Julie's Nala 10/2016 Conservative + ongoing arthritis pain

It really would be best to wait until after crate rest is over, Julie. That extra week might be just what is necessary to build up enough scar tissue to protect the disc. Too much movement if the disc isn't completely healed yet and you'd be back to square one and that would be awful. Grooming is something that shouldn't be done while on conservative care. Transport is also a risk and only very, very necessary vet visits should be done during the 8 weeks.

My prayers are with little Nala, Julie. She's a lucky one to have you in her corner. We're all rooting for her and hope she does well after crate rest this time. Blessings to you both.

Yes indeed no more episodes for Nala.   I wish you both all the best and a well earned happily ever after!  

Thank you for helping out on the forum, Julie!  

Tyler sends good luck wishes!!  

You are so welcome, Julie!  Tyler is doing very well.. hoping to keep him episode free for a change too!  LOL

Congrats on all 8 weeks!!! You did it with Nala. Now you know the routine...a slow incremental introduction back to family life over the course of several weeks. Keep us posted how it goes.

Nala is doing really well with her recovery. She'd spending part of her time out of her pack and play supervised, and when I'm at work is in it. She has full mobility and seems like a happy dog. Am working on getting the weight off that she gained while on crate rest but we'll take it slowly. Thanks for all of the help and support.

Nala went to the groomer today. She looked like a little wooly sheep before. Now she's back to being a shih-tzu! Nice to get back to normal life.

Nala is enjoying reclaiming her dog bed from the cats and snuggling up in her warm blankets! She will be 12 on Christmas. Blessed holiday to everyone. Thank you for all of your help!!

Julie, may all in your house have a wonderful Christmas holiday. You have taken such good care of Nala and even taking time to support so many others on the Forum. Thank you and Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Wonderful news, Julie! She's a gutsy little girl for sure.

Hope the New Year will bring lots of continued health for Nala and snuggly sleeping on cold winter nights with Nala.

Sounds like we'll need a new picture of Nala's svelte body now that she is down to 13 pounds!

I posted a while ago but it doesn't come up as new so I'm not sure if it's been noticed. Thanks.

Julie, sorry we missed your first post, glad that you reposted so it would catch our attention.

Nala just may not be taking in enough water. It looks like for a 13 pound dog, more like one cup to 2 cups of water would be more normal. That water intake will include moisture in food plus what she drinks on her own.

Because Nala is a senior don't know if she has heart problems where water should not be pushed on them., so do mention the water intake with your vet and see if he agrees if you might be able to encourage her drink more. More, that is if you are finding she is not drinking from the water bowls she has access to. Maybe adding some no salt/no fat broth for her to lap up. You know the kind you make yourself..... boil up a hamburger patty or a piece of chicken. Discard the fat disc that forms at the top when cooled. One teaspoon of the meat could be added to a meal as extra nutrition without throwing the nutriional balance of the kibble.

Some UTIs just do not have any symptoms we can observe for. That is why a urinalysis would be used to verify an infection or not.

First wipe the genitals with a disinfectant wipe. With the free catch you want to get the urine flow going first to get rid of contaminated urine. Then catch some of that stream in a clean sterilized container (a little bleach & hot water sitting for 10 min, rinse and let dry). The urinalysis should be run within a couple of hours of the "catch. The most accurate results are derived from quick analysis soon (60 minutes) after collection. It may be best to take Nala in and have the vet or vet tech help you secure a fresh urine sample for the test. It is tricky to get a sample when you are all by yourself.

Mar Vista Vets explain more about the urinalysis and a urine culture. www.marvistavet.com/urinary-tract-infection.pml

Have you tried using broth to encourage her to drink?  Here are ways to make a tasty lo-cal, no-salt meat broth.

Making broth yourself is better nutrition than the store bought which very likely contains onion. Onions and Dogs: A Lethal Combination
---Simply boil up a hamburger patty or a bone with meat on it in about a cup of water, cool & toss the fat disc, trash all cooked bones.
--- Boil some chicken parts. cool, de-skin/de-bone and toss the fat disc at the top.
--- Add 1-2 teaspoons of the meat on top of his kibble as added tastiness and nutrition without getting the kibble formula out of balance (such as calcium to phosphorus ratios, etc.)