I have a "Wobbler" looking for input (Bevolasvegas)

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the support.

I talked with the two vets who are dealing with Bev, hands on, today.  They both agreed that swimming would be a good, low impact workout that Bev should easily handle.  They recommended waiting, at the minimum, another week before starting, so that his shoulder has more time to heal. 

We do have a physical therapy hospital here, so our vet has agreed to refer us there.  He had nothing but good things to say about the physical therapy center, so I feel good about taking him there.  We have an endless pool, so after DH & I learn how to manage him in the water, we can swim him at home. 

Since restarting Bevo on a very large dose of prednisone, Monday, he has made very noticable progress.  He is using all four legs again, & he's much more coordinated than he was before.  He's been amazingly patient with the confinement, the brace, and my not so great mood.  He tolerates me lifting him to load & unload him from my vehicle, even though he hates to be lifted.  He hasn't became obsessive, nor has he shown more than mild interest in wanting to take off for a romp.  I'm pretty proud of how well he's handling everything that has been thrown his way over the past two weeks.  He has been much more calm & level headed than I.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions, & support.

good boy, bevo! we are all pround of you!

amanda, i think you are doing a fantastic job at handling the situation! and you sound much calmer now! i hope you are! this has been stressful enough for you!

Amanda, you are an incredibly attentive and caring dog mom and Bevo couldn't have ANYONE better than you!

 He sure looks gorgeous, even with his collar on...are little lawyer dogs following him around asking if he wants to sue?

 Lots of good healing vibes for him that he is able to go swimming soon!
 

Amanda, i don't have any advice, but i wanted to say i'm sorry about Bevo's diagnosis. And i concur, do not beat yourself up. Yeah, you could;ve been overprotective, but he would not have enjoyed his life as much as he has!! Healing vibes from our crew!!!

 Oh I am so sorry!  I dn't know how I missed this - I see it's been around for a few days.  I have a friend who has one of the only Border Collies ever diagnosed with this disease.  She had gold bearings implanted and it seemed to do worlds of good.  She also worked with a holistic sport therapist near me, and he dog continued to be quite active for several more years, up to when she passed away from something else entirely.

If you want, I can ask her for more information about it, but most holisitic vets should at least be aware of the therapy option.

Good luck and God's blessing and peace be to you both.

 

kpwlee

 Bevo only you could make that look elegant

I second that!  Amanda - please don't beat yourself up.  You do so much there is no way you could have known.  You are one of the best doggie mommies I "know".  Kisses to you Bevo!

 To add:  I didn't see you were already considering gold implants.  As I said I have the one friend who had a great experience with them.

There is no way this is your fault!  From what I understand, it's not like there's a test for it before the dog is symptomatic.  You can't keep a dog in a bubble because of the "might be's".
 

What a handsome guy!!! I'm glad that he's handling it well. He looks like he's in great spirits.  

Amanda -

 With the pred ... pretty darned fast it begins to mess with the viscosity of the cartilage between joints.  It's SO necessary but it bites too.  So you may want to give him some Knox Nutra Joint IF the herbalist says ok.  Mention what I just said ... and tell her that's something Dr. DiNatale told ME (she teaches all over and probably has had this person in class). 

With the Wobblers you don't want to do something that will cause any additional problems in the cervical area -- so I urge you to talk to the vets (particularly the holistic one) about the arthritis that may develop.

re: activity level - you may need to drop his protein and up metabolic stuff like veggies (you don't have to add grain) -- that will help make him less nuts.

 How about something "new" like maybe some beginning tracking.  You don't necessarily want him following the floor but you could set up stuff on the appropriate level -- but just something new and different to occupy his mind a bit and "substitute" for the physical stuff. 

The herbalist did recommend Knox Nutra Joint, & we have already started it.  They also mentioned starting him on Lubrisyn although I am trying to get more info on it before I order it. 

As soon as Wobblers was suspected, our vet recommended dropping his protien levels down to 22-24%.  We have done so, but will have to find something that he can eat full time.  ( He has a sensitive stomach, so finding something that agrees with his belly is challenging at times.)  He is anxious when he's crated.  With the brace/wrap, he can't really curl up as he normally would.  He's much more comfortable sleeping stretched out on his side.  So earlier tonight, DH & I removed the bed from one of the guest bedrooms.  We are going to put a "Bevo bed" in there so that he has a little more room.  I think that he'll be happier having more room to stretch out & I feel like, as long as there are no toys in there, he will just lounge around.

Yesterday, we had a massage therapist work on him.  I got the privilige of seeing exactly how inept I am at massage therapy.  Bev did very well with the massage therapist.  We've decided to have her work with Bev on a regular basis.  If anyone has any book suggestions to help me improve my massage techniques, I would appreciate them.

We also decreased his prednisone dose yesterday.  We went from giving 30mg twice a day to giving 25mg twice a day with no obvious changes in his gait.  If all continues to go well, we will reduce the pred dose again on Monday. 

Right now, I feel really good about his progress.  I am hopeful that he will continue doing well.

Again, thanks so much for the suggestions, & support.

BEVOLASVEGAS

If anyone has any book suggestions to help me improve my massage techniques, I would appreciate them.

Fox, Michael, The Healing Touch for Dogs: The Proven Massage Program for Dogs, Revised Edition, 4/2004
http://tinyurl.com/725p4

Hourdebaigt, Jean-Pierre, Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual, 2nd ed, 2/2003
http://tinyurl.com/3ddymx

Vaughn, Lynn, Bodywork for Dogs, 2000, DVD
http://tinyurl.com/2yd62s

Whalen-Shaw, Patricia & Whalen-Shaw, Jennifer, Canine Massage, 10/1999, VHS
http://tinyurl.com/35zky5

Whalen-Shaw, Patricia & Young, Mickey, Canine Massage: The Workbook, 2/2000
http://tinyurl.com/2vwr4k

Kamen, Daniel R., The Well Adjusted Dog: Canine Chiropractic Methods You Can Do, 4/1997
http://tinyurl.com/2csm7d

Snow, Amy, The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure, 10/1999
http://tinyurl.com/24vtg2

I ran across this on a "how to dremel nails" site.  Go to www.doberdawn.com (see link at left on that page) to find this text:

Over time, you will become accustomed to the normal wear patterns of your dogs' paws and they should be consistent.  If they are not, ask your vet! 

For example, when my oldest male was first developing symptoms of CVI or Wobblers, the nails on his hind feet started to be affected.  They were getting worn diagonally on the inner side edge, and a couple were also starting to get wear on the top.  This was because he was dragging them under him ever so slightly that you probably would not notice it just casually watching him.

Also, because he had trouble fully picking them up, he'd taken to slightly sweeping out with the paws thus causing the diagonal inner side wear.  By doing his nails regularly, this was an immediate sign of something wrong or different.

Please Note: A friend of mine, who I respect, did point out that grinding every week may mask uneven wear of nails.  So, less often, especially for older dogs, may be better for this purpose.  I leave that decision up to you counterbalancing time, length and ability to judge wear. 

If you wind up dealing with dragging feet, DogLeggs.com makes booties for dogs with physical challenges.  See http://www.dogleggs.com/files/booties.cfm.

TheraPaw.net makes a device for dealing with hind paws that knuckle under. See http://www.therapaw.net/Protective-Assistive/Therapaw.html

HandicappedPets.com has many support harnesses/slings.  See http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mobility%20-%20Harness.htm

Hoping that Bevo doesn't ever need any of this stuff!! 

No advice or knowledge to give. You've already got the brightest minds here working overtime on your problem. I'm just giving my support and admiration for you guys and a gentle, easy hug for Bevo. He's smart, though. Don't teach him to play chess. He'll probably beat you 3 games out of 5.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Yesterday, we had a massage therapist work on him.  I got the privilige of seeing exactly how inept I am at massage therapy.  Bev did very well with the massage therapist.  We've decided to have her work with Bev on a regular basis.  If anyone has any book suggestions to help me improve my massage techniques, I would appreciate them.

Actually, I can send you a copy of the manual I use (which I wrote) for the classes that I teach. It has some photographs in there, as well. No charge, let me know. You can email or call me, if you've got any questions once the manual is in your hands.

It's really great that you feel like you're making some progress with Bevo, and that you're hopeful he will continue to do well. Sounds like the bedding idea is an awesome one, too.