ally
New Member
Posts: 13 
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Post by ally on Jun 8, 2013 5:44:12 GMT -7
Stewy is doing a little better. He was able to drop the tramadol, but is on the prednisone, robaxin, and gabapentin. He seems like he is in less and less pain. He is no longer lying on his side all the time. He lies on his belly now sometimes with his head up. No bladder or bowel control yet. No tail wag, and no pain perception I can find. He is much happier, although totally unimpressed with his crate. When he is out of the crate he wants to drag himself, so now he is never out of his crate. Originally he didn't want to move at all, so this is an improvement. He eats and drinks on his own now while lying on his belly. He hasn't tried sitting up yet that I have seen.
I calls the vet mentioned above and was told she was in vacation. The receptionist could not confirm if she had any experience with extreme cases of ivdd. I will call back and try again when she is back. I don't want to take him anywhere just yet, for fear of hurting him.
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Post by Sherry Layman on Jun 8, 2013 5:58:04 GMT -7
I'm so glad Stewy is feeling better.
Deep pain perception detection is a fine art, most general vets are not even experienced enough to make a definite determination and it takes a neuro specialist to make the offical diagnosis of it's precense or absence. In light of that information I am not surprised that you cannot detect pain perception and we do not recommend that you check for it at all.
Remember that healing is a very slow process and you won't see improvements daily. Healing is occurring inside Stewy as he rests and the medications do their job. Only after time has passed will you very slowly start to see small signs of improvement. By time I mean weeks or even potentially months, this really is a process of patience.
The fact that Stewy was dragging himself when out of his crate could have delayed the start of healing and also markedly contributed to his pain as this was hard on his back. I'm glad that you are no longer allowing him to continue this activity. 100% strict crate rest is the only way Stewy can rest his back and begin to heal, anything less only continues to aggravate the disc putting pressure on the spinal cord resulting in the paralysis and pain.
Please do keep us posted on how things are going.
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Post by Linda Stowe on Jun 8, 2013 6:34:24 GMT -7
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ally
New Member
Posts: 13
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Post by ally on Jun 9, 2013 6:06:47 GMT -7
Stewy is moving around his crate a lot. Now that he is feeling better he just doesn't want to be still!
Upto Friday he had never moved an inch so we had him sequestered in a 3x3 space. He moved only once, then went directly into his crate. Now that he is in his crate he is very active, but it is small and he can't do anything but turn around.
Should we sedate him?! Or let him get used to it first?
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Post by Sherry Layman on Jun 9, 2013 7:22:18 GMT -7
When you say he is moving what exactly is he doing?
If he is particularly restless it could be he is having trouble getting comfortable. If this is the case and he is in pain you need to notify the vet right away. Consider also what you have as bedding in the crate.
If he is agitated because of being in the crate then calming remedies should be considered along with behavior modification...you need to absolutely ignore him when he's acting up as dogs see any type of attention as a reward, when he's lying quietly tell him he's a good dog but as soon as he's acting up again ignore him or even leave the room. It can take a few days but he will eventually learn what is expected of him. In the meantime getting him calm using herbal calming remedies sold at pet stores or medication from the vet may be necessary.
Since you are the only one observing him you'll have to make the judgement call on this one...is it pain or behavior. Either way it needs to be remedied so he can continue to heal.
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ally
New Member
Posts: 13
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Post by ally on Jun 9, 2013 14:44:03 GMT -7
He is pawing the crate door, turning around, pawing his blankets, knocking his food dish around,etc.
I don't think it is pain, he is not shaking or crying and seems quite happy when I go see him.
I will look for some herbals!
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 9, 2013 15:46:58 GMT -7
Using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser seems to work best from many of our members' feedback. It takes several days for these to start working - it isn't immediate but they are a much better option if you can avoid heavy duty prescription sedatives. Of course always keep your vet in the loop on all things you give your dog. Farnum's Comfort Zone with D.A.P. www.petcomfortzone.com/dogs.html [pheromone diffuser] with one oral calmer from below: Oral calmers: 1) ANXITANE® S chewable tabs contain 50 mg L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm, relaxed www.virbacvet.com/products/detail/anxitane-l-theanine-chewable-tablets/behavioral-health 2) Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine. www.vetriscience.com/composure-soft-dogs-MD-LD.php [Composure] 3) Rescue Remedy is a liquid herb combo to help with relaxation www.bachrescueremedypet.com Plain Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) with no additional medications added. Buy at your grocery store or pharmacy. Get the dosage from your vet. The wrong dose can have dangerous side effects, so your vet needs to prescribe the proper amount for your dog. Other brands may be available in your area… just shop by the active ingredient(s) on the label. |
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Post by Linda Stowe on Jun 9, 2013 18:34:57 GMT -7
I just heard from Carolyn. She saw Dr. Caines today and she will be back in the office tomorrow if you still want to see her.
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