Hi all,
Has anyone found a good elevated food bowl set for a very small dog? I have a toy poodle on week 8 of recovery. Ive been hand feeding him in his stroller up until now but am ready to transition to the floor but I dont want him straining too much. We use licki mats too. Anyone found a good set for a tiny dog? Thanks!
Hi everyone, our 6 going on 7 year old pomchi (12lbs) had his first IVDD incident last night. Screaming/yelling after jumping off the bed and then temporary loss of back legs completely. Back legs have been coming and going since. Got him into the vet today and she gave him meds and said 6-8 weeks of crate rest (she’s gonna see him again in 2 weeks). She kind of explained crate rest and thought we understood in the moment but of course it’s been a whirlwind and I just found this group and am looking though past posts as I can but just wanted some clarity/best practices.
We need to keep him in the crate as much as possible, that part seems obvious/easy.
Going to the bathroom; she said to support him and carry him outside to the grass. He’s peeing fine, not sure on poops yet but think he went this morning so will make sure he goes in the morning since he didn’t tonight. Is it ok to carry him to the grass and then let him sniff around (hobbling) until he pees/poops? He likes to “find the right spot” every time.
She said a sling was optional but with how much it seems like he is having trouble with the back legs seems like it could be useful? Is this something we should do while he goes potty?
I guess adding on to the sniffing around thing he does seem to get a little more control over his back legs after he gets going a little bit after leaving the crate. But I’m worried this is too much movement.
She also mentioned a brace for when he heals up but is this something he could/should wear while recovering??
Appreciate all the help from the Reddit community ❤️
This really sucks 😔
(Pictured: the goodest boy a couple of weeks ago before all this)
Hi all
I’m on day one of crate rest and have been advised to express his bladder. I’m finding it quite difficult but some pee has come out. Feeling a bit out of my depth atm.
3 questions for you lovely people:
1- any tips on bladder expressing? any helpful videos?
2- any good tips on how to keep him clean? he’s not relaxing very easily and is licking himself when he leaks
3- Ive gone through a million blankets already, any tips on pen setup? This might just be something I need to suck up and change them super regularly. He has bed>puppy pad>blanket at the moment.
Thank you in advance x
Hey again, still navigating this. No real improvements or worsening since the initial diagnosis - still walking, sitting, standing, peeing and pooping, slightly ataxic with walking but seems to be able to feel her feet.
We were advised no running, jumping on/off furniture, stairs, or playing with our other dog. However, she loves to stand on her hind legs and rest her front paws on your legs to receive pets and this is something she's always done so I'm finding it hard to prevent her from doing that, particularly when she's excited, she keeps trying and has to be restrained which I worry could be bad as well. She also likes to stand on her hind legs on the couch to look out the window. Is that sort of movement also bad or is it more specifically the impact involved in jumping on/off furniture?
I have a relatively young shih tzu (6, almost 7) that developed IVDD a few weeks ago. The shaking, whining and unwillingness to walk were all there, but in general the wobbliness was minimal. He was on rest the past couple weeks, improving ALOT and almost back to normal. But suddenly two days ago we are back to square one, actually well before square one. Barely moving, lots of pain and I'm going back to the vet today.
I'm a person in my 30s that doesn't have a partner or the family support to offset the financial and emotional toll of this care. This dog is truly one of the best things in my life and I don't want to give up on him and I feel stuck.
I'm only looking for advice from anyone that ever went through/is going through this situation. Thanks
TLDR; has anyone rehomed to a facility that cares for disabled dogs? How did you deal with it mentally and how long did you try before deciding?
Got confirmation today after a 6 ish week wait that Cyrille’s insurance covered his surgery - so happy we went forward with it ❤️
For the last 3 months, he has been unable to walk properly, and his hind limbs are not supportive at all. He struggles to stand and move by himself.
Our vet says the seizure medication may be causing weakness/sedation and contributing to his inability to walk. However, the vet also mentioned that to properly treat/manage the hip dysplasia and lumbar spondylosis, we may need to stop or reduce the seizure medication. The problem is that when we previously reduced/stopped the seizure medication, the seizures came back.
Right now we feel stuck between controlling the seizures and helping his mobility/pain issues.
Has anyone dealt with a senior dog having both neurological issues (seizures) and severe orthopedic/spinal problems at the same time?
Any advice, similar experiences, or suggestions would really help us. Thank you.
ong to decide.
Monte is 12 years old and was diagnosed with IVDD based on symptoms about 4 months ago. He started showing signs about 6-8 months ago.
I am stuck between doing strict crate rest and just letting him live his life. He hasn’t been crated since a puppy so I know he would truly hate it. He still likes to play and run brief zoomies.
I can tell over the past few months he has already progressed. His legs are walking more inward and appear weaker, he moans and groans late at night even though I give him gabapentin daily so sometimes I have to give it to him twice a day. He’s been having leaking anal glands for over a week now and I’ve about had it with the smell all over everything.
Do I attempt the crate rest or do I appear to out him down soon?
edit to add: he also has had arthritis for about 3-4 years now too. I’m concerned strict crate rest could make that flare up.
My sweet girl, Winnie (6), lost control of her hind legs 3 days ago while we were on a road trip together. Luckily the vet we got into was incredible, and now we are home and waiting for a neurology appointment. I know the road ahead is going to be long and tough, I don’t know if they will say she needs surgery or if we will be able to just rest her, I really need some motivation and positive energy with all of this uncertainty.
She has very little control of her hind legs, but tail is wagging, she’s eating and drinking, and has full control of her bladder and bowels.
Shes still her same old happy-self, but unfortunately she hates the crate and it’s so hard to see her paralyzed and in a place that she hates. She is such a trooper.
Reading so many success stories on here gives me hope, but please send your positive vibes to my baby sausage girl💞
My dog had surgery on Wednesday 5/13, ivdd confirmed, still has dps. I’ve been struggling with expressing him. I get some out, and he also leaks out some himself. And wets his crate bed overnight even thought I’m waking up 5 hours after going to bed.
So today, I took him back to the vet to get some help with expression. Let’s just say, the tech was so nice, but she got an ungodly amount of urine out of him. I felt so guilty. She said it wasn’t the worst, but I wonder if she was just lying to me. It was 5pm when she did this. She told me to take him out the next time, like outside outside. I’ve been doing it indoors.
So now it was 10:30pm and I put him in his stroller and took him a usual spot of his. Picked him up and support both his front and back. As soon as I squatted down with him, he immediately went into a slight squat to poop. He lifted his tail slightly up (idk if that’s just a reflex) and it took him a bit longer than usual, but while my hand was under him around where his balls use to be, he just pooped. Squat pooped. I couldn’t tell if he also peed during this. I was and am flabbergasted.
Sorry, I’ve been doing a lot of research, but this is a good sign right? Usually? With all other variables and issues forgotten, it’s good when a dog can go on there own and form the “poop” pose?
Sorry, it’s almost midnight, I’m running laundry, waiting for 12 when he’s due his next round of pain meds. Alarm set for 5am, so I can wake up and clean him and swap sheets. Waiting on this laundry, and for the first time in exactly 1 week since he showed signs, 5 days after surgery, I cried almost happy tears.
Hello,
My Frenchie is almost 12. At 4, he became paralyzed due to IVDD and has had no use of his back legs since. Because he is in a diaper and can have accidents, he sleeps in an open-top pen at the foot of our bed. He has always loved it. It has always been his safe space and getting him up in the mornings has even been difficult because he gets so cozy!
Over the past two weeks, he has woken us up around 2:30/3:00am completely distressed. He will cry/howl and heavily pant. Once we get him out, he will take about an hour to calm down, but he will go back to sleep if he is in the bed or my husband takes him downstairs to sleep. He will drink a TON of water too.
For what it’s worth- he takes gabapentin 3x a day for pain.
Is this due to old age or could this be something more? I’m worried it may be doggy dementia- like he is waking up scared and unsure where he is? Or maybe he is in pain from something? Cushings?
During the day he mostly just sleeps or hangs around wherever we are when we are home.
It’s so upsetting to see him this way. Any insight would be very helpful! Thank you.
Has anyone not put tons of rugs down in their house? I know it might sound ridiculous but I have horrible allergies and rugs make them even worse. We are on week 7 of crate rest so have a few weeks to get my place ready for reintroduction of activity. But I obviously don’t want to cause harm if my boy slips or falls on the tile.
Does anyone have a solution for traction on the floor that is not rug or a carpet? Sorry if this is a ridiculous question. Thank you in advance!!
Our little Jindo mix was recently diagnosed with IVDD in her neck. Unfortunately we just moved to a house with a ton of stairs. I think the stairs were a contributing factor and I feel terrible. She hates be carried and is around 30lbs so I'm hoping to find a solution that won't traumatize her. What kind of stair ramps do people recommend? Does anyone use StairWedge? A lot of the options I'm seeing seem to be for smaller dogs but my girl is around medium size.
I had to make the unfortunate and very, very difficult decision to euthanize my Dewey 2 days ago....im having a terrible time coping with everything. He would have been 8 in July.
Dewey was a repeat IVDD case; 2 spinal surgeries, lots of meds, acupuncture therapy, and crate rest. He could walk, like 75%, he was never 100% from the 1st surgery, and we always used a rear harness. Towards bed time this past Friday night, I noticed he wasn't peeing, but dribbling, he couldn't get up and was dragging his legs (super red flag), and his tummy was almost rock hard. So I put him in a carrier, took him to the ER vet, and was told he had herniated 2 more disks!!
I had 3 options - surgery (his last one was just 4 months ago), take home & manage with meds, but he would need 24/7 care, or let him pass peacefully. I thought about it for hours... going back and forth. Surgery wasn't an option, not financially, and I wasn't going to put him through that again for a 3rd time. I also have a special needs toddler at home who needs 'round the clock care and I knew I would not be able to give Dewey the care he really deserved if I took him home. I've done all that I could physically and financially few Dewey, he was my baby!! I had since he was 8 weeks old. I made the tough decision to let him go peacefully so he wouldn't be miserable and in pain for more years to come, but im still grappling at the decision. I've mourned Dewey more than I mourned my own Dads passing. Idk how to cope with this😓. I keep wondering if I made the right decision for him or for me. I don't have family would be able or willing to assist, and if I didn't have a child, I'd be able to give him 100% of my attention like he deserved. I just can't get over the fact that he's not here.
Hi everyone,🤗
I'm looking for some urgent advice or insights from anyone who has been through something similar.
My dog, Hugo, underwent surgery for a C5-C6 disc herniation on the 24th of last month (April 24th). He has been on strict crate rest ever since. Initially, he was still struggling to lift his neck and was clearly in a lot of pain, so we had been discussing and adjusting his medication dosages with our vet.
However, we just went back to the vet for a re-check, and the news wasn't great. They discovered that his hernia in the C2-C3 region has enlarged and is now actively compressing the nerve. The vet told us that he needs to undergo surgery again for this new site. They mentioned that since gas anesthesia will be used, as long as his pre-op bloodwork and vitals show no abnormalities, it is safe to proceed. He actually still has his stitches from the first surgery (they are the dissolvable kind).
Honestly, when he is on his painkillers and Gabapentin, he acts completely fine—almost like nothing is wrong at all. But because this issue is in the cervical (neck) region, I am absolutely terrified that he might suddenly become paralyzed out of nowhere if we don't act. I just want him to get back to his old, happy self.
His second surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. Do you think going ahead with this is the right decision so soon after the first one? I would deeply appreciate any thoughts, advice, or experiences you can share. Thank you.
Hi all . My frenchie lost control of his legs 3 days ago . Was diagnosed stage 4 still has feeling in back legs but couldn’t move them . He has been resting all weekend and has since moved his legs a little bit when he is out to the bathroom . I hold his back end up with a strap . He kind of walks almost .he also flexes his toes a little bit when he is laying down . it is progress from just a couple days ago where he couldn’t move anything . My question is do I get an mri anyway with this quick of progress ? Or should I wait a bit and see how he does . Just wanted some opinions of others who have been through this .
Hello everybody, my beautiful boy has been struck down with ivdd. He has had symptoms for a while that I hadn’t realised were symptoms such as a bunny hop run, and tripping over occasionally on walks. He is currently presenting approximately grade 4. The vet I have seen has said ‘his legs are gone’, he has some anal tone, can feel pain in his toes still but nothing in the spine. I think he may have lost bladder/bowel control or awareness. I have been shown how to express his bladder, and he is on a cocktail of drugs. I am confident in my ability to nurse him, but I am wondering if there are any success stories of non surgical recovery with anybody’s dog presenting like mine? I am beyond devastated, surgery isn’t an option for us but if my boy has a chance of recovering, then I want to do all I can to help him. Thank you for reading
Hi! I have a 4-year-old, 53 lb bully I rescued her name is Buffy who, back at the end of March, began screaming in pain anytime she moved her head or walked. I first took her to the vet, who put her on pain meds and treated it as a sprain or muscle injury. Two weeks later, with no improvements, I ended up taking her to the ER as the screaming cries hadn’t stopped. Without an MRI, they said it was likely IVDD, and she was put on more pain meds and anti-inflammatory medication with rest for another 12 days before we then saw a neurologist. The neurologist said an MRI wasn’t needed since she didn’t think surgery was necessary at this stage, as she can walk and feel. She said to treat this mild case of IVDD with meds and strict crate rest for 4 weeks and said without the mri she can’t be 100% but she was certain it was IVDD.
She is now at week 4, and her happy self is back. She used to go on long hikes up mountains and swim, and it breaks my heart that life may not be the same for her. I took her today for her first day out in the stroller and a short 10-minute trail sniff walk, and then we hung out outside for a few hours, which she loved. Car rides seem to be something she’s not comfortable with, and she let out a small, very quick whisper of a cry when I put her back in her car seat, as her little leg was struggling to get in comfortably, so I had to help her more. I uploaded a picture of her recently in her car seat :( She did well during crate rest I read to her almost every night, slept with her on the ground, bought so many mental stimulation games, converted my apartment balcony into a yard with fresh grass and would bring leaves and sticks from the outside for her (thankfully we are moving soon to a house).
I guess I’m looking to see if there are others who have dogs who had very mild IVDD with no paralysis. She walks a little funky, but she’s always had a wobbly walk lol, though I have been noticing her back legs struggling just slightly. I’m mainly just looking for experience, strength, and hope. Our neuro follow-up is this week. I also just have so much guilt wondering if she will always be in pain for the rest of her life, especially after doing mild activities she used to love, and if this is just their new state of life.
Hi all
Our beautiful dog Jasper is home tomorrow after a traumatic few days. He jumped off our bed and herniated a disc, had emergency surgery over the weekend and is now static. Negative DPS currently in back legs.
It’s been one of the most heartbreaking and frankly traumatic things I’ve experienced, but I’m trying to remain positive and practical at this point.
We’re getting ready to care for him and rehab him at home - we’ve set up a pen downstairs for him and I’m hoping and praying he’ll settle in there. He’s a Doxie so knows his own mind, and I’m anticipating some resistance 🥴 We have foam pads, a waterproof base, tons of blankets to interchange over his bed, a kong and reindeer antler for amusement and puppy pads.
Does anyone have any really invaluable tips for those first nights back home after surgery, or if you could change anything what would it be?
My partner is on night shifts this week too so it will be just me with Jasper overnight - I’m feeling extremely nervous about how it will go.
Thanks in advance 💙