Sherry's Kipper 5/30 surgery4wks -Cavelier; GRAD 6/27

Sherry, welcome to the Forum. We are glad you have joined us.  Good news to hear Kipper is now 4 weeks post op and has the ability to wobbly walk.  And gaining better balance to lift a leg at pee time!!

We'd love to know how you found us?
Do you have an area of particular concern we can speak to?
When are the times you are seeing pain in reference to generally in "Generally no pain"?

Let me share a few things about his Graduation on 6/27 that may be helpful to you.  Dog's born with IVDD may have only one disc episode their entire life. My had hers at one year old and never had another her long life.  However, it is not unusual that IVDD dogs could have multiple disc episodes.  So best you have a sense about the disease and how to handle things for living many happy years ahead:
🚩  Excellent way for you to get the big picture quickly: ==>  Shortcut Thru IVDD 

GRADUATION, A SLOW RE-INTRODUCTION
     Determine how you are going to ease back into more normal activity at graduation from rest. The idea is to gradually give more freedom under controlled conditions. Not free rein of the house and yard immediately! LOL
      Your dog's muscles are soft and out of shape after the post-op 4 week rest period. Gradually build up his muscles and lungs.
    Take a look at our information. Gradually building your dogs muscles over a month's time will have your dog safely running and having fun again!

SAMPLE SCHEDULE
Here is a sample schedule to safely and slowly introduce your dog back to family life and physical activity: dodgerslist.com/2020/06/15/back-friendly/?highlight=sample%20schedule

DIY back PROTECTION around the house
1) Good ideas in making your home back friendly:   dodgerslist.com/2020/07/09/home-protect-ivdd-backs/

2) Ideas and products to provide improved traction for wobbly dogs where there are smooth floors: dodgerslist.com/2022/10/08/traction-solution-improvements/

3) Teach your dog to be safe and not jumping up or down, but to use a ramp whether over steps leading outdoors or to furniture in the house.
Dogs are best at visual learning rather than verbal commands. Dog trainer Anna Jane Grossman says “Dogs learn in pictures. Inside your dog’s brain is a very simple algorithm – pleasant images in one place and unpleasant images in another."

HAPPY DAYS AHEAD
1)  Lots more ideas and tips in living with an IVDD dog such as dentals, nail trims, safe ways to have fun together, and more:   dodgerslist.com/living-with-ivdd-tips-2

PT THERAPY AT CLINIC or HOME
     Safety first. You should always consult with a veterinarian before starting any exercise program with your dog. For example, although senior dogs need to stay limber, severe arthritis might make certain movements inappropriate.  If your dog can wobbly walk he may or may no longer like you doing passive exercises for him. 
-- Water therapy exercises at home:  dodgerslist.com/2020/05/28/surgery-dog-water-therapy
-- After post-op rest it is now safe to begin daily at home PT
-- Strengthening core muscles.
This applies not just for humans, but REALLY applies to the IVDD dog: "...improve the strength and coordination of the muscles that surround the spine so they can act like the world's greatest back and neck brace." www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/spondylosis
    Core exercises don't require specialized equipment. Here are 5 exercises you can do at home: totofit.com/five-basic-exercises-essential-to-building-core-strength/

Do take it very slowly with the PT. Kip's muscles have weakened from the four weeks of strict crate rest and it's only been a month since he's had major surgery. PT needs to be done very carefully and slowly. If you see any pain or resistance with the PT, let him rest for a bit and then try again. You can lay a towel warmed in the dryer on his legs before doing the exercises to relax him and to relax his muscles. Since Kipper can wobbly walk, slow, gradually increased walking is the best exercise for him. Do check with the surgeon before increasing his walking.

Since Kipper has a history of crying out, there are other signs of pain that you can be aware of and on the lookout for to determine if there is any suspcion that he's having another IVDD episode. If you have any suspicion that he's having another disc episode in the future, do immediately crate him to protect his spine and then seek medical attention. The signs of pain to look for are the following:

◻︎ restless, pacing, can’t find a comfortable position
◻︎reluctant to move much in crate such as shift positions
◻︎shivering-trembling ◻︎yelping when picked up or moved
◻︎slow to move ◻︎tight tense tummy
◻︎arched back, ears pinned back ◻︎ head held high or nose to the ground.
◻︎looks up with just eyes and does not move head and neck easily.
◻︎ not eating due to pain of moving jaw with a neck disc or pain of back disc
◻︎ holds front or back leg flamingo style not wanting to bear weight
◻︎not their normal perky selves

If a ramp is out of your price range right now, do look at the link Paula gave above on how to protect IVDD backs. There are directions on how to make furniture blockers to prevent Kipper from jumping on chairs/couches. Or just use two big pillows to block it. Or you can shut off rooms with those couches or chairs. The best place for an IVDD dog is the floor. Take as many egg-crate mattress toppers as you think will be comfy (3 work well) or a 4-inch memory foam mattress topper and cover it with a quilt, comforter, or blanket. Throw lots of pillows and blankets on top and, voila, you’ve created a comfy, cozy den. Carry Kipper up and down any steps leading to the outside or stairs to a second floor. Inexpensive carpet runners or cheap yoga mats can be found to help with Kipper's traction on slippery floors. Keep the fur on the pads of his feet trimmed to help with traction. There are lots of IVDD tips on the Dodgerslist website and in the links that Paula gave above.

It's excellent that Kipper can wobbly walk so soon after surgery. Healing can take time, weeks, even months. It took my Jeremy a year to wobbly walk after surgery so Kipper is doing very well indeed.

Please do know that the worry does get better with time. The best way to ease that worry is to become a mini-expert on IVDD. Learn all that you can so you're prepared and know what to do to help Kipper through his IVDD journey. You mentioned having lots of questions. That's what we're here for and we do hope that you'll reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We're here for you and Kipper and will help you in any way that we can. We've all been there and do understand. Take it one day at a time and try not to look too far into the future as none of us know what that holds. Enjoy every minute that you have with Kipper. Healing prayers.