Welcome to Dodgerslist, Erin. 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. Know more about us and how we team up with veterinarians:
dodgerslist.com/about-team-dodgerslist/Disc disease is not a death sentence! Struggling with quality of life questions? Re-think things:
dodgerslist.com/2020/04/18/hope-quality-life/Please let us know the name of the steroid that Madee is on, as well as the dosage in mgs and frequency given. Yesterday she started to taper off of the steroid so you'll need to be on the alert for any sign of pain. Pain means there is still swelling pressing on the nerves of the spine and still a need for the original anti-inflammatory dosage for a bit longer. If you do see any sign of pain, please let the vet know so the Madee can be returned to the original dosage for another course.
PEPCID AC: Anytime a dog is taking an anti-inflammatory, stomach protection must be added. 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).
i.ibb.co/DCN9611/91x-Aj-s00z-L-SY355.jpgDoxie weight dogs: 5mg Pepcid AC (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.htmlPlease let us know more about Madee's bladder control. When you say that she can "go on her own", do you see her make a conscious effort to urinate, possibly whine before or let you know in some way that she has to go? Or are you finding wet bedding? Is that due to your not being able to take her outside?
The only way we humans can tell if a dog has bladder control is to take her out to a spot where she's peed before, support her hind end, let her sniff and see if she can release urine on her own. If she can, then she has bladder control. If not, then her bladder needs to be manually expressed. You'll need a demonstration by a vet as to how to express. Tips here for your review prior to your demonstration:
dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/With a large dog, you have more of a challenge to do a sniff and pee test. Has the surgeon approved Madee walking outside to do her business with the help of a hind-end harness? Many people with large dogs find the Help 'Em Up harness to be very helpful. Or teach Madee to use a pee pad next to her crate by adding some dirt with her urine or another dog's urine and praise her when she goes.
To help with clean-up, make up a pot of decaffeinated green tea, let it cool down, dampen sponge or cloth and gently pat dog’s belly and legs. The green tea neutralizes the acidity of the urine so helps with urine burn and leaves a nice smell. You can keep any unused tea in the fridge to be warmed up for later use.
What type of at-home PT has been prescribed? Here's our page on post-op therapy that may have some additional exercises that you can do. Be sure to run any exercises by the surgeon before starting.
dodgerslist.com/2020/05/27/surgery-dog-pt/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. Options: Acupuncture vet who does home visits to avoid back moving during transports. 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:
dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/Also 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.
dodgerslist.com/2020/05/28/surgery-dog-water-therapy/Knowledge 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 soonest possible. Owner understanding ensures proper conservative treatment principals:
▶︎ 4 phases of healing, what it takes to heal each phase:
dodgerslist.com/in-the-right-place▶︎ Roadmap for your fridge so the whole family is on board. Stay the course, avoid dangerous detours for the healing disc:
dodgerslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Roadmap-for-Fridge.pdf
The 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.htmIt takes a couple of weeks for the swelling from surgery to resolve and until then, you may not see much improvement. Hang in there, nerves can be very slow to heal but heal they can. Stay strong, stay positive and never give up hope! Healing prayers for Madee.
