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Post by becmueller on Jul 21, 2013 13:11:41 GMT -7
Sadie is now post crate rest 2 weeks and has been steadily showing improvement since her episode. She is very tired of being cooped up and wants to go go go! She wags her tail enthusiastically, and has feeling back in her feet (had no feeling at all at start). She stretches her legs and tries to scratch her ears again, so some movement coming back. She's tried to get on her legs a few times, but just ends up collapsing into sitting position. She has been off pain meds for 2 weeks and has no pain symptoms.
I no longer have to express, however she is in a diaper as she doesn't seem to know she is going to let go. She does let me know when she needs to poo, and has healthy poo.
I am not sure whether to try using a wheelchair or what to do next, she really wants to be mobile I can tell. any suggestions?
I guess I didn't say, Sadie is a 5yr old Dachshund. She is a puppymill rescue - we adopted her the first of March 2013. She had apparently suffered a head trama before coming to the rescue and has a problem with seizures because of that. She injured her back during an extremely horrific seizure. I am still praying every day that there are no more seizures. She has had a couple mild ones while on crate rest, but so far doing very good.
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Marjorie
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Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 21, 2013 13:27:27 GMT -7
Have you tried sling walking Sadie? I found that walking my Jeremy with a sling greatly helped him to get those feet moving. I kept his rear end high enough so his feet just touched the ground because he dragged his feet if I let him down too far. At first, his legs just hung but gradually he started moving them. It was hard going, though, for me because Jeremy's a Cocker Spaniel and was over 30 lbs.
The rescue where I adopted him from donated a wheelchair and he used that for awhile. That was great when he really wanted to go, go, go. I put his hind feet up in the sling in back of the wheelchair and he could really get going down the street then. The cart had fat wheels so he could go to the beach in it, too. I would try to walk him slower with his feet touching the ground in the cart. But he didn't move his feet much in the cart - still just pulled himself along with his front legs. So I went back to sling walking him at least once a day for learning to walk again and placing his feet correctly and he eventually started to walk without the sling. He still needed shoes on his hind feet because he dragged his feet but he eventually didn't need those either.
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Post by becmueller on Jul 21, 2013 13:41:43 GMT -7
Thank you Marjorie, I haven't tried sling walking, I'm not sure how to do! I will go look for instructions on that.
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Marjorie
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Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
Posts: 5,724
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 21, 2013 14:00:36 GMT -7
I found this video to be very helpful. I didn't attach Jeremy's leash to the sling, though. I used a harness on Jeremy (one that has the clip for the leash on the chest) and held the leash with my left hand and held the sling up with my right hand. I did make a sling like the one shown in the above video but you can also use a towel like in this video: If you decide to look for a wheelchair, here are some tips on choosing one: www.dodgerslist.com/links/cart.htm |
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PaulaM
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Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
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Post by PaulaM on Jul 21, 2013 18:16:00 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist. My name is Paula what is yours? It is still early for nerve healing and lots of potential. -- Can you tell us if she can move her legs at all? Stretching and just staying in the standing position is a good thing, but likely that is due to reflexes. Do incorporate standing and getting her to stretch into your daily PT program at home. Are you doing these exercises to keep the joints flexible and circulation up in the muscles: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htmIf she can't move her legs at all, the I would try water therapy either at home in a child's $10 wading pool or at a rehab clinic. The water's bouyancy make it easier for them to get some leg movements going on. How to here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htm Are you doing acupuncture or laser light therapy to stimulate the nerve cells? Going on a sling walk is the same principle as using a sling for a very very few footsteps at potty time during conservative treatment. After conservative treatment is finished then more activity is permitted You would begin an incremental build up of stamina. The purpose of the sling is to be as a back up incase the butt would tip over…you want to keep the spine aligned. Here is a page that will give you some ideas about building up and easing back into physical activity : www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htmNot all videos and tips out there in internet land are tailored to a dog with IVDD. For example no more collars, we use harnesses with an IVDD dog as Marjorie mentioned. Always pick up your dog supporting both ends, never like a baby is picked up with the back legs dangling. The sling should never hike up the dog like a wheelbarrow nor be like a fulcrum in the mid back. The idea is to keep the back horizontal to the ground and the spine aligned. Can you confirm that Sadie does have bladder control? Needing a diaper is not a good sign she has bladder control, sounds like she needs to be expressed. The only way for us humans to know if there is bladder control is with the sniff and pee test. Carry outdoors, set on an old pee spot to sniff it. See if urine is then released. Make sure the sling or your hands are not on the tummy area as that can press on the bladder. If urine comes out after sniffing, bladder control is returning. You should do a quick express check to verify there is full voiding until you are certain it is consistently happening. Let us know what you observe. When is the last time she had a urinalysis…leaking can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI) If you are not yet seeing bladder control nor any leg movement, then I would look at a wheelchair and the features in the link Marjorie gave you. Are you doing acupuncture or laser light therapy to help stimulate nerve ending spouting? |
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Post by becmueller on Jul 21, 2013 19:32:53 GMT -7
Hi Paula, I am Bec Mueller, Sadie has some bladder control - but wasn't well potty trained before the incident, so I'm not sure how much is purely accidental, or how much is leakage. She can't stand for more than a few seconds. We aren't doing acupuncture or anything at the moment as we live in a very remote area, and most of these services are not offered. When she first had the episode I had to really express her, she didn't have the ability to go on her own at all. Now she will go on her own.
She can move the legs a little, and tries to get them under her to stand, but can't seem to get them to do what she wants. If I lift her rear end a little she will try and move across the room using her front legs.
I know she didn't have any ability to move the back legs at first, and had no feeling in the feet or legs. She does have feeling now, and I massage and work with her several times a day. I'm trying to keep an eye on her diet too as she has gained a little weight. We were trying to watch the diet before the episode because she was a little heavy, and now she is a little heavier since she hasn't been active. I am just uncertain where to go from here.
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Marjorie
Moderator~
Member since 2011. Surgery & Conservative
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Post by Marjorie on Jul 22, 2013 7:00:39 GMT -7
The main thing is to take it slow, Bec. She may feel that she can do more than she should. Try holding her hind end up with a sling, being sure to keep her spine straight. She's already trying to walk when you hold her rear end up so I'm sure she'd do well with a sling. If she shows any sign of pain, put her back in the crate and call your vet. The link that Paula gave you - www.dodgerslist.com/literature/AfterCrateRest.htm - will help you through this. Please let us know how it goes or if you have any questions. |
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StevieLuv
Helpful Member 
Conservative Treatment 3x. It really does work!
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Post by StevieLuv on Jul 25, 2013 8:11:24 GMT -7
Hi Bec, my name is Maureen. My Stevie has seizures too and also became paralysed after a seizure, 4 weeks after we adopted her from a rescue. So like you, we don't have alot of history for her. Is Sadie on any seizure control medication??? I worry too about another seizure undoing all of her hard work to get well and strong again. I'll be keeping you in thought and prayer  |
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