|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 13, 2013 17:10:21 GMT -7
Why does my Dashy Rodney try to walk and stand on his paws bent at the ankles? Does this go away with time? He is 2 weeks post surgery.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pauliana on Apr 13, 2013 21:47:26 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist Angela? Would you give us some more information about Rodney such as the date of his surgery, his current medications and their dosages and times you are to give them? I hope you were instructed for Rodney's recovery to keep him in a crate 24/7 for 6 weeks, only out to potty. This will allow him to heal in safety and keep him from further injuring his discs and spine. Could he walk prior to surgery or after the surgery? Is he knuckling at the paws in the back or front? And is that a new symptom or has that been happening for a while? Have you discussed with your Vet?? If not you should ASAP. Please read through this link about the phases of healing. www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm to get up to speed about IVDD so you can be Rodney's advocate and captain of his health care team. The more you know about IVDD will empower you to make the right decisions regarding his care. Also if Rodney is being given Steroids or a NSAID he needs to be taking Pepcid AC 30 minutes prior to protect his stomach. We'll be better able to help you, if we have more details.. Thank you and sending healing wishes to Rodney! |
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 13, 2013 22:28:14 GMT -7
Hi. Rodney is today 2 weeks post surgery. He had a ruptured disc which was repaired as well as the 2 adjoining discs which had the nucleus removed. He can wee and go with his bowels. We carry him out and hold up his back legs in a sling when toileting.He always walks a little on his front legs to find an ideal toilet spot. He is happy, wags his tail and responds when we tickle between his toes.He was paralyzed before surgery and is still unable to walk. He is not on any medication.He is crated all the time, except when we do some exercises as recommended on your site. ie. hip exercise, knee exercise,ankle exercise and toe exercise.We do this 3 times a day. The surgeon said to do sit and stand exercises but we do not seem to be able to master this comfortably as when he stands supported, his backlegs always bend back at the ankles. I wonder if we are trying too hard and should just let him have complete crate rest except for toileting.
I have read everything I can find on your site but get confused with all the information. Some say do exercise, others not.
Please guide me in what exactly I should be doing. He is not due to go back for a checkup until 2 weeks time.
|
|
|
|
Post by natureluva on Apr 14, 2013 6:31:48 GMT -7
Hi Angela, I think what you are seeing with Rodney is what is called a lack of proprioception. When a dog has nerve damage, their paws can fold under them. This is also known as "knuckling." As the nerves heal, this can get better. Actually, it sounds like Rodney is doing quite well this soon after surgery - he already has bladder control and tail wagging ability. These are neurological functions that can be lost when the spinal cord is injured. So you should be very hopeful that Rodney will have a nice recovery. If you are not already getting it, we highly recommend acupuncture and laser light therapy for IVDD. They both stimulate the nerves to heal and reduce pain and inflammation, and acupuncture has the additional bonus of relaxing the dog. I firmly believe acupuncture helped my Goosie regain his bladder control more quickly, and his movements were stronger after his treatments. These treatments can begin asap, as long as you can safely transport your dog to and from the appointments (crated). You can ask your vet for a referral to a holistic vet that does acupuncture and laser light therapy, or you can search for one in your area here: www.holisticvetlist.com/ The exercises your surgeon prescribed sound typical for post-op dogs. My surgeon also prescribed those exercises, along with three five-minute sling walks per day. Post-op care usually entails six weeks of crate rest, but the dog is allowed out for potty breaks and whatever physical therapy is prescribed. Sounds like Rodney will be just fine! You're doing a great job. One suggestion I have for you is to order our dvd on IVDD. It costs only $3 including shipping. It is SO helpful to have on hand to show to your family, petsitters, etc., so they will know what they can and cannot do with Rodney: www.dodgerslist.com/store/DVDorder.htm Best wishes, ~Lisa |
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 14, 2013 14:46:56 GMT -7
Can the video and literature be sent to Australia? Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda Stowe on Apr 14, 2013 15:47:42 GMT -7
Sure, we have sent quite a few to Australia.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 18, 2013 23:27:20 GMT -7
Thank you. I have ordered literature and dvd for distribution. I realise that when Rodney comes out of the cage he will still drag his legs and have his paws bent. I do gentle exercises with him every day whilst crated. He has 3 weeks to go.
When he leaves the crate, do I just allow him to move as he sees fit, even though it may be on his paws? I will do swimming exercises but what else to help please?
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
|
Post by PaulaM on Apr 19, 2013 9:04:24 GMT -7
It is not a bad idea to start planning for Rodney's graduation day. After crate rest, you will want to slowly re-introduce physical activity, do some things to make your home back friendly... this series of article are right up your alley: www.dodgerslist.com/literature.htm#aftercrateThank you for helping us to educate in your country!! |
|
|
|
Post by Linda Stowe on Apr 19, 2013 14:41:42 GMT -7
Angela, DVD and literature went out a couple of days ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 22, 2013 3:57:41 GMT -7
Is it normal to have a sort of slight hump on back after surgery?
|
|
|
|
Post by Sally & Vinnie on Apr 22, 2013 6:00:46 GMT -7
Yes it is? Our Vinnie had a hump for about 3/4 weeks. He also had lost some symmetry of his body, however, that as all resolved itself. Wishing you the best for your pup!
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda Stowe on Apr 22, 2013 6:37:08 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Apr 23, 2013 0:00:40 GMT -7
Thank you again, your information and support is invaluable. Its great to know what others have experienced. It always sets my mind at ease.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on May 8, 2013 21:09:38 GMT -7
Well Rodney is now 6 weeks of crate rest and ready to come out. We will never leave him unsupervised and will crate him when we go out and at night. Do I still use a support when I take him out for toilet breaks? He tries to walk but wobbles to one side. We are doing water therapy daily. Not sure if I am supposed to let him try and walk unaided? He seems to have one leg stronger than the other which is why he falls to one side. What do I do now please? |
|
|
|
Post by natureluva on May 9, 2013 6:23:00 GMT -7
Hi Angela! Sounds like Rodney is doing great! Now that his 6 weeks of crate rest are over, here is a link to help you slowly reintroduce him into activities: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htm and here is a link to help you safeguard your home for the IVDD dog: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htm If he falls when he walks, then I would sling walk him until he is strong enough not to fall. In the home, he can scoot around if he likes. :-) Water therapy is excellent for strengthening the muscles. Are you doing water treadmill? Swimming is super for strengthening muscles as well. I put a well-fitted life jacket on my dog and tempted him around our pool with a treat or toy, and after a week, he was SO much stronger! Please let us know how things go with reintroducing Rodney into activities. Best wishes, ~Lisa |
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on May 11, 2013 22:27:40 GMT -7
Thanks. I am doing the water therapy with the life jacket as there are no water treadmill places anywhere close. He is showing daily improvement but I try not to overdo it. I only let him walk on grass or carpet as he slides on shiny floors like a novice ice skater. He has one back leg stronger than the other but I can see improvements. He is desperately trying to walk as well as he did before but he looks a little wobbly at the moment. Thanks for all your support.
|
|
|
|
Post by natureluva on May 12, 2013 6:10:19 GMT -7
Angela - thanks for the update on Rodney. He's doing very well! Keep up the great work with him. My dog, Goosie, can walk, but he also sometimes scoots on our hardwood floors. However, Rodney is WAY ahead of Goosie in terms of milestones in recovery. It took my dog 11 months after his surgery to walk again. SO - you should be very happy that Rodney is doing so well! Feel free to read through some of our Success Stories (my Goosie's story is there!) to get an idea of the different recovery rates of our IVDD pups: www.dodgerslist.com/monthstory.htmI wouldn't be surprised if Rodney keeps improving over time. Best wishes, ~Lisa |
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on May 31, 2013 3:28:06 GMT -7
Hi Thanks again.
Rodney now runs well but when walking is still quite wobbly. He is back to his usual self but as we have lots of stairs outside we still monitor him for toileting and outside activities. We have not walked him yet as we are waiting for him to be better with his gait. Whilst in hospital he lost 2kg which is a good thing as he was a little overweight at 9kg when he went in.This will also help his back. We compound him whenever we are not at home to ensure he is not tempted to jump on furniture. I have had a lot of trouble getting a good harness which supports his back so any information you have on where I could purchase one would be appreciated.
Its hard not to be paranoid about everything he does as we don't want him to have to go through another episode so I guess we are over cautious.
Thanks again for all your support,I would not have been able to get through this except for your advice and support.
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
|
Post by PaulaM on May 31, 2013 8:29:31 GMT -7
So glad to hear Rodney is back to feeling like himself and enjoying life. Congratulations on graduation!
I had to try several harnesses before I found one that fit each of my dogs... ended up with a different brand for each of them. So best is if you can try one on in a store. You want the neck part of the harness to sit on the boney structure of the shoulders not the weaker soft tissue of the throat. Any pulling should be against the strong upper chest/shoulder area. Here is a picture showing how a harness should sit on the shoulders and chest.
 |
|
|
|
Post by Mary & Rodney on Jun 17, 2013 15:26:26 GMT -7
Hi
Is it normal for the discs on the back where the operation was to be more pronounced ie bumpy. They have been like this from the beginning after the operation. Thanks
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
|
Post by PaulaM on Jun 17, 2013 21:29:15 GMT -7
The bumpy back is what my dog has, the vertebrae are more obvious. Since Rodney can walk, perhaps over time his back muscles will develop more with exercise.
|
|
