Marjorie
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Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 14, 2013 14:11:14 GMT -7
I'm sorry it didn't work out better for you with the acupuncturist you spoke to. I know that they do use acupuncture to calm down an aggressive dog, as well as to renew nerve damage and help pain. If you live in New Jersey, Dr. Penny at the Red Bank Animal Hospital would be one who you should speak to about Peanut. While my Jeremy isn't aggressive any longer, he is highly strung and hyper from prior abuse and as I mentioned, she just put one thin needle into his forehead and he laid down and was calm for the rest of the time there.
If you're looking for a Elizabethan collar, please look for a soft one. When Jeremy has back pain, he snaps at me. I have to muzzle him to handle him at all. I have an e-collar but it's a hard plastic one and I worry about that much weight on his neck. I don't want him to have a cervical herniation, too. Plus, the hard plastic collar can get hung up on the slates on the crate and they're uncomfortable. I've never used a soft e-collar but I'm sure they would be a much better option than the hard plastic ones.
Please don't give up hope, Ramona. Peanut may have peed from fear or nerve damage (possibly temporary) and it might not have been from pain. See if there are any other signs of pain. Read Paula's posting and answer each of her questions carefully so we have a complete understanding of what's going on and as Paula said, we can put our heads together to help. Reiki can be done from a distance so Kathy's offer is a kind one and I believe I read before that Peanut had a good night after she sent a treatment his way before.
Peanut is going through a bad time right now but that doesn't mean he won't get better.
All the best,
Marjorie
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Post by kathynpooh on Jul 16, 2013 4:22:20 GMT -7
I have been sending healing energy to Peanut Butter every evening. Is he doing any better? Resting any better. Please let us know how he is doing. We want to help you both through tis and it will get better. Hang in there you are doing a great job and we all love our pups.
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Jul 22, 2013 8:35:35 GMT -7
Thank you, Stacy, for your kind words. No, you and Fred are not in this alone! My Peanut breaks my heart sometimes, but he is very special and we know it!
We are holding our own right now. We just got back from vacation (a stay at my mother-in-law's house), and Peanut got a lot of rest! My hubby and I rarely leave him. Usually, one or both of us is with him. We do need to get out more, no doubt about that!
Smiles to you and Fred!! 
Ramona |
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Jul 22, 2013 9:08:06 GMT -7
Hi everyone -
We were on vacation last week. Taking Peanut anywhere can be tricky, but we were pleased to see him rest for 95% of the time. His stress was only high when he was warm, which was often due to the excessive heat up north and the lack of air conditioning. He is used to central air here down South.
We see no change in Peanut as far as his back. It has not gotten any better, but it has not gotten worse either. He is on a longer course of Prednisone. Right now, he takes one every other day. He still is on 1/4 (125)of methocarbonal, 25 mg of tramadol, and prednisone every other day. He has been on the pred for the past 14 days or so. For 7 days, he took it twice a day. For 7 days, he took it once a day and, right now, he is taking it every other day. The meds do seem to help his pain, especially the prednisone. He feels so much better when he starts it. When Peanut is uncomfortable, he pants. He starts to pant when he has to pee or poop. We are lucky in that he still seems to have control over his bowels, although he has had a few accidents with poop. He seems to go WAY MORE OFTEN than he used to, so that confuses us a bit. Peanut will snap when he is in pain if we go to pick him up. He hates to be picked up much anymore, too. My husband is way better at it, because I have some serious back problems so I only pick him up when I absolutely have to do so.
He still loves to eat. He is a hog! He has gained no weight, though.
Peanut weighs about 23 pounds. It does take 50 mg of tramadol to get him less anxious and comfortable. We do not do that very often AT ALL, since we know the possible side effects. He has never leaked urine, but he did poop once when my husband picked him up.
He does not knuckle his paws; he just seems wobbly in the back when he walks at all. We check his back legs by pulling his feet back. The vet said you can gauge his status by how long it takes him to pull his leg. His right leg has a delay, while the left leg does not.
Still, he frequently pulls his leg up to pee. Periodically, he can stand on either leg. For the most part, he squats. Lately, he has just stood in place with his tail up. He does scrunch his butt up to poop, although he starts to move forward before he is done.
Kathynpooh, where would I get essential oils? We do use lavender baby oil on Peanut. We gave him a good bath in a small pool before we left and rubbed him with the baby oil. I don't know that it helps much, but he smells great!!
The only thing that has helped to calm Peanut is 50 mg of tramadol. By that, I mean he is able to sleep a little more, particularly in stressful situations. He just won't calm down. Usually, at home with us, he is not very anxious unless he hears the doorbell, the vacuum, or anything out of the ordinary. His reaction is both anxious and dominant. He thinks he is the boss all of the time!
We are all hanging in there...thanks everyone!
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Jul 22, 2013 12:53:41 GMT -7
Hi kathynpooh -
Peanut just got back from PA with us. It was so HOT there, and my mother-in-law does not have good air conditioning. I am thinking that if it were not for your Reiki, he might have dehydrated last week. It was hard to gauge how he was feeling because of the heat.
He is feeling pretty good today. Sleepy, but good...
Maybe we can get together at the end of the week!
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Post by kathynpooh on Jul 22, 2013 13:27:43 GMT -7
Glad you had a nice vacation. Yes I did reiki for him at least every evening. There were a couple of days I felt that he needed it in the afternoon. I can really feel him pulling the energy. Thank you for letting me know that it is helping. Email me your snail mail address and I will send you a dog sheet for the essential oils. Sending healing. Energy your way. Kathy n Pooh
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Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,724
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 22, 2013 15:54:43 GMT -7
In the one recent message you posted, it didn't sound like Peanut's pain is under control yet. His pain must be under control before he can start to heal. As Paula previously mentioned, if he is still in pain, your vet has more options…Gabapentin works synergistically with Tramadol/methocarbamol. Depending on his weight, more mgs of tramadol could be given.
Please contact your vet immediately and find out if Peanut can take the 50 mg of Tramadol on a regular basis. That would be according to his weight. It sounds like 50 mg is doing the trick in helping his pain. Or your vet can add Gabapentin.
Peanut's pain must be controlled from dose to dose - no pain at all.
Please also beware of giving Peanut a bath. It's just not worth the risk of a re-injury. Peanut should be in his crate 24/7, only carried out to do his business, on a short leash to minimize the few steps that he should take to sniff and pee, then carried back and put into his crate. Other than that, his spine will move too much and re-tear the disc that is trying to heal. The crate is like a cast for his back.
Let us know what his vet says about his pain under control. I hope he's feeling much better soon.
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PaulaM
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Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 23, 2013 8:51:31 GMT -7
Ramona, can you confirm if Peanut is currently having signs of pain on the taper off of pred to every other day? Shivering, trembling, yelping when picked up or moved, reluctant/slow to move head or body, tight hard tummy? Your vet needs to know about the signs of pain indicating there is still more work for Pred to do in getting all the swelling down.
Rule of thumb is:
pain = swelling = more time on Pred needed. So if there is pain, this would not be the time to continue with tapering. Let us know what your vet says.
Pain needs to be controlled promptly and consistently on schedule with the pain meds. With his weigh your vet does still has options to increase the dose to 50mg of Tramadol 3x a day. Discuss this with the vet. Pain has very serious side effects to the entire body and deters the healing process.
Let us know how Peanut is doing today regarding signs of pain.
Panting can be a side effect of Prednisone as they don't tolerate heat. A fan near but not pointed at the crate will help. Also a rice sock from the refrigerator can help them cool by laying their tummy along side of it. Fill a sock with 1-2 cups of rice and tie the end of the sock closed.
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Jul 27, 2013 16:39:52 GMT -7
Hi all-
I have been observing Peanut for the last few days to check for pain. In the last two days, I am starting to see his playfulness again. He is talking to me again. Today, he demanded a specific bone from me. I know he wanted it because he would settle for nothing less!!! His back looks straight, too. We are cautiously optimistic right now. We need him to rest more, though. I am still waiting to hear about a baby crib for him. For now, we are restricting movement as much as we can since he does not tolerate the crate well.
Kathynpooh, the reiki might be helping. This is the best I have seen him in months!!!!!
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Post by kathynpooh on Jul 27, 2013 18:38:47 GMT -7
Hi Ramona , Pooh and I are really glad Peanut Butter is doing better.I will continue my nightly Reiki sessions for Peanut Butter. I am so glad that it is helping. I can feel that Peanut Butter likes the energy. You and Peanut Butter will get through this. My Pooh has just made it though 4 weeks of crate rest. He is half way there. He
can't wait to get run of the house again. Just 4 more weeks. Reiki has helped both my dogs. Just Hang in there Ramona!!!
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Aug 10, 2013 8:25:53 GMT -7
We are still seeing Peanut with no pain. His back legs seem to get a little wobbly, but he has full control of his bladder. Every now and then, he will pick up one of his legs to pee. That seems to depend upon him, though. We are having a problem with the fact that 1) he is pooping like crazy (at least 4 times a day); and 2) he seems to have a little problem holding that in as he has had more accidents with pooping of late. Any advice? Any ideas on what to do here would be appreciated. He is still being managed on 1/2 a tramadol and 1/4 a methocarbonal. His personality is coming back which we love!!
I also don't know when I would be able to start him walking a little. I don't like that his back legs look so thin, but I don't want to risk a setback at this point.
His nerves are still on edge...and they always will be. I had to go to the hospital over night, and I guess he sensed it. My husband came to pick me up the next morning and he had ripped apart his crate pillow. He hasn't done that before at all. Now I am home, and he seems a little more settled. I guess I should be flattered...?
Thank you to everyone for all of your help and support. Hang in there kathynpooh, too!! He will be very happy to come out, and it will all be worth it!
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 10, 2013 11:42:25 GMT -7
Ramona, Aug 6 was supposed to be Peanut's graduation day.. In advance of Aug 6 he should have been off all pain meds (Tramadol and Methocarbamol) to verify he is not having any pain. Pain would mean there is till swelling in the spinal cord, and the need for pred and pain meds. Can you have him go off his pain meds for a couple of days to give an accurate picture of pain? Peanut NEEDs to be off crate rest but only if he does not have any pain. After off pain meds and there is no pain at all, then you will begin a slow reintroduction back to phsyical activity… you will help him go from couch potato with weak muscles to a fit and strong leg muscles by going on walks, swimming. You can read now how you will approach the incremental working back up to good stamina and muscle strength here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmLet us know when you have him off his pain meds and what you observe. |
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Sept 8, 2013 8:36:13 GMT -7
A lot has happened with Peanut in the last month. Most of it is good. Peanut got a good report from the vet at his last visit. The vet said we could start walking him. I was relieved to hear that because I thought he was still experiencing problems due to the wobbliness of his legs. She said that is due to the weakness of his back legs. Evidently, we have kept him pretty lazy in the last few months (which is good).
Anxiety-wise, Peanut has just about had it. Without the exercise that he used to have to eat up some of his anxious energy, he is a ball of nerves. Even though we had made his cage crate beautiful, he tried to bite my husband when he was put into it the other day. He has had it. At first, we were worried and thought he was in pain. I talked to the vet and his foster mommy about his reactions. Merl even stayed home that day with him to make sure he was okay. We put a smaller crate in the kitchen for him and took the other crate away. We are not real fans of the smaller crate because he cannot turn in it, so we can't close it. He is restricted to the kitchen with his brother. The next day, when we did this, he was MUCH better. A little bit of anxious whining...but much more manageable. I have been home all weekend watching the little bugger. I am constantly looking for pain in him. He looks good, though. Back is straight. He is starting to try to roll on his back in the grass (which we stop). The other day, I caught him rolling in the living room, which he hasn't done in forever! He is picking up toys to play with, which is wonderful. He and his brother have started sparring a bit again, which is very cute. Yes, Peanut looks pretty good to everyone.
The anxiety makes him so tough to treat! He will never be able to run it off again because of both his back AND his age. He is at least 13!! He used to run and run and run before all of this happened! Hopefully, at some point, we can allow him to chase a ball a little farther than a foot or two away...
Thank you to everyone for the support and help. He is so very special. We know that he is difficult and we accepted that when we adopted him. We always have to keep in mind if he is happy. Right now, he is sleeping on the floor like a little angel so...he looks pretty happy. We will have to monitor it continuously. We are hoping to get him out for little walks soon. He is walking around the yard a little...with mommy following him so he doesn't run like the wind or anything...
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Sept 8, 2013 8:37:34 GMT -7
How the heck do you upload a picture on this board?!!??
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StevieLuv
Helpful Member 
Conservative Treatment 3x. It really does work!
Posts: 1,335
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Post by StevieLuv on Sept 8, 2013 10:21:34 GMT -7
Good job Peanut!! Here is some information on introducing activity after crate rest www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htm and some ideas for making your home "back friendly" www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htmPeanut is a wonderful success story, about what can be done when a family is determined to save their dog. Please keep in touch and encourage other members with all of the knowledge and experience that you have with treating IVDD in a high anxiety pup |
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Post by Linda Stowe on Sept 8, 2013 13:56:55 GMT -7
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Post by Ramona&Caesar on Sept 8, 2013 14:53:07 GMT -7
We give lots of thanks to Peanut and to his former foster mother, Lois, at Dachshund Rescue North America. Having a high anxiety dog is a lot of work - far more than we bargained for - but she always reminds me of how I knew he was mine from the moment I saw his photo online. I looked at his eyes and I knew. I just knew. She still laughs when she thinks about it. It was true, too! I knew him the instant I saw him when we got to her mobile home after driving for 15 hours. She was holding my baby...
We will continue to monitor him and to make sure he is happy. That is all we want for him - to be happy. He certainly put in his time in hell before he got to us. Thanks everybody. Slow and steady wins the race.
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