Kelly's Rylee 8/1 conservative Stones

    Dogs don't speak up at first signs of stomach damage like a person would. By the time we notice black or red blood in the stools, things can quickly go from bleeding ulcers to a life threatening perforated stomach. 

      Proactive vets don’t wait til there are red flag signs of: lip licking of nausea, not eating, vomit, diarrhea leading to serious bleeding ulcers, red or black blood in stool due to the extra stomach acids anti-inflammatory drugs cause. 

      Pepcid AC (famotidine) blocks the production of acid. The usual dose of Pepcid AC (famotidine) with a disc episode is 0.44mg mg per pound every 12 hours. www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.html

     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).

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    HEALTH ISSUES:

Excellent reading about use of anti-inflammtories during a disc epidode: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/18/steroids-vs-nsaids/ 

2) Prednisone is not given every 8 hrs. Verify the actual times a day you give (normally it is 2x/day). How many mgs are in one prednisone tablet?
  
3) what is the name of the steroid injection given August 1?

4) gabapentin:  What is the formula for the gabapentin liquid? Look on the bottle for how many  mgs are in one mL of liquid.   How many times a day do you actually give gabapentin (every 8 or every 12)?

PANTING
   = Panting can be a sign of pain when pain meds wear out. Gabapentin only lasts for 8 hrs. So you should be dosing it every 8 hrs. Only one source of pain is covered by gabapentin (nerve pain).  Call your vet and discuss  covering the other 2 sources of pain every eight hours: traMADol (general analgesic), methocarbamol (muscle spasm pain).
   = Panting can be a side effect of prednisone.
        -- Try a fan near crate but not pointed at the dog to help circulate air some.
        -- Try a frozen broth ice cube to lick on.
Neuro surgeon Dr. Isaacs discusses this issue: www.dodgerslist.com/neurocorner2/panting.htm

5) Sounds like Rylee has weak leg movement since she can't wobbly walk.
    Can she attempt to scratch an ear?
    Can she use the back legs to reposition her body in the recovery suite?
    On 8/1 could she wobbly walk?

Please confirm that you are on the same page with us as to conservative care.
   The hallmark component of conservative treatment is the very STRICT crate rest part (no PT, little movement). With little blood supply discs are much slower to form good scar tissue than it takes a blood rich broken bone to heal. Those weeks of a cast for a broken arm to heal is similar to the recovery suite being a kind of cast for the disc. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks provides limited movement to allow good strong scar tissue to form.

▶︎  Do you have her recovery suite set up for easy maintenance?   
       Super tried and true tips for setting up the recovery suite, the mattress and more! dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/

Kelly, education is the key to soothing your mind and looking out for your dog. That's right, your dog has a serious disease. This disc episode can have a good outcome or a different one.
    1) Emergency FAQ will fill you in on the big picture. It helps to plant seeds in your mind: dodgerslist.com/2020/02/24/emergency-faq/
    2) Be in the know how each phase of healing works. "Improvement" is too vague a term. Have meaningful conversations about the specific expectations of healing for Rylee with your vet: dodgerslist.com/in-the-right-place

STRICT rest means:
◼︎no laps   ◼︎no couches   ◼︎no baths    ◼︎no sleeping with you   
◼︎no chiro therapy WHYs: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/
◼︎no dragging or meandering at potty times.
◼︎no PT for conservative dogs during 8 weeks to heal disc
◼︎At home laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best.
◼︎ avoid dangerous detours. Follow the "Roadmap." Tape it to your fridge. D/L and print out: dodgerslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Roadmap-for-Fridge.pdf
Transports are always a risk to the disc of too much movement. Vet visits must be weighed risk vs. benefit for dogs with little to mild neuro diminishment.

POTTY TIME strictness
   Carry your dog to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a very, very few limited footsteps.
    Using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep a wobbly dog's back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash is to control speed and keep footsteps to minimum as you stand in one spot.
    An ex-pen in the grass is an excellent alternative to minimizing footsteps with the physical and visual to indicate there will be no sniff festing going on!

Look forward to learning with an update soon, that  Rylee is not in any pain at all if pain meds needed to be adjusted.  And her GI tract is now protected with Pepcid AC (famotidine) 5mgs every 12 hours.