My dog may be paralyzed

[Sabine]

Sending prayers for your pup your way. She sounds like a true member of the family, and I hope she has a speedy recovery!

 

[Girlrocks]

The vet called to check on her progress. She has been building a huge office/boarding facility for 2 years and of course, this is the weekend they are moving in so she can''t do the home visit this weekend. However, she is going to call on Saturday and Sunday to check on her and then maybe on Monday afternoon she can come over and do the accupunture at our house. DH is home from work , the older kids are home from school and the younger are up from their naps, so I''m just trying to keep the dog calm and everything as low key as possible in our house.

 

[kellyfish]

I''m sendin'' best wishes your way. Please keep us posted on your pup''s condition....

 

[Allison D.]

Sending out my best wishes for your dog, GR.

As a fellow dog-owner, I know just how nerve-wracking it is when you know something''s not right with your pet.

Stay strong and know that we''re thinking of you.

 

[dani13]

Girlrocks-

Just got home from work and caught up on this thread...I am happy that I could share my story with you, and hopefully shed some light on the subject...I think at this point, you should just let the kids know that the dog is sick, and that she needs to be stimulated as little as possible, and confined...That that is the only way she will get better....I know its going to be hard for them to understand and difficult to do, but its really important that this injury heals properly...Also, I wanted to tell you, our vet offered us the option of boarding our dog at his office until he was better...Basically, if we couldn't promise that the dog would be kept quiet and confined, that the kennel was the best place for him to be...Of course, in my family, we are all older, and we understood the situation and what we had to do. I know that this will be hard for your young children though to understand, so you may want to consider that option? I think you said your vet suggested it? It may be a good idea....Also, is it possible for your doggie to not go up and down ANY stairs at all (even in the back to go to the bathroom)? I think that its really important that all stairs (even one or two) are avoided at all costs.

Best of luck, and please keep us updated!!!!

 

[Girlrocks]

Date: 2/29/2008 9:05:32 PM
Author: Dani
Girlrocks-

Just got home from work and caught up on this thread...I am happy that I could share my story with you, and hopefully shed some light on the subject...I think at this point, you should just let the kids know that the dog is sick, and that she needs to be stimulated as little as possible, and confined...That that is the only way she will get better....I know its going to be hard for them to understand and difficult to do, but its really important that this injury heals properly...Also, I wanted to tell you, our vet offered us the option of boarding our dog at his office until he was better...Basically, if we couldn''t promise that the dog would be kept quiet and confined, that the kennel was the best place for him to be...Of course, in my family, we are all older, and we understood the situation and what we had to do. I know that this will be hard for your young children though to understand, so you may want to consider that option? I think you said your vet suggested it? It may be a good idea....Also, is it possible for your doggie to not go up and down ANY stairs at all (even in the back to go to the bathroom)? I think that its really important that all stairs (even one or two) are avoided at all costs.

Best of luck, and please keep us updated!!!!

Dani,

Yes, it would be SO much better for her if we didn''t have any steps at all, however we have 4 steps out our front and back doors. That''s why we are using the harness to help her as much as possible. Luckily our vet''s new office does boarding, so we may look into that option, however our dog gets so excited when she is boarded that she normally gets her tail cracked at the kennel we use and has to go to the vet to have stitches in her tail after she is boarded (a cracked tail is from her wagging her tail so much that she hits it against the sides of the kennel she is in so badly that it cracks open and is a 1 inch bleeding open sore...I know, TMI!). Also, she always barks so much that she loses her voice. We are looking into purchasing a crate to use at home to keep her confined even than more than she is. Luckily for now she is sedated, but when we wean her off of that, we are going to really have to keep her confined.

She is drinking bowl after bowl of water right now because of the steroids, which means she has to go out more than usual, so right now we are in kind of a vicious cycle with the stairs, etc. She normally LOVES to be outside, but she goes out on her leash, does her business and heads right back to the door. She does not want to do anymore than is necessary right now, which is good so she gets plenty of rest. She is on the steroids twice a day for 4 days, then once a day for 4 days, then every other day for 4 days, so we will be tapering her off soon.

It''s so hard...you can''t explain to an animal that they need to stay as still as possible or they could be paralyzed. The only things we have in our favor right now is the sedation and the fact that she doesn''t feel like being very active. But we are definitely going to have to do something when she starts feeling better. The vet said that will be the most critical time...when she thinks she feels better, and her front end starts to do something that her back end can''t handle.I told DH he has to take the kids somewhere tomorrow for the better part of the day so she can rest and have some peace.

Thanks again to everyone who is checking on us and offering your thoughts. We are just taking it one day at a time right now and hoping for the best.

 

[strmrdr]

can you buy some boards and make a ramp for the steps for now?

 

[DMBsGirl]

Sending my best wishes your way. I know how awful it is to have a sick pet. Hope that she makes it through this ok.

 

[risingsun]

I''m so sorry you and your beloved dog are going through this. You are in my thoughts.

 

[VRBeauty]

Girlrocks... it''s wonderful that your pooch is so well loved by your family and kids in the neighborhood. She must be a very special dog! Best wishes to you all.

 

[swingirl]

I''m sorry for your pooch and family. I hope she gets some relief from her pain. Best of luck.

 

[Deelight]

Girlrocks sorry to hear your pup is sick poor little bugger I know how awful it is when they are in pain, but she sounds to be in the best care possible.

Sending prayers your way for the little mite to have a speedy recovery.

 

[dani13]

Date: 2/29/2008 9:57:23 PM
Author: strmrdr
can you buy some boards and make a ramp for the steps for now?

That's a GREAT idea Strm!!! Girlrocks- can you guys do this? It would be so much better for her, considering she has to go out alot b/c of the extra water she's drinking.....You can teach her to use the ramp instead of the stairs.

 

[MustangFan]

That is so sad, I hope they can find out what''s wrong and fix her problem. I know how you feel I loved my dog so much, more than some people.. Sadly seizures were just too much

 

[Girlrocks]

Date: 3/1/2008 10:15:31 AM
Author: Dani

Date: 2/29/2008 9:57:23 PM
Author: strmrdr
can you buy some boards and make a ramp for the steps for now?

That''s a GREAT idea Strm!!! Girlrocks- can you guys do this? It would be so much better for her, considering she has to go out alot b/c of the extra water she''s drinking.....You can teach her to use the ramp instead of the stairs.

Great minds think alike...DH made a temporary ramp for her out of some plywood this morning! While she is a little skittish to walk on it, it keeps her from having to do the stairs. The steroids make her excessively hungry also, so she grabbed a paper towel today that one of the kids dropped while drying their hands and ate it in about 3 seconds flat. So now we have to watch for that to pass...great. She does seem to be feeling better, although this is the time when she is most likely to hurt herself according to the vet. Luckily the weather is suppose to warm up to the mid 60''s on Monday where we are, so hopefully that will make her walking a little better once the cold and arthritis ease up. She looks so sad at night when we go up to bed, she is used to sleeping in our room so it''s tough on her to be downstairs by herself. She has been layed out by the fire all day relaxing. She is getting VERY spoiled, the kids have taken turns brushing her hair, reading her stories (she really prefers Snow White according to my 3 year old) and watching Shrek 3. I hope she doesn''t expect this treatment from me come Monday morning!! Her hardest time is first thing in the morning...from laying all night and going for a long stretch without any medication. But once she eats and gets her medication, she seems to start getting some relief within the hour. She definitely does not like anyone to touch her back, she is very sensitive. Hopefully each day will get a little better. Thank you to everyone for thinking of us, offering such valuable advice and ideas to make our lives easier and generally just caring.

 

[surfgirl]

Is there any way you could set your alarm to get up during the late night/early morning, so you could get her more meds so she''s not going for such a long time without them? She sounds a bit better..Fingers crossed!

 

[Girlrocks]

Date: 3/1/2008 9:35:27 PM
Author: surfgirl
Is there any way you could set your alarm to get up during the late night/early morning, so you could get her more meds so she''s not going for such a long time without them? She sounds a bit better..Fingers crossed!

Well, unfortunately she is our alarm clock for the middle of the night right now since she has to go to the bathroom so much. The muscle ralaxant can make her nauseous, so she has to take that with food and a Pepcid AC. I wonder if I give her something to eat in the middle of the night, she is going to get into that habit and expect to get up in the middle of the night for a snack when this is all over! We are spacing out her pills so they are every 12 hours, so right now we are doing 7am and 7pm. It''s suppose to be a little warmer here today, so maybe we''ll see some more gradual improvement. We did see her last night roll over and lay on her back. That is her normal sleeping position, spread eagle on her back. Since she hurt her back, she''s being laying on her side. But last night she did stretch out on her back and then curl up into a ball which she also hasn''t been doing so we think that may be a good sign that she is feeling some relief.

 

[Pandora II]

Have you considered getting a TENS?

I have several ruptured discs and as well as pain-meds, my spinal physio does a lot of accupuncture (it really helps with spasm), and recommends using a TENS machine and heat-bags - the wheat ones that you put in the microwave.

I hope she feels better so - back pain is miserable!

 

[dani13]

Hi Girlrocks-

Sounds like she may be getting a little better? And your kids are so sweet- reading to her and watching movies with her- seems like they really do understand that their doggie is sick and needs her rest....

This may go on for quite some time...like I said, our dog was kept quiet and confined for 6 wks....it was a long time, but that long recovery time certainly helped him in the long run...these type of injuries take a long time to heal....

Good luck, and keep us posted!!

 

[surfgirl]

You know, I was thinking of when my own disk problems were at their worst and I wondered if you''ve talked to the vet about applying ice/heat packs to her back? If she''s got a disk area that''s in spasm, the I think the tissue surrounding the disk is usually inflamed and ice would help to reduce that inflation. I can never remember when to do ice and when to do heat but I think it''s usually ice for the inflammation. Maybe you could ask the vet about that...anything to make her feel more comfortable while she''s healing.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Sorry to be so late to this thread, but I''m glad to see it look like she''s doing better! Biggest hugs and healing vibes coming the way of your pup.

 

[Amandine]

Oh, your poor baby! Lots of prayers and hugs. I hope she feels better soon!

 

[isaku5]

Hopefully, tomorrow your vet will find time in his busy schedule to come to your house and give your furbaby an acupuncture treatment.

I''m thinking back to when DH had back problems and just getting him into the car was excruciating for him. If I were in your shoes, I''d be a strong proponent for having the vet come to you as you don''t want to undo any healing that''s taken place over the weekend.

I''m sending more well-wishes and healing vibes to your family and your much- loved puppy.

 

[surfgirl]

How''s your pup today?

 

[curiopotter]

Girlrocks,

I hope your baby feels better soon. I''ll be sending prayers your way.

Our dogs are on steroids right now for their last round of heartworm treatment, so I know what you''re going through. We''ve had to keep them completely calm the last 2 months because if they get excited one of the heartworms could break apart in their bloodstream, and get lodged in their lungs! We bought insurance for them before we started treatment, and it helps keep the cost down of their medications.

Our vet also told us to give our dogs benadryl for 6 weeks while they were getting their treatments. We give it to them about an hour before we go to the vet for their checkups. Don''t worry too much, once they start tapering off the steroids, the bathroom visits really get less and less frequent.

 

[FireGoddess]

I hope your pup feels better and gets through this soon...I haven''t had this issue with my cats so I don''t have much advice to offer, but I know how much you wish you could just take the pain and discomfort away, being a pet owner myself. Positive healing thoughts for your pup...

 

[Girlrocks]

Thanks for thinking of us everyone!! Well, our dog seems to be doing MUCH MUCH better, I am happy to report!! The vet has been calling daily to check on her progress, and finally confided in me today that she really was worried on Thursday night that she would be paralyzed. She is definitely not 100%, but the vet feels that since she has had improvement, that the damage will not be permanent. She is favoring her right side/right back leg, and we are still continueing all of the medications, and we are still restricting her activity to almost nothing. She has been getting us up still to go out at around 3am, so I hope she doesn''t continue that once we stop the medications. And she is SUPER hungry...she has never begged while we eat, but she will just hover in the kitchen and drool, and she is eating anything that hits the floor, this morning it was a poptart wrapper, on top of the 2 papertowels she ate over the weekend, so we have to pretty much keep her out of the kitchen at all times. DH and I are SO relieved that this doesn''t seem to be "the end", for our kids sake. My oldest 2 were invited to a friends for a sleepover Saturday night but the wouldn''t go because they didn''t want to be away from her.

Thanks again to everyone who has offered your thoughts and prayers over the past week! I really appreciate it!

 

[dani13]

That''s awesome Girlrocks!!!! Just continue to do what you are all doing so that she heals properly. I''m so happy amd will contine to send *get well* vibes to your doggie!!! YAY!!!!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Thanks for the update Girlrocks. I am so happy she is doing well. I know you guys must be so happy!!!

 

[surfgirl]

Can you give us an update on your pup?!?