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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jun 11, 2013 17:48:44 GMT -7
We have two Boston Terriers, Carlos and Lola. Lola is 4.5 years old. When we went to bed Friday, May 24, Lola had an upset stomach and vomited on the bed, most likely from a new food I had transitioned her to too quickly. She jumped off the bed and slept in her dog bed the whole night. I thought this was unusual, because she always jumps back in bed at some point. When she tried to walk out of the bed, her back legs were very ataxic, and she was walking on her knuckles. We rushed her to Blue Pearl/VSEC in Overland Park, KS, because it was the weekend, and our vet was not open. The emergency vet suspected a possible disc compression and admitted her to the hospital. They monitored her and gave her Dexamethasone, but her neurological status declined, and they said she was "nonambulatory parapetic with weak motor to both pelvic limbs." Her report says she has "normal to hyperreflexia to the pelvic limbs and mild pain noted in the TL region." They recommended surgery as her best option, and we agreed. We would do anything to keep her from pain and to help her walk again.
She had surgery on the night of Sunday, May 26. The surgeon performed a hemilaminectomy over L1-L2 and L2-L3 on the left side with mild bruising of the spinal cord over L2-L3 from the drill, removing the minimal disc material within the spinal cord. They also said that she has a block vertebrae at L5-L6. The surgeon was confident that the compression was the cause of her paresis and that they had recovered all disc material from her spine. We took her home that Tuesday, and she had no motor or deep pain sensation, but the surgeon gave her an 80-95% chance of walking. We have kept her on crate rest and performed range of motion exercises and massage.
At the one week checkup, she was showing more reflexes but nothing else, and the surgeon said her chances of recovery were lower. At the two week checkup this past Monday, they took out her stitches and catheter and showed us how to express her bladder. The surgeon then told us that since Lola does not have deep pain sensation back at this point, she has a less than 10% chance of walking. We were devastated to hear this.
She is back to her happy, loving self now, and determined as ever. We started physical therapy on Monday, and we started acupuncture with our holistic vet today. Both the PT and our vet are more optimistic about her recovery and say they have seen dogs worse off than her recover motor function. We are trying to stay positive, and we will do anything we can to help her. Any advice or words of encouragement are much needed. This is breaking our hearts, but we are all determined to help her through this, especially Lola. We are so grateful for this website, and the success stories have helped to give us hope. Thank you.
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 11, 2013 21:39:26 GMT -7
Emily and Chris, Welcome to Dodgerslist! Glad the success stories have given you the hope you need.. Lola is determined to make the best of her situation and she knows to never give up no matter what.. Your positive energy is contagious and she will pick up on that and it will help her and you to get through this. Hope this link helps shine new light on what she is going through.. www.dodgerslist.com/index/SDUNCANquality.htm- Are you now doing 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out to potty and for surgeon directed PT? …. No laps, no couch, no sleeping in bed with you, no meandering, scooting or dragging around during potty times. No chiro (aka VOM)? What did your surgeon direct for PT and for crate rest? www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm-- Is there still currently pain - shivering, shaking, crying when picked up or moved? -- What are the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mgs and frequencies? Please include the all important stomach protector such as Pepcid AC. I love Boston Terriers, I was raised with them. Give Lola my warm wishes. |
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jun 12, 2013 4:47:58 GMT -7
Thank you so much for the link to the article about quality of life! It has really helped me to feel better about her quality of life and future. I often find myself caught up in "what I could have done to prevent this" and "why this had to happen to such a loving, energetic, happy dog," and I think this makes me feel worse about things than she does.
She is on strict crate rest. We take her out to eat at her regular raised food bowl, to go to the bathroom/bladder expression, and for PT exercises. She does not seem to be in any pain, but she does stiffen up her front legs when being picked up/moved. We go to a holistic vet who just gave us an herbal medication for pain, "Pain Plus." She takes one tablet twice a day. She had a Fentanyl patch and was on Tramadol for one week after the surgery and was on Prednisone for two weeks after surgery. She is not on any of these prescription drugs anymore.
When should we consider getting her a cart? Our PT said to wait two more weeks before looking into this, since she is on crate rest for four weeks after surgery anyway.
Thank you so much for your help! We love our Bostons and think they are the best dogs ever! Our other one, Carlos, is five years old and has been so loving to Lola. He was lost the entire time she was away at the hospital, spending the entire day going from room to room looking for her and sitting on the couch staring at the door. Even if he can't play/wrestle with her, he is just thrilled to have her back and for things to be back to (a new) normal.
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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 12, 2013 9:45:20 GMT -7
It is best to wait til all 6 weeks of crate rest have been completed. At that time you can best assess her needs and where to spend money. If she is showing some neuro function, then underwater treadmill therapy would be a good idea. If there is still no nerve regeneration then a wheelchair should be considered so Lola can get back to enjoying all that life has to offer while waiting on nerves to regenerate enough to bring back functions. Dogs don't focus on what used to be…they LIVE for the moment…what is now…something we humans need appreciate more.
Lola will look to you as the pack leader to indicate things are going to be just fine…because it will be... no matter the degree of nerve healing. Keep up the good job on reading… you are now the health care team leader from this point on to advocate, recognize red flag advice now and in the future.
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jun 16, 2013 7:50:35 GMT -7
Thank you for all of your support/help. Lola is still on crate rest, and she has her second physical therapy and acupuncture appointments this week. We are keeping up with passive range of motion exercises, massage, and deep pain reflex of pinching between her toes. She seems to be paying more attention to her backside the past few days, grooming herself while I do the exercises or pinch her toes for the first time since surgery.
I have read a couple of articles (not Dodgerslist) online that say dogs who do not have deep pain sensation 2 weeks or 4 weeks after surgery have a poor prognosis of ever walking. Have you found this to be true? We are at 3 weeks post-op, and we were told at her 2 week check-up that she had no deep pain sensation. We will continue to do whatever might help her for as long as she shows progress, but we are becoming more comfortable with the fact that she might not ever walk again. We are just feeling a little confused about all of the conflicting statistics out there.
The worst part of all of this is the people who don't understand why we put her through surgery or those who say they would have put their dogs down if this happened to them. We know in our hearts that we did the right thing, though, because she is happy, has her personality back, and is with a family who loves her and will fight for her.
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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 16, 2013 18:57:09 GMT -7
Nerves can be the slowest part of the body to heal… look to months or even a year out from the injury. Patience is required to give nerves time to regenerate. So in terms of nerve healing, two - four weeks is not realistic at all. One thing is that dogs fortunately never get those depressing memos with all those statistics….and many do end up walking with time. While nerves are healing, Lola will not care she'll just get on with the business of enjoying all life has to offer while waiting on more nerve healing.
The people that don't understand…well you have to realize that everyone reacts to situations based on their level of education…their reality. So don't take anything personally and surely you won't be placing your trust in their advice. Perhaps with time, you will be able to bring their level of education up to your own. While you are vulnerable, avoid those who you know are going to say stupid things or be prepared to be in control of your emotions and pity them for what they do not know.
You guys ARE doing a good job of caring for Lola. 6 weeks of crate rest will fly by and Lola will be back to joining in all your family activities!
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jun 19, 2013 4:35:49 GMT -7
Good news from Lola's second PT session: She is showing improvement! She is much stronger than last week and has increased muscle tone in her legs! Also, we are pretty sure she is beginning to get deep pain sensation back. It is hard to tell for sure, though, because she has always been so stoic and easy-going, even before the surgery she never let on if she was in pain and let people do whatever they want with her as long as she is getting attention. She is being so good through all of this, and she continues to make us laugh and smile!
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Post by natureluva on Jun 19, 2013 6:04:02 GMT -7
Hi Emily, I just read through Lola's message thread. Glad to hear she is showing signs of improvement! I am here to tell you that dogs without DPS or bladder control may indeed walk again. Mine sure did. It took him 11 months after his surgery to walk on his own again. Please click on the link to my Goosie's story under my signature line to read about how his recovery progressed. I think it will give you much hope. And even those dogs who do not walk on their own again simply use a cart and have a great quality of life, as you can see from Tabby, Clark, and Oscar's videos: www.dodgerslist.com/index/more.htm Acupuncture is an excellent complementary therapy for IVDD. It stimulates the nerves to heal, reduces pain and inflammation, and induces a state of well-being. You will see in Goosie's story how beneficial that was to him (as well as swim therapy and his cart). At the end of the story is a video of him walking on his own 1 year after his surgery. :-) And guess what? He continued to improve even after that. Sure, he has some neurological deficits, but by golly, this boy is just fine! How are you doing with expressing the bladder? Do you do it 4 to 6 times per day? Is she having any accidents? If you happen to notice her urine is dark and strong smelling, bring her to the vet for a urine culture to see if there is a UTI. This sometimes happens when urine isn't fully expressed as bacteria quickly grows in the bladder due to stale urine sitting in there. Usually, when neurological functions return after a disc injury, they return in this order: 1. Deep pain sensation 2. Tail wagging ability (to exciting things, not during potty breaks) 3. Bladder control 4. Leg movement So watch for these things in the coming weeks and months. To test for a return of bladder control, do the "sniff and pee" test. Bring Lola to an old pee spot, support her rear with a sling or your hands, let her sniff and tell her to go pee. See if she can release urine on her own. If she can, bladder control has returned. If she can't, express her bladder right there on the ground so that you'll have a fresh pee spot to try with later. Periodically do the "sniff and pee" test. I live in Massachusetts, and naturally, we have a lot of Bostons here. Your Lola is just gorgeous!! We look forward to hearing how Lola does! Best wishes, ~Lisa |
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jun 23, 2013 13:52:28 GMT -7
Our vet tested Lola's urine on Wednesday and she has a really bad bladder infection. She is on an antibiotic and probiotic to treat it (and the diarrhea that the antibiotic has caused), and she is feeling much better this weekend. We have not tried the "sniff and pee test" yet, because she hasn't been feeling the best with the infection. We are going to take her out this afternoon/evening to give it a try. I have noticed that the last two days she is lifting her right leg an inch or two off the ground when I express her bladder. I know she is a girl, but she has always lifted her leg a little when going to the bathroom. Is this just another reflex, or is it some motor returning?
Also, we are fairly certain that she is responding to deep pain, but it is difficult to tell for sure, since she is really easy-going and stoic and never really made a fuss/big response to pain prior to the injury. We haven't seen her tail wiggle, but it is easy to miss, since it is about a 1 inch long corkscrew! She used to wiggle her tail plus her entire backside most of the time.
Thank you all again for your support and advice!
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 23, 2013 14:57:31 GMT -7
Hi Emily and Chris!
It might be nerves regenerating. Keep watching for other signs such as the tiny tail wag but not during potty time..A tail wag in response to a happy event.
Sorry to hear about the bladder infection but glad to hear Lola is feeling better on the antibiotics. By the way what is the name and dosage?
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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 23, 2013 17:55:25 GMT -7
Here's hoping that the bladder infection gets kicked out quickly, and that your little Lola continues to improve. Watch for the tail wag - we'll be waiting to hear and cheer!
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jul 1, 2013 16:42:47 GMT -7
It has been 5 weeks since Lola's surgery. At physical therapy tonight, the PT pinched Lola's tail and got her to do reflex walking on the underwater treadmill. Then...Lola MOVED HER BACK LEGS TO WALK ALL ON HER OWN!!!! I cannot even begin to explain how excited we are! I wish I would have recorded it, but I was too busy smiling/trying not to cry/holding my breath that she would not stop. I am just in awe of her determination.
Pauliana, Lola took her last antibiotics for the UTI this weekend. She was taking 125mg of Clavamox twice a day for 10 days. I am going to check with our vet to make sure the UTI is gone when we go for acupuncture on Wednesday. I mentioned to the PT that it is getting more difficult to express her bladder/bowels, and it is almost like she is fighting back/trying to keep me from doing it. The PT said that this is a good sign. She is getting feeling back and able to "hold everything in" but just can't "push everything out" yet.
P.S. Our other Boston, Carlos, 5 years old, goes in for his first dental cleaning/possible tooth extraction. I know he isn't an IVDD dog, but could you all keep him in your thoughts/prayers? He is not as tough as Lola and is terrified of the vet clinic (but loves our vet). Thank you for all you have done for us in helping us cope and giving us strength to continue to help Lola recover!
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 1, 2013 20:04:49 GMT -7
What wonderful news about Lola walking!!!! Best to Carlos on his dental. You may wish to read about precautions with an IVDD dog. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/IVDDcourse/precautions.htmlJuly is IVDD Awareness MonthPlease join us in helping all owners of short legged dogs and vet to know there are two treatments for disc disease. We want to save the lives of as many dogs as possbile and make sure they get back to enjoying the good life with their families. Join us on Facebook by helping to distribute our free literature and to SHARING Dodgerslist posts this month. www.facebook.com/Dodgerslist |
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Post by emilyanndennis99 on Jul 27, 2013 12:54:04 GMT -7
Well it has been two months since Lola's surgery, and she is still as happy as ever. We are all settling in to our new routine, and she continues to make improvement. She is getting stronger and is now walking on the underwater treadmill at physical therapy without any stimulation from the PT. She is trying to stand up on her own at home, and she shifts her weight to steady herself when she is standing to eat. We see her back legs trying to pedal along a little as she scoots around the apartment, but she is not walking on her own yet. She is not going to the bathroom on her own yet either. We continue to do physical therapy and electro-acupuncture every week, and we do e-stim with a Tens unit about every other night at home. We are trying to decide if we should get her a cart yet. We have been waiting to see what function she gains back, and we don't want her to rely on the cart instead of walking. Does anyone have any advice?
We are so thankful to have her and that she is happy and pain-free. There are still days that I start to feel a little down and wish that things could go back to the way they were before, but then she makes us smile or laugh and reminds us that it is all going to be ok.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 27, 2013 20:18:25 GMT -7
If she is now walking on the treadmill, I might wait a bit on a wheelchair…the treadmill is so advantageous to get them walking…you might just be in for a surprise on land. No one can give you a timetable of course…but your report sounds promising. Have you given her the sniff and pee test outdoors… normal is bladder control then legs…she might have the wiring a little different…I'd give the test to let her sniff an old pee spot in the grass and see if there is an attempt to squat or release urine. Let us know what you observe. If money is not an object the cart could be used also as a PT walking device when you are doing home PT. When she is out on a family walk, he legs can go up on the back bar and have the chance to do some running. www.dodgerslist.com/links/cart.htmWalking would be icing on an already fine cake…. pain free and enjoying life is where it is at! |
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