Ivd
 

My little Yorkie Bo was just diagnosed with Internal Vertebrae Disease . It came on within a matter of hours. One minute he was running around and the next he couldn't use his back legs. He was diagnosed two days ago and we have started an 8 week crate isolation. He is a very active little guy and we are having a horrible time keeping him still and he barks and whines all night in the crate. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Bob

Hi and Welcome to YT!

So sorry to hear this. Maybe try putting the crate in the bed with you. How old is your little one?

I just read your post on the other IVD thread... with loss of bowel and urinary control, I would get a second and third opinon from a vet that practices VOM or a human Chiropractor... ASAP... This problem can occur from the stoppage of spinal fluid flowing from the spinal cord being pinched, sometimes a minor manipulation can correct this....

I am sorry to hear about your little guy. When Pixie had her LP surgery and had to be on crate rest for 6 weeks I bought a little small animal ex pen and moved it around to where ever I was. It is smaller than it looks in the pictures. I would even put it on the bed so she could stay on the bed. Pixie isn't a jumper so she never tried to get out of it.

We tried the crate in the bed and that didn't work either. We finally put Bo in a darkened bathroom with a radio playing soft music. He slept through the night. Today we have his crate next to the patio door so he can watch the birds feeding. I think there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for all the great help!!

I'm glad things are getting a little easier! Are you doing okay with bladder expressing? Or does he have bladder control?

Not having much luck. He is mostly urinating in the crate. We keep doggie pads down which we have to change every two hours or so. We have tried to massage the bladder but are not having much luck. Any Suggestions"

Did your vet go through it with you and have you try it? I don't want to alarm you but it can be very dangerous to just let him overflow, because urinary tract infections can start quickly with urine sitting in the bladder for so long.

Do you know what to feel for? If you put your hands on either side of his tummy, his bladder will feel like a water balloon. And it's slippery like one too! It probably will slip out of your hands if you try pushing on it, but you just have to find it again. It can be back between his legs or up further into his tummy area. When you find it, his tail will probably go up or wag, and that's how you know you've hit the right spot! You can either press with your fingers, or make one hand into a fist and the other into a cup and squeeze together.

Here is a good video from Dodgerslist explaining expressing better:


We express Layla on a pad with her standing up. If you need more help, let me know, and maybe I can make a video of myself expressing Layla if it will help.

By the way, Layla was on a pill called Bethanechol while we were learning to express her. It helps keep bladder tone and makes it easier to express. If Bo is not being emptied completely and overflowing, his bladder is stretching, and there's a chance if he DOES regain control, his bladder might be too stretched to have total control again. I'd ask your vet about that until you get the hang of expressing!