine in the future? No more stairs, ramps up to furniture, or blocking furniture all together. All those ideas and more are in this link: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htmwww.dodgerslist.com/literature/aftercraterest/furniture-blocker300.jpgTell us what you observe Riley doing in the underwater treadmill. Does he move his back legs in a walking motion? Tell us what he does on land. Does he move his back legs in a walking motion with support of sling or can he walk even if wobbly without a sling support. Paint us a picture in words or if you can upload a video so we can see. —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 |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Oct 30, 2019 5:56:26 GMT -7
Hello all,
Just to clarify, Riley has peed on his own outside all of twice, and has not lifted his leg to do so, but has just sniffed out a good tree trunk and managed to let out a stream of urine. This is not at all consistent, but seems to need a perfect setup, right timing, right smells, full enough bladder. Try as I might, I can't recreate it consistently. We do manage to do most of our expressing outdoors to encourage it though.
At this point, he has not regained any function in his back legs. He can stand if we set him up and balance him - we hand feed his meals while he stands. But he is not strong enough to be trusted without our hands ready to catch him. Unfortunately he does not seems to be trying to take any steps while being walked with his rear harness. I watched the live Facebook session with Dr. Wong and was a little disheartened to hear him say that a month is the longest he would expect it to take for recovering some function after surgery. Perhaps this is not going to happen for Riley, as it has been two months.
I have not been invited back to watch him in the water treadmill at the PT appointments, so I do not have any video. I have expressed my desire to see it, but don't want to be pushy.
Please give me some advice on how to ease him into normal activity given he can't use his rear legs. They do not drag behind, rather are tucked up under him, leaving him looking like he is sitting, but it is not a proper sit. Given his prior pressure sore, I am afraid to let him scoot around for fear another one will open up. I am of course open to getting him a cart, but it doesn't seem that is something he would stay in while in the house during the day? Or am I wrong about that? I don't see how a dog could lay down while in the cart.
Also, he's become very anxious at night. He and his fur brother have always slept in their side by side crates, and never had a problem sleeping through the night. Even after the surgery, nights were fine. But over the last two weeks he has become increasingly agitated during the night. Initially I got up to see if he had to pee, was thirsty, or maybe got himself in an uncomfortable position he couldn't adjust. But none of those things seems to be the issue. For a while then we were able to tell him to "shhhhh" and he would. But the last few nights, he's been up for hours (as have we). Last night, he would only settle if I sat by him, otherwise he was yipping in his bed endlessly. My vet said some dogs get nighttime anxiety as they get older and their hearing and sight is not as keen as it once was. But I'm not sure that is the situation here. Any thoughts?
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Oct 30, 2019 7:43:13 GMT -7
Jackie, hey that is great news reporting still able to pee on his own by direction of the brain even if sporatic. It may take some time to perfect the nerve connection to the complicated business of urination. Very good of you to allow him to first do the sniff and pee thing and then you follow up with an express check to verify if he is fully voiding all the urine. OK, then next will be the neuro function return of movement of the legs. No one can tell you the time line, just the order these things come back in. Nerves heal typically in the reverse order of the damage to the spinal cord: 1. YES! Deep Pain Sensation (Only correctly identified by a specialist.) 2. YES! Tail wagging with joy at seeing you or getting a treat or meal. 3. YES! Bladder and bowel control verified with the "sniff and pee" test. 4. ? Leg Movement, and then ? ability to move up into a stand position, then ? wobbly walking. 5. Being able to walk with more steadiness and properly place the feet. 6. Ability to walk unassisted and perhaps even run. More info: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingnerves.htmWe have queried quite a few neuro surgeons and find it is typicial to no maintain keep records past the last visit of around 4 weeks about return of neuro functions for their patients. We have noticed that none of the dogs ever reads or listens to the surgeon's dire reports of when walking will not happen. Here at Dodgerslist we have members coming back to give updates on their dogs, many months later, even more like a year out to find out the dog did regain sufficient neuro function to pee again, walk again. So Dodgerslist's motto is never give hope, stay strong and be positive! Nerve healing can take time. It is only the dog and mother nature who will reveal how long that might be. Nerve growth is one millimeter per day. So a twelve inch nerve span damage may require year or so to grow. HOPE is in the cards for each dog to get back to enjoying life after crate rest. It may be with the assist of a wheelchair while waiting on more nerve healing to take place. A dog could lie down somewhat while in a cart. Dogs only stay in a cart for a couple of hours at a time. They will let you know when they want out. So a cart is not for all day use.
Don't wait for an invitation to watch the treadmill! Express that you WILL be going with Riley to observe! Owners report all the time watching. They even take pictures or video to share here on the Forum. Is there any degree/hint of the back legs making an attempt to move in a walking motion during underwater treadmill. That information can help you to make decisions about a wheelchair. A wheelchair is for outside to let them get aerobic exercise. Inside scooting in a protective garment means they don't get stuck on furniture legs, etc as with a cart. Let us know what he is doing with those back legs at underwater treadmill. Take a video too, so we can see. Garments to protect when scooting in the house. Some are sew and some no-sew. Check with fabric stores to find a sewist if not your skill set. Ollie’s Cape DIY with a commercial option: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/incontinentdown/Olliecape.pdf
Clark’s Bumpad: users.cyberport.net/%7Emilnerwm/bumpad1.html [for dogs who scoot like a frog]
Tandy’s no-sew Butt Protection: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/aftercraterest/Buttprotect.htm Commercial Airy mesh panel scoot bag www.handicappedpets.com/index.php/walkin-wheels-drag-bag.html [drag bag] Charlie Bear's no-sew shirt: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/aftercraterest/scootshirt.htmCALMERS You need your nightime rest. So take action to help Riley be able to relax through the night. Using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser seems to work best. It takes several days for these to start working - it isn't immediate but they are a much better option if you can avoid heavy duty prescription sedatives (ACE, alprazolam or trazodone) from your vet. Of course always keep your vet in the loop on all things you give your dog. Place a DAP pheromone diffusor at floor level where the recovery suite is: --DOG Adaptil (DAP) wall plug in diffuser 48ml www.adaptil.com/Use diffusor with one oral calmer from below: Oral calmers: 1) ANXITANE® S chewable tabs contain 50 mg L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm, relaxed www.virbacvet.com/products/detail/anxitane-l-theanine-chewable-tablets/behavioral-health 2) Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine. www.vetriscience.com/composure-soft-dogs-MD-LD.php 3) Rescue Remedy is a liquid herb combo to help with relaxation www.bachrescueremedypet.com |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Oct 30, 2019 13:37:08 GMT -7
Thank you so much! I needed some words of encouragement today :-) I will be working on all these things - thanks so much for the links. I will post video soon (hopefully!)
|
|
|
|
Post by Julie & Perry on Oct 30, 2019 15:23:21 GMT -7
One thing I use to help my Nala to sleep is melatonin. It works great for her.
I buy it over the counter and asked the vet first for the OK and dosage range.
I started with 1x daily but now give 1 tablet 3x daily. Started low and worked up until sleeping well.
Also, I agree with Paula's viewpoint about taking the long range approach to healing.
Many doctors are pessimistic. I don't know why.
My vet, who I otherwise love, told me 2x it was likely my Nala wouldn't recover enough to walk from an episode. She took 5-6 months to walk well after her surgery. Guess who's still up and moving at 15?
Dogs live in the moment. Scooting, wheeling, or walking, if they have love they're happy!
|
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Nov 6, 2019 8:45:16 GMT -7
Hi Friends,
I took Riley for his evaluation with the PT vet yesterday, after nine session of PT including water treadmill. She seems to see some improvement, although subtle. He did better moving his hind feet when she tail walked him, as opposed to in his sling. He is currently urinating on his own outside at least half the time. It takes him a while to sniff before this happens so I have to be very patient. He also does not stop walking (with his front lets, rear in sling) while pooping or urinating so I have to keep an eye on his tail - when it goes up, something is happening :-) She does not want him to be allowed to make his way around in a sack or cart yet, as she feels if he is allowed to get around that way, he will not be motivated to walk. We are going to do nine more sessions and then evaluate again. We are continuing his home exercises, adding a couple, and lengthening the amount of time he can be walked in the grass with his sling.
(I asked, and they did let me come see Riley in the water treadmill in his last PT session. I could see a bit, but when I walked around to the side to get a good look, Riley turned to face me and couldn't continue forward progress. So I had to stay in front of him and try and catch a glimpse. Not their fault, of course, but perhaps why they discouraged me from coming in the room before.)
We are still working on the barking at night issues, trying one thing at a time right now so we can see what works. We were afraid to do too many things at once because then we wouldn't know which was doing the trick. Tonight we will try moving both dogs upstairs for the night. This is a bit complicated as all their set ups are on the main floor, and neither of them are allowed on stairs (in fact they never have spent any time upstairs before, but we are hoping Riley sleeps better in closer proximity to us).
Right now I am shopping for a pet stroller so he can get more fresh air even though he can't go for a long walk. I think he is bored of being in the house so much! Anyway, I am trying to find the link to stroller reviews - I seems to just go back and forth between two pages but never actually see the reviews. If you could post the link here for me, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for all your encouragement!
Jackie
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Nov 6, 2019 9:35:46 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Jan 6, 2020 14:14:46 GMT -7
Hi Friends, Time for a Riley update. First of all, I ordered this stroller from Chewy (also available on Amazon): www.chewy.com/gen7pets-promenade-pet-stroller-gold/dp/158605and it has been working out nicely. He seems to enjoy being out in the neighborhood. Riley had his last PT recheck on December 10. This is after his second round of 9 bi-weekly PT sessions. At that point, the PT vet was not as adamant about continuing as she had been after the first round of sessions. I appreciate her not pushing us on, because we could all kind of see that there has been no visible change from the last recheck. His right rear leg is crossing forward quite a bit, which was restricting his success in the water treadmill as it would get caught in front of the left. He also does not appear to be attempting the motion of steps while being walked in his sling. She suggested we get some peanut shaped yoga ball type things to try and help stretch out his rear legs to ease the crossing. So at this point, we are doing those exercises at home and have not signed up for more PT at this time. We did finally have to give it to giving him some anti-anxiety meds before bed. We tried all the other things that have been suggested - essential oils, Hemp treats, CBD treats, thunder coat, etc and we still were getting woken up multiple time during the night. We are now all sleeping a good 7-8 hours so everyone is happier. Today, however, we have a new thing going on - his left rear leg seems to be having muscle spasms. He keeps kicking it forward, but I don't really think its voluntary since the look on his face seems rather confused. I'd like to hope this is due to some nerve regeneration possibly, but don't know. I am waiting for the vet to call me back, but wondered if anyone else has had this happen and if so, what was the story with it: one time deal, healing, or no apparent reason? |
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Jan 7, 2020 10:40:32 GMT -7
Jackie, do let us know what the vet feels the reason for the rear left jerking is all about. Which anti-anxiety med worked for Riley. ? mgs ?x/day Are you considering a wheelchair so Riley can maintain some aroebic activity and interest in outdoor goings on, sniffing, etc.? Some carts, the legs can be put down to use it as a PT device in getting the back legs to move in a walking motion with the cart support. www.dodgerslist.com/links/cart.htmWater therapy at home can be useful if not just for the warm water benefit of feeling good for muscles..... you know how we, ourselves, can love a good warm soak. Anyway see if these ideas will work for you at home: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htm |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Jun 27, 2020 7:14:33 GMT -7
Hello friends! I thought I'd pop on and give you a Riley update. Although we continue to stretch him out every day and do some balancing exercises, there has been no change in his condition. His back legs are still paralyzed. We took him to our local animal hospital earlier this year to be professionally measured for Eddie's Wheels. I'm so glad I did that as it was quite a process and needed many hands! We received our custom cart very quickly, and it has been wonderful. It was a little more expensive than some, but is really a brilliant design, easy to get in and out of, and seems comfortable to him. The interesting part is when he walks in it, his back legs go back and forth as if he is trying to walk, but I know that is more reflex than progress. It is fun to watch nonetheless. The first few times we took him on a walk in the cart, we took the stroller along as well, in case he got tired, but we didn't need it. He does slow down towards the end of the walk but it is good to be mobile. He is still on some meds to help urination. I have weaned him off twice, but eventually feel that he is not doing as well and put him back on. He is taking 1MG Prazosin every other day. We are also still giving him a nighttime dose of 50MG Trazodone. He has difficulty settling through the night. We are also convinced that diffusing lavender essential oil is helping that situation. Our current challenge is finding a way for him to safely get around the house a bit (we do NOT want another pressure sore, or injury of ANY kind!). We have let him be in his wheels in the house but he obviously cannot settle in them. I tried the Walkin' Scooter from Handicapped Pets, but because Riley's legs fold up forward underneath him, and are not dragging behind, it does not work very well for him. Same with a drag bag. I am thinking maybe some small toddler size training underwear (has thick padding for absorbency, and although he doesn't pee in the house, the padding might help protect his bum?) We have a variety of flooring including tile, wood, and carpet. If I solve that problem, I think it will also solve the other two, which are 1 - he is very needy in the afternoon, fussy and we can't figure out what he wants (other than to go where he wants) and 2 - he can't let us know when he has to poop. He definitely fusses when he has to go, but he fusses a lot so I'd be taking him out all the time. (We take him out regularly to pee so that is not an issue). We all love him so much and it is sad and frustrating when we struggle to make him happy! Again, can't say enough about Eddie's Wheels: eddieswheels.com I tried to upload a video of him in his wheels but can't get it to work. Thanks for listening! |
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,528
|
Post by PaulaM on Jun 27, 2020 9:07:38 GMT -7
Jackie what a good report on Riley and his new Eddie's Wheels and how he enjoys his walks. Thanks for sharing your review of Eddies Wheels. That can help someone considering which to purchase. Have you tried expressing for poop? Expressing for poop is so that before mother nature would just let it plop out anywhere, you get there first to encourage poop to clear from the digestive tube to plop out where you desire. Most of us express on the toilet: upon awaking in the morning, maybe at 1-2 pm during the day and again before bedtime. First you should make a chart of eating, poop plopping times and try to figure out when you should be expressing. You really do not need anyone to demonstrate how to express for poop. Reading the tips help you to figure out his normal schedule: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htmThis video shows how easy it is:
VIDEO on this forum 1) If it is on Facebook, the copy then video's address (URL) and paste it into your next post. 2) Upload your video to Youtube. Then paste the video's URL into your Forum post. You will need a Google account which is used to sign in at YouTube (see below if you do not have one) 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 |
|
|
|
Post by Jackie & Riley on Jun 27, 2020 16:41:31 GMT -7
Thanks! I love your suggestion about poop. We actually had to do this when he first came home from the hospital last August so I don't know why I didn't think of doing it now! Thanks also for the scoot bag ideas - I will be looking into them tonight. Thanks so much for your quick response :-)
|
|
