Cajsa is such a sweetie. Last night she was resting on her blanket in the office and so she could be around the family. She was lying there an then when I turned my head (I was sitting beside her) she took off a few hops. I was surprised by it and David held her hind end (using his hands instead of a towel/sling) to let her guide him where she wanted to go. When he figured it out, she was trying to go to pee! He picked her up and carried her to the potty area and she peed on her own. I was so happy! She also got some baked chicken last night, Elf even got into the act feeding her little bites from her hand. They were both so gentle with each other and it was sweet.
Last night she slept the biggest part of the night in her crate bed but then she climbed out and cried at David. He got down on the floor with her and tried to take her to potty since that's what he thought she wanted. She actually wanted to sleep with us! He picked her up and she snuggled down in his arms and slept for a few hours before he got up for the day. She was so content once she got to sleep with us that I almost cried. She doesn't mind staying in her crate although we took the top off and put a pillow in it to make it more comfy.
I left her at home this morning in her crate bed and a bowl of water, bowl of food and a potty pad right at the end of the crate. She would need to move a little to get to it, but not much. She also has an absorbant pad over the pillow in her bed so if she dribbles or pees a little it won't get all over her. I hope she's OK when I get home this afternoon.
I hope Cajsa rests quietly while you are gone. I know thats what mine do when left on their own. But I also understand the worry of leaving them after surgery. As long as her area is limited I don't think she will hurt herself. Will keep Cajsa in my prayers. What an ordeal!!!
Bless your heart - you have had a whirlwind last few days. It would be ideal if you are able to bring Cajsa with you - hopefully they will say yes! Keeping her in a limited area is the key, If you are not able to bring her with you, is there anyone that can check in on her during the day and make sure she goes potty? A neighbor, a sitter service? Sending rays that she gains strength back quickly - it sounds like she is doing GREAT !!!!
I'm sure she will do fine today! Probably just sleep...but will be glad to see you when you get home! Rays coming her way - sounds like she is on the road to recovery!
This has been so difficult, I can only imagine. You're doin' a great job with Cajsa. Sounds like she and Elf are real buddies. Loads of continuous dachsie rays to Cajsa and you.
I asked about her coming to work with me and was told no. I kind of figured that, but it was worth the try. I don't have anyone to come check in on her while I'm gone. David will be home for the summer in a few weeks though so once she's feeling better and wanting to be more mobile, someone will be there with her.
She gave me a "full bat" this morning before snuggling down into the blanket to sleep. That gives me some hope.
I am so glad that Cajsa is home and doing well. Now comes the fun part.....watching her like a hawk to make sure she doesn't reinjure herself. I am still in that mode with Lily. I am petrified any time she acts like she is going to jump up or down. Do they have you doing any physical therapy with her? I had to exercise Lily's back legs three times a day for several weeks. Keep us posted on her progress!!
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 09:35:31 AM
She doesn't mind staying in her crate although we took the top off and put a pillow in it to make it more comfy.
Then she's not really in her crate, is she. :wink:
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 09:35:31 AM
I left her at home this morning in her crate bed and a bowl of water, bowl of food and a potty pad right at the end of the crate. She would need to move a little to get to it, but not much. She also has an absorbant pad over the pillow in her bed so if she dribbles or pees a little it won't get all over her. I hope she's OK when I get home this afternoon.
Is her "crate bed" inside an expen or something? I really worry that she'll start doing "too much too soon"... been there, done that, and boy can you have a problem faster than you realize.
Trust me, the 8 or so agonizing weeks of crate confinement is still
way better than life with a cart dog. (Been there, done that too... and trust me, you want to
keep that from happening.)
Invest in earplugs. It's still tons better than having to do the surgery over again, or having to live with a dog who doesn't recover 'cause they didn't rest enough. She really needs to have pretty much complete rest.
MaryAnne
Quote from: hildiesmom on April 17, 2006, 11:34:08 AM
Then she's not really in her crate, is she. :wink:
Is her "crate bed" inside an expen or something? I really worry that she'll start doing "too much too soon"... been there, done that, and boy can you have a problem faster than you realize.
Trust me, the 8 or so agonizing weeks of crate confinement is still way better than life with a cart dog. (Been there, done that too... and trust me, you want to keep that from happening.)
Invest in earplugs. It's still tons better than having to do the surgery over again, or having to live with a dog who doesn't recover 'cause they didn't rest enough. She really needs to have pretty much complete rest.
MaryAnne
I agree. 8 weeks of crate rest is better than a lifetime of trouble. Her crate bed is in an ex-pen. There is only room for a small potty pad and her two bowls (one for food and one for water) and her bed. Seriously maybe 18 inches on two sides of her crate bed. the other two sides are against the wall. The ex-pen can give more space than that but not how we have it set up. I didn't want her to have to lay in her pee/poop and her food/water dish wouldn't fit inside her crate bed or I wouldn't have given that much room to be honest. I don't want either of us to go through this again. Depending on how this week goes David mentioned taking her with him to his office next week. It'll just be a 3 hour drive to get there and I didn't want to make her do that again if possible, since she wouldn't really be able to rest if she was traveling. She also wouldn't really be "home" then either.
We go in on Tuesday to get the sticthes out and I am going to ask about specific therapy for her. I have been moving her legs a little so they won't get stiff and trying to let her stand for a few seconds-minute since they told me to let her do that. Just to not let her do more than 10 minutes of standing or walking including potty time until after 8 weeks. She hates baths so I'm not going to try water therapy, I think she'd hurt herself fighting with me to get out.
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 11:49:02 AM
I agree. 8 weeks of crate rest is better than a lifetime of trouble. Her crate bed is in an ex-pen. There is only room for a small potty pad and her two bowls (one for food and one for water) and her bed. Seriously maybe 18 inches on two sides of her crate bed. the other two sides are against the wall.
Sounds perfect! Once she starts recovering though, you might find that she starts trying to "climb" the pen.
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 11:49:02 AM
The ex-pen can give more space than that but not how we have it set up. I didn't want her to have to lay in her pee/poop and her food/water dish wouldn't fit inside her crate bed or I wouldn't have given that much room to be honest. I don't want either of us to go through this again. Depending on how this week goes David mentioned taking her with him to his office next week. It'll just be a 3 hour drive to get there and I didn't want to make her do that again if possible, since she wouldn't really be able to rest if she was traveling. She also wouldn't really be "home" then either.
I have to agree with you there. Really, what they need at this point is *rest* 24/7... and you'd find (if you videotaped her) that she probably sleeps *most* of the time that you're gone from home. LOL
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 11:49:02 AM
We go in on Tuesday to get the sticthes out and I am going to ask about specific therapy for her. I have been moving her legs a little so they won't get stiff and trying to let her stand for a few seconds-minute since they told me to let her do that. Just to not let her do more than 10 minutes of standing or walking including potty time until after 8 weeks. She hates baths so I'm not going to try water therapy, I think she'd hurt herself fighting with me to get out.
If you have a rehab with an underwater treadmill anywhere near you, you might consider that. The dog doesn't really get totally immersed, and I've seen cases where even "water phobic" dogs were able to get used to it after a session or two. I have a friend who swore up and down that her dog "wouldn't go in water" but she got to be a real champ at getting into the treadmill on her own...and my friend really swears by it now. My Maggie is no fan of baths either, but if there is a piece of hot dog (or some other yummy goodie) at the end of the tub, then she's all for it! I used either hot dogs or cheese cut up into about 1/4" dice... less than a 1/2 a hotdog per session, so no worries about weight gain. You aren't really having them "swim"... just using the water to about shoulder height to support them and encourage exercise without the stress of full weight bearing. (But this is a bit away, obviously, though I can tell you that some vet centers get them up on the mill the day after surgery...U of Illinois is one of those, I know. Just varies so much from dog to dog and case to case.)
Right now, total restriction so that surgical site can heal is the key. Sounds like your set up is perfect. :grin:
MaryAnne
We go to have the stiches checked/removed on Tuesday afternoon. I'm going to ask about the types of PT to do with her. Until then I will stand her on her feet a few seconds at a time (like when she pees or something) since that's what we were told would help her but not overdo it! Other than water therapy is there any other things I can do to help her get control/strength back as she gets better? I can't imagine letting her lay for 8 weeks and do no movement with those muscles being helpful. She will have to relearn to walk and use her legs a little at a time.
Quote from: April on April 17, 2006, 02:10:34 PM
Other than water therapy is there any other things I can do to help her get control/strength back as she gets better? I can't imagine letting her lay for 8 weeks and do no movement with those muscles being helpful. She will have to relearn to walk and use her legs a little at a time.
Usually what is recommended first is a passive exercise of each rear leg like a "bicycle" motion. Not fast. Slow and you are extending the foot/leg out to full extension but without forcing. Several times a day (I have to check my files to see how many "reps" we did). Some folks are told to pinch between the toes to keep the dog reacting to that sort of stimulus. Another thing to do is to have the dog standing and to push gently on each rear side--basically to gently shift the weight from one leg to the other (obviously without the dog falling over). Another thing to do while they are standing is to pick up first one back foot and then the other--basically letting the balance on one side or the other. You can also get a piece of 2-3" foam to stand the dog on--they have to adjust themself to stand on the soft surface. Once they are walking again, walking on a foam surface like that (as long as it's not slippery) or even on a sand beach (if you have one nearby) would be beneficial.
Here is a good article to read, a downloadable pdf on rehab--if you find the section on the dachshund who was "non weight bearing", those exercises are the ones you probably would want now. (bottom of p. 20 onto p. 21)
http://www.ivis.org/special_books/Braund/steiss2/ivis.pdf
Then the following section of the same document has exercises for later.
Obviously, you can probably print this out and share it with your vet--since they need to be "OK" with anything you do. I can tell you though, that these are basically the exercises I used to rehab my Maggie. She's nearly 2 years post surgery and doing great.
Hope that helps.
MaryAnne
Thanks!
The vet that did Lily's surgery had me do five minutes on each leg, three times a day, the "bicycle" type of motion that hildiesmom described. They call it full range of motion. They also had me stand her on her back legs for about 5-10 minutes for 3 times a day. They gave us a sling that I used when I took her outside that helped to support her back legs. If you don't have one and want Lily's, let me know and I will be happy to send it to you.
Hope she did well !
She was resting in her bed when I got home last night. That made me happy to see. After I'd been home a few minutes she seemed to be uncomfortable so I gave her a dose of her pain meds and she relaxed like she felt better then. She didn't eat yesterday except for a spoonful of peanut butter (that I used to give her meds) although she drank a good bit yesterday evening and night. She also peed on her pee pad last night although she didn't like it since it wasn't her potty box. I'm trying to convince her it's OK to pee/poop on the pee pads since I'm not sure how easily she'll be able to use the potty box. (It has a lip and she'd have to climb in/out of it.)
Of course she insisted on sleeping next to me last night in the big bed and she was still and calm the entire time. When she started to get fidgety and Elf decided she had to sleep there too, Cajsa went back into her crate bed to rest so she wouldn't hurt herself.
All in all I think she is doing wonderfully. She is better able to stand and hold her weight now, even though she can't get up on her feet on her own. She can stand for about 10-15 seconds before getting wobbly and needing me to help her keep her balance. We practice standing a few times a day and move her feet/legs so I'm hoping that will help her recover more quickly and fully.
One more question in all this, what can I do to get her to eat? She's not wanting her food even when softened. Should I just give her something like chicken and rice? or should I do something else? She is eating the peanut butter but she can't live on a spoonful of 'nut butter' a day. (I tried mixing in her food with the peanut butter and she ate around it.)
It sounds like she's coming along as well as could be expected. Glad to hear it. Every time I see a doxie get to the point of requiring surgery, I tell Gretchie to pray as hard as she can that they'll have the same outcome as she had. So far, it's worked.
April maybe the pain meds are causing her to feel a bit nauseous, hopefully you can take her off the pain meds in the next few days and she will get her appetite back. Maybe try some chicken & rice in the meantime if she likes that. Glad to hear she is recovering well :thumb:
Jen & the Crew
Quote from: Jen on April 18, 2006, 08:52:57 AM
April maybe the pain meds are causing her to feel a bit nauseous, hopefully you can take her off the pain meds in the next few days and she will get her appetite back. Maybe try some chicken & rice in the meantime if she likes that. Glad to hear she is recovering well :thumb:
Jen & the Crew
I know that a side effect of Tramadol is decreased appetite and it did that when combined with Robaxin(?) last week before she had her surgery which is why we switched her to metacam. I'll try chicken and rice this evening to see if that will get her to eat again. I wasn't going ot give her any pain meds if she seemed comfortable and I didn't give her any this morning (or yesterday morning either), but I did give her one last night. The vet is supposed to call me back about it, since they called to check on her and I mentioned it.
When Bishop got that lump removed last week or was it two... anyway he didnt eat anything other than the chicken that i would feed him with his pain meds, then after i would give him a huge chunck of breast meat and thats all he ate for the most part. I would definately try the Chicken and Rice what dog can resist a nice warm bowl of Chicken and Rice! On a side note how on earth did you teach her to potty in a potty box? Bishop is killing me with not learning to use his.
Dis is Bish - Cajsa you dot ta hang in dare gurl oh but milk it! Tell your momma you wants da chicken its da bestest esspecially the wotisory kind. I :pray: for you to get better quick. Lots of :heart: and tons of :sunny: :sunny: San Diego Rays to you!
Quote from: Etta21 on April 18, 2006, 11:40:32 AM
When Bishop got that lump removed last week or was it two... anyway he didnt eat anything other than the chicken that i would feed him with his pain meds, then after i would give him a huge chunck of breast meat and thats all he ate for the most part. I would definately try the Chicken and Rice what dog can resist a nice warm bowl of Chicken and Rice! On a side note how on earth did you teach her to potty in a potty box? Bishop is killing me with not learning to use his.
Dis is Bish - Cajsa you dot ta hang in dare gurl oh but milk it! Tell your momma you wants da chicken its da bestest esspecially the wotisory kind. I :pray: for you to get better quick. Lots of :heart: and tons of :sunny: :sunny: San Diego Rays to you!
LOL! I am going to give her scrambled eggies and chicken soup if she'll eat them. Those are her favorite protein rich foods so I'm going to try it.
As for teaching her to potty in a box, I did it the same way you'd teach one to use a paper. When she was a tiny puppy I'd put her in the potty box and when she'd pee or poop, I'd brag on her and give her a treat. Eventually she got the idea. Now I'm trying to undo all my hard work in training her, by getting her to potty on a pad instead of the box! lol She is resistant to it though. She actually sat and cried at me while staring at her box last night when she had to pee. I told her to potty where she was and eventually she did and I bragged on her. So she's peed on a pee pad, but no poop so far...
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I was going to recommend scrambled eggs and yes chicken and rice too. To keep her tummy from getting messed up, taking meds, she has to eat. I would focus on what she WILL eat and worry about her getting the "right" stuff later - just my opinion !!!! As she is able to do more and can wean off of the meds, I bet her appetite will come back. You can also ask the vet when you take her back for her stitches. Sounds like she is doing GREAT !!!! Good job sweet girl !!!
She ate strawberries and melon as well as chicken on Sunday when we brought her home. We were concerned about her fluids (hence the fruit) but she was drinking yesterday. I'm all out of chicken right now so we'll have to use some of those eggies from Easter!
Quote from: April on April 18, 2006, 12:28:21 PM
LOL! I am going to give her scrambled eggies and chicken soup if she'll eat them. Those are her favorite protein rich foods so I'm going to try it.
As for teaching her to potty in a box, I did it the same way you'd teach one to use a paper. When she was a tiny puppy I'd put her in the potty box and when she'd pee or poop, I'd brag on her and give her a treat. Eventually she got the idea. Now I'm trying to undo all my hard work in training her, by getting her to potty on a pad instead of the box! lol She is resistant to it though. She actually sat and cried at me while staring at her box last night when she had to pee. I told her to potty where she was and eventually she did and I bragged on her. So she's peed on a pee pad, but no poop so far...
Any way to easily cut out one side of the potty box so she can walk right in? Or substitute maybe a cardboard box fixed up like her potty box that has one side level with the ground?
Well, her potty box actually does have one side lower than the others but it still has a lip of about 1.5-2 inches t hold the litter inside. I've been thinking about changing her to potty pads anyway since she tends to miss when she's excited and in a hurry. (She will run in and start peeing before she even squats then run back out as she finishes up! Or at least she used to she's not doing much running nowdays.)
April - I have been so busy at work, I am just now catching up with the posts. I am so sorry Cajsa went through all of this. It sounds like she is making a great recovery. We will be thinking about you!
Thanks Julie! Things have been more than hectic here even before Cajsa had trouble, but it'll be OK. (that's my new saying - It'll be OK!)