Layla is doing okay and my back is almost back to normal!
On Friday we picked her up and her vet let us know that while swimming that day, she could get her to do a few backwards kicks by tickling her back feet. It is still a reflex, but it is much better than she did on Wednesday. It's good to get a kicking motion started so that her spinal cord will start to recognize the action and tell her brain "When we're in water, kick your back legs" Basically she is having to relearn everything.
Last night she got a nice treat because my parents drove over 2 hours to visit us and bring some food (I needed some home cooking like nothing else!) and just for some support. It was so nice to see them. And oh boy did Layla get excited! Visitors! Not just any visitors, but probably the people who spoil her most! She was so excited, and even if she couldn't wag her tail, you could see it in her eyes! She got tons of attention.
Today we had her acupuncture appointment and it went as well as usual. She laid in my lap this time and was much more relaxed than when she's on the table. This time, the vet stimulated her other back leg with the electrical current, as well as around her surgery site.
After that, we went to the woman's house for Reiki. It was SO weird, we sat down and as soon as we got comfortable and she started, Layla laid right down on the leather couch and was completely relaxed. That is so weird for her in a strange place. Scott came back in the middle (he ran to get some cash that we forgot to stop for on our way!) and Layla got a little excited again, but she started acting strange, staring at Scott with a different look than usual, and jerking her head back to look at the woman's hands over her. She licked Scott's and my hands without a problem but would not lick the hands of the woman.
After about half an hour she told us that Layla had enough, and she got a lot of energy today. She said she could feel a lot of heat and tingling in her hands, so she knows there was some healing going on but she can't say for sure how well it will work, etc. She also told us that the energy will stay with Layla for the next 5-7 days as long as she keeps well-hydrated. It's very important that she has water with her. And OMG... She has drank at least 4 full bowls of water since. She usually will drink 1/3 to 1/2 bowl of water a day. 4 bowls is just insane.
When we got home, the woman had emailed us saying she should have told us while we were there but wanted to let us know that she also did some quantum touch and theta healing on Layla, so she had a very powerful session today. She thinks it might take a few sessions or maybe even 6 or more for her to start showing real improvements. She said that she really wants to help us to get Layla's legs back. I can't help but to totally believe it after how Layla was acting today. I know my dog and she does not act like that or DRINK like that!
And finally, I think we may have some improvement... I am 95% sure that Layla can control her poop. I will talk to the vet about it next week, but either it's a huge coincidence, or she means to not poop unless we happen to have her outside, or over her pad. She has pooped in her crate now twice, but she has tried to get away, and was crying beforehand. Today I asked her a few times if she had to poop after she was whining, and she knows the word poop. Her ears perked up and when we took her to her pad, she pooped. Tonight we didn't think she really had to because she went only 2 hours earlier. But she perked up when I said the word. We left her for at least another half hour and she cried the whole time. Finally, we took her to her pad, and she pooped! That brings us to a whopping FIVE poops today, but she is letting us know. We were told she'd be walking before regaining control of bladder or bowels. We still have to express her bladder, but I think she's getting the pooping thing back
OR maybe she never lost it.