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Post by Shannon & Dollie on Apr 22, 2014 18:15:58 GMT -7
Howdy all. My name is Shannon and my mini dachshund, Dollie, slipped a disc this past weekend. She weighs
8 pounds
Dexamathasone .25mg twice a day. She is also on
Pepcid 10mg once a day.
I believe she is Stage IV since I've looked around this site and made the connections between her symptoms and the stages.
Her story is this--she was given to us two years ago when her original owner passed away. She is approximately 6 years old but we aren't sure really. She has been healthy and active up until now. Our biggest challenge was keeping weight on her as she loves to run out back and chase things. Thursday of this past week, she yelped at one point when I picked her up. I was surprised so I left her alone and didn't pick her up and play with her thinking she might be sore from something. Friday she was fine. Saturday we were gone all day but when we got home, she wobbled out kinda funny--it concerned me but I had no idea what IVDD was so I wasn't alarmed. Sunday though I knew something was wrong. She was completely dragging her back legs and lost bladder control. First thing Monday morning I had her into our local vet's office. He gave her IV steroids and an anti-inflammatory (although I'm not sure if those are two separate things or one). I picked her up at the end of the day and have crated her and not taken her out except to potty. She has started to wag her tail some today and hasn't had an accident in her crate but has urinated outside when I've set her down.
I have to take her back in the morning for a follow up but I don't know what to ask or if there are more meds she should be on. Also, is her progress good?
And, why can't she sit in our laps while we're watching tv or being still? I'm not trying to be rebellious; I just want to know why that's bad. I feel so sorry for her in her kennel and I know this is just the beginning.
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 22, 2014 19:12:22 GMT -7
Shannon, welcome to Dodgerslist. Glad you have done some reading and hope you will pursue a full IVDD 101 course over on our main web page. Self education with this disease is critical. Knowledge is to make sure the right things are being done for best recovery. And for yourself, knowledge lets you step out of a very scary place…"the unknown" and the toll it takes on your emotions. Get ready to fight this disease with this current episode and in the future by knowing all things IVDD. There is no better place to start than with "Overview: the essentials" and then read all you can as soon as possible in the next couple of days. Here's the link www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htmPlease check on the exact name of the IV steroid and the exact name of the anti-inflammatory. Good background reading so that you are in a position to protect Dollie if contraindicated meds were used so that it does not happen again. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingsweling.htmGood new on neuro functions returning of happy tail wag and urinating outdoors. Does she sniff an old pee spot and then reslease urine when outdoors? -- What was the date you saw the vet and 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for this current disc episode? I guessed it was 4/19 -- Is there still currently pain - shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy, not her normal perky self? We do not tolerate any pain and it is typical to have pain meds on board because a disc episode is a painful thing. If you are seeing any hint of pain, strongly advocate asap to get meds on board. Background reading to be able to discuss pain meds: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpain.htm-- Dex is notorious in the medical community for the damage it can do to the GI tract Anti-inflammatories (steroids or NSAIDs can increase GI tract damage. Phrase the question to your vet this particular way:" Is there a medical/health reason my dog may not take Pepcid?" If there is no reason, we follow vets who are proactive in stomach protection by giving doxies 5mg Pepcid (famotidine) 30 minutes before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours. This directory very good for learning about each of your dog's meds: www.marvistavet.com/html/pharmacy_center.htm -- Eating and drinking OK? How are poops today- normal color and firmness, no dark or bright red blood? -- Currently can Dollie wobbly walk? move the legs at all? -- Do you find leaks on you when lifting her up? -- If there is pain or neuro diminishment, dogs can benefit greatly with acupuncture or laser light therapy. These therapies can be be started right away to help relieve pain and to also to kick start energy production in nerve cells to sprout. So if this therapy is in your budget, seek out a holistic vet. ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html www.serenityvetacupuncture.com/index.php/faq_/ [one vet's overview/prices] Chiropractic is not recommended for IVDD dogs. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty for a full 8 weeks means …. no laps, no couch, no sleeping in bed with you, no meandering, scooting or dragging around during potty times. No baths, no chiro (aka VOM). In other words do everything you can to limit the vertebrae in the back from moving and putting pressure on the bad disc. The crate is the only surface that is firm, supportive for the spine, not inclining, always horizontal and keeps a dog from darting off at a TV doorbell and safe from other pets and kids from bothering them. We have seen way too many unsuspecting pet owners heartbroken because they did not expect in a blink of an eye their dog would (fill in the blank here). We need to be one step ahead of these little ones in providing safety while healing, put off our own needs to have them on our laps until off of crate rest. Every 3-4 hours when you carry Dollie to and from the potty place, give her lots of kisses and sweet talk. The rest of the details of doing crate rest to ensure the best recovery in this excellent document: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm Never give up, stay focused, stay postitive and stay strong! You and Dollie will get through this bump in the road of life. |
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Post by Shannon & Dollie on Apr 24, 2014 8:58:13 GMT -7
Sunday, the 20th is when she lost all function of her legs but Saturday I noticed trouble so the 19th is correct for the day it started. Strict crate rest began Monday, the 21st and will continue for 8 weeks no doubt. I'm a little ocd about the crate rest because I know it's best for her. Also, I fully understand the no lap thing too because she wants to jump and bark at every little thing. Stinker. She is not in pain that I can tell--no shivering or hardened tummy. She is on pepsid ac since Monday. She is pottying outside when I take her out. She does not dribble on me anymore when I pick her up. She urinates right away as soon as I put her down but she waits to poop until she sniffs around awhile.  She is trying to use her back legs but her paws turn under. Her upper legs are picking up though now but she does wobble from side to side. I have been using a sort of sling on her to keep her from going side to side when she potties. It's just an old jump rope I put around her lower tummy to keep her from falling when she poops. She's got the pee stance down without trouble but when she poops she tends to fall to the left. I would love to do acupuncture or laser light therapy but there isn't a doctor here locally that does that. I'm in Texas. Thank you so much for your help. I was a crying wreck until I found this site and found some hope for her. |
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Post by Sherry Layman on Apr 24, 2014 9:22:48 GMT -7
It sounds like things are moving in the right direction, this is great news! Keep in mind that healing is a slow process so do not get discouraged. Sometimes we see some big progress such as you've seen and then no more improvement for a period of time...it will feel like eternity. There is no calendar, no chart for healing time. The body heals of it's own accord. Patience is key. The sling is perfect and necessary. I suspect the old jump rope is not abrasive and also does not get in the way of her doing her business so I'm sure it works great. Here is a link to our page with pictures on how to use the sling just to be sure you are getting it right. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingdisc.htmThe wobbliness and paws turning under, called knuckling, should improve in time. Again, no calendar for the timing of healing or return of normal function. But with the progress she's made so far I have great thoughts about a full recovery! I'm glad you are OCD about the crate rest. It's THE ONE most important thing you can do give that disc a chance to heal. What area of Texas are you located? We may be able to help you locate a vet that does acupuncture. Hang in there and keep us posted! You're doing a great job!!! |
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Post by Shannon & Dollie on Apr 25, 2014 16:42:05 GMT -7
Dollie chewed her way out of her playpen today and met my hubbie at the door when he got home from work! Stinker girl! So, no more playpen for her--we have a hard plastic crate but it's so small she can't turn around in it. We have a wire crate but it's huge. We're going to figure out a way to divide the wire crate, I guess. Needless to say, she's doing really well. She's still knuckling and falling over to the left when she walks but she's got her spunk back. I wish there was a way to shore up the sides of the playpen. It's much easier to pick her up from the top than getting her out of the side of a kennel. Today is day 4 of dexamathasone. Tomorrow I reduce to once a day. Do dogs regress when their steroids are reduced? About an acupuncture vet, I live in Corpus Christi, TX. My vet said there isn't one in our area. Can I do my own light therapy?  |
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 25, 2014 17:57:22 GMT -7
Using a laser with enough power to reach down to the area of interest requires what most say needs to be 680 nm at least. Also training to use the laser properly would be important. A holistic vet would likely either do acupuncture or laser light therapy. You can look in the yellow pages for a holitic vet, a vet certified in pet acupuncture, and also check these directories: a vet certified in pet acupuncture. ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html [holistic vets] www.aava.org/php/aava_blog/aava-directory/ [AAVA (American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture] www.ivas.org/ [IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society] Check out this nice tip with how to photos on converting a wire crate to a top opening one. On our main web site use the search box and type in "convert a crate" It is important to know what action to take, what to monitor for on a taper of a steroid. Using that search box just type in "taper steroid". I would call the vet so you have a plan B tomorrow incase there is pain during the night or weekends when your vet is closed to save an expensive ER trip. Please let us know, too, if you see ANY hint of pain" shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant to move much or slow to move, tight tense tummy, head held high or nose to the ground, not normal perky self. We have our fingers crossed for a smooth taper off of Dex. |
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Andi & Frankie
New Member
Surgery Dec '12; Conservative 04/19/2014
Posts: 9 
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Post by Andi & Frankie on Apr 26, 2014 10:29:34 GMT -7
Shannon...where in Texas are you? I am in the DFW area and know of a vet that has laser therapy.
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Post by Shannon & Dollie on Apr 29, 2014 17:20:34 GMT -7
Howdy all. I live in Corpus Christi so I'm waaayyy south. My Dollie girl is continuing to improve. We were at the vet yesterday and he doesn't need to see us for 2 weeks. Praise God! I'm, of course, still crating Dollie 24/7 but she has learned real quick that is she goes potty too quickly, she goes back in too quickly. So, she has started to sniff around, walk a little, tinkle first, then walk around again before going poop. I'm thinking she's slow on purpose so that she can spend more time outside her kennel. She wags her tail 90 to nothin' too loving every minute of her freedom. I still have a sling on her though every time we go out so that she doesn't take off running. She can't run per se, but she certainly can get going fast and then her back end bounces. I know this because I let my 10 year old take her out and before my daughter could get the sling on Dollie, she bolted! Stinker. |
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Post by Hester & Hope+Dashel on Apr 29, 2014 19:08:39 GMT -7
My dad always calls my dogs stinkers. ha ha.
My first dog Oscar had an IVDD episode when I was 18 (just a feewwww years ago now), and we used to keep him in a playpen at first, and he did the same thing Dollie did, chewed through it and escaped. I was just telling my husband about it 5 minutes before I read your post! He always slept with me, and after his surgery, we put him in the playpen in my parents' room, and he hated it, chewed through it and woke me up barking at the side of my bed like "Hey! Lift me up! I want to sleep with you!" I wish Dodgers List existed back then, because he hurt himself again, and my parents made the decision to euthanize him - they didn't know what we know now!
Can you buy some of those garden fence little things from the dollar store or something to build her an area outside so she doesn't squirt away from you? Or they sell those pens that are an octagon shaped fence, but they're more expensive. We're glad that we invested in a crate that was the right size for Axel, who had an IVDD episode last summer, because now Hope needs it. At least we were prepared with everything this time.
The knuckling over does get better, Axel had that last year, and now he's walking normally. Oscar, my first weenie, had that too, but he had surgery and never regained the use of his legs and we noticed he would get scrapes across his back knuckles, and bleed, and he wouldn't even notice, so just keep an eye out that she doesn't hurt herself and not even notice it.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 30, 2014 7:46:27 GMT -7
Hester has made an excellent suggestion to protect Dollie from herself. She is going is SUCH a good direction of healing, you do want to ensure there are no setbacks. At pottytime a sling is not enough. A harness + leash + sling would be needed to control speed and avoid darting off while you stand in one spot to limit foot steps. But as Hester suggested what works even better is setting up a 6 foot diameter fenced area. Poke in the ground garden edging fence or an ex-pen in the grass to form a 6 foot diameter will let Dollie know with the visible and physical barrier there is not going to be any sniff fests going on.  Also you may wish to turn your recovery suite into a top opening one. That way Dollie can be lifted up eliminating any chance to bold from an open door. Here is Michelle's tip for the conversion: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies/cratetopconvert.pdf |
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She is trying to use her back legs but her paws turn under. Her upper legs are picking up though now but she does wobble from side to side. I have been using a sort of sling on her to keep her from going side to side when she potties. It's just an old jump rope I put around her lower tummy to keep her from falling when she poops. She's got the pee stance down without trouble but when she poops she tends to fall to the left.
