Sara's Maylee 4/29 conserv; GRAD 6/24

6/3 - Hello - we got home this afternoon and all seems ok - our housesitter said things went well and Maylee seems to be good. She was so excited to see us I was worried she was going to hurt herself again! She has an acupuncture treatment on the 12th of June. I could not find one to come to the house so I have to take her but I will use a small carry crate and give her a sedative to keep her calm. I am really starting to wonder how I will ever feel comfortable with her doing normal things again. I already know we will make the area in our yard that she can access much smaller - right now she has over an acre. I will also keep her confined to 2 rooms vs the entire house - that way I have more control over her access to furniture and stuff. Does that seem reasonable?

So today 6/12 Maylee had her 1st acupuncture treatment. I finally found a holistic vet that does it 1 day a week in our area - it was an easy drive and Maylee was in a carry bag - secure. She has been doing so good I felt ok about the drive - but I am not letting her out of crate rest. It was a pretty cool experience- not at a typical vet office, but instead more like a massage parlor - calm music, good smells - it was awesome. And Maylee did so good - she was nervous at first but handled the needles fairly well. She is scheduled for another one in 2 weeks, which will be after her release date. the vet said she looked great - she is not a neuro but said Maylee seemed to be doing very very well compared to her original episode vet notes. It was also the first time I have been on the floor with her, without her being in her crate. I have sat outside in her xpen with her, but the comfy floor mat and music made me so excited to cuddle with her again!!

Yes - we are holding a steady course!! She has an appointment in about 3 weeks for physical therapy as well. Hopefully they will give me some exercises to do at home to strengthen her core.

I'm so sorry to hear you've suffered a back injury. Hopefully you have someone who can help with Maylee to give yourself time to recover. Caring for an IVDD dog, can seem like a forever process, but it is well worth the time, effort, and even the pain we have to endure to help our dogs get back to a normal life. Fingers crossed that your back heals quickly, too!

Today 6/19 our first shipment of fencing comes to begin altering the amount of yard Maylee has to run in comes in. I am very excited. We chose to just use Xpen material as it will be easy to adjust and move and alter as time goes on. We will also block off the living room and bedrooms when we are not in those rooms with her - at least until I can get her trained to use a ramp -which I am dreading - she is stubborn 🤣. At some
Point this weekend, I will give her a sedative and trim all her nails and paw floof - it has grown out of control and completely covers her paw pads 🤣. We lovingly call them her “grinch paws”!

Yes thank you - have been to a Chiro a number of times and have been very careful picking Maylee up - excited to have this whole process over soon and hopefully not to return!

My dog is Maylee - not Mitzi - maybe a different feed? I’m sure keeping up with all the threads in not easy!

Sara, I reviewed your posts to see where Maylee is in her neuro status. You reported back in May 5, that she no longer knuckles under her paw.   We were looking for a current update today from you....is she a bit wobbly, needing a sling, etc.....do tell us about her gait when she walks?

GRADUATiON DAY.... you did it, you aided Maylee's ability to self heal her disc! Give yourseld a pat on the back.  AND read what this owner wrote about how to adjust your own mind about living with an IVDD dog:   dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/410/living-fear-ivdd


I hope this information will be helpful as you begin safely and gradually  re-introducing her back to family life and activity,

GRADUATION, A SLOW RE-INTRODUCTION
     The idea is to gradually give more freedom under controlled conditions. Not free rein of the house and yard immediately! LOL
      You are correct, Maylee's muscles are soft and out of shape after the rest period. Take a look at our information below. Gradually building her muscles over a month's time will have her safely running and having fun again!

SAMPLE SCHEDULE of supervised activity getting back to family life
dodgerslist.com/back-friendly/

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

2) Ideas and products to provide improved traction if Maylee is a bit weak or wobbly in her back legs: dodgerslist.com/traction-solution-improvements/

3) Teach her to be safe and no longer jumping up or down. She CAN LEARN to use a ramp whether over steps leading outdoors or to furniture in the house.  Training is not a one time thing.  Expect to give her a quick refresher class every month or so BEFORE she can develop any bad habits such as shortcutting going to the bottom of the ramp.
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) You and your dog have survived a disc herniation! Learn what you can do from this point forward. This graphic strip is very good to use with youngsters or other visitors who may be around your dog to help them quickly with pictures to understand Maylee's disease:  dodgerslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ivdd-6-Life-with-IVDD-Dodgerslist.pdf.
2) Now for the everyday living with an IVDD dog things. 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/after-graduation-living-with-ivdd/
     This page is an excellent source on nail trims for health reasons. Especially how to deal with Maylee's long overgrown nails and how long it might take to get them to the correct length:  dodgerslist.com/nail-trim-for-health/

PT THERAPY AT CLINIC or HOME
     Safety first. You should always consult with a veterinarian before starting any exercise program with your dog. 
-- Water therapy:  dodgerslist.com/surgery-dog-water-therapy/ as a means to strengthen leg muscles at home.

-- 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. These are 4 exercises you can do at home: 1) Sit toStand, 2) Down to Stand, 3) Three Leg Stand, 4) Backing UP.
The last exercise presented in the video,⚠️ HIP extension, exercise is NOT for dogs with IVDD back disease!

So we trimmed her paw hair - not toenails yet… didn’t want to over stress her …. And she just went on her first little walk in 8 weeks!!! In the backyard and on our sidewalk - soooo great!!! I can tell even that little 10 minute cruise made her tired tho …. Baby steps …. But man it feels good!! I carried her back to her crate - she drank lots of water and is out!

Maylee didn’t walk straight for 10 minutes - she was on a leash sniffing the backyard and our sidewalk for maybe 10 minutes - it was not over exhaustion for her - I would not have done anything like that at all - but I will make sure to keep a close eye on her.

7/2 - Maylee is doing really well - although she is even more frustrated in her crate as she is now going on brief walks and potty’s on a leash - so every time back in the crate is a struggle. I have read over the suggestions again and again - but it feels like she will never get out.

7/22 - Just thought I would say hello - Maylee is doing great - she’s got great movement and is loosing her weight she gained 🤣 - still trying to keep her calm and slow - she wants to do all the things 🙄.

9/16 - Hello - just popping on here to say thanks again for all advice! Maylee is doing so good! She has lost all her weight that possibly contributed to the IVDD episode and has movement and energy as she did before. We have taken many steps to adjust our house lifestyle to consider another episode. We have purchased ramps for bedrooms, but we close all doors when we are not in the rooms. She no longer has access to the living room area when we are not with her, and her backyard has been reduced to a small corner of the yard, instead of the acre. We still let her out to run when we are spending time in the backyard. All those adjustments seemed so easy to make - and so well worth some peace of mind! I know she is not forever out of the woods, but she’s doing so great!