Welcome to Dodgerslist, Lisa. So glad you’ve joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve gleaned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you!
Reluctance to move is a sign of pain that you need to immediately alert the vet about. Pain hinders healing so have no patience with it. Pain needs to be brought completely under control within one hour of giving any new course of meds and remain completely under control from one dose of pain meds to the next. Odie is only on one pain med - Gabapentin which treats nerve pain - so the vet has options to get pain under control. Tramadol as a general pain med can be added and Methocarbamol which works on the pain of muscle spasms can be added.
Are you giving Gabapentin every 8 or 12 hours? Please be sure to give it every 8 hours as Gabapentin has a short half life and works best when given 3x/day.
Losec (Omeprazole) is not an initial optimal stomach protector. After Losec reaches peek effectiveness in 5 days it is supposed to be a good acid suppressor.
The oral bioavailability of omeprazole is initially low (approximately 35-40%) but increases to about 65% in the first 3-5 days of administration.[6,7] The most likely explanation for this phenomenon is that omeprazole absorption increases with repeated dosing because less omeprazole is degraded once acid secretion is inhibited, leaving more compound available for absorption.[1]
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/508018We recommend Pepcid AC as a better stomach protector. Ask if your dog has any health issues to prevent use of Pepcid AC (famotidine)? (doesn't need it, we wait til there is problem…are NOT answers to your question!) If you get a "no health" issues answer,then go to the grocery store to purchase over the counter Pepcid AC containing one single active ingredient (famotidine).
Doxie weight dogs: 5mg Pepcid (famotidine) every 12 hours. NOTE: Pepcid AC (famotidine) for dogs is 0.44mg per pound, 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours for as long as your dog is on the anti-inflammatory.
www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.html i.ibb.co/DCN9611/91x-Aj-s00z-L-SY355.jpgSuper tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite, the mattress and more! —>
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htmSTRICT for a post-op dog means: ◼︎no laps ◼︎no couches ◼︎no baths ◼︎no sleeping with you ◼︎no chiro therapy whys:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htm◼︎no dragging or meandering at potty times.
Post-op dogs will follow surgeon's directives for PT during post-op rest as the offending disc material was surgically removed.
If there is great pain or severe neuro diminishment, acupuncture or laser light therapy can be be started right away as an adjunct to pain meds and to kick start nerve cell energy production. For transport to necessary visits, pad out the recovery suite extra space with a rolled up towel/blanket to prevent body shifts during braking or cornering.
CAUTIONS: ~~ Laser light therapy is contra-indicated with tumors which are detected via x-ray.
~~ Why Chiropractic is not recommended for IVDD dogs:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/chiropractic.htmAlso water therapy can be performed after the stitches/sutures are removed. Some of these exercises can be done right in the bathtub. Many members have found underwater treadmills to be very helpful in regaining their dogs' use of their legs. Please check with the surgeon before starting any of these.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htmYou can look through the post-op exercises on this page and check with the surgeon to see if and when any of these can be started:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htmKnowledge is the power to fight the IVDD enemy and win!!The very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to get up to speed on IVDD as soon as possible. Begin absorbing the must-have overall sense of meds, care and how the treatment works. Your dog will be depending on your ability to learn:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/theater.htm --- PRINT OUT this link and tape to your fridge:
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htm --- use the printout as your roadmap to avoid dangerous detours in your dog's care --- make notes/highlight to keep yourself on track
--- follow all the links in the next days to become the IVDD savvy pet parent your dog needs.
Use the “search box” to easily locate topics over at our Main
www.dodgerslist.com website:
www.dodgerslist.com/index/searchBOX.jpgThe guest board is a temporary Guest courtesy to get immediate help until you can register.
I encourage you to register and login. That way all the features of the Forum are available to you, making it faster to reply and get an email alert about replies.
It also makes is far easier for us to track your dog and give the best assistance. Illustrated what to expect during registration:
www.dodgerslist.com/forumads/RegisterFORUM/register.htmPlease let us know what the vet says after speaking to them about the pain meds and Pepcid AC. It sounds as though Odie is doing very well so soon after surgery but does need to get that pain completely under control so he can rest and heal in comfort. Healing prayers for Odie.
