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Post by Beckie & PePé on Oct 30, 2022 14:05:05 GMT -7
[Original subject line:New Member Answering Introductory Questions ]
☆ 1 currently pain?
X shivering, trembling
X Arched back
2 30 lbs 5 years old
A.. Currently not on any meds)
☆ 4 What breed? French Bulldog, PePe’ ; Beckie
☆ 5 Was the diagnosis IVDD Yes, stage 5 DPN
-She is an ACVIM
☆ 6 Surgery was done on 9/9/22 - Hemilaminectomy (left side) L3-L5
-- post-op rest? Six weeks
-- PT? Sensory stimulation, Passive range of motion rear legs, Assisted standing Cleared to go to physical therapy on 10/26. First appointment with PT is 11/14.
☆ 7 bladder control? Yes
☆ 8 He can wobbly stand. Can bear weight on the right leg, not the left.
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 30, 2022 15:28:35 GMT -7
Welcome Beckie! We are glad you are here. Just to clarify, can Pepé wobbly walk at all? Or is he only able to stand wobbly if you assist him up into a stand position? Does he attempt to use his back legs at all? Such as to reposition himself in when lying down? Do his back paws knuckle under? Can he correct the paws even if slow to do so? Pain is normally gone two weeks after surgery. What does your surgeon or your local DVM vet say about the signs you report (shivering, trembling)?An arched back may take time to look more normal after a surgery. Dr. Isaacs, Neuro Surgeon, explains more about that at the Neuro Corner: dodgerslist.com/2020/06/18/arched-backP.S. The best way to reply to posts is using the QUICK REPLY at the bottom of the page
➡️ QUICK REPLY: Easy, fast and recommended!
Go to the "Quick reply" typing area at bottom of your dog's thread to write a reply. |
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Post by Beckie & PePé on Oct 31, 2022 15:58:02 GMT -7
Hi there Paula, thank you for your response. He can’t really wobbly walk. He can wobbly stand with assistance. Yes, he tries to use his back legs a little to reposition himself. His back paws do knuckle under. He can correct the one on the right hind leg, not on the left.
I had him at the vet today. (Normal vet, not neurologist.) He has developed a UTI. He is now on ✙amoxicillin and ✙Rimadyl. He is not shivering or trembling now.
[MED LIST/HISTORY- Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
30 lbs 5 y.o.
✙Rimadyl (Carprofen)25mg 2x/day for 5 days Stops 11/5
✙amoxicillin 150mg 2x/day for 7 days til 11/7 ]
He had been urinating on his own, but apparently not voiding enough. The vet wants us to express his bladder. My husband and I are not very good. We have been watching YouTube videos to learn and perfect our skills.
Anyway, as you probably know better than me, this is a long ride. We were feeling pretty down today.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Oct 31, 2022 16:41:21 GMT -7
Beckie, very good to hear PePé does attempt to use those back legs when repositioning. I hope the PT on 11/14 will be underwater treadmill. 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.
Sorry to hear a UTI. . Are you attributing no longer shivering to the 10/31 addition of amoxicillin and the NSAID Rimadyl?
. What are the doses in mgs and how often are you to give.
. For how many days is the Rimadyl to be taken?
. Had PePé lost bladder control before or after the surgery?
. Did you express his bladder upon discharge from hospital?
. Did your local DVM vet give you a hands on your hands expressing lesson today?If a dog has some control over the bladder, you may find they may resist being expressed. This page has lots of tips and videos to help you perfect expressing. dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/You might allow Pepé to pee outdoors as much as he can. Then do a quick express check to verify if he was able to fully void the bladder at each potty break until you are satisfied he does fully void each time. If expressing is a new skill for you guys, expect after a weeks worth of expressing to have gained a good proficiency level to feel when the bladder is pretty flat and empty Let us know how the expressing goes. |
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Post by Beckie & PePé on Oct 31, 2022 19:15:48 GMT -7
Thanks Paula,
[meds attributing no longer shivering], I don’t know. Possibly, however, yesterday he was pretty good, no shivering.
He is on 150 milligrams of amoxicillin every 12 hours for 7 days
25 mg of Carprofen every 12 hours for 5 days
He lost bladder control after surgery, soon after, he regained.. He was able to whine, etc. to tell us he needed to go. He may not be voiding completely, but it was not until yesterday morning, that he had to urinate every two hours or more and able to void only a little.
Yes, they did show us how to express the bladder after release from surgery. He gets very tense and it is difficult to do.
Yes, they did. However, although his bladder was full, he tensed up and it was difficult to express much. Even the Vet and vet tech had difficulty. Probably partially due to the stress of being at the vet.
Tonight, I have called a vet tech service here in Salt Lake. They will come to the home and teach us, I am hopeful, that will be helpful.
Also, I like your comment about letting him try to pee alone and then express after. He has been doing that pretty well.
The PT place we are going to offers water therapy, so thanks for that recommend. Unfortunately, their first availability is not until 11/14.
Keep us in your thoughts. Our other pet is a 1.5 year old Mini Dachshund. We have ramps and everything for him. He has been using them since 9 weeks of age. No stairs, etc. Keep PePe’ in your thoughts. We have spent a fortune on this damn dog. We must love him.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Nov 1, 2022 9:27:27 GMT -7
Beckie, good plan to get a refresher hands on lesson from the mobile vet service. As mentioned when a dog has some degree of bladder control they may not like being expressed. Your having abilities to do a quick express check after PePé has peed, until you see he is fully voiding may make potty time easier on everyone. Please keep us updated if it will be underwater treadmill and how it goes on the first visit. Hopefully you get to be in the room observing, maybe taking a photo for us to see also? Doesn't hurt to have introduced ramps to your mini doxie. Fingers crossed he will not be the "1" in 4 doxies prone to being born with IVDD. Also a good idea to have an overall view of this disease: Take the 10 minute "Shortcut Thru IVDD" here: dodgerslist.com/2020/06/26/time-and-ivdd/ |
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Post by Beckie & PePé on Nov 1, 2022 21:08:17 GMT -7
Thanks Paula, it went well with the mobile vet tech [11/1] tonight. I think we are better equipped to express PePe’. We shall see tomorrow am. Even the tech had difficulty expressing him, as he tenses up. With time and practice, hopefully, he will become more relaxed. He still lets us know when he needs to go out, which is good. He is doing a little wobbly walking today. Thanks for the videos, I watched them all. Very good information.
I did not realize that one in four dachshunds are prone to be born with IVDD. Very good to know. We did get pet insurance and have had ramps since we brought him home from the breeder.
I see you are in Montana, if you don’t mind me asking where? I grew up in Salmon, Idaho and spent lots of time in Missoula, Hamilton area. I have also spent time in Bozeman and Billings.
Thanks for your help and support with this.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Nov 2, 2022 7:54:38 GMT -7
Beckie, do keep us posted how your expressing proficiency progresses. Let us us know any tips/technique you've discovered works for you. Your sharing may help another with similar situation. My experience has only been with a dog that had lost complete bladder control and thus was easy to express. A couple of things to mull over: Expressing is a matter of physics. The pressure in the bladder caused by your pressing on the bladder needs to be greater than the tightness of the neck of the bladder (urinary sphincter.) Remember, when a dog has control over peeing, the brain can also send signals to the bladder to prevent urination. Thus PePé's bladder is much harder to overcome with manual expression Dr Isaacs, Neurosurgeon, on dogs tensing up: dodgerslist.com/2020/09/02/tense-during-expressing Hope PePé's UTI will indicate the Amox killed the bad bacteria and your doing those quick express checks prevents another UTI. My closest big city is Kalispell and I'm about 22 minutes from Glacier Nat'l Park. Woke up to a snow scene this morning. |
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