Emily's Jazzy 8/8 conservative GRAD: Oct 3

Emily, so glad Jazzy finally peed.  Was beginning to think perhaps a urinary tract infection (UTI) might be developing. Sometimes there are no clear observable clues for us to see such as foul odor or change in color.  Leaking can be a sign.  Holding can be a sign because of the burning sensation.  A urine sample taken into a vet for a urinalysis can quickly identify if bacteria are growing.  Often it is the dog that gives the first sign of a UTI with their powerful sense of smell, they are licking their butts more than usual because they can smell the infection and maybe trying to allievate any burning pain.  So keep a watchful eye out.

IVDD is thought to have a genetic component. So if Jazzy has siblings with same mother and/or father, you may wish to institute some changes to your home for them such as blocking off furniture, using ramps:  www.dodgerslist.com/literature/protectback.htm

It looks like the sling is causing a fulcrum effect of pulling up on the mid back.    A long strip of cloth from an old beach towel, an old sheet can make several slings to have on hand with holes for the back legs.  This way the rear only will be supported.  Check your thriftshops, Goodwill, etc.   I have never tried it, but may be you can cut leg holes in that Ace bandage if is is wide enough?   Wash dirty sling in the sink and hang outdoors in the sunshine to dry over the rail.

Using soaps/shampoos with a sponge bath can sometimes be hard to get completely out of fur and off of skin.  Soap is just a surfactant, water and some nice smelling perfume.   Warm water is also a kind of surfactant to relax surface water tension.  Try out Marjorie's tip of using decaf green tea. Caffeine is not good for a dog if they lick it.  This tip and many other good ones comes from our supply list at the Main Dodgerslist web site. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/cratesupplies.htm

Marjorie's tip: boil and cool decaf green tea. Slightly warm to dampen a washcloth. It is mild with acidifying, antibacterial properties to neutralize urine on skin and fur to avoid rashes from urine scald. Daub/blot with washcloth, rinse, repeat til clean. Blot fur dry with a towel.  Leaves a clean earthy fragrance. 

With a dog who has bladder control, the body functions best when it is hydrated. drinking a normal amount of water. This keeps fluids going in th bladder and out on regular intervals. Usually a dog will have to pee every 4-6 hours keeping the bladder healthy.

Has Jazzy been in the habit to use one of those water dispensers. Mine would never learn to accept water that way. Try the bowl attachment pictures in one of my last posts which is a more familiar way to drink water.  Any plastic container, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc that you can punch a hole in to thread string, long twistie tie, etc through to attach inside her suite.

  Amt of water depends on a combo of water in food such as wet dog food and their activity. If you feed wet food, then that is part of the daily water intake.   She's not outdoors in the heat runing around but indoors where it is cool and she is not doing any physical activity, so she may not be so thirsty.  The important thing is to have water available so she can drink when she is thirsty.

Emily, that product is stairs/steps. Check out our ramp discussion.  You might be handy enough. dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/867/ramps

Lots of updates. Jazzy began last evening to start using her hind legs though she still cannot go outside without a sling. This morning (8/12/17) I went into her room (yes my dogs have their own room) where she was wagging her tail and even attempted to stand up in her kennel but I told her to calm down and lay down. There were no messes.

Last night at a very late time - we kept taking her outside and she would not potty. At all. My fiancé and I were so exhausted and frustrated and we knew she had to go but didn't want her to go to bed with a full bladder. Finally my fiancé took her to the backyard portion of our backyard. We have a concreted carport area that is fenced in and we keep the grass area closed off with a fence because they like to chase things and never do their business. Well, my fiancé took her out there and she peed. We were so relieved and finally went to bed.

This morning, after she attempted to stand up on her own, we took her straight out to the grass and she was trying to use both of her hind legs though her walk is still far too wobbly to consider putting the slings away. She went pee right away and also pooped within 6-7 minutes. I am so shocked. Jazzy has never liked grass so the concrete area has worked for us. The fact that she will hold it until we put her in the grass is blowing my mind. So I guess I should ask - when it rains, how do you take your doxies out? We are blessed with a carport so we don't have an issue usually.

She is drinking more water. This is remarkable to me as well. We put a tin water bowl in her kennel attached at head height and she seems to like it more than the gerbil bottle. Jazzy hasn't ever had a tin water bowl before so the fact that she likes it more is really surprising but I am not complaining! Now we are sitting here in the living room next to her kennel, drinking our coffee, and not stressing about her not peeing for us. Happy Saturday!!!

Hi Emily. Some really good news there. As for my Oliver and the rain, the answer for me is he will NOT to anything in the rain, maybe if it's a tiny TINY drizzle but in any actual rain, he just stands there quite sad and looks at me and says (ish), "hey, big guy, don't u know it's raining?! Let's go back inside". But humor aside, when it's raining, I don't take him out as it's a waste of time. I've learned who my dog is. I have wee wee pads set up, and he uses them 75% of the time when he has to go, and uses my nice plush carpet the other 25% of the time. Thank gawd for Nature's Miracle (it's a protein based cleaner if ur not aware). So rain equals Oliver doesn't go out for a walk, as he doesn't walk. It's more like a drag, so I let him stay inside.

I just can't believe how great everything seems to be going...just days ago I had stopped eating and stopped sleeping - having multiple panic attacks because I believed that, without the expensive surgery, there was no hope for her. We literally put life on pause and I had to take off work several times.
Now, we have gotten so much done around the house and Jazzy has been such a good little baby (especially now that we can finally get her to pee!) and she is gaining strength back.
I didn't think it was possible and i am fully aware we still have such a long way to go but I am just speechless that crate rest has helped this much in less than a week.
This forum has been a true life saver. It was such a lonely time before I found this.

Rob, I totally get it. I think some people thought we were overreacting. We even had two family members (who know our dogs are our children) to ask if we were planning on putting Jazzy down. It didn't even cross our minds. All I could think about is how in the world we were going to care for her when we had work/school and she theoretically would need a lot more of our time. And I could think about is how my little girl wasn't going to walk again after going through all the crap she had already faced in her short life. All I could think about is how she deserved so much better than us.

Let me clarify, it was not in my mind that we would give her to anyone else should the issue become worse - I was just trying to think about what lifestyle choices we would need to change in order to make her comfortable.

They were the worst days with the worst thoughts and I spent all day trying to find a name for what she had when I accidentally found Dodgerslist.

Your devotion and loyalty to Oliver is amazing. He is so lucky to have you. It pains me to think about IVDD doggies that don't have good dog parents or they have good dog parents that give up too quickly. In the days following Jazzy's "fall" (when her legs gave out) I just got so angry. My fiancé and I ALWAYS do the right thing in life - we believe in karma. We literally do all we can for others and expect nothing in return. And then this happened to us. I was so angry with God honestly and prayed over and over that he just heal Jazzy. Now that I have calmed down I am just so thankful that this happened to us and not say, my brother, who was one of the ones asking if we were going to put her down. Some people just don't view their own dogs like we view ours :/

8/14/17 update: We got the Novox and Tramadol refilled to last us until 8/22/17. At that point, we will be checking for any signs of pain though I am pretty hopeful that there won't be any (just because she is doing so well). We are also, of course, still doing 5mgs Pepcid twice a day.

She is getting stronger in her hind legs, still wobbly but noticeably better than before. Yesterday (8/13) she got her first decaf green tea sponge bath and she loved it. She smells so good and she loved the warmth of it. I think we will be doing one each weekend unless she really needs one during the week. Also, it was a lot more simple than a regular bath in my opinion. At first I was kind of dreading it because it sounded like more work than a normal bath but I think it is really going to work for us, for the next several weeks.

One thing we are having issues with is that, when we take her out, mosquitoes are so bad in our backyard is there anything that we can put on her that is safe? I heard Eucalyptus Lemon Oil was a good choice for dogs and it is supposedly safe?

P.S. tomorrow marks our first full week of crate rest - I feel like each week mark is cause for celebration!

[yesterday at 9:53am via mobile Julie & Nala, Ann Brittain, and 1 more like this]

Rob you are appreciated!

8/13/17 update: Jazzy is still trying her best to walk on her own and she is doing such an amazing job. She seems to be getting a little bored and sometimes growls and barks until we pet her but she won't leave us alone even if we do it for 30 min straight lol. I'm like, "you have peed. You have pooped. You just ate. You have water. You have a couple of toys. What in the world do you want now!?!" Lol

Now our 12 year old doxie has started to limp on his front right paw and there isn't anything visible stuck in it so we are dealing with nursing him to health now as well. The fun never ends.

I have to call the vet tomorrow to get Jazzy's medication refilled. We are going to shoot for the goal of taking her off everything on 8/22 - the two week mark since beginning crate rest. She doesn't seem to show ANY signs of pain at this point but I would like to continue it for a little over a week longer just to be on the safe side. She is doing awesome. I couldn't be more proud!

[Moderator's note: please do not modify
13 lbs
Novox as of 8/3 : for 14 days then test for pain stop
Tramadol 25mgs 2x/day
Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day]

We are still doing quite well - too well, actually. Jazzy thinks that since she feels better she can stand up in her cage and lean her body against the side (like she is climbing) when I get home and she is excited. No doubt, she is going to start getting bored soon. I tried to help her with a broth ice cube (low sodium, no fat, no onion ingredients) and that kept her occupied for a little while.

We celebrated our first full week of crate rest yesterday - part of me feels like these next 7 weeks will go fast but another part of me thinks it will go so slow. The happy part is that her crate rest ends on october 3rd - that just so happens to be my birthday so we will have a day full of celebration!

Of course, as always, I have more questions that I have thought about these last few days:

If no IVDD episodes happen before the age of 7 (since they usually occur in dogs 3-7 years old) does that mean that it won't happen? I am taking precautions now for my other two doxies (one is 12 years old) but I can't help but wonder.

I saw a list that said one precaution is no "killing the prey" toy game where they shake their heads...another was no "rambunctious playing with other dogs" - I was prepare to end the tug-o-war games but how on earth will I stop these two things? Jazzy doesn't normally "kill the prey" but when the do that, they do it all of the sudden without warning. I feel like I would hav to force her to stop playing with toys all together. And as far as no "rambunctious playing" with other dogs...she lives with her biological sister and they play all the time. Sure, it isn't super dangerous but they chase each other and fall to the floor while biting at each other.

Is the "wobbly walk" permanent? She kind of wobbles but she still has a long way to go. I just don't know if every recovery (should she have multiple episodes) will leave her worse off than the last. I just want to be prepared.

How do we know if IVDD might have a genetic component? I am so paranoid now for Jazzy's sister and, again, we are taking precautions but is there much evidence of related doxies having IVDD?

Can IVDD be tested for, especially in young dachshunds? 

Are there any known insurance companies that would cover Jazzy at this point?

Thank you for the information - sorry for having so many questions, I try to think of a list instead of asking one at a time. We are going to take precautions but like the "Living in Fear of IVDD", I don't want to diminish her joys in life and what she loves to do most (which is mainly wrestling with her sister). 

I just realized you were the one of the few I talked to on the Facebook group. I've been so scatterbrained since the weekend and things aren't making much sense lately. But I'm praying for your jazzy! 😊

Hi emily. Let me reply to this:

"you do make really good points about the quality of life. I don't want her to prevent doing what she loves but I also want to protect her. It is frustrating for sure. How many times had Oliver gone through this total and how old is he? I feel so bad that you have had to return to this page."

Let me express this really clearly and from the heart. There is no reason whatsoever to feel badly that I've had to return to this page; I'm quite accustomed to having to deal with this issue and don't see Oliver as handicapped or "broken" in some way. He's just a family member, my little baby who has a medical condition that requires proper care. That's all. But it's taken me having to deal with the matter over time to get th full education on the topic that I have now, so I'm less nervous about ththe whole thing. That said, if you see my current thread (starting 4 weeks ago to the date), I had to really get up to speed on the possibility for surgery as this time he did go down the scale of bad neuro indicators.

. Oliver is 8.5 years old. Had his first bout when he was 5, I think it was twice in a six month period, but they were mild episodes, Oliver responded immediately to conservative treatment, he did not lose ability to walk at all etc. This time he did but given my familiarity both with the condition and my dog (remember, know one knows the subtleties and small movements of Jazzy better than u do) I was able to appropriately "push-back" on the neurologist's recommendation to perform surgery, and rightly so, as he is now at 100% clinically speaking and did in fact NOT need the surgery to get to this level of healing. As for whether Oliver might feel he's being somehow "deprived" of a more active life, when I think that way I remind myself that I'm just projecting as dogs DO NOT have those type of thoughts. Only people do. I feel I have a responsibility to oliver to make sure he does not jump off couches or beds like Underdog, and he is not being deprived of a full happy life. Again, those are people adjectives. As long as I give him love and affection and treats and healthy food and water, they're fine. And I consider that showing my love means to restrain Oliver from engaging in activities which are or could possibly lead to a new activation of the IVDD. So, there's a learning curve to this, and I feel very strongly that I owed it (and still owe it) to him to know the issues regarding medications, the issues regarding treatment in general, and after Jazzy has been through this first bout, I would say what I consider most critical is to remain mindful of the earliest signs and symptoms, since we know that the earlier you detect a new activation (and hopefully it will never happen again, but it's always a possibility) the easier. And better will be her recovery. And I don't live in fear of a new activation. Actually let me put it another way, I don't perpetually live in fear but I do remain on-guard and vigilant, always. But I consider that part of my caring for Oliver, just as I take care of feeding him and walking him and protecting him in general. Takes time but you're taking great care of jazzy and she's very thankful for it.

Hi Emily. Please don't worry about responding lengthy or short or whatever. Just be yourself, no one is judging here, just trying to pass on our knowledge and experience. And yes, time is the healer, not even the meds -- They just help Jazzy get some time under her belt to begin he healing process internally. One comments on not showing her how u feel. I understand the point in concept but our dogs are all instinct and emotional connection, so they'll pick up on ur feelings. Which is fine. Don't worry about that, she knows ur concerned about her and thus love her. Ur doing GREAT for Jazzy!!! Keep up the good work!!!

And today for me and Oliver is 4 weeks of start of strict crate rest. Half way home. Woo Hoo!!!

Best wishes, keep posting, hope u and jazzy have a nice, uneventful weekend.

Rob