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Post by Heather & Roo on Mar 27, 2021 13:58:54 GMT -7
☆ 1 currently pain? ☐ shivering, trembling when close to next dose of pain meds☆ 2 11 pounds Tramadol 50mg tablet - every 12 hours Gabapentin 50mg oral suspension- every 12 hours Rimadyl 25mg tablet - every 12 hours
[Moderator's note: please do not modify
11 lbs
Rimadyl 25mg 2x/day
Tramadol 50mg 2x/day
Gabapentin 50mg 2x/day
pumpkin
needs GI tract protector, Pepcid AC, on board w/Rimadyl! ]
☆ 3 --She will only eat wet food. Not interested in water, but will drink organic unsalted bone brothPoops are normal after I added a small amount of canned pumpkin to her food ☆ 4 What breed? Chihuahua/terrier mix/ What is your dog’s name? Roo Your name, too? Heather ☆ 5 T12-T13 Intervertebral disc herniation with right ventrolateral spinal cord compression On 3/20/21 she had a T12-T13, T11-T12 right hemilaminectomy-- The emergency surgeon is a DVM, DACVS-SA I took Roo too our vet on 3/18/21 after hearing a yelp in the backyard. When she came inside the house something seemed off. I picked her up and heard her making a grunting sound and was trembling. I immediately called our vet and drove straight there. I was told she had a back sprain and just needed rest. A little over 24 hours later she was paralyzed from the tail down. On 3/20/21 I went to our local emergency pet hospital (Blue Pearl), and was told she needed emergency spinal surgery to repair a large herniated disc. The surgeon reported after that she had more bruising on her spine than he expected. She was sent home on 3/23/21 with discharge instructions stating she needed to rest for 2 weeks. Today is 3/27/21...1 week after surgery. She is eating well and can urinate on her own...but only does so on a pee pad. If I put my finger up to the bottom of either back feet, she will curl her toes around my finger. I saw her seem to [3/26] pull in her left hind leg yesterday as if she was trying to sit normally...rather than with her hind legs straight out under her. She is not wagging her tail. I purchased a small dog sling that should arrive today. I’m just not sure if I should be using it now to use on her outside to to try and pee or poop standing - or if I should wait until her staples are out. She is to have them removed in 1 more week. She still has some swelling on her back, but her incision is clean and looks great. The surgeon told me that we can start rehab after the incision is healed. I have no idea what I am really doing...but will do anything to keep her happy, healthy and want to give every option available to get her to hopefully walk again. Any advice would be great it appreciated. Thank you! |
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Mar 27, 2021 14:58:18 GMT -7
Welcome to Dodgerslist, Heather. We are glad you’ve joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve learned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you! Learn more about us and how we team up with veterinarians: dodgerslist.com/about-team-dodgerslist/
Tramadol and gabapentin are good pain relievers but they do not last long in the body. They often need to be prescribed 3x a day for full pain relief. This is probably why Roo is showing signs of pain when nearing the next dose time. Please let your vet know about this and ask for the tramadol and gabapentin to be prescribed 3x daily. Pain only slows the healing process.
After surgery, crate rest is needed to allow the surgical site to heal, We have some information on the crate rest process and some options for the recovery suite. dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/The way we tell if a dog has regained bladder control is through the sniff and pee test. The dog is taken to an old pee spot and allowed to sniff. If, after sniffing, the dog urinates then the dog has bladder control, if not the dog does not yet have bladder control. If Roo is wetting the pee pad she is laying on or leaking when you pick her up this is likely due to overflowing. Overflowing by reflex occurs when the bladder is overstretched and full of urine. Stale urine in the bladder often leads to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Continual over stretching of the bladder can lead to difficulties with urination even when bladder control returns. When our dogs cannot empty the bladder by themselves we must help keep the bladder healthy by expressing. Expressing is a matter of physics. We put pressure on the dog's bladder greater than the strength of the urinary sphincter and push the urine out. The best way to learn expressing is by getting a hand-on lesson from your vet. We have some information on expressing here. dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/
Take Roo to the old pee spot and see if she can sniff and pee. You can carry her there and then use the sling . Give her this opportunity to pee regularly. Until she can, she will need to be expressed to keep her bladder healthy.
All anti-inflammatories like Rimadyl cause excess stomach acid which can lead to serious stomach damage. To prevent this damage a stomach protector like Pepcid AC can be used. Ask the vet 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). The usual dose of 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. For Roo the right dose would be rounded up to 5mgs. Information about famotidine is here: www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.html
We have some nursing tips for the IVDD dog here: dodgerslist.com/2021/01/19/nursing-care-at-home-tips/%E2%80%8BIt
It can seem confusing and overwhelming when our dogs have IVDD. Dodgerslist has a lot of information that will help you feel more confident. We have some basics here. dodgerslist.com/category/ivdd-101#primer
You can also use the search bar at the top tof the main website to look for particular topics: www.dodgerslist.com |
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