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Saint Bernards => Saint Bernard General Discussions => : SaintMommy July 13, 2006, 01:34:40 PM
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I woke up yesterday morning and she was panting and shortly after I was awake she wimpered( very unlike Cassie) I went over to her and it seemed she couldn't move her legs. (getting her into the car, with four men and big comforter) Consequently we rushed her to our vet. They took Xrays of her spine and her hips. He has determined her discs have swollen from some impact and its causing compression to her spinK cord. He has prescribed prednisone, and he believes we should see improvement in 2-3 weeks. She cannot stand or walk, she has no movement in her back legs. We have to move her from side to side every four hours, as well as give her enemas, she pees where she lays, and of course we clean her off immediately. She is incredibly depressed and seems scared. She is still keeping her sweet temprament. We are out of our minds, with concern and worry. The vet says that in 90% of small dogs they recover just fine.
Has anyone out there heard of this or experienced it, we need to hear from our Big Dog family. We don't know if we should get a second opinion, we really trust our vet, and he has always taken good care of her. BUT this seems like a really big deal. Please feel free to call us at 661-587-1881. THANK YOU any help is appreciated
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I have zero experience with this, but I wanted to send you good thoughts and prayers. What a scary thing you are dealing with! I know you are beside yourself. Please keep us posted. {{hugs}}
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I am not trying to scare you, but I would like to relate my story, just in case.
I have not had experience with the exact same situation, but something similar. My 1 year old dog suddenly couldn't walk and it turned out to be cancer. I hope to god that this isn't the case in your situation.
My vet did not know what the problem was even with X-rays. They prescribed some kind of anti-inflammatory which didn't help. after a couple days we took him to Purdue Veterinary hospital, where they still couldn't figure it out until a couple days later...at which point he was in so much pain we sent him to the bridge. He was riddled with cancer and even his testicles were swollen to the size of a softball.
He was still able to (very painfully and very slightly) wag his tail though. He was not "paralyzed."
Has she had any other problems recently? Vomiting or Diahrrea? Limping or other signs of pain?
I sure hope it is just swelling and it will go away, but please be conscious that it may be something else. If you have any questions, PM me. You are in my prayers.
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I'm sorry I can't help more, just remember that she'll be looking to you about what's happening. Stay calm and positive even if you are panicing on the inside. She's trusting you and will only get more anxious if she's getting "worry" vibes from you. Good luck-
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Sending up prayers for your girl.
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I have no experience that will help either, just want you to know that your big girl will be in my thoughts for a speedy recovery.
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This is really scary. Do you have any idea what the impact was?
In HS, I had a classmate who was in a car accident and had swelling in her spinal column. The steroids worked really well for her--she was out of her wheelchair in a couple of weeks, and down to just a cane in about 2 months.
She DID have to go to therapy to get to that point, though, so you might keep that in mind with Cassie--even though she may be recovering, her muscles may need physical therapy to relearn how to support her body. Ask your vet about PT!
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Is she able to move her front legs at all? What about her tail? Can she use her front legs and you lift her hind end with a sling of sorts to at least allow her to pee/move her bowels?
Does she experience any feeling in the feet at all when pinching between her toes?
How old is she?
First, Thanks to everyone responding!! Yes she moves her front legs no problems at all, yesterday she was moving her tale alot, today not much at all, I am not sure if it's because she doesn't feel like it or because she can't. No we are not using a sling when we gave the first enema last night she was just lying on her side, we have a giant towel folded between her legs to catch as much pee as possible, so we don't have to clean her up as much.
She has been peeing at will (of course we clean her off and she got a bath this morning), (We thought a sling might be helpful, but she is so darn big we haven't found one yet to support her weight 175lbs. When you pinch her toes on her back legs she does respond to pain, the vet said that doesn't relate to her motor ability though? We has labs done, and nothing unusual showed up in the labs. She is two years and two months. BTW I haven't mentioned I had knee surgery 5 days ago and am on crutches, My husband deserves the best husband and doggie daddy award. All the prayers and good wishes are deeply appreciated, and all suggestions and questions will be answered and are also incredibly appreciated.
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I'm sorry I can't help more, just remember that she'll be looking to you about what's happening. Stay calm and positive even if you are panicing on the inside. She's trusting you and will only get more anxious if she's getting "worry" vibes from you. Good luck-
Yes, we are staying super positive with her, lots of praise and good girls! We sit by her and stroke her for hours, so she know it's ok, I keep telling her this is just temporary. My husband thanks God is a teacher so he is off till August 15 and I had knee surgery a few days ago, so even though I am no help whatsoever in moving her, I am good mommy moral support. It's hard not to let the worry vibes get out of control, when she looks so damn scard and worried herself. BUT I am keeping it in check. We are keeping her routines, Mark drug her outside on big comforter this morning for about 3 hours so she could "keep watch" like she always does, but she didn't bark or do much of anything but lay there and look so sad. I think it's important to try and keep her routines as close to normal as possible. It is very very challenging trying to move her. Mark has do it alone, and the best we have come up with is sliding/dragging her on a large sheet or comforter. Any ideas from anyone on that would be awesome.
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Sorry I don't have any advice. But , I would like to send positive thoughts to you and your family at this difficult time.
Michelle
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Have you thought about taking her to a vet. orthopedist? There are many other drugs/therapies that can be used. Regular vets are perfect for the run-of-the-mill problems, but this does seem extraordinary. An MRI, although expensive, might give a lot more answers.
Many prayers and good thoughts to you and to her! I agree with everybody else: stay positive, give lots of physical loves, touching, rubs, gentle massage. That will help relax her....and you!
Please keep us posted!!
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We're sending positive thoughts and prayers for you and Cassie!Â
Here is a website that sells custom slings for dogs...they might have something to help your husband help Cassie walk (especially since she can use her front legs). [url/]http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mob-Har-FBCA.html[url]
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Just read your post and am sending a prayer your way. I know how stressful and worrisome it is to have your baby sick. Keep us posted with her progress.
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Wow! My thoughts are with you guys through this. Just a thought- might save your hubby from injuring his back... go buy a sheet of 1/2" plywood, and cut a piece small enough to fit through your doorways, but large enough for her to lay on comfortably, and attach wheels from your local hardware store to each corner. Cushion it up nice with blankets, and keep her on that, so she can easily be moved around, and your hubby doesn't have to put so much strength into every move. Hope she (and you!) recover quickly! Keep us posted please, and give her lots of gentle hugs from us.
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Never have run into anything like that, but I'm thinking positive thoughts for you and your girl.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with you as well.Â
Even though you trust your normal vet, there's absolutely no harm in getting a second opinion.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Cassie. Did they check her for the tick bourne diseases? That's what comes to my mind and you may be able to make her a doggy sling out of PVC and canvas. If you put it on wheels it can act like a wheelchair and they're fairly easy to make I believe. Good luck and I hope she has a quick recovery.
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Wow! My thoughts are with you guys through this. Just a thought- might save your hubby from injuring his back... go buy a sheet of 1/2" plywood, and cut a piece small enough to fit through your doorways, but large enough for her to lay on comfortably, and attach wheels from your local hardware store to each corner. Cushion it up nice with blankets, and keep her on that, so she can easily be moved around, and your hubby doesn't have to put so much strength into every move. Hope she (and you!) recover quickly! Keep us posted please, and give her lots of gentle hugs from us.
Great idea, I might make one of those for Badger for his upcoming leg surgery.
Our thoughts are with you. This must be terribly scary for you. Let us know as soon as you have word on her condition.
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My, you must be so scared. I would be. I am praying for you and for a full recovery for Cassie! Keep us updated every step of the way. None of us want you to be worried and scared and go through this alone. We are here for you!
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I am so sorry to hear about Cassie :-\
I do not have any great advice for you because I have never had to go through the same experience. But I do have a few suggestions that might help with the mobility issue. I think that if it was my baby and I knew she wasn't going to be feeling well for a few weeks, I would want to try and concoct a way for her to be able to get around by herself. I don't know how handy you are, but I found a website that talks about making your own dog cart http://www.handicappedpets.com/HomemadeCarts.htm Another idea I have to help save your back is along the same lines that other people have suggested about making basically a big scooter for you to have her lay on. But instead of making it out of somehting hard like wood, I think that I would take a coolaroo, which is a $40 hammock-like bed that you can buy at big pet stores, and add wheels to the four posts. The reason I would use a coolaroo is that it is flexible, so it would feel better than wood with bedding over it, and also because it is easily cleanable/disenfectable because it is plastic mesh and there would be air under her instead of something solid. Also, if you want to stick with the picking her up route, an alternative to a sling since you can't find one is to take a jumbo strong towel, fold it over a few times, and use it as a sling to help your husband lift her up by her tummy if she will use her front legs to stand (I use this technique often when Zoey is having trouble standing because of her HD).
Again, I am so sorry that Cassie is going through this! Feel free to contact me anytime if you want to talk.
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I'm sorry to hear that sweet Cassie is going through this trauma! The only experience I've had with this is related to Barkley's cancer at the end - the tumor was pressing against his nervous system. Sounds like you've had that checked out and ruled out if I'm reading your posts correctly? Prednozone seems to be a wonder drug. Hope she's doing better today!
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UPDATE~ Mark, Cassie and I THANK YOU all from our hearts to yours for all the good wishes, prayers, and soft hugs. Cassie has shown some improvement today, wagging her tail and drinking more, she seems more alert. She was really depressed yesterday. We gave her another enema last night (which did not produce any results) I was very concerned this morning her tummy was quite extended and bloated. Our vet has spoken to us everyday, he keeps reminding us this is a long process. He gave us some guidance on the enemas. We think we have come up with a transport rig low enough to the ground to move her around,instead of dragging her on a sheet or comforter. We will take a pic of it tomorrow and post. All of your support has been such an inspiration for us especially Mark. He has had to do so much on his own as I will be on crutches for at least another week. I think my husband is the Saint :) I will keep you all posted as we keep moving along.
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Glad to hear she is doing a little better today :)
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Tail wags are a good sign! Hang in there, and give that big girl lots of gentle lovings- hopefully every day will be a bit better for all of you.
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Yea! I'm glad she seems to be doing a bit better! I will keep your family in my thoughts. I hope she recovers quickly.
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Cassie update~ Thank you doesn't seem to be enough to let everyone know what your support means to us. You all have been so generous in sending so many prayers, thoughts and good well wishes! We feel your support and it gives Mark and I strength. We are on day 10 and she still has yet to stand up. However we are not expecting her to do that for some time (maybe another 2-3 weeks) We have some great news, our vet Dr. Dendy at Banfield Pet Hospital in Bakersfield, did a house call with two of his assistants on Wednesday! He said she has made amazing improvement in her legs, she had immediate pain response and has moved both legs. She is now pooping on her own, (no more enemas!) she waits until we take her outside for her morning bath, and then lets go. Her drinking has increased dramatically since a few days ago. It's about 10 -12 bowls a day(side effect of the Prednisone), which is increasing the pee pee clean up. We are getting creative on that front as well. I bought the largest size Depends they make and cut out the pad and put that between her legs, along with 3 puppy pee pads underneath her we can contain Niagara Falls :)She is getting a few raw spots on her paws and legs from laying down so much, the vet suggested Desitin and Neosporin, that is keeping them from getting worse.
It seems she is trying to stand up. The vet suggested we get a blanket and put four leg holes in it, and then get four people and if we can suspend her for a few minutes at a time she may slowly be able to weight on the legs. We haven't tried it yet, I will report soon. Any other ideas on how to suspend her would be great. Her drivers license says 175 pounds, but in reality it's probably closer to 180 :) We will keep out BPO family updated. :) Another couple of weeks and I hope to be reporting on walks and butterfly chasing :)
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That is wondrful that Cassie is improving so well. Sending healing thoughts to Cassie.
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You guys are fantastic! What a challenge you've been through!!! WOW!
Congrats on Cassie's improvement AND on all your creative ideas on how to help her!!
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I'm glad to hear Cassie is improving slowly but surely :)
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Thanks for the update. We've been rooting for you all.
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YAY,YAY,YAY,YAY,YAY,YAY!!!!!!! I just came across this thread, so sorry to hear you had to go through that! It's so hard not knowing what's going on. It's sounds like she's making strides though. And how is your knee, are you doing your PT??? What a fabulous husband you have also!! Thoughts and prayers going your way. H
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I am glad to her there has been some improvment for Cassie!...Do you want ideas for a sling so she can go out & potty or so she can stand on her legs for PT?...I am wondering if you could get a sling like they use on horses & put a hook in the ceiling to hold her up if it is PT you are wanting it for...Good luck & please keep us posted!
Modified to add this link...The large sling only goes up to 125 lbs. for weight but maybe you could get an idea for how to make one.
http://www.doolittlespetproducts.com/liftnaidslings.html
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I have seen serious disc compression and lumbar compression in many large dogs and the one critical component to recovery in my view is getting her into physical therapy. Humans are immediately referred to physical therapy with such an injury and it kills me that vets are not doing the same.
I do not know where you are located - but this site will hopefully help you find one close to you who can work with her to manage the inflammation in her discs and her mobility and flexion (key to walking again). It is also important to wean her off prednisone as quickly as possible and PT often enables this.
http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/David-Levine/
David Levine is the pioneer in canine rehabilition and the best resource for qualified physiscal therapists.
Good luck!