Spinal Surgery

Hi Gwenie:

So sorry you're going through this.  I went through spinal surgery with Daisy, my 8-year old Doberman.  Not a ruptured disc, but sudden onset (within 5 minutes), total paralysis necessitated emergency spinal surgery.   It was a scary time; no one could guarantee her future, but the signs were good that she would recover.  But it was terrible watching my athletic, vibrant dog unable to walk, eliminate on her own, etc. or follow me all over the house as she loved to do.  I had her isolated in the kitchen to keep the other dogs away from her and spent a lot of time in there with her, to keep her spirits up and take care of her.  After all, the thing that haunted me the most was that I could not explain to her you'll be ok and will walk again.  She didn't know that.   When I would leave the room, there were those beautiful eyes following me; she wanted so badly to get up and come too, but of course she couldn't.  Plus, there was no guarantee, which haunted me.  The first week, no improvement.  No response whatsoever to stimuli.  Week two, a paw moved and I was ecstatic.  When the time was right, the surgeon told me to leave the gate open and leave the room occasionally.  You know what?  The first time she was sleeping, but the second time she tried to get up but did not make it to a full standing position.  The third time?  I knew before I turned around:  there was Daisy standing, albeit weaving and wobbling, right behind me with a huge grin on her face!  It took almost four weeks, but she recovered! 

What I did when I had to leave her to go to work.  Keep your dog in a fairly small area and use absorbent material for when she has an accident.  I don't like plastic because it's slippery for a spinal patient and it does not absorb urine and stays wet, thereby soiling the dog more.  There are some good pee pads you can use; either ones designed for dogs or the larger ones designed for people. Use painters' tape to keep the pads from slipping.  I also used a product called QuikClean waterless shampoo, which is a great product for cleaning them up from accidents.

So, all the best and keep the faith!  Daisy lived four long, fun years after that and had a great life.

Perfect!!!! I hope he likes it, and you feel more comfortable about leaving him. You can make those pretty cozy, and he's totally safe, in there.

What a pretty puppy!!!

puppy buyer of mine's little 13" bitch had this done..I am pretty sure it was a disc. They might have also fused her someplace? ANYHOW she was not ever paralyzed as much as supremely incredibly PAINFUL even doing anything before. After, strict and I do mean STRICT cage rest, only a harness no leash...her body functions were normal I think.

It took about 6 months I think for her to really get her groove back. Her owner removed the couches in the house to one room and sat on the floor with her for all that time! Today she is fine, but no jumping or even running too much ever again for her. I am so happy she has an owner who loved her enough to do the surgery. It was expensive and only "might" work. Thankfully it did!

Gorgeous pup.  Look at that face!

 Sorry, just seeing this post now.  My Basset, Biscotti, had surgery when she was around 4.  Yes, it did take 6 months for her to completely recover, but I think we only kept her fully crated for about 2 months.  The other 4 months were just a process of recovering the use of her legs.  She didn't seem to mind as long as we kept the crate in this same room with us, so she could interact with the family a bit.

The prognosis was iffy, but she made a 95% recovery...we were the only ones who could see the slight weakness in one of her legs.  She returned to full squirrel chasing capabilities and lived another 10 years.  I never regretted having the surgery done one bit!  

At 14, she woke me up crying one night, and once again, she couldn't stand...but this time I knew she was too old to go through that again...I doubt a Doc would even try.  My funny, crazy Basset girl had lived a good, long life...and joined her sister, Winnie.  

Hopefully, you will have a similar success story to share!

Sounds like he's doing GREAT!!!! Keep on working with him, and boosting him, when he needs it. Is there anywhere near you that does hydrotherapy for dogs? That would help to strengthen his muscles, without him having to balance. I'd certainly call and ask about it, if there is a place you can get him to. If his doctors approve, it could be a really great thing.