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Post by scarlettm on Jun 30, 2013 5:32:37 GMT -7
Hi everyone. My 22lb, 5yr old doxie was rushed in for emergency surgery after paralysis in his hind end.
It started a week prior to surgery when one morning he was acting very lathargic. He is normally very hyper active. I took him to the ER twice that day; once for the lethargy, and a second time when he started yelping when lifted, or pressure was put on his chest. Both times the vets said it was likely lime and sent him home with some pain meds and lime meds.
I kept him pretty still that week and used his bed to lift him. by the fourth day he was acting back to normal so I let him play with his ball. While running he slipped, stopped and walked slowly back over to me. He started limping but didn't seem to be in pain so I assumed he had aggravated the lime. I had to leave for an out of town stay so I told my husband to keep him still when he got home. The next morning I got a call saying his hind legs were completely paralyzed and hubby was rushing to the vets.
The ER vets said it was likely a spinal injury and we could crate him for two weeks to see if it healed on its own or go to another hospital for a spinal scan. We rushed to the other hospital and found out he had two ruptured discs and needed surgery right away.
Going in he had no deep pain and they said the disc damage was pretty bad but the spinal cord itself did not look damaged. One day post op he had deep pain again. Two days post op he was able to very faintly twitch his leg. It's now been about a week post op that he has been at the vets. He can now twitch both legs if you get him in the right position and look closely, but he is still dragging around and unable to walk; although he can bare weight and stand when placed in a standing position. His catheter was taken out two days ago and he has yet to pee on his own. Vets said we could take him home today and will teach us to express his bladder. They think his lack of peeing may be behavioral from being afraid at the vets so we are hoping he can go when he gets home.
I've set up multiple crates and still can't believe this happened. I will hate to see him cooped up in the tiny cage for weeks and hope that he regains his bladder control and some ability to walk. He's my baby and watching this has been heartbreaking. I'm chronically ill and got him as a puppy when I was very sick; he has always been such a good boy and there for me, and seeing him suffer like this is very hard. I can only hope for him to get well.
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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 30, 2013 11:05:45 GMT -7
Scarlett, welcome to Dodgerslist. Let us know when Hammy's at home, what the surgeon directs for PT and for crate rest and what if any medications they send him home with. Learning to express will be a new skill for you. Reviewing the tips and the video can help you fine tune your expressing skills www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm Many of us also went back to our local general DVM vets to get a refresher lesson…where you express in the clinic and the vet tech checks your work. If he is not on any meds you will likely need to start out expressing every 3-4 hours as you learn this new skill. The cage should be big enough to turn around in, stand up and when lying down legs can be fully stretched out. This is usually just for 6 weeks as all the surgery sites heal up. Let us know how Hammy is doing today. |
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Post by scarlettm on Jul 2, 2013 4:18:04 GMT -7
Thank you for the reply. Hammy has been home for two days now and his diarrhea seems a bit better, however I think he has developed incontinence. Has anyone experienced this? We were seeing him spotting pee every 4 to 10 min and we know he doesn't have a uti. I took him to the vet for another expressing lesson and while there vet fully expressed him. We got home about 15-20 min later and as soon as he was in his crate he peed another small spot again. The vet suggested one of his meds may be causing it but wants to try keeping him on it? I'm concerned about him getting urine scald or that this could become permanent. He still doesn't seem to have bladder control otherwise.
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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 3, 2013 13:23:02 GMT -7
What are the exact names of all meds Hammy is on, the dose in mg, and how often do you give them?
How do you know he does not have a UTI, has their been a recent urinalysis? Often there are no signs for us to pick up on, other times leaking, smell can be a sign.
Did you get a hand on top of your own hands type of lesson? Did you try to express in the clinic and then the vet checked your work? If it is only the vet expressing and not working with you to show you, it is not conducive to learning this new skill.
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