Please keep my granddaughter dog, Lady, in your thoughts tonight...

[navillusc]

Thank you so much, everyone. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I was surprised when he said she was already walking. Little miracles! Love 'em! I'm not looking forward to her having to ride all that way after surgery. I did it myself a couple years ago and I didn't have a bit of fun doing it. Mine wasn't back surgery and I had refused pain meds in favor of consciousness...lol...but I hope that she is comfy for the trip or the meds work really well. I am keeping my fingers crossed either way. I will update tomorrow after they get her home and I get more info. Thanks, again...you are all so kind!

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by gracielove

I feel bad for anyone, man or beast, with back problems. The poor little thing. I pray she will recovery quickly and completely.

I know...throw your back out once, and it becomes an anytime thing. You bend, move, cough, sneeze, sleep...whatever...and there it goes again. lol

Before they discovered her back problem, they treated her for gas and intestinal discomfort with Pepsid and a couple things I forget the names of, and Prednisone Tuesday a week ago, but we think now all that may have been a neuro thing from the back problem. One of the two forgotten things caused her to be all wonky and walk sideways and stuff so they changed it, and that was when she started wobbling when they'd put her down to potty after carrying her outside...but the vet thought it was that med still in her system. Her back was hunched up on Thurs...more than a week after she was first seen...and, of course, she was rushed into surgery the next day, 4/6/12.

Her vet had done an x-ray when he thought she had intestinal problems blamed on food, then an ultrasound after her back hunched up and together the two tests gave a clear picture of the back problem. The Univ Vet did a neuro exam where they flip their paws upside down and if the dog is okay, they will just flip their paw to a normal position. Lady passed that test with one paw but flunked completely with the other paw...she didn't even try to move the paw back to a normal position. That was scary for them...you have to wonder how much damage occurred. Thank goodness they were swift about the repair. Plus, my son had taken Lady (without an appointment) and said, "You have to see this dog now." I credit them highly for recognizing her emergency situation.

They said it won't happen in that spot in her back again. Well, I guess not if she blew out (ruptured?) a disc 'cuz they said they scraped out the remains of that one...disc, I think, but I need to get details of the repair which hopefully I can do once things settle back down a little. But, they also said it could happen elsewhere, and that is a very scary thought. She's a pretty small girl...a little bigger than Brody. My granddaughter was 10 or 11 in the photo of her with Lady and she's petite, and then there's the photo of Lady with Brody, who was weighed at 6.3 lbs. a couple weeks before he met Lady...for comparison. You couldn't possibly figure out how big (little...lol) she is where she's with that huge BoBo without knowing how big her bed, the chewie, and that huge BoBo are! lol

I hope I've related the details so far accurately. I want to go see her tomorrow, but I may wait...I also don't want to excite her so she tempted to get all wiggly. lol I can hardly wait til she's all better. It's so sad to know they're suffering.

Thank you so much, everyone! More later...

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by navillusc

I know...throw your back out once, and it becomes an anytime thing. You bend, move, cough, sneeze, sleep...whatever...and there it goes again. lol

Before they discovered her back problem, they treated her for gas and intestinal discomfort with Pepsid and a couple things I forget the names of, and Prednisone Tuesday a week ago, but we think now all that may have been a neuro thing from the back problem. One of the two forgotten things caused her to be all wonky and walk sideways and stuff so they changed it, and that was when she started wobbling when they'd put her down to potty after carrying her outside...but the vet thought it was that med still in her system. Her back was hunched up on Thurs...more than a week after she was first seen...and, of course, she was rushed into surgery the next day, 4/6/12.

Her vet had done an x-ray when he thought she had intestinal problems blamed on food, then an ultrasound after her back hunched up and together the two tests gave a clear picture of the back problem. The Univ Vet did a neuro exam where they flip their paws upside down and if the dog is okay, they will just flip their paw to a normal position. Lady passed that test with one paw but flunked completely with the other paw...she didn't even try to move the paw back to a normal position. That was scary for them...you have to wonder how much damage occurred. Thank goodness they were swift about the repair. Plus, my son had taken Lady (without an appointment) and said, "You have to see this dog now." I credit them highly for recognizing her emergency situation.

They said it won't happen in that spot in her back again. Well, I guess not if she blew out (ruptured?) a disc 'cuz they said they scraped out the remains of that one...disc, I think, but I need to get details of the repair which hopefully I can do once things settle back down a little. But, they also said it could happen elsewhere, and that is a very scary thought. She's a pretty small girl...a little bigger than Brody. My granddaughter was 10 or 11 in the photo of her with Lady and she's petite, and then there's the photo of Lady with Brody, who was weighed at 6.3 lbs. a couple weeks before he met Lady...for comparison. You couldn't possibly figure out how big (little...lol) she is where she's with that huge BoBo without knowing how big her bed, the chewie, and that huge BoBo are! lol

I hope I've related the details so far accurately. I want to go see her tomorrow, but I may wait...I also don't want to excite her so she tempted to get all wiggly. lol I can hardly wait til she's all better. It's so sad to know they're suffering.

Thank you so much, everyone! More later...

That poor little girl sure has been through it hasn't she? I hope they do get her some stairs because she should not be jumping with her problem. Any sort of jarring motion is going to make her worse. Of course she is going to want to do what she used to do no matter how she feels so it will be difficult to stop her once she gets moving around. I hope she continues to improve.

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by gracielove

That poor little girl sure has been through it hasn't she? I hope they do get her some stairs because she should not be jumping with her problem. Any sort of jarring motion is going to make her worse. Of course she is going to want to do what she used to do no matter how she feels so it will be difficult to stop her once she gets moving around. I hope she continues to improve.

She certainly has, and she is sure ready to be back to normal...she is a real sweetie. They will be fixing her up with stair while she recovers...they don't want her jumping on and off the bed anymore...just in case. She just got home a couple hours ago and the crate is near her bed...she is already eyeing her big soft bed from inside the crate, and they say there is no mistaking where she'd rather be...and the crate is not one of the choices. lol

[navillusc]

Update:

Lady got home a couple hours ago. After her release from the Univ Vet Hospital, they had a family get together, being Easter, that she normally would have gone to...they take her with them everywhere they can, and they did not want her left alone so they took her in the crate. First, they put her in a quiet back room to minimize the possibility of over-exciting her, but she was unhappy not being with everyone else so they brought her out into the middle of things where she was most happy...as happy as a cute little doggie on Tramadol and Valium just after back surgery can be...who's cool and mellow yellow, and 'watching all the pretty colors spinnin' 'round'...lol Well, she may not have been quite that out of it...lol, but compared to her normal zing-zing-ping-pong-zooming, she could have fit nicely into "the '60's" in her drugged condition. They didn't banish her completely to the crate...they held her on their laps so she'd feel more normal...and she was loving it!

I am just amazed that she has been through so much, and is 'mellow' like never before due to pain meds and muscle relaxers, but her personality is still showing so much during her fantastic immediate recovery period. She has to be in the crate and/or kept from her usual hopping and popping for the next month while she heals, but already, she is eyeing her big soft bed from inside the crate, obviously wanting to be snuggled up on her bed...not stuck in the crate...lol

My understanding of her surgery is that it took 2 hours, during which they removed the 'offending' material...the misplaced parts of a slipped disc that were injurious to nerves, etc., leaving all else untouched. But, it is a somewhat major procedure with substantial risks, and the surgical team did a great job for her. She has physical therapy to do with Mommy and Daddy, and exercises, etc., but only has to go back to have staples and/or stitches removed.

I cannot over-emphasize how fantastic this seems to me...I gave birth to a child having had a 'saddle-block' and wasn't allowed to even sit up in bed for 12 hours. My granddaughter furbaby...my ('Nana's) Lady Bug'...lol...had back surgery before which she couldn't walk or stand and would fall over, was up and walking in little more time than that!

Of course, Lady is 'milking' this situation, too...and knowing her Mommy and Daddy (my terrific son and wonderful DIL), she'll take "spoiled" to a whole new level by the end of the month! lol

I would like to thank everyone for their caring and concern for my grandbaby dog, Lady. Every kind thought and prayer was instrumental in her recovery...I am convinced of that! Take care, all!

[yorkieusa]

It sounds like Lady had a good Easter after all. I'm glad she's home and doing so well so soon after surgery. I think she's very cute.

[gracielove]

It always amazes me how much faster animals recover from surgery than humans do. I imagine it's going to be difficult keeping her in the crate for so long but it's for the best. I'm sure poor Lady thinks she should be allowed to continue with things as usual. I have heard that Dachshunds have a tendency toward back injury because of the longer length of the spine. I hope she continues to do well.