Lorry's Baguette 7/14 surgery CANADA

Welcome to Dodgerslist, Lorry. Does Baguette have any movement in her hind legs at all? Can she wag her tail when spoken to in a happy voice?

Bowels can be expressed, too and it's not as yucky as it sounds. I express my Jeremy around noon time and before bed each day - usually 4-5 hours after eating. Each dog is different so you'll have to experiment as to when the best time to express Baquette would be. Sometimes Jeremy will go before I get to him but most times we avoid accidents now. Here's the info on expressing bowels: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm#poop

Baguette might surprise you in how quickly she'll become adjusted to using a cart. Jeremy was so anxious to get moving that he took off in it the first day. Some dogs do need more time to adjust so I do hope that Baquette enjoys hers soon.

Are you doing any follow-up care for Baquette to help her regain use of her legs? The exercises shown on this page can be done from home and were very helpful in Jeremy's rehab.
www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm

Water therapy is a wonderful rehab for them. www.dodgerslist.com/literature/watertherapy.htm

Also, dogs can benefit greatly with acupuncture or laser light therapy. These therapies can kick start energy production in nerve cells to sprout. So if this therapy is in your budget, seek out a holistic vet.
ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

Jeremy had surgery and it was weeks after before I saw the slightest movement in his feet, months before he took his first step. I thought he would always have to be walked with a sling. Then I thought he would always be in a cart. Then I thought he would always need shoes because his feet dragged. He recovered from all of that though it was a very, very gradual progress over many months. Keep believing those nerves will heal and tell Baguette that she's getting better every day. All the best to you both.

You're certainly doing all that you can to get your girl on her feet, Lorry. When a paralyzed dog moves her tail while peeing or pooping, it's usually reflex. What you want to look for is a tail wag when someone walks into the room or you speak to her in a happy voice. Then you know the brain is connecting to the nerves controlling the tail. When Jeremy first started getting movement back in his tail, his wag was very jerky - jerk, jerk, jerk to the left, jerk, jerk, jerk to the right. It's still not a smooth wag but it's good enough for me!

I'll keep an eye out to see how you're making out with the bowel expressing.

Thank you for the info. I specifically asked the surgeon and the physo-therapists, if Baguette needed to be "quiet" for any amount of time and they all said, "no".
They had told me that she will let me know when she is tired. Anyhow, in the meantime, we live in a cottage, and fortunately, we already had a doggy stroller, and a friend gave us another,....one for each floor! She definitely prefers sleeping in the stroller or just sitting up and watching the world go by, to being on the floor or in the crate. I suppose it's equivalent to crate rest.
The bowel expression went extremely well and last night was UNINTERRUPTED!!! We already have the bladder under control, so things are looking up. I owe it all to Dodgerslist......now I'm able to get a good night's sleep and my family is speaking to me again.
We are taking Baggy to Florida at the end of the month, which will be 6 weeks from surgery.....I will definitely heed your advice and wait until then to re-introduce her "wheels". I'm trying to upload a video of her incredible efforts in the under-water treadmill.....will figure it out soon.
Thank you again,
Lorry

Baguette had her surgery back on July 14th, 2013 and is still dragging her hind legs all over the place. She spent 4 days with my niece and came back with a scary looking rash under her back legs and up to her pink little belly. She was sliding along the shiny hardwood floors without a diaper, all day, and slept with a diaper all night. She would always wake with a dry diaper, but we put it on, just in case. So, does anyone know if it's okay to use an antibiotic cream on her, or just a diaper rash cream, such as zinc oxide?
Thank you,
Lorry and Baguette

Lorry, welcome to Dodgerslist. Sorry to hear about what sounds like to be abrasions to tender skin which can easily happen on shiny hardwood floors or on carpets. Have you tried any of the protection garments listed on #7?

For raw or red skin an antibiotic like Neosporin can help or even a product called EMT gel which you may be able to purchase at a feed and grain store near you. www.emtgel.com. Zinc is toxic to dogs, so avoid those products as the dog might lick it off.

Is she staying dry in between expressing sessions? How many hours apart do you express. Great tips on expression in the video and the article on this page. Are you also expressing for poop? www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm

What are you doing for PT whether at a clinic or at home. There is much good information about home PT here: www.dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm

Does Baguette wag her tail if you do some happy talk to her? Have you seen her legs move at all?

Are you considering a wheelchair?

Lorry,

It is best to use a diaper cream without zinc oxide. It is toxic to dogs should she lick it.

Garments to protect Baguette
If your dog drags his legs behind, there are padded garments to protect the skin.

Pam's easy cape for Ollie
www.dogleggs.com/files/rear.cfm

If your dog scoots with legs in front like a frog, protect the boney butt from pounding on the floor with a BumPad , no sew option
Diaper/male belly wrap

Diapers are NOT recommended. Dogs abhor being near/in their waste, diapers cause problems with skin. Proper expressing is what keeps a dog dry and the bladder healthy.  www.dodgerslist.com/literature/Expressing.htm

Skin problems
Check the belly and back legs daily for abrasions. Treat with EMT Gel or Neosporin and a self-adherent wrap such as Coban or VetWrap. Keep skin clean of urine and feces. Baby wipes or baby body wash is easy on the skin. If the condition does not improve within 3 days, seems worse or oozes pus, go to your vet as oral antibiotics and perhaps a skin culture might be needed.