Devon's Bonnie 5/17 conservative shih tzu Canada

Oh my, what a little bugger she is. You can also make a full or partial ceiling for the ex-pen with holes punched around edge of cardboard and some twisty ties. The cardboard can be attached low enough so that Bonnie may only stand. HOpe the blanket idea will work if you have draped it over the edge…with the idea she can't see anything if she intends to rise up higher than sitting on her butt height.

The little dickens!! You can sure tell when they are feeling better!

Hi Devon,

Very glad to hear of Bonnie's improved walking and that she is resting quietly in her recovery suite.  Happy the cardboard and blanket over the top worked!  

Let us know what her Vet says on Monday about the Metacam!

I usually left the harness on all day and removed it at night to give him a little break.

So good to hear she's improving!!!

No meds and all is well! She so wants to walk now....but i have told her only a few steps at potty time. She does her best to comply, I didn't mention that there are 6 more weeks of compliance required.
I am so pleased with her progress, thanks Dodger's List.

It has been 3 weeks and I thought I would update Bonnie's progress. She is doing great, Her walking is less wobbly everyday and she is coping with the crate rest very well.

As we have now reached the half way point it is time for another update on Bonnie's progress.All is well, when she walks at potty time she is just a little pigeon toed in her back end, I am not sure if that is from lack of use or nerve damage....time will tell I guess. I am still using the sling and harness for stability and control and she is quite happy to just do her business and go back to her suite. She seems to like it so much that I wonder if she will want to have her freedom back

Hi Devon,

My Tyler is a Shih Tzu also and he graduated crate rest on March 11th so I think I can be of help to you in how to handle after crate rest life..  First off, stairs are off limits from now on for Tyler and it is a good idea to avoid stairs for all IVDD dogs. To this day we still carry him downstairs and upstairs. Ramps are wonderful for IVDD dogs and if you have a handy person in the family, they can be made and if not they are available online and at pet shops.   We let him walk to his potty spot as it wasn't far away but gradually added a couple of minutes to his walk every couple of days and observed him for pain or other reactions to increased walking. If he seemed to do well with the increase, we added another minute or two.. and so on until he was comfortably walking a longer distance.

 In the early days after his crate rest we put him in his recovery suite when we left the house for short times but when we were home to supervise he was with us in the living room or office.  He still sleeps in his sleeping crate in our bedroom, as he  has since he was a puppy. He loves his crate and views it as his special place for rest and quiet and he walks in and out of it at will and the same with his recovery suite that is a bit larger and in the living room.  

As for grooming, I was a nervous wreck about that issue since we don't know how to groom other than bathing and brushing.  I did lots of local research and took him in to a highly recommended groomer. I  educated her about IVDD and how to pick him up, how to gauge for pain and left her Dodgerslist info. She took it all to heart and told me she was grateful since she grooms many Dachshunds and other IVDD prone breeds.  She amazed me with how well she handled Tyler and he came back feeling just fine.. She told me she gave him rest breaks during the grooming and while she kept him longer, I felt the rest breaks were needed and that was ok.. Since you will be grooming Bonnie yourself I would keep the rest breaks in mind,  and watch for Bonnie's reaction as you groom her and see how it goes. If she can't handle having it all done the first time, stop and try again later.. 

I hope this helps you!

I just realized that my problem is not so much as making a ramp for the outside stairs, but with getting Bonnie to use it when not on a leash.....

Hi Devon,

Glad Bonnie didn't mind being in her crate.. Tyler likes his crate too! I thank my lucky stars every single day for that blessing..

I see your problem about your outside stairs and not being practical for a ramp.  I would say to carry her  up and down those stairs.  Tyler knows he can't do the stairs and stops and looks up at us to help him and waits until we pick him up. 

As far as indoor or outdoor  ramps, it would take training to teach her to use them.. I am hoping some of our members that have had success with teaching their dog to use the ramp every time will chime in with their tips.

Great idea Devon!! 

Devon, I know many who have used Adequan and believe it was a help. I used it for one dog with a very mild case several years ago. There is no proof it works as the manufacturer has never done any research for IVDD with it. My older vet in IL used it and believed it work. When NSAIDS came out, Adequan, which is used for osteoarthritis has not been used as much.

It is a fairly safe drug, so if your vet agrees, I'd go ahead and try it.

One week left! Bonnie is doing great and I am getting ready for her rehab. I do not have access to physiotherapy so i am following the guidelines on Dodger's. Finger's crossed.

We're counting down with you - You're almost there! YAY Bonnie!