Tonya's Fancy 2/19 Surgery Yorkie

Welcome to Dodgerslist. My name's Marjorie - what's yours?

The improvements that you have seen indicate nerve healing, which is wonderful. She most definitely has deep pain sensation since she has movement in her legs. You are doing an excellent job with her - getting her the surgery she needs, acupuncture, laser and water therapy.

How often are you expressing Fancy? Are you getting a couple of good streams of urine each time? It took me quite awhile to get good enough at expressing that Jeremy remained dry in between. And I learned that I had to express him more often than is normally suggested. Leakage could mean that her bladder is not being completely emptied when expressing or not being expressed often enough. When the bladder fills up, reflex can cause it to overflow. Overflowing can stretch the bladder out of shape. Also, have you had her urine checked for a urinary tract infection recently? UTIs are common with incontinent dogs and can also cause leakage.

My Jeremy's legs also stiffened up when doing exercises. A lot of that has to do with return of sensation and nerves not connecting properly. Jeremy's reflexes were super sensitive and if I touched a ticklish spot, his leg would jerk out straight and stiff. Years after surgery, that still happens with him. When that occurs, try gently massaging the legs or use a warm towel to relax them. I found that a yoga mat was an excellent place to do his exercises as he didn't slip around as much.

I know it can be frustrating but hang in there, she's doing really well. It took my Jeremy six months after surgery before he was able to walk and he was walking before he wagged his tail. I still saw improvements over a year after surgery. IVDD is surely a disease of patience. Try to take it one day at a time. We can learn much from our dogs who live in the moment. Try to enjoy her as she is today, even if she can't walk. She's still your beloved Fancy. Believe me, I do know the frustrations that come with this disease, the fears, the sorrow and the longing for normalcy. But it does get better as time goes by.

We're here for you and Fancy. Prayers for a full recovery for Fancy.

Tonya, when a disc ruptures or herniates, it presses against nerves along the spine. Those nerves are damaged and/or die, causing the neuro deficits that you see (loss of bladder control and leg movement). So the nerves aren't connecting at all or are connecting poorly and the brain can't communicate properly with the tail, legs, bladder, bowels. You are doing all that you can do with the therapies you've provided that will help jump start the nerves to regenerate. Other than that, nerves can heal in time.

There is no timetable anyone can give you when to expect nerve repair to happen. In fact, there is no time limit for nerves to heal...it can take weeks, months or even a year or longer. However, it is known that neurological function usually returns in the reverse order of the damage. The first big sign you want to look for is that wonderful tail wag!

1. Deep Pain Sensation (Only correctly identified by a specialist.)
2. Tail wagging with joy at seeing you, getting a treat or due to your happy talk.
3. Bladder and bowel control proved by passing the "sniff and pee" test.
Take your dog out to an old pee spot in the grass. Let him sniff and then observe for release of urine.
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 placed paws.
6. Ability to walk unassisted and perhaps even run.

I would hold off on tickling Fancy's feet. You won't be able to tell if she has deep pain sensation by doing that - it could be reflex if she jerks away. She shouldn't be jerking her legs back as that can aggravate her back.

It's really according to your finances and her progress as to how long you continue with the PT. You can do exercises at home, once you clear them with the surgeon:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm

You can also do water therapy in the tub, again once you clear the exercises with the surgeon:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htm

You'll need to learn all that you can about IVDD so you are prepared to fight this disease. The best place to start learning is our main web page with "Overview: the essentials". Here's the link: www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm

Please keep us updated on Fancy's progress. It will be OK - you'll see.