Day One, all over again

I spoke with the doctor this morning and she was very positive about Nathan's recovery.  She told me the disk that ruptured this time had been damaged for quite some time.  So, its no wonder Nathan's recovery was stalled.  Also, she said the previously operated disk had a lot of scar tissue that needed to be cleaned up. 

Lesson:  Do not let anyone other than a neurosurgeon perform this procedure on your dog, even if it means driving a distance to have it done properly. 

I just checked in with the hospital.  Nathan is already standing again.  Hard to believe just a few hours after surgery he is better than he was yesterday.  I'm already feeling hopeful that he will be even better than he had been over the last months.

The worst day, the unimagineable

The unthinkable happened yesterday.  Nathan ruptured another disk.   He started acting a bit off on Friday, but really seemed like he just needed a day of rest.  Saturday morning, he seemed a bit worse, but still not serious.  By the afternoon, he was clearly worse.   What's crazy is we are only 9 days away from the 1-year mark of the first surgery.

Luckily, we had already researched where the best neurosurgeon for this is and she is about 90 mins from where we live.  So, we called the hospital and got in the car and drove down.   The doctor was actually at a fund raiser and could not be reached.  They told us to wait because she would definitely call in.  We got there at 6:30pm and by 9:30pm, the doctor had arrived (dressed in a gown) to the hospital. 

She immediately assessed him and assured us that since we had come in early, she was confident he would be back to where he was within 2 weeks.   Since it was now after 10pm, we drove home and the doctor began the MRI and surgery.  By the time we got home, the MRI was done and the disk was identified as the one just behind the prior injured disk.  So, now we waited.   12:15am, the doctor called.  The surgery was completed.  She felt good about it, but will know more today.  She also said she had to "clean up" the prior surgery site.  All of this could of course account for Nathan's slow and tough recovery.  

I'm obviously completely freaked out and can't believe this happened again.  I'm dreading the next few weeks recalling what it was like the first time.   Hopefully, when we speak with the doctor today, she will have some good news.  I also want to know more about the surgery as I did not want to grill her at midnight!

Searching for Doggie Day Care

So, we are once again looking for someone to care for the boys if we go out of town.  We've not been successful with the first 3.   A friend recommended a lady who takes dogs into her condo and we went to see her today.  She was a nice lady who was actually born in Brooklyn and grew up in Staten Island just like me, which wouldn't be so weird if we weren't in Tampa Bay, FL.   Anyway, she has 2 cats and a 15 yr old dog.   But, everyone seemed to get along alright.  Nathan tried to play with one of the cats, but she'd have no part of it.    The lady is willing to be trained on how to empty Nathan's bladder, so I am going to schedule a series of visits to show her. 

I keep hoping Nathan will begin fully pee'ing on his own, but we are coming up on a year, so the odds are getting pretty small.  I've tried to find another vet tech who does in-home sitting but others I spoken with charge $100 a day, which is just crazy.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Happy Birthday, Frankie!

Today is Frankie's 5th birthday!  So, today is all about my doodlebug.  We videotaped his little birthday party (sorry, its a bit grainy).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucBhRB4WwyQ

Of course, Nathan tried to steal some of Frankie's doggie ice cream.   But, I think they both enjoyed the treat. 

Happy Birthday, Frankie!  We love you!

10 days post last K-laser treatment

Well, no significant improvement from the K-laser.  Perhaps some slight improvement in his walking, a bit steadier on grass.   I was hoping we might see more meaningful changes, but even a little improvement helps because the better he walks, the stronger his leg muscles get.  So, it's a bit of a chain reaction.   We've gone about 6 weeks now without a poop in bed, so there is definitely improvement there.  We are only about 6 weeks away from the 1-year mark.  I can't believe it's been that long since this whole thing started.  

One week after 1st of 3 laser treatments

So....Nathan had his 3 K-laser treatments last week (Mon, Wed, Fri).   Not seeing any changes at this point.  But, still hoping to see some improvement.  Our vet who does the laser is actually putting together a video for K-laser and they want Nathan to be in it.  They were looking for dogs who have had the therapy who are also cute....so, of course, that's Nathan!!     Nathan loves to be in the spotlight!  The shoot is on Feb 22nd.  Not sure how long it will take them to put the video together....  

K-Laser Treatment - First Session

Here's a video of Nathan getting his treatment today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDmB9WApeDo&context=C31da90aADOEgsToPDskL7Lo4ScirqWjYPZGXpyxAP

And, walking around the office...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMCxxgpJSIQ&context=C30a2c4dADOEgsToPDskLjXRavc8rYbSZDe-i2F01f

He got the treatment all along his spine, as well as, directly on his bladder and on his anal sphincter.   Next treatment is on Wednesday.   I'm really hoping we see some exciting improvement.   If you are on YouTube, my vet (Amazon Animal Hospital) has a page of videos, many about the K-laser. 

Today's acupuncture visit

My sweet boy hooked up to the electrodes!...and loving on his doctor.... vet said Nathan doesn't need to come back for another 6 weeks! 

Getting my hopes up....

Not to jinx anything, but Nathan hasn't pooped in bed in over 2 weeks.    Could bowel control be starting to come back?  He's definitely doing better with pee pees, particularly on long walks where he'll pee on everything he smells.   We have what I think will be our last acupuncture session next week.    I'm considering doing another round of the K-laser at my vet.   When the boys had their annually teeth cleaning about 4 weeks ago, our Vet gave Nathan a pro-bono K-laser treatment (well, pro-bono + $1,200 in other vet expenses).   Nathan had a series of 5 treatments back when he first had the surgery, but he was too ill to tell if it had any effect.   However, I'm a bit suspicious of Nathan's seemingly unusual spike in improvement about 3 weeks ago.   It could just be a coincidence, but what if its not???    I just read this article about integrating acupuncture and laser therapy for IVDD treatment.  I found it very interesting.....

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/complementary-medicine/laser-therapy-may-work-on-tl-ivdd.aspx

2 Day Business Trip

The stars aligned and both my husband and I had a business trip on the same 2 days.  The vet tech who was to stay at our house canceled at the last minute.  I was able to get a pet sitter who had some experience with special needs dogs to stay at our house.  She had never care for the boys before.

Before day-one was out, Frankie had vomited all over our white carpet (I know, why do I have white carpet with 2 dogs?).   Nathan, having a flare for the dramatic, did his normal thing....when he is not happy about his day being out of order, he rubs his nose in the carpet so hard that it literally rubs a sore into his nose turning it raw and pink.  The sitter thought he had cut his nose on something, which of course, he had not.  

Luckily, day-2, the boys settled down and all was well.    I'm home and all is well and the boys are happy to be back in their normal routine.  It's clear to see who runs this household!

It's a bird, It's a plane, its....Nathan RUNNING

Not sure if you can really judge just how fast Nathan is running.  You can kind of tell by how fast I'm moving and by the sound of Frankie's panting in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH3wKqVG-D0

I don't even know what to say!!!

Steady as he goes

Nathan has been walking so well this week.  Normally by 2 wks post acupuncture, he begins to deteriorate, but not this time.  His leg muscles seem stronger to me.  He still does a little paw flip dragging the top of his foot so wrapping one toe on each foot is still definitely needed.  

He's doing pretty well on longer walks to empty his bladder, but I still can't get the instant pee pee on the front lawn.  Still emptying his bladder for that.    Could be some progress happening there.  Can't say the same for poops!!

New Year's Eve

We're all snuggled up on the couch watching Dick Clark as I have for as long as I can remember (except maybe when I was really little and my grandmother watched Lawrence Welk ring in the new year).

Nathan and Frankie had their annual dental cleanings this week.  I  was very concerned with Nathan getting anesthesia.  But, I didn't want to neglect his dental health.  Turns out he had gingivitis and the vet put him on antibiotics.  Frankie was A-OK.

Not much progress in the last couple weeks in terms of walking.  Still holding steady at one 1/2 mile per day + 2 short walks.  Still working on getting him to try to pee on command.  He can nearly empty his bladder on a long walk thru the park trail marking territory.  He's nailed the fact he gets a kibble for each pee pee, so he does it at least 10 times thru the 1/2 mile trail.   Hoping this translates at some point to normal peeing.

I can't believe its been 9 months since his surgery.   Here's hoping for big progress in the new year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to say a moment to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all!  All I wished for this holiday season was for Nathan to be able to walk and maybe even run a little.  We're almost there.    May the new year bring health and prosperity to everyone!

A pee-pee connection is made

After 2 weeks of intense potty training, Nathan has finally made the connection that when he pees (mainly when marking territory on walks), he gets a kibble.  Now when he does a little squirt, he looks up at me for his kibble.   In the last few days, he's even walked onto our front lawn (when we take them out for quick potty runs) and done a small pee pee, not marking territory.  I think he can feel when his bladder is full now.  But, he can't feel to know when it's empty.  Hoping that with enough training, I can give the pee pee command and make him go enough times to empty the bladder.  Its a tall order, but he a good learner and very food motivated.

He's been walking pretty well this last 10 days.  We walked 3/4 mile last night and he was not ready to stop.  At the last visit, the acupuncturist put him on yet another herbal - Jai Bing Fang.  Sounds like a Star Wars character to me. 

Researching on the Internet

It's amazing the information that is on the internet.  I spent hours today researching bowel incontinence and treatments.   We are still working on re-potty training, but no mental connection there yet.  I actually found a very odd research article from a Veterinary college from 1988 about an artifical sphincter surgery on dogs that can resolve the problem.  It was an old article and I could not find any other similar research.  I did find one of the co-authors email addresses as he still teaches at that college.    I also found an article by a vet who does animal chiropractic treatment combined with cold laser for this as well.    Meanwhile, we'll stick to our acupuncture and re-training and hope for the best. 

Our test to move Nathan's acupuncture treatments every 3 weeks failed.  He had a horrible 3rd week.  So, the Vet moved us back to every 2 weeks again.  It took Nathan 3 days to recover from his setback, but he's back where he was again as of today! 

Potty Training 101

The vet moved Nathan's acupuncture visits back out to 3 weeks for another try.  This past Thursday was the 2 week mark.  And, like clockwork, things fell apart.  Aside from his decrease in walking strength, he pooped in bed 4 days in a row before even 5am.   I feel like part of it is he may think its OK to do since its been 8 months now.  So, this weekend, I started going back to potty training basics.  Go potty outside, get a kibble.  Unfortunately, this also means scolding him if he poops in the house.  I feel awful about having to do that because I don't know if he can really control it.  But, I think we are at the point where we must retrain him.

I'm curious what other people's experiences in this area have been?  I'd love to hear feedback or suggestions from others whose dogs lost potty control and needed to work to get it back.

Lizards better watch out!

Nathan has had such a great week.  Check him out today walking like a maniac....fast and steady!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dl7PxZdUoY

He's walking almost as if nothing ever happened.  You can hardly tell he has a weak side now. Now that's a happy thanksgiving!

And, happy thanksgiving to everyone!
Warm Regards,
Heidi

Out of the Blue - Tail Wagging

Who would think after 8 months Nathan would finally start wagging his tail??!!  I came home from work the other day, and Nathan was standing (yes, standing) at the door wagging his tail, really wagging it.  Wow, all this time, he never has been able to really wag his tail.  It would have very small movements, but not like this! I remember reading all those articles about the order in which recovery happens...tail wagging is supposed to be first, then potty control, then walking.   This is just another reminder that recovery continues to occur, month after month.  Nathan continues to surprise me.  He is such an amazing dog!

Getting to a stable place

So, we are finding that Nathan is now doing best with 2 short walks and one longer walk (limited to about 1/2 mile).   Overall, he's getting about 1 mile of total walking per day.  This seems to keep him from having setbacks while still toning his muscles.  We'll stay at this level for awhile and see how we do.   One bit of good news, over the last week, he has managed to empty his bladder on the long walk a number of times.  With any luck, we can get this happening on the short walks.  Not sure if we'll ever get to the point where we can just run him outside to go potty.   

  

Dox-a-Palooza!

I need to sidetrack today to brag about my little Frankie, aka Doodlebug, so named for his compulsive need to drink water and subsequently pee.   Yesterday was the Dox-a-Palooza, which is DARE's annual fund raiser (Dachshund rescue).  For the 3rd year, Frankie took home 1st place in the Lick-a-Lot contest (most face licks in 1 minute).  At 152 licks, he beat his nearest competition, which was 93 licks.  Nathan was there to cheer on his best friend....and..Nathan...

is back in good shape after his Thursday acupuncture treatment.  He walked all over the park at Dox-a-Palooza and those who know him from our normal local dog park were rightfully impressed.   It was a fun day for all and I had two very tired doxsies when we got home! 

A bit of a set back

After 2 1/2 weeks of Nathan walking like a maniac, Tuesday came and something was wrong.  He could barely walk.  I didn't panic on that first day.  Then, Wednesday, same thing.  Slightly better, but nowhere near where we had been and he really needed to walk with his sling.  So, then, panic began to set in.  Could he have ruptured another disk or was this just extreme fatigue?  He had an acupuncture appointment with the vet on Thursday, so I tried to keep calm and waited for today.  So, I relayed the events of the past 3 weeks to the vet.  Immediately he said, it was probably too soon for us to have switched from every 2 weeks of treatment to every 3 weeks.  He examined Nathan and said he had low Chi.    We will go back to treatment every 2 weeks again.  We gave Nathan a rest tonight, no walking.  We'll slow start walking, shorter walks again tomorrow.  Hopefully, we haven't caused too much of a setback. 

I can't deny I am a bit heartbroken as this is really the first major setback that we have had.

On to the next hurdle

OK, so Nathan can consistently walk the entire distance of our long walks, wobbly at times, but he's got the endurance now.  So, check that off the recovery list.  One thing he still struggles with is the way he puts his back feet down.  He still does a little upside down foot stride before his foot turns to the proper upright position.  Its just for a split second, but its enough to scrap one toe on each foot, more so his right foot, which is the weaker side.  Before each walk, I wrap a little fabric bandage around that toe on each foot.  I had stopped for awhile to see how severe the drag was and I've had to start again.  Its been about 2 weeks now.  Hopefully, we can test it again in another couple of weeks. 

He earned a chewy stick tonight!

I'm not sure what's going on this last 2 weeks, but Nathan's walking improvement is crazy.   Tonight, he walked 85% of our long walk, which is close to a mile.  It's almost 60% more than just yesterday.  You can see his confidence growing.  You can see his excitement at being able to go where he wants to go.   Its so strange after 7 months of slow and steady improvement, to see this spike is the opposite of what you would expect.  I keep hearing about the dreaded "plateau", but it doesn't appear to be anywhere in sight.

I don't think this is going to be a hard-candy Christmas!!

Hiding under the bed, again!

It's the simple things.  Before Nathan's injury, every night before going to bed, he had a ritual.  He'd run around the family room couch, then dart into the guest bedroom and hide under the bed.  Last night, for the first time in 7 months, he did a little run around the couch and then ran under the bed.  I use the word "run" loosely, but he did walk very quickly.  It's a big step that he is making decisions to walk instead of scoot around the house.  Although he walks outside on the sidewalk, he still scoots in the house.  But over the last week, I've seen a big change.  He tries to walk instead of scooting.  

The last 10 days since his last acupuncture treatment have brought marked improvement in his walking stability and endurance.   He also appears to be more confident that he can walks, so he tries harder.   He is consistently able to do 1/2 mile walks outside.  I'm really feeling that by year-end, he will be fully recovered in his walking. 

Unfortunately, he did poop in bed this morning  :(

Crash & Burn? No!

So, Monday came and as I feared, Nathan's 4-day acupuncture high was gone.  He was back to his strength from the prior week.   Tuesday, same thing.  UGH.  But, as it turned out, it was just a couple of days of needed rest.  Tonight, on our walk, he was a fireball!  He was practically running.  He set a new distance record by a bit.   He's even starting to choose to walk in the house sometimes instead of just scoot. 

It's much better now that the temperatures are getting cooler here in Florida because its so much easier on him when he's not overheating.   I'm sure this is helping us quite a bit.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

A Special Thanks!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who had sent such warm wishes for Nathan's recovery!  Each one is so touching and inspirational.

After each acupuncture treatment, Nathan usually has 3-4 days of amazing strength.  Then, we typically see a bit of a decline from that high.   So, it will be interesting to see where we land tomorrow.  As for today, I am absolutely thrilled at his progress.  He now can walk the entire length of our shorter walks.  No more having to carry him home.  In addition, he's is walking slightly more than halfway on our longer evening walks.  Since we live in hot Florida, we reserve the longer walk for the evenings.  Nathan wears out much faster in the heat now, so we don't push as hard during the midday walk.  The shorter walks take about 15 minutes in total.   We do two of these a day.  This is the first time I've felt really confident that he will be able to fully recover his ability to walk.  We don't have full potty control yet, but I'm hoping that with strength in his legs will come better control to hold in poops and empty his bladder.

Acupuncture Day!

I love acupuncture day! I can always count on super-Nathan after his treatment.  Tonight, Nathan walked a full 1/2 walk distance unassisted for the first time.  This was about 20% further than yesterday and about twice as far as about a month ago.  Walking at normal speed, 1/2 walk is about a 10-minute walk at a good clip.  Of course, it takes us about 20 minutes now, but who's counting!  Now the acupuncture vet wants to move his treatments from every 2 wks to every 3 wks.  We've done a total of 7 treatments over 10 weeks so far, along with using the chinese herbs I previously mentioned.  As the Monkees once sang "I'm a believer"! 

Back to using the sling

Although Nathan's walking has become steadier over the last 2 weeks, his endurance has not increased much.  He has a set distance he is able to walk before he wears out.   So, we are testing going back to using the sling to supplement the length of the walks.   Once he appears to be unable to walk unassisted, we put the sling on and see how he does.  We tried this for the first time last evening.  He was SOOOO excited to be able to motor along.   I could barely contain him.  When I picked him up to give him a break, his little feet were still moving like crazy in the air.  The sling (which as I've mentioned is just a thin scarf) just barely supports him, but that 5 or 10% of support allows him to really walk.   We are going to test this for a week or so and see if it increases his overall endurance.   Fingers crossed....  

A slow week

It's been a slow week for progress.  Nathan is walking a bit further and a bit steadier, but definitely not a banner week.  Today, we went to the dog park.  This is the only time Nathan actually empties his bladder.  He's overcome by all the smells.  When we first got there, he literally did a normal squat and peed for a long time.  It was so strange, because it looked like a normal pee that a healthy dog would do.  But, at home, he has yet to do that.  He peed at least a dozen times at the park, marking everything in site.  I wish I could take home those smells to my front lawn!   His best friend (other than Frankie, of course), Apollo, was at the park today and they played for quite a while.  When Apollo saw Nathan from across the park, he came running over.  Nathan was sooooo happy!  They are just like children.