I'm so sorry to hear about Sailor's back problem. We have recently been through that with my daughter's yorkie, Kirby. He started out with the limping and crying in pain. He was given cortisone and pain killers and the vet told us that with the prednisone, he will have a false sense of feeling fine, so to keep him in his crate at all times, unless holding him, and carry him outside to go potty, then pick him up and carry him back in. Well, I think my daughter figured he would be okay outside the crate and he got worse. So bad that his back legs were partially paralyzed...it was the most pitiful thing and he was in pain. X-rays showed a ruptured disc, which I think would not have ruptured had they kept him in his crate, restricting exercise and movement. The disc was pushing into the spinal cord and if it broke through, he could be totally paralyzed. So, we were given the option of surgery which would not be a guarantee. Our vet told us he has seen as many dogs recover without surgery as with. So, we then had to keep him in a cat crate so he could not move around at all. There were a couple of times we thought we had to get him put out of his misery, but our vet kept telling us he can recover. It took 6 weeks from the start of this, but Kirby started walking and showing interest in things once again. He had lost his muscle mass in his poor little body, but he has now built up muscle in his legs and a little on his back. He is walking almost normal again and happy...little Kirby is so happy and so are we.
The most important thing I could suggest is keep Sailor quiet...as much as you want to let her out of that crate, don't do it. Just hold her a lot! The more she's allowed to move around, the worse the injury can get.
Kirby was on prednisone, tenadol? (pain killer) and a sedative to help him relax and not try to move around. PM me if you have any questions or just need a shoulder. It was a long haul with Kirby, and I felt it was a miracle when all of a sudden, he started showing signs of improvement. Best wishes to Sailor and you! |