A Little Scare
Ella Bella gave us a little scare last week. We thought for sure that we were going to have to put her down. She was fine when we put her in the kennel and then when we came back a few hours later she couldn't walk. We massaged and tried everything we could. We thought she was constipated...side note if your dog is having trouble in the depositing arena...feed them a tablespoon of pumpkin out of the can. We tried prunes and found out they could be toxic in dogs. Thanks Ms Donna for keep our puppy safe.
She love being able to sit in the sun and watch everything that is going on around the house. She watches the kids play. The squirrels and cats tease her. She greets all the walkers with a bark or two. This is what we did most of the first day that she was 'sick'. Her legs wouldn't work at all. The first trip to the vet we came home with pain killers and muscle relaxers.
Mark took her back to the vet fulling expecting to put her down. But the vet said no way she is way to young and they think with steroids she will regain the use of her backside. She is one total and complete bed rest for the next two weeks. When she goes out to the bathroom she has to be supported with a towel. Our neighbors see her and gasp and I think I have even seen a few of them shed a tear or two. I know that we have shed a few. The family was called in thinking she would be a goner the next morning. But to our surprise and relief she seems to be making a come back. Tonight she grinned at me as she was wagging her tail...something she has not done for about a week. She is loving all the little extra treats that she is getting.
So for now, she is camped out in the kennel and I am on the couch in the living room waiting for her to need me to take her out during the night. This old body can only make so many trips up and down the stairs carrying and extra thirty pounds.
We are hoping that she maks a full recovery and this never happens again...keep your fingers crossed!
DIAGNOSIS...IVDD...stands for Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease. Between the bones that make up the spinal column, called vertebrae, there are gel-like cushions called discs. Discs are made of a material that should have the consistency of a gel toothpaste. When a dog has IVDD, disc material hardens prematurely. When pressure is applied to the disc, like the pressure the spine receives from a jump, the hardened disc material can break through the weak disc wall, oozing or even shooting out with the force of a bullet. When the material escapes, it can enter into the space where the spinal cord is. The spinal cord, is the main communication system between body parts (legs, bladder, etc) and the brain. So if the disc material presses on the spinal cord, the affected limbs or organs cannot send or receive information to and from the brain. That is why the dogs become paralyzed and commonly also lose bladder and bowel control. No information goes through from the site of the herniation towards the brain and vice versa.
If only a little disc material oozed out, the spinal cord may not be too damaged and the dog can fully recover. If the disc rupture is severe and hit the cord with enough force causing the spinal cord a lot of damage, the dog might need a lot of time to recover, perhaps surgery and therapy. Chances of recovery are slimmer with a severe disc rupture, but there are accounts of some dogs that have been paralyzed for up to 3 years, that have suddenly gotten up and started to walk again. Nerves are the slowest part of the body to heal and each dog has their own timeline as to when or if healing can happen.
DIAGNOSIS...IVDD...stands for Inter-Vertebral Disc Disease. Between the bones that make up the spinal column, called vertebrae, there are gel-like cushions called discs. Discs are made of a material that should have the consistency of a gel toothpaste. When a dog has IVDD, disc material hardens prematurely. When pressure is applied to the disc, like the pressure the spine receives from a jump, the hardened disc material can break through the weak disc wall, oozing or even shooting out with the force of a bullet. When the material escapes, it can enter into the space where the spinal cord is. The spinal cord, is the main communication system between body parts (legs, bladder, etc) and the brain. So if the disc material presses on the spinal cord, the affected limbs or organs cannot send or receive information to and from the brain. That is why the dogs become paralyzed and commonly also lose bladder and bowel control. No information goes through from the site of the herniation towards the brain and vice versa.
If only a little disc material oozed out, the spinal cord may not be too damaged and the dog can fully recover. If the disc rupture is severe and hit the cord with enough force causing the spinal cord a lot of damage, the dog might need a lot of time to recover, perhaps surgery and therapy. Chances of recovery are slimmer with a severe disc rupture, but there are accounts of some dogs that have been paralyzed for up to 3 years, that have suddenly gotten up and started to walk again. Nerves are the slowest part of the body to heal and each dog has their own timeline as to when or if healing can happen.
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