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Post by Marylyn on Sept 6, 2021 16:56:45 GMT -7
[Original subject line: Gia, IVDD and Me]
Hello- My name is Marylyn and I am new to this group. Obviously for a sad but hopeful reason. My five year old Maltipoo was diagnosed [9/3] Friday with IVDD and was at stage 4. The doctors felt emergency surgery was necessary before she lost deep pain stimulation. Being new to this, I instantly agreed and off to surgery she went. She is now home with me but sadly after two days in the hospital she no longer has pain sensation. She went from bad to worse. Now I feel guilty. Did I make the wrong decision? Nonetheless we are here. She is under a lot of meds, two of which are Codeine and Trazodone every 8 hours. There is another that starts with a G but I cant remember the name. Also every 8 hours. They make her so groogy and tired which I suppose is fine during this recovery phase. [MED LIST/HISTORY- Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 14 lbs 5 y.o. Codeine 15mg tab: 11.25mgs 3x/day Gabapetin 100mg 3x/day Trazodone 25mg - as needed for anxiety] My biggest concern is her lack of eating. She has not eaten decently since Thursday. She took a few nibbles today but no where near her regular consumption. She FINALLY started to drink water [9/6] today so I am relieved about that. Any suggestions on how to get her to eat. Is blending her food and giving it via syringe ok? Lastly is the urine expression. I am having a VERY hard time managing this. I simply cannot find her bladder. I did get to express her once but frankly I just pressed on her belly. I did not feel her bladder at all. It was just a whim. Not that she has finally consumed water I know I will absolutely need to express her tonight. I am so terrified of her getting a UTI because of my ignorance. Of course, I have asked the doc about these things and they say to monitor her for a day and to keep trying the expressing. I am praying that by tomorrow her appetite resumes and I can master the expressing but in the meantime if anyone can offer some solid advice, this worried mom would really appreciate it. Hugs, Marylyn
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Sept 6, 2021 19:36:40 GMT -7
Marylyn, welcome to the the Forum. We are glad you are here. Just so you know after a surgery there often will be a temporary setback due to all the surgical caused swelling. That often takes about 14 days to go away. Then you and the surgeon will have a much better idea of the direction of nerve healing. The fact that surgeon operated before deep pain sensation was lost means there is less time the spinal cord was severely compressed, the better for nerve healing to take place. Please do list all meds with dose in mgs and how often you actually are doing. The big picture with all the details helps us best to understand things. What else does she take beside codeine, traZODone and "G?" ? How much does she weigh?The meds used for the operation can take some days to leave the system where the dog feels like eating and drinking. Try some tasty home made (no-fat, no salt, no onion) beef broth on top of her food. Simmer up a hamburger patty in a cup or so of water. Cool and discard the fat disc at the top. Add 1-2 teaspoon of the crumbled beef on top. Best to not syringe feed her, she will begin to eat as she feel better. The important thing is to keep hydrated and she is now dong that. Expressing the bladder is learning a new skill. At the end of a weeks worth of expressing, you will "get it." Many of us have had to go back to the hospital or to our own family vet to get another hands-on-top-of-your-hands type of expressing lesson. Get the most out of the lesson with a -review what you were shown by reading and viewing the video at this page: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/ Note you can also express for poop. Bowel expressing is not the concern that bladder expressing is. More so that Gia does not have anxiety by finding her poop plops out where she sleeps. Check our our tried and true member tips and ideas for setting up the recovery suite: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/ For how man weeks does the surgeon want for post-op rest which will include the PT he has directed? What PT did the surgeon direct for PT? Any from the video below: Post-op PT for the paralyzed IVDD dog: 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 Gia and give the best assistance. How to here: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/7353/register-bookmark-dogs-post-thread
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Post by Marylyn & Gia on Sept 7, 2021 6:18:42 GMT -7
Thank you for the response and welcome Paula. So happy to have found you albeit under this unfortunate circumstance.
Gia is 5 and weigh approx 14 lbs. Her medication are as follows:
Codeine 15mg - 3/4 tablet for three days, then 1/2 for another three days, then only as needed Trazodone 50mg - 1/2 tablet for 7 days then as needed for anxiety Gabapetin 100mg - 1 capsule for 7 days
Thankfully she ate some this morning. Not her normal amount but definitely increased. I tried the broth but that didnt seem to work well. I will try the hamburger method. Thank you!
In terms of the urine expressing, it has become even more difficult. Gia has now become aggressive and tries to bite even when I simply motion I am going to go on her hind end. It makes me panic as I dont know if its pain related, fear or both. How do you express a dog, that is aggressive while trying to minimize further damage to their spine? Its so scary and concerning. I am terrified shes going to get an infection. I am trying not to lose control of my emotions but I sure you can imagine, thats hard to do.
Again, thank you. This page have been a Godsend.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,493
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Post by PaulaM on Sept 7, 2021 10:08:23 GMT -7
Marylyn, glad to hear appetite is starting to return! And thank YOU so much for registering. While no one wants a dog to get a bladder infection, it would not be the end of the world if it would happen. Learning the art of expressing takes some days of practice to become proficient. If a bladder infection would occur during the learning time, the vet would simply Rx an antibiotic. Have you observed any of these signs of nerve repair:-- Can she do a happy tail wag when you specifically do some happy talk to her?-- Often when dogs do not like you expressing the bladder (pushing on it with your hands) it could be: 1) because bladder control neuro function might be starting to return. 2) because there might be a bladder infection beginning. Not all bladder infections will show outward signs you can observe (foul odor, change in color, burning pain, etc.) -- Talk to your family vet or to the surgeon about a urinalysis to rule out a bladder infection. -- Would you take her outdoors to give her the "SNIFF and PEE" test, today? Let us know what you observe.SNIFF and PEE TEST The only way for humans to know if there is bladder control is with the “sniff and pee test.” Carry outdoors, set them on an old pee spot to sniff. Make sure the sling or your hands are not on the tummy area as that can press on the bladder. See if they will release urine on the old urine area. If urine comes out after sniffing, bladder control is returning. You should continue to do a quick express check to verify there is full voiding until you are certain it is consistently happening. Let us know what you observe. NOTE: When the bladder is full, it fills the entire abdomen area so any pressure should release urine if bladder control is not yet back. You may need to hold the pressure for a little longer than you think you would. As the bladder empties, it gets smaller and can slip away from you. You’ll need to find it again. Sometimes it moves back by the pelvic area. Keep pressing until the bladder feels flat, almost like your hands are touching. Nerves heal typically in the reverse order of the damage to the spinal cord. Let us know where Gia is in the below list as of today:1. Deep Pain Sensation: the first neuro function to return. DPS is the critical indicator for nerves to be able to self heal after surgery. Trust only the word of a neuro (ACVIM) or ortho (ACVS) surgeon about this very tricky to correctly identify neuro function. 2. ? Tail wagging with joy at seeing you or getting a treat or meal. 3. ? Bladder and bowel control verified with the "sniff and pee" test. 4. Leg Movement, and then ability to move up into a standing position, and then wobbly walking. 5. Being able to walk with more steadiness and properly place the paw. 6. Ability to walk unassisted and perhaps even run. LEARN MORE: dodgerslist.com/2021/02/06/nerve-healing-after-disc-episode/Please keep us updated on what vet thought is about a urinalysis & what you observe with the sniff and pee test.
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