|
|
Post by Laurie & Sadie Mae on Aug 8, 2022 19:37:44 GMT -7
I need advice or maybe encouragement … my 8 year old Doxie, Sadie Mae had disc surgery 8 weeks ago yesterday…..The surgery went fine she went in with DPP and a tail wag and she came out of surgery with DPP and a tail wag… 3 days later the vet called and said she had lost her DPP and no sign of a tail wag… I was just heartbroken… they decided it was swelling around the spinal cord and gave her a shot of steroid 5 days later her DPP and tail wag came back ( I feel like this is what has slowed down her progress) she’s been on 2 different meds for UTI’s and an occasional trazodone for anxiety ( prior to this I NEVER left this dog she was mistreated and abandoned as a pup, she escaped through a broken window and we found her. We Looked for her owners, animal control called and gave us her background the original owners were not permitted to have her back we were given the option to keep her and we did) she has unreal separation anxiety so I took her everywhere… she has traveled on trains, planes, subways, Disney transportation ( yes she’s been to Disney) she went from pauper to princess… she is the best Dog! She appreciates and loves unconditionally…. Well I got sidetracked so back to the reason for my post…. Other than the one shot of prednisone she was not given any anti inflammatory medication…. She wasn’t sent home with any medication. As I read so many stories it seems most dogs take anti inflammatory…… she is making progress … she can stand and take 2-3 normal steps then her paws knuckle and her legs cross, if I stand her up and position her back legs she can stand on her own for 30-45 seconds, she swims in a kiddie pool ( and loves it) I sometimes can take her out to a familiar spot she will sniff and Pee other times she pees little spots all over her recovery suite….. I feel like we should have seen more progress by now… others tell me nerve healing can take months…..also has anyone had success with acupuncture or light therapy. She weighs 9 lbs., She recently started dreaming again ( prior to surgery she would dream and bark softly we always said she was chasing rabbits) when she does this her little legs move…. Her tail wag is right on que…. She wags BIG when we talk to her or bring her dinner…. She does push her self up and take a few steps, she repositions herself in her suite and has no trouble going from lying down to sitting…. Just not walking 😢 she sees her surgeon tomorrow, the first time we saw him since surgery…. She had seen the vet several times since surgery and I love her…. She’s kind, compassionate and text and checks on her often. The surgeon services more than one clinic… and comes highly recommend….. I’m anxious to see what he has to say 😊      |
|
PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
|
Post by PaulaM on Aug 9, 2022 10:20:43 GMT -7
Laurie ( or is it Amy?) welcome to the Forum!!! I'm so happy to hear how you saved Sadie and gave her a wonderful forever home with your family. 8 weeks is not a long time in the nerve healing department. Often one must think in terms of months not days/weeks for nerve healing to happen. Yet, your Sadie Mae IS showing excellent signs of nerves healing progress. Your vet made a good call to give the ANTI-INFLAMMATORY prednisone to help expedite getting swelling down. Nerves heal typically in the reverse order of the damage to the spinal cord: 1. YES! Deep Pain Sensation: the first neuro function to return. DPS is the critical indicator for nerves to be able to self heal after surgery or with conservative treatment. Trust only the word of a neuro (ACVIM) or ortho (ACVS) surgeon about this very tricky to correctly idenfiy neuro function. 2. YES! Tail wagging with joy at seeing you or getting a treat or meal. 3. YES! Bladder and bowel control verified with the "sniff and pee" test. 4. YES! Leg Movement, and then YES! ability to move up into a standing position, and then YES! 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/With her progress, it bodes very well for even more nerve healing to take place with time. I would expect your surgeon would be happy to learn of all the neuro functions that have returned since surgery. Please let us know what he says. |
|
|
|
Post by Laurie & Sadie Mae on Aug 9, 2022 18:12:55 GMT -7
Sadie got an excellent report from her neuro surgeon… he said every component was present to indicate her body can heal ❤️ Now we wait for the nerve to heal so her brain will know what to do with these little legs again… he did say in the business of nerve healing that 8 weeks was like a nano second as they heal so very slowly … he said acupuncture and laser is beneficial and by all means give it a whirl but it’s his opinion. That the very best thing for her is swimming …. Everyday for at least 15 min twice a day. He is a huge fan of the underwater treadmill. Unfortunately I only know of one in our area and their reviews are not great ….. nothing about their treatment of animals but they are hard to get ahold of and scheduling is difficult….. I’ve reached out as far as 2 hrs away and can’t find one… I have the swimming taken care of though and I’m looking into acupuncture. Today was a good day ❤️
|
|
PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
|
Post by PaulaM on Aug 9, 2022 19:24:35 GMT -7
Laurie, good to hear your neuro confirms Sadie is on a very good path of healing! Swimming is an excellent exercise. It practices weightless exercise of swimming and is a good aerobic therapy. As your neuro indicated underwater treadmill is the best for legs learning the art of walking. Here is why... The movement of the hip joints and muscles and the changes in pressure on the paws from the underwater treadmill triggers spinal cord communication with the brain. Water bouyancy makes it easier than leg movements against gravity. There is not only the potential to regrow damaged neuronal pathyways but also for neuron to muscle re-education to learn the art of walking again. MIMIC underwater treadmill in the kiddie pool.
Until you can get in at a clinic that has underwater treadmill, you can do something similar at home. Use the same principals of water height outlined in video above for the kiddie pool. Moving legs that are weight bearing on the floor of the pool with the aid of water buoyancy practices the skill of walking.
|
|
