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Post by charlyyjo on May 12, 2013 7:34:00 GMT -7
Chipper is my 7 year old male dachshund. He had a ruptured disc 2yrs ago and made a full recovery with crate rest and meds. Last Wednesday May 8th it happened all over again only this time he doesn't have much control over his bladder and he has not gone poop since Wednesday. I have been giving him mineral oil and canned pumpkin..which he isn't too fond of. He has a good appetite and has been drinking water. He doesn't act like he is in pain or needs to poop..is this normal? And how lo ng can he go w/o pooping? I am really concerned..if anyone else has experienced this I would love some feedback to ease my mind. Chipper is back on crate rest and meds. Concerned he won't regain cont of his bladder  |
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Post by Pauliana on May 12, 2013 10:59:23 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist CharlyJo! It's not unusual for dogs to be constipated while on the medications for IVDD. Please don't use mineral oil. Are you using plain pumpkin? The best thing to do is add water to the pumpkin and mix it in with his dry food or canned food. In order to help you better, what medications is Chipper on and what are the dosages and frequencies given? If he is on any time of NSAID or Steroid he needs also to be Pepcid AC unless there is a medical reason not to be.. After the swelling and inflammation is down, you will be better able to see what functions Chipper will get back. It's too soon now to worry he won't get bladder control back, so concentrate on the early part of his recovery for now.. There is lots of hope, so keep that in your mind and heart right now. Chipper will be ok with your good care.. Here is a link to our website, it's had changes over the years.. www.dodgerslist.com/ |
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Post by charlyyjo on May 12, 2013 13:57:34 GMT -7
Thank you for your response. Chipper is on 05mg of prednisone twice a day. He wil go down to 1 tablet once a day this Thursday. He was also taking 25mg of tramadol every 12hr for pain. He didn't have any pain meds yesterday or today as he is resting comfortably in his crate. My vet told me to give him 1tsp of mineral oil twice a day to help him go. I have been mixing plain pumpkin with a bit of boiled pieces of chicken breast otherwise he won't eat it. My biggest concern right now is no bowel movement for four days..since he went down on Wednesday. How long do I let him go before it becomes a concern?
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Post by charlyyjo on May 12, 2013 13:58:38 GMT -7
Forgot to mention he is also taking Pepcid..1/2 a tablet once a day
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Post by natureluva on May 12, 2013 16:30:57 GMT -7
Hi there, are you expressing Chipper's bladder for him since you indicate he does not have bladder control? When a dog loses bladder control due to nerve injury, it is necessary to manually express the bladder for him 4 to 6 times per day until control returns. Please ask your vet for a HANDS-ON demonstration on how to express Chipper's bladder asap and watch our video here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm Expressing is easy, but takes practice. Signs of loss of bladder control are accidents in the crate or urine squirting out when the dog is picked up. If a dog's bladder is not manually expressed, it will fill up to capacity and overflow by reflex (hence the accidents in the crate). The danger in this is over time the bladder will lose its tone and urinary tract infections can quickly develop. Therefore, please do get an expressing lesson (and take another family member or friend with you so they can learn too) asap. As you will see on our expressing video, poop can also be expressed to avoid accidents. It is very common for pups on IVDD meds to become constipated. My dog didn't poop for 5 days after his disc injury. Do try mixing 1 teaspoon of pumpkin in with his meals and increase his water intake. Glad you are giving the Pepcid 30 minutes before each dose of prednisone. When you are tapering the prednisone is the time to watch for a return of pain. If pain returns upon the taper, then the prednisone is not done doing its job of reducing inflammation. If this is the case, call your vet so he/she can prescribe a longer course of prednisone. 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/ Lastly, remember that the most important part of conservative crate rest is the 8 weeks of strict crate rest. It is time and minimized movement of the spine that heal the disc, while the meds mask the symptoms. We look forward to your next update. Best wishes, ~Lisa |
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