|
|
Post by mmehus on Oct 14, 2013 12:24:57 GMT -7
Hi Dodgerslist, Our Beagle, Buster, recently had emergency surgery to remove a ruptured disk from his back that was cutting into his spinal cord and I wanted to share with the group, and get your all's thoughts. On 10/7 we noticed Buster was walking a little funny, and couldn't jump up on the couch. As he frequently visits a local dog park we assumed he had bonked his leg. A few hours later we saw that he was unable to stand on his own. It was then we knew it was an emergency and took him to our local hospital at 2am. They had us check in with a neurologist who did an emergency MRI and decided surgery was the only course of action given a disk had calcified and ruptured. His surgery went fine, and he had a nice "Vacation" in the hospital for 2 days. He came home on 10/11 with instructions of strict crate rest for 2 months, PT recommendations and a regimen for pain medications and a steroid. It has been a few days since he was discharged, and we aren't seeing any immediate signs of recovery - large or small. I understand it is still early, but our hospital mentioned there was a 95-97% chance he would make a full recovery in 2 months (which seemed quick). He does not have control of his bowel or bladder so we have him in a wrap/diaper and try to find signs that he needs to go outside where we have to express his bladder (no issues once expressed). Suffice it to say, it has been a tough couple of days cleaning! Luckily he's showing no signs of pain nor any major signs of discomfort. Given this background - is this consistent with everyone else's experience with IVDD recovery for Beagles? I'm a bit of a hypochondriac so there's a good chance I am over-thinking his lack of recovery and he's doing just fine  Thanks everyone for any thoughts! |
|
PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,598
|
Post by PaulaM on Oct 14, 2013 12:32:50 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist. My name is Paula what is yours? What meds if any was he sent home on…names, dose in mg's and frequency you are to give them. So your vet is calling for 8 weeks of post op crate rest? While learning to express you may need to express every 2-4 hours. As your proficiency increases, you can likely move to increasing the time between expressing to longer periods. Diapers are not really recommended as they have their own problems of rashes, dogs abhor having waste near them. Lt usknow how often you express. This article will help you to understand all about nerve healing, the order it happens in and when. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingnerves.htm Can he wag his tail if you do some happy talk? |
|
|
|
Post by mmehus on Oct 14, 2013 12:51:56 GMT -7
Hi Paula,
Thanks for the reply.
He's on Prednisone 5mgx2/day, Tramadol 50mgx3/day, Sucralfate 1gx3/day, and Tradazone as needed.
Yes on the crate rest - which is fine because Buster was crate trained well and enjoys his crate. We will try expressing on a more frequent basis - it's only 3-5x/day right now given work scheduling conflicts.
He can sort of wag his tail - not often, but every now and again it'll wag around.
Thanks for sharing the link.
|
|
Marjorie
Moderator~ 
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,724 
|
Post by Marjorie on Oct 14, 2013 13:29:56 GMT -7
It's very early days so don't be discouraged about not seeing much improvement yet. The surgery itself can cause some swelling around the spinal cord which can take 2-4 weeks to subside. Until this swelling goes down, those nerves still have pressure on them and are not properly receiving signals. The nerve damage sustained can take a long time to heal - sometimes months or even a year. No one, not even vets, can tell how soon the nerves will heal. So be patient, enjoy each moment with your boy. The surgery is behind him and now he needs time to heal. As for the expressing of the bladder, I know it can be overwhelming at first. But it does become just a routine part of the day. You can also express Buster's bowels to help prevent accidents. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm Acupuncture and laser light therapy are very good treatments following surgery, too and can be started right away if they're in your budget. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingacupuncture.htmAlso, once the staples/stitches are out, water therapy can be very good. Some of these exercises can be done right in the bathtub. Check with your vet before starting any of these. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htmPrayers for a speedy and complete recovery for Buster. |
|
