Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 6, 2013 13:13:29 GMT -7
Thank you Paula, they already had a verbal dispute just like you said...good thing Angel was in the Ex-pen..
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 6, 2013 15:16:43 GMT -7
The pain patch is removed, how do I know I got it all? The hospital said something about a thin layer maybe stuck to her skin? I've washed it, will she be ok?
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 6, 2013 19:38:28 GMT -7
Debbie,
How is Angel doing now that the patch is off? I was researching it and one of the side effects of the patch was agitation and howling.. Just wondering if she has calmed down since it's been off.
Does there still seem to be residue from the patch? Did the Vet send any info home with you about how to remove it and what to do about the residue? If not I would call and ask the vet.. Since it's the weekend, if that doesnt work it might help to call a local pharmacy and ask if they have any recommendations of what would work to take the residue off of Angel.
Thank you so much for the kind words. I know I needed all the comfort I could get when Tyler was in the early days after he came home from surgery and I found it at Dodgerslist and wanted to do the same for others..
Pauliana
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 7, 2013 5:27:22 GMT -7
Hi Pauliana, I did call the hospital last night about the patch...they said it would feel "sticky" either on her leg or the patch, IF there was residue. I didn't feel anything sticky, but washed the area VERY well. She was such a trooper, and laid very still as I had a very difficult time getting it off. Still having meds issues, she is analyzing everything, she's such a smart cookie. I put her Tramadol in hamburger, offered a "good" piece, she gobbled it down, then the piece with the med...Pffft..It's like she knew the Med was in there, and picked it apart.. She went poo this AM (YAY) We put her crate in the bed with us last night..EVERYONE slept GREAT!!! And she rests much better if the crate is on the couch with me during the day, if I leave the room, I set it on the floor, I'm so afraid she will tip it over, I don't even think that's possible, but not taking ANY chances.
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Post by amazinggrace on Apr 7, 2013 14:13:45 GMT -7
Hi Debbie, Sounds like you're getting the hang of it, glad you all slept well, YAAAAY It gets easier, even though Grace and I are going on 7 weeks. Our biggest hurdle is since shes scooting all over, she has pee-pee and poo-poo accidents My washing machine goes nonstop as I TRY to keep a blanket etc. under her. Diapers are good for nothing, might work better if she were a boy, lol! I LOVE the sling your using (in your pic) I bought a mini Gingerlead and it doesn't cover enough of her underside. What is the name of yours? I MUST try it! It looks like it would make my life easier when we go outside and work on physical therapy. Hang in there, they are worth it, and Bless your heart for being such a GREAT mommy! Love and healing to you and Angel Michele & Grace
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 7, 2013 21:02:48 GMT -7
Debbie, So glad all of you slept well last night! Great idea putting the crate on the bed. Neil did that with Tyler at nap time and even though he was in the crate it helped make things a bit more normal.. Tyler was hard to give meds to also.. It was quite a battle. Neil and I took turns with it. He was one suspicious pup for a while when it came to his medication.. We had to try different things and different approaches. He is more cooperative with Neil so he often took over.. We got through it but one things for sure, I was glad when he took the last of his medications and we then discovered he was pain free. You will get there too. Wishing you and Angel better days ahead! CONGRATS on your first great grandson! How exciting! Pauliana
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 8, 2013 6:44:37 GMT -7
Thanks Amazinggrace & Pauliana, I went to the store yesterday and bought something called "Liver Pudding", not sure how healthy it is, but it worked for her taking her meds, if you need to pass it on. It's sold in the cooler section, by the packaged lunch meats. Of course it didn't work this AM, and I also bought cream cheese, so that's what I used for her pain med this morning. We are muddling through this, and "learning as we go", but all the suggestions and recommendations from here have helped a LOT. I truly appreciate the support. Amazinggrace, the Sling I have I got from the hospital, and the only info on it is "Four Flags Over Aspen, Inc." I'm assuming that's the name of the company that makes them. I found them online for you, they aren't that expensive. Here's the link Sweetie..: www.fourflags.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.3952/.f
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 10, 2013 8:04:50 GMT -7
Ok Ladies, now I'm confused as to when Angel will be off 100% crate rest, will it be from when she first went down, or from the date of her surgery? She is being such A Trooper, I'm so afraid when I take her out of the crate for PT, that she will give me a hard time about going back in, but she doesn't. I think it is harder on me, to put her back in. I do take that time to lay on the floor with her and get a little "cuddle" time in.. We have FINALLY found that Cream Cheese is our "miracle" when it comes to her taking her meds...Works everytime...Thank God..That was the most stressful time of my day. She is spending most of her time in the "carry" crate, since She can be closer to me in it, but I'm worried it may be too small for her to be spending so much time in there. It was the biggest I could find with a top opening, I was afraid we would be cramming her in one with a front door and possible hurting her. Not sure if I should try to get a bigger one since she spends so much time in this. Any opinions?
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,598
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 10, 2013 8:55:53 GMT -7
The date in the subject line tells us when she had surgery. I takes 6 weeks to let the surgical procedures to heal. Graduation day will be on May 14th
Ideally Angel should have enough room to turn around in her recovery suite. She should also be able to fully stretch out her legs too if she wants.
Sounds like things are finally settling into a nice routine with giving pain meds, PT, etc for you! Great to hear this. Often our pups take all of this so much better than we do.
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 10, 2013 9:22:35 GMT -7
Thank you Paula, yes...things ARE getting better and we could NOT have done it without the encouragement and support of the people here at DodgersList. I am truly grateful, for your time and patience with me. She is my Baby and I will do whatever I need to, to keep her safe. I have a list of questions for the Dr. When I talked to him after surgery, he said there were "several" discs involved, but I don't know how many he operated on. Guess I should of asked at the time, I was just so relieved that she was ok..Live and learn I guess.. Hate to ask... but has anyone heard from amazinggrace..getting worried about her..
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,598
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 10, 2013 9:41:27 GMT -7
This disease and our dogs teach us so much about ourselves...we have the strength and the abililty...at the beginning sometimes we just do not realize it. Now that you have found out you have the strength, please help new members having a difficult time know they can do it too!
Grace is probably just scooting and enjoying life so that is why we have not seen a post since Apr 7.
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 10, 2013 12:39:35 GMT -7
Thank you Paula..I have been helping some newbies out...as much as I can at least.. Time for PT, then snuggle time..
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 12, 2013 7:08:42 GMT -7
Yesterday was a scary day for me...Angel didn't eat well and she literally slept ALL day...I was worried.. When taking her out to potty in the yard, she wants to take off after things, how do I stop that??? She has been good about it, but the better she gets to feeling, I think it will become a BIGGER problem..Please advise... She is doing MUCH better today, eating better, and resting well..We almost had another fight yesterday between her and her sister...OMGosh...what am I gonna do???
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 12, 2013 8:15:51 GMT -7
Hi Debbie! When they start to feeling better that's when they get to be a handful. They try to do too much. When you take her outside it might be best to set up a ex pen enclosure. We bought one for Tyler when he was a pup and it's has come in handy many times. In the house, I use it as his recovery suite. I just arrange it smaller. It's very portable and easy to carry and it can be set up as big or as small as you want it. There are several different types shown at this link. www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3263937&sr=1&origkw=ex%20pen&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/NoWhat you are dealing with Angel and her sister happens with pack dynamics. The sick or injured dog becomes defensive and feel they have to act tough to protect themselves and the other pet in the household senses the weakness of the other. No matter what their previous relationship was, the dynamics in the pack has changed and the stronger, healthy one can or will attack the weaker member of the pack. All I can say is keep them from having contact while Angel is in recovery mode and afterwards only allow them together when supervised so you can step in at at the first sign of conflict. Hope today is a better day!
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 12, 2013 11:12:19 GMT -7
Thank you Pauliana, it's heartbreaking to see them want to go at each other. And I do have an Ex Pen, it's one of her recovery suites, although she doesn't seem to like it, an spends most of her time in the crate, on the couch by me.
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 12, 2013 14:32:50 GMT -7
Debbie, I know it is heartbreaking to see the change in their relationship. Lets just hope as he feels better the conflict will ease up. I am just wondering if it would help you to use some calmers with the two of them. That might help mellow them out. Check out some mild calmers, such as using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser seems to work best. It takes several days for these to start working Farnum's Comfort Zone with D.A.P. www.petcomfortzone.com/ [pheromone diffuser] with one oral calmer from below: 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 or tinyurl.com/atxc8l3 2. Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine.
www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=900780060[Composure] 3. Rescue Remedy is a liquid herb combo to help with relaxation Before Tyler had his IVDD episode he absolutely loved his puppies that live next door. He and his mate Susie and puppies Cannon and Lulu had the sweetest family relationship. After Tyler turned 2 he had his first slight episode of IVDD, at the time we thought it was Patellar Luxation but now we know different. Cannon and Lulu sensed the change and became aggressive to him. From then on they could only see each other through the fence, not up close and personal. I was very sad about that and so was our neighbor. Now that we live at our river house, he only sees them once a week. He still loves them and wants to see them through the fence. If we had known about the IVDD before we bred him, we wouldn't have done so. Thankfully their mother has no IVDD in her line and we hope they take after her. So far so good. Our neighbor is aware and we have given her Dodgerslist informational pamphlets and she kept in touch with us all through Tyler's recovery. Hope this helps!
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 13, 2013 8:52:10 GMT -7
Thank you Pauliana, you are such a comfort to me. When I click the link in #2, I get an error message.. :/ As a matter of fact, I can't get anywhere with these links, am I doing something wrong? Not very good with the computer, but I'm getting a 404 message. And where do I get Rescue Remedy? [NOTE: the link to Composure Soft Chews has been corrected: www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=900780060 ] Note: here is the new Comfort Zone link for the Pheromone diffuser www.petcomfortzone.com/dogs.html
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 13, 2013 10:55:18 GMT -7
Camping season is upon us, Oh how I would just LOVE to escape..
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Post by Jeff & Penelope on Apr 13, 2013 10:59:05 GMT -7
I'm feeling your pain right now. Penelope just had surgery Tuesday and it's not easy. She's 6 1/2 and I have had her since she was a pup and was there when she whelped a liter. She has been right by my side through a lot of tough times. I just want to help her so much, as she helped me. Keep looking for something positive every day with angel. I've been trying to do that with Penelope and it does help, a little. Hang in there.
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 13, 2013 13:45:26 GMT -7
Thank you, Penelope is BEAUTIFUL..Many hugs and prayers coming your way..
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 13, 2013 13:57:45 GMT -7
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 14, 2013 6:48:36 GMT -7
Thank you Pauliana, I will look into those. Angel goes in Tuesday for staple removal, I have some questions for them. When they operated they said "Several disc were involved", but I'm not sure what exactly they did. I was overwhelmed at the time, and just happy she was OK. I'm gonna see if they recommend supplements or if I should ask my regular vet. I'm wondering if they will continue her pain meds? I think she still needs them. Is there anything else I need to ask, they are 45 mins away from us, so I'm trying to cover all bases. Angel has been such a Trooper through all this, I am so proud of her. We have a camp in WVA, and have already been making plans on how to make it "back friendly" although it will be a challenge inside the camper.
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 14, 2013 13:30:54 GMT -7
Hi Debbie,
Did they send you home with paperwork when they discharged Angel? You might find the info about her surgery in the paperwork. Tyler's paperwork had the name of the surgery, which disc was involved, every drug that was used during his surgery and his stay and the dosage. It was very detailed. If there is no info on the paperwork then you can ask them for more details in writing so you have it for her records. I have a file on all of Tyler veterinary records, so I can refer back to them if the need warrants.
Angel will be relieved to have the staples out. They will evaluate her pain levels and how she's has been healing. Tell them you believe she still needs pain medication and share with them how her general condition is now 12 days after surgery. As an update what is she currently taking and the dosages and times you are giving them?
Keep up all the great care you are giving her!
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 15, 2013 8:24:03 GMT -7
Hi Pauliana, she is currently taking: Carprofen 0.25 caplet twice a day 9AM & 9PM Pepcid 10mg 1/2 tab twice daily 8:30AM &8:30PM Tramadol dose is 50mg tab,give 1/4 7AM, 3PM & 11PM Every now and then, when I take her to potty, she'll be shivering, I'm not sure if she's cold or in pain and it worries me, I don't want her in pain. She doesn't shiver long after coming back inside, but it isn't cold outside. So I'm hoping they are understanding of my concerns. *Pauliana, I looked at her papers, this is what I found: Spine rads: Narrowed disc spaces T11-12, T12-13, T13-L1. Mineralized disc spaces L1-2, L6-7 If this makes sense to you PLEASE explain, It sounds BAD to me..
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 16, 2013 20:38:38 GMT -7
Hi Debbie,
Angel might be shivering outside because she feels vulnerable out there especially since she stops when she comes inside. I know shivering is one of the pain signs but sometimes they shiver for other reasons like when they feel uneasy about something.. I am sure they understood your concerns.
Did she have her staples out today. How did it go? Did they explain her surgery to you in more detail? I was offline most of the day yesterday due to having company..
Pauliana
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 17, 2013 6:23:03 GMT -7
Hi Pauliana, Yes, staples are out, the DR said she is doing VERY well as compared to when he did her first Neuro exam. He did show us MRI, and explain surgery, but it's all dutch to me. I told him we were following DodgersList recommendations and she would be on crate rest for another 4 weeks, he said that was fine, but if I wanted to start short leash walks around May 1st, that would be ok too. She goes back on May 20th. I was pleased to find out that after surgery, they do not charge for 1 YR, if anything should come up, pertaining to her back, just need to go out there.. They did give me another 2 weeks of meds, Carprofen 0.25 caplet twice a day 9AM & 9PM Tramadol dose is 50mg tab,give 1/4 7AM, 3PM & 11PMand said when I felt comfortable I could start to taper off to see how she does..When do you think? She had surgery on the 2nd of April?
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 17, 2013 11:46:14 GMT -7
Hi Debbie! Since they gave you two more weeks of medications, and said "when you feel comfortable" to try tapering, I would try starting next Tuesday. That gives her another week on medications (Are you still using Pepcid AC?) You would still have another week worth of medications to be begin the taper. Did they give you instructions on how they wanted you to begin the taper? If not call and ask them.. If she acts in pain during the taper that is a signal to go back to the doses she was taking and let the Vet know. The taper can begin again later. Here is a link to information on Calcified (mineralized) Discs that explains more about narrowed and mineralized discs. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CalcifiedDiscs.htm I am so glad she is making great progress and that they will not charge for additional back issues for one year. That's a great guarantee!
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 17, 2013 11:51:06 GMT -7
Yes, they gave me many options to taper, just not sure what to do..One was to cut back to Tramadol in the AM and Carprofen in the PM, other was to do Tramadol Am & Pm and Carprofen about 3 Pm, so confused. Yes, still doing Pepcid..
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Post by Pauliana on Apr 17, 2013 12:04:02 GMT -7
Try Tramadol AM and PM and Carprofen at 3 pm to start with and see how Angel responds..
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Deborah & Angel
Helpful Member
No current back issues... Living Life.. <3
Posts: 294
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Post by Deborah & Angel on Apr 18, 2013 4:20:09 GMT -7
Should I wait till next week, or start this now? I really appreciate all your help and patience..
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