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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 11, 2013 16:11:19 GMT -7
First off let me just say that my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone and dog here. Ok so is our story..last week Fred stopped jumping and hid under the bed. I knew something was wrong made a vet appointment for next day. When I got home from work to take Fred to vet he was shaking and not focused. And what do we moms do??? Freak! Got to vet..Fred had a fever and did not show any signs of pain with no problem walking when the Dr did exam. He thought it best to treat for back injury. Put Fred on methocarbamol 500mg 1/2 tablet every 8hours and rimadly 75mg 1/2 tablet every 24 hour and have him rest. If he wasn't 75% better in 72 hours bring him back. Back he went..fever was gone but I didn't like they way he was moving. I asked for xrays didn't show anything conclusive. They added tramadol 50 mg 1/2 tablet every 12 hours and advised more rest. Came home from work last Tuesday back legs where wobbling. I called my mom! To her vet we went. He took Fred off rimadyl said to come back Friday for steroid shot and prednisolone and CRATE him. We did this..Fred is now on: prednisolone 5mg every 24hours..that to you Paula I'm giving him 1/2 tablet of famotidine 10mg 30 min BEFORE the prednisolone (I was giving them together before). Tramadol 50 mg 1/2 tablet every 12 hours and acepromazine 10mg that I brake into fourths.He is doing better..no wobbling and can stand much loner. But this stinks!!! We just have week one down and he wants out..unless I sing to him. Good bowels. But he wants to run...I'm standing strong and praying that it continues to improve.
Sorry I forgot to include that Fred is a 4 year old doxie. I haven't figured out to change my subject to conservative 6/6.
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Post by Jude & Penny Lane on Jun 11, 2013 17:11:50 GMT -7
It sounds like you're doing everything right. It's really hard to keep them crated for such a long time. It does seem like jail time for a crime they didn't commit, but continue to stand strong and you'll find that it'll be worth it in the end. My thoughts are with you...
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 11, 2013 17:21:09 GMT -7
I don't know who crys more..him or me.. I take him everywhere...except work..just really scared that this won't work or he will get worse.
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Post by dachsiehaven on Jun 11, 2013 17:53:43 GMT -7
You seem to have the "rules" down and are doing things right. This is a hard road to travel and our pups make us feel guilty for the entire trip. Most of our pups will get used to the kenneling and settle in. If he doesn't, talk to your vet about some sedatives. I have found some times short term sedatives like Valium can help them get used to being crated 24/7. Only a very unlucky few will have to sedate for the entire time. Try to keep his kennel in a central place or if you can move it around the house and yard with you. I take Fanny from room to room and out in the garden with me and the pack in order to keep her happy and calm. Good luck and stay strong. ETA: He can pick up on your emotions so no more crying. Smile with him, laugh with him but no more crying. This is an adventure and when it is all over all will be fine one way or another.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 11, 2013 18:16:21 GMT -7
Thanks so much for the incouragement! Like everyone else here with their babies my Freddy is so special and dear to me I can't possibly love him more. I can't believe how lucky I am to have found this forum. Wow have I been learning a lot with a lot more reading to do. I'll be keeping you all updated and praying for everyone and doggie here. And no more crying. Fanny I think that is an awsome idea to take the crate outside. Going to try that tomorrow
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 11, 2013 19:07:54 GMT -7
Hi Stacy, Sounds to me like you are following the right path in treating Freddie and it sounds like he is improving already. Very good sign.. Just be diligent about the crate rest. It is limited movement that heals the disc, the Prednisolone works on the imflammation and the pain meds mask the pain and the rest is Freddie's own healing powers. Does Freddie have bladder control? When going outside to potty be sure to carry him to his favorite spot and limit his footsteps to very few using a leash and a harness. (collars aren't good for dogs with IVDD) How to lift and carry Freddie: Here are some crate rest tips: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htmHere is some more reading for you that I hope helps you to become familiar with IVDD. It's the unknown that is truly scary. www.dodgerslist.com/healingindex.htm
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 11, 2013 19:46:54 GMT -7
Thanks. He has full bladder control and goes a lot because of the prednisolone. I just read that the prednisolone can mask the injury. He is already acting like himself and is hard to control when I take him potty. He loves those pesky lizards!! I am worried that he is going to hurt himself worse thinking that he is better. We are only on day 5 of steroids can they act that fast? I have stopped the walking during potty as much as I can. He has to walk a bit to have a bm. I' ll be picking him up a harness this Friday. Funds are super tight.
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Post by dachsiehaven on Jun 11, 2013 20:30:51 GMT -7
I don't know if you have or can set up an xpen. In the past I have put the xpen on the grass and put the dog on the leash in the xpen and did the poo/pee walk in there.
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Post by Nancy & Polly on Jun 11, 2013 20:51:39 GMT -7
Are you using a sling on his back end? I found mine useful even after my dog was using her back legs well again. It helped slow her down, and gave me a lot more control.
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 11, 2013 21:02:52 GMT -7
Sounds like Freddie is healing very quickly and that is a good thing. Every dog heals at their own rate. The Prednisolone is is working well for him and taking down the inflammation in the disc/ spinal cord. Some dogs take more like 2 weeks to aa month on a steroid before improvement.. Healing rates vary a lot from dog to dog. Please read some of our success stories, to get an idea of the varied recovery times. www.dodgerslist.com/monthstory.htm The stories with C after the dogs name means they had conservative therapy.. S means they had surgery.. My Tyler was a handful when he felt better too. He wanted to go on his sniff fests and we had to convince him otherwise and did he pout. Not easy but we managed to get through the 6 week post op crate rest. Some days are a trial but it's all for them and their recovery.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 4:14:42 GMT -7
Set back this morning...I missed Fred 1am tram pill (feel horrible about it) and when I took him out this morning he was limping and sat right down. So.. there must still be swelling and pain without meds. Also what do you think about frozen konk toys..thinking of doing the peanut butter thing?
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 9:00:18 GMT -7
Came home for lunch to let lil man out..the tram pill kicked in and he is acting like he isn't hurt. He lifted his leg when he peed and I almost had a stroke with worry. I'm scared that because he doesn't feel hurt he will do more damage. Going to look into an xpen for outside so he stops pulling wanting to chase lizards. I know it could be worse and I am glad he isn't in pain.. but I love my lil man to pieces just trying to be positive around him.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 12, 2013 9:22:49 GMT -7
A less expensive option for making a 6 foot diameter potty area can be some of the garden edging fencing that pokes into the ground.
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 12, 2013 10:25:12 GMT -7
It is good that he can lift his leg. It shows he is healing very quickly. My dog couldn't lift his leg for several weeks.. Freddie needs the pain medicine to heal in comfort so try not to worry.As long as he is in the crate and resting and only out to potty and then right back in. He will continue to heal as long as he doesn't get too rambunctious. I know it's hard, I worried all the time with Tyler too but it got better as I got more used to caring for him.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 15:26:32 GMT -7
I am not currently using a sling, I did just go get a harness and 4 garden fences. I made a tiny pen outside for him to go potty. Thanks for that great advise =) I will definitely switch to a scarf if the potty pen doesn't work. Also, my dad is coming over to see if he can figure out a way to put the crate on a wagon he got for Fred awhile back. We would go for long walks and when Fred got tired I would put him in it. Figure this way I can bring him in the rooms that I am in. This separation stuff is a killer! I tried opening his crate and resting my head on a pillow but he tried to jump over to get out. Grrrr.. little weenie! Also, trying to figure out how I can get some pics posted so you can meet him =)I also gave him half a pill of the ace sedative. He is antsy and we only just barely at 1 week.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 16:47:11 GMT -7
ok.. so I post a lot when I am stressed..love love love my dog! Anyway, just went into the closet and saw all of my scarfs.. couldn't help but thinking why wouldn't I use them as a sling as well as the potty pen.. it is good advise! Thanks and I am taking it! So, if I don't post again you know that a neighbor called the police saying a crazy woman is walking her weenie in a little pen in circles toting the dogs bum in a pink scarf! I put the pen in the front yard because the back yard is his hunting grounds where he defends us from lizards and am fearful that he will go ballistic.
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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 Jun 12, 2013 18:30:34 GMT -7
You go ahead and post as much as you like! We are all a mess when this happens and the forum is here to provide some love, support and advice. You sound like you have things under control very well. Don't worry about the neighbours, if a lady walking a weenie in a pink scarf is the worst of their worries then their lives are pretty good! It is a really good idea to have him out of his normal "hunting" ground. :)Keeping you in thought and prayer.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 12, 2013 18:38:59 GMT -7
There are some males that do not like anything touching the penis at potty times, if Freddie is one you may find he tolerates the figure 8 sling better. This tip and lots of others to help you make the recovery suite and 8 weeks of resting go smoother are in the pink box on the right: www.dodgerslist.com/literature.htm
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 19:52:55 GMT -7
Fred wet the crate and it had been less than 4 hours since I took him out. When I did, the harness didn't fit so I used a scarf and put him in the potty pen. That didn't go over well, he wouldn't go and of course company showed up so there went Fred wagging like crazy. I picked him up and put him next to his crate to clean the urine, while I was doing that I he went into the kitchen where his foot slipped out from underneath him. I didn't see any water on the floor to make it slippery and I haven't seen him do that before. Freaked out..I moved us into the spare bedroom with the Futon mattress on the floor. I read in another post where they are sleeping on the floor with the dog and it calmed him a bit. He is in his crate on next to me finally sleeping. I am wondering if we took him off the methocarbamol too soon. Sunday was his last does. He is still walking with a limp. I am also concerned because he never yelps at all so we don't know where exactly he is hurt. Been trying to do as much reading as I can and I have read there is a medicine adequin that has helped, has anyone heard of it? Another person is saying to add vitamin C. I thought I was doing a good thing by adding supplements to his diet last week and he got the worst bout of diarrhea.
oh, I am going to try to make those figure 8 sling tomorrow.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 12, 2013 20:09:31 GMT -7
Stacy, do stop the vit C it can cause diarrhea making it confusing if loose stools are from a serious reaction to Pred. Now we don't know. So assume the worst and get a 2nd stomach protector on board with the famotidine….that 2nd protector is sucralfate, and Rx item from your vet. You will need to read the timing on this med with other meds: www.marvistavet.com/html/pharmacy_center.htmlI know it is hard to think ahead….but that is what we have to do …. assume that any time out of the crate is a very dangerous time for his early healing disc. Thus take all precautions against Freddie doing the unexpected. Harness and leash him to heavy furniture when cleaning the crate. Please observe for any signs of pain -- hopefully the slip did not set back his healing disc. Let us know what you observe. Methocarbamol deals with muscle spasm pain so often associated with a disc problem. So now he is only on one pain reliever, Tramadol 2x a day. Is his pain fully under control dose to dose… no signs of pain nearing the next dose of Tramadol? Adequan may or may not help. If money is tight, focus on what we know works: 100% STRICT rest, meds for pain, a med for inflammation and stomach protection.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 12, 2013 20:23:50 GMT -7
I haven't given him any vitamin C, I just read about it and thought I would see what you all thought about it. Since I stopped adding the supplement (last week) the diarrhea has stopped. It is hard to tell if he is in pain because he doesn't whine. This is what I have been looking for.. head down, tail down, not eating, yelping (which he never did). He wags his tail, it is just that he seems to be walking with more of a limp. Know of anything else I can check? I check his belly but it is hard to tell when I don't know what the normal belly is like one minute I think it is hard and the next soft, depends on what position he is in. My vet goes on a 2 week vacation tomorrow (thanks to all my visits on the credit card). He did say the next step if this doesn't work would be the neuro surgeon. Wish I would have known that from the start I would have went to the specialist first before I maxed out my credit card.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 12, 2013 20:50:52 GMT -7
Freddie IS likely a good candidate for conservative treatment, since he can still walk…he probably has a bit of nerve damage and that is why his foot slipped out from under him because he does not have good control on smooth surfaces like the kitchen floor.
Watch the limp does not develop into more. The hope is that he dodged the bullet with that slip.
So hang in there with patience, give Freddie the time he needs to heal his disc with 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out at potty times for 8 weeks.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 13, 2013 3:56:52 GMT -7
Ok..he limped a little less this morning when going potty. I have been trying to keep things low key for him. He slept through the night with no potty accidents. Going to make the figure 8 sling tonight and exchange the harness. Any suggestions on a harness because he is short and thick none seem to be a good fit and sure ain't bringing him to the store to try them on.
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blassom
New Member
Ollie seems to be doing better.
Posts: 19
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Post by blassom on Jun 13, 2013 5:48:45 GMT -7
Hi -- My doxie is Ollie and he had his first surgery in Dec 2011. He was limping and dragging his butt. Couldn't walk. I think that was the T3 (can't remember). Then after surgery we carried him outside and he went to water therapy. After a few weeks he gained back his ability to "drunkin walk". I thought YES! Better than no walk. Then in May 2012 he went down in his back again (T1). His feet were so cold and he basically just used his front feet to drag his butt behind him. Off to the ER Vet...they said he could only feel deep pain sensation. That meant he had to have surgery again, but he might not walk after. They said with deep pain he had only 90% chance of walking. Well, if you have ever watched Dumb and Dumber, I was like "So you're saying there is a chance." I prayed for Ollie all night. Called all my friends and had them pray to. My Ollie is like a son. I love him. I figure God loves him too. He had to help. Well, we picked Ollie up after his surgery and I wanted his tail to wag so bad, but he couldn't. We had to catheter him so he could potty. I prayed even more and said, "God, I can't do this, I am not strong enough!" The next day my husband and I tried to cath him again for his morning potty. That was the hardest thing I have ever done. That night Ollie was peeing on his own , but it was after I picked him up and as I was carrying him outside I must have pressed his bladder. So, down my shirt went about a ton of pee. Yeah, pee!!! I was so happy!!! I took him outside, but of course he didn't have to pee. That happened for about 2 weeks. Every time I picked him up for potty break he literally took a potty break. Then he gained back his bladder and started wagging his tail. Best day of my life! He recovered to about 95%. He has been carried up and down stairs for potty since 2012. Sometimes he doesn't make it outside, but I don't get mad at him. I just clean the floor and thank God Ollie went without a catheter. Now he is on crate rest as I saw signs of him walking on his left tip toes. This is day 2. I think we'll make it. He is about as stubborn as I am. Eliza PS. Thanks for sharing your story. Our vet gave us gauze in a long strip that we used as a figure-8 sling. It tried my patience every time. I then got the bright idea to sew it where it crossed. I just stitched an X to hold the pieces together. That helped a little. As for a harness, I am not sure. Maybe measure the one you have or take it as a guide for buying another one. Brand name ect.... When taking Ollie outside using his figure-8 it was like a wheel barrel race, because he wouldn't hold still and just pee. He used his front legs and ran and if I tried to hold him back, his legs would come out of the sling and he'd continue running, but dragging his butt behind him. He didn't even realize he was injured. What harness do you have? Sounds like I should have done that to help control Ollie. He wasn't harnessed.
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 13, 2013 14:48:29 GMT -7
Thank you so much for all your replys. This forum is helping us tremendously. I would be at a total loss and not helping Freddie correctly if it wasn't for you all! Our vet suggested 2 weeks crated time but we are going for the full 8. I would rather have to rebuild lost muscle then suffer the consequences of him not healing fully and we don't have the funds for surgery if needed. So get this..I now come home for lunch for Fred..took him out with a black..not pink scarf and he had no problem! such a boy dog! He peed and pooped..I was so proud! So how much tension should I be using to hold his back side? I kept the scarf to where it was tight and had no slack. He definatley isn't feeling any pain cause he saw a lizard and tried to bolt...ugh..I got down on the ground and held him by his chest...potty time gives me anxiety. tomorrow ill get some more garden fences to make his potty area a bit bigger. I'm now trying my second harness to see if this one will fit him. I am getting great support through my family..my mom borrowed a dog stroller for when he is ready and we now have a wagon that can hold the crate so I can wheel him around the house. Oh and it is bed level so we are going to try rolling him next to my side of the bed anyway just wanted to update you and let know how much we appreciate all of your advise and ears during this time. it sure is scary seeing your baby hurt! Prayers to everyone and dog here. The first harness was a petco mesh one..I got another one that isn't mesh but more adjustable..but geez ..is it confusing and it is the easy step one lol. I now cringe everytime he tugs on the leash...I really wish I paid more attention this experience has and Is totally opening my eyes.
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Post by Linda Stowe on Jun 13, 2013 15:10:41 GMT -7
Finding a harness for a dachshund is not always each due to their bodies. LOL I tried several that did not work. Choose a harness that puts the pulling stress on the boney chest and shoulder area. We have some links to harnesses that we've had good reviews from members. www.dodgerslist.com/links.htmHere is a picture of how the harness should fit. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/harnessPULL.jpg
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 13, 2013 15:58:06 GMT -7
Got it..I just took him out and used it..think it will work he isn't happy though. It was way more controlled this time..used harness, scarf and potty pen..and no pulling trying to get the lizards.
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blassom
New Member
Ollie seems to be doing better.
Posts: 19
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Post by blassom on Jun 13, 2013 18:28:52 GMT -7
Yep...getting Ollie a harness tomorrow. He is such a trooper!!! Bless Fred and wish you both a great night!!
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Post by Stacy & Fred on Jun 14, 2013 5:43:14 GMT -7
Freddie had a rough night..he kept getting up moving around trying to find a comfortable spot. How big should his crate be? Right now he can lay on his belly but the crate is too small for him to do the doxie lay. Where the back legs stick out. Now that he is in less pain and feeling better I think he wants to stretch.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,611
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Post by PaulaM on Jun 14, 2013 8:03:43 GMT -7
The size of the recovery suite should only big enough to turn around in, stand up and when lying down to fully stretch out his legs. Sounds like his recovery suite is not big enough. If you have a larger crate or expen you can always pad out the extra room with rolled up blankets.
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