PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 17, 2017 8:07:16 GMT -7
Ashley, there are many brands that have the right features. Be aware it may take trying several to find the model that best fits your dog. In my household, it took a different brand for each of my dachshunds to get the right fit. Here a few harnesses to start your search with: www.pawmark.com/products.php?cat=367www.puppiaus.com/PuppiaUs/ProductList.aspwww.noodleandfriends.com/Dachshund-Harnesses/c11/index.htmlwww.coastalpet.com/products/product-subitems.php?sub_id=2&sub_cat=Comfort+Wrap+Harnesses&cat=Dog+Basic&cat_id=1Collars put too much stress on the spine, always attach the leash to a harness when going outdoors. Use the collar as a necklace to hold his tags. You want the neck part of the harness to sit on the boney structure of the shoulders not the weaker soft tissue of the throat. Any pulling should be against the strong upper chest/shoulder area. Here is a picture showing how a harness should sit on the shoulders and chest. Not all dogs can do the alternate therapies of acupuncture/laser/underwater treadmill because of finances or just not available where the owner lives. What needs strengthening are the core muscles that support the spine and also his leg muscles. So if Jackson likes swimming outdoors, that is an excellent PT to strength core muscles as is walking. Learning the art of walking is relearning muscle coordination as the nerve repair happens. Just like a stroke victim has to learn how to walk again. He can walk up, down and across a slope as PT, too. Walking in different textures stimulates his paws. Sand, short grass, tall grass. Be careful of concrete as it is so abrasive to skin and his nails. Lay down some broom sticks in the house or outdoors, so that he has to learn to pick up his feet properly to traverse this obstical course. Normally about two weeks post surgery all the pain caused by the surgery itself will have subsided. So you might give it a try to back off of gabapentin and observe if he still has discomfort or not. Every dog is different so you will just have to see where Jackson is on getting post-op inflamamtion down.
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 18, 2017 4:50:48 GMT -7
Thank you Paula. You are so helpful.
My husband and I have noticed that his progress has plateaued the last few days. Still very wobbly. He's eager to try and walk, but not a fan of the PT that involves standing still, so it's hard to make him do it because he starts wiggling. We're going to contact the PT facility recommended by the vet and see if they do home visits. Maybe they can evaluate him and teach us how to properly perform some new PT exercises.
Right now, we carry him outside and only let him walk to find his potty spot. We do the passive range of motion PT, sit to stand, and standing PT a few times a day. Other than that, he's in his pen. I'm going to ask the vet when we can start walking PT on other surfaces/slopes like you suggested.
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 18, 2017 7:22:18 GMT -7
Ashley, to us it may look like a dog has plateaued in progress. But inside the body nerves are busy growing. It is not until the nerve endings have grown enough to make a connections with enough adjacent nerve cells, that we might see another advance in progress.
You and your husband can team up with the PT. One of you dangle a carrot or other yummy treat in front of Jackson, while the other performs the PT such as squats or standing ROM. That worked for our dog who was also not cooperative at PT times.
Do keep us posted on what you learn from home PT visits and when the vet OK sling walking as PT. Any PT, of course should be slow and easy, so as to not overstress his muscles, building up stamina on a gradual basis.
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Post by John & Marley on Jul 18, 2017 9:42:25 GMT -7
Thank you Paula. You are so helpful. My husband and I have noticed that his progress has plateaued the last few days. Still very wobbly. He's eager to try and walk, but not a fan of the PT that involves standing still, so it's hard to make him do it because he starts wiggling. We're going to contact the PT facility recommended by the vet and see if they do home visits. Maybe they can evaluate him and teach us how to properly perform some new PT exercises. Right now, we carry him outside and only let him walk to find his potty spot. We do the passive range of motion PT, sit to stand, and standing PT a few times a day. Other than that, he's in his pen. I'm going to ask the vet when we can start walking PT on other surfaces/slopes like you suggested. Keep in mind, muscles take time to recover after working out, no different than a human going to the gym, next day or two tired sore muscles,,,and with muscles atrophying may need more recovery time in between. How is he with treats being given while your doing PT ? Bribery / Food to a wiener...lol
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 20, 2017 11:00:32 GMT -7
Yes, food is helping a bit. Though he does not seem to be able to keep his balance during "Sit to Stand", or just standing in general, I noticed a few improvements over the last 2 days.... (1) When I set him back in his pen, he doesn't immediately flop down, he holds a stand position and sits/flops more slowly. (2) I caught him scratching his ear with his back right leg! (the stronger of the two). He seemed very happy to be able to scratch his ear again. (3) When I do the passive range of motion PT, his legs and paws seem softer, less stiff. I think that is a good thing? He still doesn't respond when I tickle his toes.
His front legs seem a bit tired lately, I'm guessing because they've been having to do more work when he maneuvers/adjust himself in his pen. We only do PT 2x a day for 5-10 minutes. We are being careful not to overdo it.
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Jul 20, 2017 13:06:58 GMT -7
Jackson has definitely made progress. My Frankie never regained the ability to scratch his ear after surgery, although he walks quite well.
Jackson's legs being less stiff is a good sign also.
It is definitely important not to overdo it with the PT. Slow and steady always.
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 20, 2017 16:15:06 GMT -7
Well, when it rains it pours. I'm sorry for the long post but I really need some advice. Milly Our other dachshund, Milly, is a rescue that we have had for 4 years (former breeding dog in puppy mill). We estimate that she is approx. 12 years old. She has a very long and complicated medical history. Her biggest problem has always been severe arthritis in all of her limbs. It took a while to get a proper diagnosis and we actually purchased a quad cart for her from Eddie's Wheels last year (she didn't take to it)....but we got her to a stable condition with acupuncture and RX, where she was comfortable to walk to go potty, eat, and do some exploring in the yard. She has seemed comfortable. She's always been a VERY VERY stoic dog. During all of her medical issues over the past four years...all kinds of procedures and manipulation by the vets...we've barely ever heard her yelp. Even when she is having a "bad day" with her front paw that sometimes gives her trouble....she limps but doesn't yelp. Cut to three nights ago....It was hot and I was going to rub some water on her head/ears to help cool her off. She lets out a weird & loud yelp when I grab her ears. I immediately stopped what I was doing. My husband heard it from the other room and couldn't believe that noise came out of her. She didn't seem to be in pain after that so we just kept an eye on her. Then the next night, I go to lift her off her bed and carry her outside to go potty as we always do... as I am putting my hands under her she yelps again. Now tonight...we were outside with Jackson doing PT on the patio and getting fresh air. Milly is laying on her bed next to me, sniffing and getting her dose of fresh air. No one is touching her. Out of no where she cries and yelps for about 15-20 seconds. We were panicked because it seemed she was lying still before it all happened. My husband thinks she was trying to adjust her body/front paws when it happened. He carefully carried her inside while she was crying. We placed her on a firm dog bed on the floor. She seemed to recover from whatever was hurting her. Since the incident tonight, she has slept, itched her back legs, and ate a piece of watermelon. She takes tramadol, rimadyl, and leflunomide on a daily basis to manage her arthritis. Wit the consent of her vet, I also started giving her pepcid recently after reading about stomach upset. I think it is either her neck or one of her front paws. Perhaps a spasm? Unless she is just being extremely stoic right now, she doesn't seem to be in pain anymore. I called our vet (we moved to a new state a month ago so this vet has only seen her once) and they said to try to keep her comfortable. They won't up her pain meds without seeing her first. The earliest appointment I could make was 11am on Saturday.As I type this she is stretched out on her dog bed, laying on her side. She's been in and out of sleep, but not sleeping as deeply as she usually does. It broke my heart to hear her start yelping...seemingly out of the blue...when I've barely ever heard her make a peep. Any thoughts?
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 20, 2017 17:31:59 GMT -7
If you have any suspicion that a disc is involved with the yelps, then you crate. Crating is to prevent a bad disc from worsening and then causing damage to the spinal cord. As you are doing, it is best to have a vet take a look and give his best diagnosis. Let us know if he thinks it's a disc and any changes he might make to her med list.
For conservative treatment, the crate rest is much more strict because there has been no surgery to remove offending disc material. Carry her to and from the potty place, just a few footsteps to take care of business.
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 25, 2017 10:58:35 GMT -7
Milly 7/17 pain A few updates.. Milly: She has not expressed any pain since my last post. Took her to the vet anyway and they tried a new combo of pain meds, adding in ✚ methocarbamol in the event it was muscle related. She seems to be comfortable again and we are keeping a close eye on her. Ashley's Jackson 6/30 surgery 4wks Jackson: He had his 4 week post-op appointment today. (He will technically be 4 weeks post-op on Thursday). Graduates on Thursday 7/27 He was cleared for short leash walks (5min 2x/day) and to be out of his recovery suite (limited to 1-2 rooms while being monitored). We are scheduled to see the surgeon in another 4 weeks. Since he is still not strong enough to pull himself up and walk without assistance, we are going to keep him in the recovery suite while we introduce leash walks and try to build up his strength and balance before giving access to rooms. We told the vet we were building ramps for the furniture and she said she would prefer if he was not allowed on furniture ever again. In theory I am okay with that...but practically speaking...Jackson is a Houdini when he wants to get up on something. Short of turning my house into a bare padded room, I'm not sure how to prevent him from trying. The reason she said no furniture ever is because she had another dachshund who jumped off a couch a few months post-op (one of those split second things)...it had to have another emergency surgery and didn't regain leg function the second time I certainly don't want that to happen. We're trying to brainstorm which is the best option for us: teaching him to use ramps (and preventing his constant attempts to find a way to jump on) or blocking off all furniture.
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 25, 2017 12:39:32 GMT -7
I agree it is best for them to not be jumping and not be on the furniture. You know Jackson best and your abilities to train PLUS taking in to consideration your other dachshund. Check out our "After crate rest, then what?" article for all kinds of ideas for immediately after graduation and for the future. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmCheck out these home modifications so that you can reduce the stress on the spine in the future. No more stairs, ramps up to furniture, or blocking furniture all together. All those ideas and more are in this link: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htm
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 25, 2017 15:00:30 GMT -7
Thank you Paula. He's listens pretty well and has used ramps in the past..it's just those instances when we're not watching him that I worry about. He tends to jump off unless we're right there next to him. My husband and I are debating whether to use blockers or ramps for the furniture. Wondering if it would be too confusing to let him sit on the couch or bed with us sometimes. That PVC pipe furniture blocker looks interesting. I think I'll look into that.
There are a few areas in the house that have steps. We already build ramps to cover them.
There are also some large flat rocks in our backyard that he used to jump on to sit. Way too large to move. We're trying to figure out how to block those off too. So much to do!
Are there any videos for at-home water therapy? I was thinking of buying a large inflatable swimming pool.
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Jul 25, 2017 15:11:14 GMT -7
It is a lot of work to set up the house for an IVDD dog.
Here is a video that shows at home water therapy.
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Jul 28, 2017 7:41:15 GMT -7
Thank you for the video. We are considering hydro therapy but still not sure. Jackson was 4 weeks post op yesterday. His next appointment with the surgeon isn't until he is 8 weeks post op. Hopefully that will be the last one. He was cleared for short leash walks 2x/day and to spend time out of the pen. No furniture! We are letting him walk more at potty times and are letting him eat his meals outside of the pen (standing with assistance from us to keep balance). He still spends all other time resting in the pen and sleeps there at night. He is just about done with his gabapentin and then will be off all pain med. We're proud of the progress he has made, but know he still has a long ways to go in terms of building strength and balance, getting over the separation anxiety that has developed over spending so much time with us, and learning that he is no longer allowed to jump onto any surface (couch, window seat, chair, patio furniture, etc etc). Thanks everyone. I'll be checking back in as there are updates to make
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Aug 23, 2017 10:54:35 GMT -7
Jackson had his 8 week post op appointment today! The surgeon said he looked great and was officially graduated. I will upload a video of him walking.
The hardest part is still preventing him from trying to stand on his back legs or jump on furniture. We have almost all of it blocked off (to the point that we barely sit on it anymore!) but old habits die hard and he still misses looking out the window from the back of the couch. Other than that, he's done so well and we're very proud of him
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 24, 2017 11:18:00 GMT -7
Ashley, would you consider helping another? We love it when members have a mind to pay forward and help another. We invite you to hop on to our educational bandwagon team in any way that makes you happy. Education about disc disease is our number one mission! We wish we did not have to hear of another dog that was put to sleep because of disc disease nor one denied the correct principles of crate rest to help them heal.
--- You've been there, and are doing it....if you see another member on the Forum needing support or information share what you know to be true or point them to one of our many IVDD articles. The "search box" on each page makes quick work to find the right helpful link: www.dodgerslist.com/-- "Share" our FB/twitter/ posts to widen the reach of IVDD knowledge www.facebook.com/Dodgerslist twitter.com/DodgersList-- Hand carry our literature and introduce us to your vet. When in conversation at the grocery store line or wherever you meet breeds most prone to IVDD (Dachshunds, Beagles, Poodles, Spaniels, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, and Chihuahuas) to give out our little cards. Ask Linda to send you our free packet: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/litorder.htm
-- We have store where you might find something you absolutely need! Our earnings go to paying for our webpage and literature to hand out. www.dodgerslist.com/store.htm-- Help another trying to make quick decisions about surgery… We have a directory where you can share surgical costs: dodgerslist.boards.net/board/10/guidelines-postingState: Hospital: Address: Cost: Date of surgery: What was included in cost (MRI?, days stay, ER? PT? meds for home, sling, etc.) Comments: -- Don't forget to add a photo to the gallery and 1-2 sentences. Give inspiration to others just starting a scary IVDD journey. Directions to u/l here: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/2262/put-dodgerslist-photo-gallery-calendarLook foward to your video so we can see Jackson walking!
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Aug 29, 2017 10:38:59 GMT -7
Ashley, just saw the video you sent (see Ashley's 8/28 post for video). Jackson really IS progressing very nicely in his walkling.
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Post by Ashley & Jackson on Aug 30, 2017 16:25:48 GMT -7
Thank you! In general he seems so happy to have his freedom back. I still hold my breath when he runs outside but he seems to be doing well. His tail still twitches when he poops and he has noticeable stiffness in his legs if he gets up after sleeping for a while, but I think that's probably normal. So grateful for this website. I checked and the database already has info on the vet that did his surgery. Also previously added photos. Thank you to everyone.
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