Rhema's Bo RIP 7/19 conservative

He yelps when i try to pick him up to drain his bladder and whines when im expressing which makes it hard to express bc he tenses up

He is also reluctant to lay down again

I'm sorry to hear Bo is having pain show up.  Rhema I  looked back through your posts to check on his meds:
It looks like the Pred is scheduled to start the taper tomorrow (7/23).  Is that right or have you started the tapered today?
 On the taper the dose is lowered to less than the anti-flammatory dose and that is the time to assess just how well reduction of swelling is going by observing for pain. The vet needs to know about pain right away.

Rule of thumb is:
pain = swelling = more time on the original Pred dose is needed.

Can you tell us exactly how you  have been dosing Tramadol.  Was it Tramadol promptly every 8 hours or every 6 hours at 50 mg dose and there is this pain now?   Prompt too on the Robaxin… is it every 6 or 8 hours you actually give?

If there has not been any pred taper yet and you have been maxing out the Tramadol and Robaxin prescription dose and timing, then do ask that a third pain med be added to the mix.  Vets are finding good success because gabapentin works synergistically with the Tramadol and is safe with Roboxin.

Have you tried giving him the pills in some type of food he really loves? Jeremy loves peanut butter and gobbled up the peanut butter without even realizing there was anything in it. Maybe some chicken with the pills pushed inside would work for Bo - whatever he would really like and would just gobble up quickly. If it's something he has to chew on for awhile, that wouldn't work. Tramadol is very bitter. Be sure that you don't have any of the powder from the pills on your hands if you're trying to hide it in food. You don't want any of the powder on the outside of the food where the dog can smell it. You can also try Greenies pill pockets or a pill gun that can be purchased at pet stores.

Dogs don't lose the ability to poop on their own, Rhema. They can lose control over when and where they poop due to nerve damage. If they lose control, the poop just comes out on its own. If Bo is having accidents in his crate, then he may have lost control or he may just not be able to tell you he has to go since he's locked in the crate.

My Jeremy is incontinent, both bladder and bowels, and has been for a year and a half. I have learned to express his bowels about 4-5 hours after he's eaten - usually around noon and again before bed. That helps avoid accidents in the crate or house. When he was still walking, before his second incident, he would usually poop when he went for a walk. The walking action caused him to go. You might want to try expressing Bo's bowels when you bring him out to express his bladder if it's been a few hours after eating. Here's some very helpful info on expressing the bowels:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm

As I said, though, Bo may just be having accidents in his crate due to his confinement and not being able to tell you he needs to go. Or if he has lost some control over his bowels, that doesn't mean it won't improve. And of course you don't have to express his bowels, they will empty on their own.

Hi Rhema, how has Bo been doing? Have you gotten his pain under control? Have you looked into accupuncture for Bo? Our Tucker was paralyzed 5 weeks ago. I came home from work to find him dragging himself to great me. I was horrified. He had also lost bladder control. It took me a week with my vet and finding a holistic vet to finally get his pain under control. I was really tough on our new vet to get his pain under control. As soon as our new vet started him on the pain Meds. And accupuncture/ laser therapy Tucker has been making great progress. I highly recommend the accupuncture. Tucker has been going 2 times a week for the past 4 weeks. This week we start once a week. He goes Thursday. Our accupuncture Dr told us she couldn't promise anything on our first visit. Here we are 4 weeks later and Tucker stood on his own for her at our last visit. She is just as excited as we are to see this little dog walk again.
I see you havering some problems giving his Meds. Tramadol is very bitter. You need to hide it well. We used hot dogs for a while and Tucker never hesitated to take them. We now are using a product by Greenies called pill pockets. Maybe those will help.

Yes, Bo can recover without acupuncture. Nerves can heal with time. Acupuncture can give the nerve a jump start. I don't know what area you live in but here in NJ, the cost was about $80 per visit and they saw Jeremy twice a week. If that's not in your budget, please don't feel guilty at all. Crate rest is the best thing you can do for Bo right now and that's what you're doing.

He may be feeling a bit drugged or he may just be tired out from all he's been through. I wouldn't suggest lowering his Tramadol right now. You don't want his pain to come back. It's best that he be calm and rest easy in his crate. Keep an eye on his weakness and if it's a concern to you, speak to your vet about it. Please don't apologize for asking questions. That's what this group is here for. And as for your vet, he's employed by you, you're paying him to care for your dog and you shouldn't hesitate to pick up the phone and ask questions. You're your dog's best advocate and he needs you to speak up for him since he can't do it himself.

Hope you both have a good day.

Rhema, did you give feedback to the vet of the signs of pain you reported to us yesterday (reluctanct to lie down, yelped when moved)? Pain is an indicator that there is still swelling that prednisone needs to work on. Tapering pred is taking away this ability as the dose will be lower than the needed anti-inflammatory dose.

On the taper it is usual to also back off the pain meds or stop them so that there is a clear picture on pain. If he had pain yesterday he likely still has swelling going on today. So therefore the taper likely should not continue. What did the vet say?

I am so sorry, Rhema. Take comfort in knowing he no longer suffers. You did what you could for your sweet baby. I'm sure you miss your sweet handsome fella. Thinking of you with great sympathy.

Im so very sorry.

So sorry for your loss Rhema.

Rhema, I am so sad to hear about Bo leaving for rainbow bridge.  He will always stay in your heart where the most cherished remain..
Sending comforting thoughts and prayers..