Daschund legs

[Charlie_D_]

Looking for help with our 5 1/2 year old Isabella.

We have 2 daschunds-twin sisters- and like all dogs they are lap dogs. We had the bad habit of letting them jump into our laps when we are sitting.
About a month ago Belle would sit on the floor at the wife's chair wanting to be picked up so we started doing that. Belle took care of her business and trotted back to the house for her bed time treat. She weighs 10 #'s so is not overweight.
Next morning when I opened their crate for their morning trip, Belle was at the front of the crate and her rear legs would barely support her. Immediately took her to our Vet and he gave her a shot of Rimadyl and prescription of Rimadyl 25mg every 12 hours on 1/13/21. She has never exhibited any pain but had a slight soft whimper 2-3 times daily.
Next day she had lost all movement of her rear legs. Back to the vet, x-rays and said he had a ruptured disc and another was calcified. I do not have the location of those discs. He prescribed Prednisilone @ 5mg/daily and Gabipentin @25 mg 3 times daily after 24 hours of her last dosage of Rimydal. Because I have used Gabapentin and Prednisone I asked the Vet how long Belle could remain on it. He said the benefits outweigh the riks.
Her appetite is normal other than being a little picky on her evening meal. We changed to a different food and she eats that well.
I take her outside on a leash and band to support he belly to prevent her feet from knuckling under and she has a bowel movement 2-3 times daily and urinates without issue.
Drinks water and loves her treats.
Took her back to the Vet this past Monday and he gave her a shot of Adaquan and will continue another shot tomorrow for twice weekly for 3 weeks. He believes it may restore some function to her back legs where she can regain some use and the ability to waddle around.
Because of the time she would no longer jump into our lap and getting her paralysis we believe the window for back surgery has closed. If surgery could be done it would have to be in Houston 125 miles away.
In addition wife had some heart issues in mid-November. Week of Thanksgiving it became worse and sent her by ambulance to ER. EMT's did an EKG and said she had Premature Ventricular Constrictions. After observance at the ER she was better and they sent her home to consult with our PCP. He referred her to a Cardioligist who, after mutilple tests and a heart monitor for 30 days. Next visit to doctor is Feb.3 will describe a course of treat as she was found to have AFID. I have occasional flare ups of my Rheumatoid Arthrist and some days can not use one of my hands for 1-2 days before it subsides. If back surgery was still available wife doesn't feel we can give Belle the proper care and therapy.

Vet said she has not reached the end of her life cycle and we agree that we do not wish to put here down. We asked about a doggie wheel chair and he said he is not in favor of that because of her age and did we really want her to use that for the next 6-7-8 years. We may still get one depending on her progression.

We are hoping for some type of recovery to where she could at least move herself around.

I have been studying cold laser therapy amd am willing to try that as a local Vet. does it.

Hopefully Dr. Doug and some of you have gone through this and can provide incite.

[dturm]

That's really good news and good progress. Not sure she'll ever get back to "normal" but I suspect that she'll get to the point that she can take care of herself without your constant attention.

[Charlie_D_]

Here is an update:
Took her to another vet and started cold laser and chiropractic therapy. No adjustment. Vet told us she would do 3 treatments and if no response we would have to accept her as she is. A sad thing to hear and having PTSD, she has been my therapy and she, along with her sister, keeps me active.

First treatment was on a Tuesday. Couldn't tell if it helped. Second treatment on Friday. Saturday and through the weekend we could see a small improvement and when taking her outside with a strap I noticed when her feet touched the ground she would move her rear legs a little as if trying to walk. I'm thinking "maybe."When set down she would stand on her rear legs albeit wobbly for a few moments.

It appeared that each morning after letting them out of their crate I could see improvement. Five days afer her second treatment I let them out, sat her down and was changing their bedding. As I turned she was on her feet but wobbly.

Took her outside with a strap to do business and noticed she was moving her legs more when they touched the ground. Each day was an improvement.

Third treatment 5 days later and she could walk a little but still wobbly and rear legs would collapse but she would try again.

The Vet said we could continue treatment because of the progress she has made. She also showed us some excercises such as gentle pulling of her body, moving and stretching her legs and moving them a resemble pedaling a bicycle.

It has now been 6 days since last treatment but snow and cold has cancelled our next appointment for treatment.

Today is Monday and last Friday she was on the floor, wife in kitchen, and I was out of the room. As I entered she room she was on her feet and although wobbly had walked to the kitchen. Every evening we allow her to do so and with the exception of an occasional slip on the polished concrete floor she is very stable. I now carry her outside on a leash, set her down and she walks to do her business.


We notice a widening of her shoulders and believe it, along with an always hungry look, is because of the Prednisolone. Her medication has been reduced from 3 25mg Gabapentin daily to 2 daily for a week and now once daily. Prednisolone from 2 mg once daily to once every other day. Cosoquin once daily. Appetite is good. Drinks water and has bowel movement and pee's are normal. From the time of her paralysis Jan. 13 until now she never seemed to exhibit pain.

We still restrict her movements some to allow rest.

[dturm]

That's a hard one to answer. Normally it takes "some time" for the initial insult to resolve and heal. During that time they are more prone to relapse. If she is able to stand, that might be the best exercise at this time. I still think keeping her from trying to move around too much is probably best.

[Charlie_D_]

I am having second thoughts of using the doggie wheels at this time.
Should we allow her more time to heal? Does anyone have any idea if using it would traumatize her further?

[Charlie_D_]

Update
She has had her fourth shot
Appetite is good. Bowel and bladder works well. We will wag her tail when she is ready to do either and will spread her legs.
Still on Gabapetin and Prenisonole.
I found an old infrared light from many years ago. Hand held with to heat settings and used it when iI had muscle aches. Does not get too hot and I move it continuously up and down her spine and hips. She likes it.
We have been able to get her to stand on her back leg briefly.
Got a doggie wheel chair yesterday and tried it today. She sat calmly while we were putting her in it. Have to give the leash a little tug to get her to walk and she doesn't like it. Maybe with a few more uses she will accept it and try to walk.
Little concerned about weight at 3.4 pounds but didn't see anything lighter. She weighs just under 11 pounds.

[doxiemom11]

We previously had a doxie with a back problem. Both time it got bad the vet injected steroids to reduce swelling, bed rest other than potty and meal time and no jumping up or down and no steps. The 2nd time he couldn't walk at all, but it worked and he was still walking when he passed from old age. The problem is their back. Common problem for them.

[LJAZ]

Charlie D. wrote:
I am inclined to concentrate on exercise and limit the use of a doggie chair as I don't wan't her to learn to use the front to the detriment of trying to reestablish use of her back leg. Yes/No?

Not sure which brand wheel chair you bought, but in the Eddie's Wheels chair Morgan is still able to use his back legs. He walks his back legs when he's moving around sort of like a doggie walker. It does seem to help improve the little walking ability he has somewhat. It does have foot rests to keep the feet elevated but if I put his legs up on them he just pulls them down.

Another thought, Morgan also had several rounds of acupuncture after his surgery which seemed to help. This was recommended by our vet so you might want to check with yours to see if that's an option.

[dturm]

The toe pinch is a good sign, there is still feeling that is getting to the brain and then motor function to retract the leg. It's not just a spinal reflex.

I'm not really worried about the exercise with the front legs.

[Charlie_D_]

Will have to check on phisical therapy clinic.
I gently pinched the webbing between her toes and she was able to pull her legs feet back. I see that as a good sign. Yes/No?
Wheel chair due in a few days.
I am inclined to concentrate on exercise and limit the use of a doggie chair as I don't wan't her to learn to use the front to the detriment of trying to reestablish use of her back leg. Yes/No?
Still has a great appetite, drinks water, pees and bowl movement on regular basis. Same dosage of Prednisole and Gabapentin. Started both of them on Cosequin.

[LJAZ]

Can't say if the jacuzzi will help. For Morgan's PT they had an underwater treadmill for the hydrotherapy the doc mentioned. We asked about doing this at home in the pool and were told it wouldn't hurt, but dogs mostly swim with their front legs so it might not help that much. We were also instructed to periodically pinch the webbing between his toes until he pulled his leg away to stimulate the nerves.

When he was going to PT they gave us a list of things we could work on at home but the toe pinch is the only one I remember offhand. Do you have an animal physical therapy clinic in your area? If so it might be worth asking them if they have experience with IVDD dogs.

[dturm]

Deep pain is an unsophisticated but reliable test to evaluate how much injury there is to the spinal cord. Having deep pain is a good thing - there is still some functionality in the spinal cord. The fact that she is still able to control urination and BMs also indicates that there is some connection going through the spinal cord.

Don't get too concerned about the yelp, she's also getting used to being handled in new ways. It is important to avoid torque to the spine to prevent further disk injury.

I've used Adequan with some success but it's not a cure, just a valuable anti-inflammatory tool.

The way the hydrotherapy works is to support weight while allowing mobility and limb movement, perhaps re-learning how to walk. The heat from the water could also be of some benefit.

[Charlie_D_]

Thanks for the comments.
Today was the second shot of Adaquin-anyone familiar with it.
Belle continues to be alert. Does her outdoor business. Eats and drinks. She has never whined but when neither of us are in the room she whines and barks loudly.
We continue to allow her to sit next to us in recliners. We move and handlle her only when going outside and moving to her bed.. She can widen her hip to take care of business and we think that is a good sign. Twice she has yelped when I pick her up by placing my fingers-carelessly-under her belly near her vulva. Dzoes that mean anything?
Next Monday will be her third shot and will ask the Vet to see if she exhibits pain in her paws. If so, am I wrong to think she still have some feeling in her back legs.
Still taking Gabapinten and Prednisole.
I have ordered a doggy wheel chair and a life vest. We will start water therapy when the vest is delivered in a few days. We have a jacuzzi and wondering if using it on a low setting would help in addition to the water therapy.

We will try that for a few days and may search for a vet. that does laser therapy. Relative used the therapy for hind legs for their pet but there were other issues instead of paralysis and she said it helped.
Any other things we can do?

[LJAZ]

We have been through this with our dachshund, Morgan, and it can be frustrating but not insurmountable. We rescued him when he was 4 yrs old and a year later he ruptured a disc chasing his ball. From everything I've read this is genetic and 5 years of age is typical for this injury appear. We went the surgery route along with physical therapy and he did recover - for a while. Apparently, he developed scar tissue that put pressure on the spinal cord, so he gradually lost most of the use of his hind legs. He can still occasionally walk but it's not graceful.

I disagree with your vet about the wheelchair. We have one and Morgan loves it. He started using it when he was 7 I (I think) and he’s 11 now and shows no sign of slowing down. So I’m not sure why using it for 6-7-8 years is a problem. IMHO NOT being able to use one for 6-7-8 years would be a problem. It just lets him be a dog again.
We only use it for outside and it gives him the ability to run and chase his ball and go on walks again. He goes crazy when we pick it up because he knows he’s going outside. They do need supervision when they’re in it in case it gets caught on something. Morgan has even managed to flip it over chasing a rabbit in the yard.
I recommend Eddie's Wheels, they custom build the wheelchair to the dog’s measurements. The place where he was getting his PT recommended them and took his measurement for me. I did my own research as well before I bought and didn’t think any of the other options were nearly as good. The website is eddieswheels dot com.
You can also get what’s referred to as a drag bag. Basically, a bag that your put the dog in with harness that goes around the upper neck/torso and protects the legs from getting scraped up when the drag around. We had one for Morgan, but he really hated it. So inside we just let him drag himself around. Our floors are tile and laminate so he can’t tear himself up.
Good luck with whatever path you choose and let me know if you questions I might be able to answer.

[dturm]

The window for surgery to help in these cases is very short and is within hours/days of the initial insult.

I've had cases (this is a very common condition) that will encourage you and others that will depress you. It's difficult to gauge what the eventual outcome will be, but constant slow improvement is a good sign.

The absolute best case was a cervical disk (neck) where all 4 legs were affected. He couldn't stand and basically just paddled on the floor to move around. It took about a year, but he progressed so he could stand and walk.

Laser therapy is potentially helpful, but I don't have any experience with it. Hydrotherapy (swimming) is a physical therapy that I've found very helpful.

BTW, your vets original treatment was pretty standard for minor disk.

I understand your and your wife's medical issues - Sandy has AFIB and RA. If you need to vent, send me a PM.

Doug