Need to hear full-recovery success stories!

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Please, if any one knows of any full-recovery
success stories after an injury, I'd like to hear them! My baby just had her 2nd accupuncture session today (the regular
"medicine" didn't seem to help her). I give her Glucosamine supplement biscuits and powdered Ester-C on the food I smuggle in visiting her in the hospital (she gained 3/4 lb. in 4 days because of it) and also do the physical therapy daily.
We have faith in her, we just need to rebuild her back leg muscles. We know there is feeling and nerve reflexes-we saw it
today at the accupuncture (they had a machine that hooked some wire with clips to four of the needles and it sent a constant nerve stimulation-her legs and tail were moving). We're going to continue the sessions, and the Dr. wants to see another pound on her. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/heart.gif

[MARTHA]

I haven't writeen it lately but I keep her in our prayers and the "Girls" do too.

Martha (and the "Girls")

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thank you, Martha and the Girls! Mama should be home soon. Tomorrow is accupuncture #3.
We're going to see Santa Paws this weekend to have our photo taken! It's going to be a very special one because of almost losing her, and this is going to be my first Christmas! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif When we get the photo back we'll submit it right away for everybody to see! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gif love, puppy kisses and happy tail wags to the Girls! From Shumai

[MARTHA]

http://personal.inet.fi/cool/sll/backpock.html I just found this website this morning as I was tripping around the internet. (believe me,I am really tripping and clumsy with the computer). This is the site of a long haired dachund that had a severe back problem and has recovered. It is long and slow process and they did use accupuncture like you are doing. Hopefully this will give you some encouragement and some ideas. I do hope she gets to com home soon, I know that you and the tiny baby, devilih grin and all, will feel better!

You can e-mail me if I got the address wrong and I will tell you how I stumbled across it.
Good luck!

Martha (and the "Girls")

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thank you! It was a good article! Yes, we're
already doing everything the article says to do! But will try the cranberry juice!
She's slowly getting better with the accupuncture treatments-last night when I visited, I got to trim her nails and her back leg (the weaker one) muscles were moving and tail muscles too. Just have to build up the muscles and a little more weight. We can do it! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/bounce.gif

[Murphy's Dad]

HDL, Murphy may not be a dox, but he recovered. As for strength training, get her swimming. Start slowly and build up. Once Murphy got his back legs kicking, there was no stopping him. Murphy is able to swim for an hour solid.

Good Luck,

------------------
Murphy's Dad http://geocities.com/murphys_world

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Murphy's Dad on November 02, 2001 at 02:19 PM</font>

[MARTHA]

Hi Murphy's Dad - I am going to bookmark your sight this time, (I thought I did before. I have been looking for it to tell HDL about it. I am getting better with the computer, I really am...I'm still on that short shchool bus to computer school) Your is a great site and very inspriational!

Martha..off to bookmarking

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thank you for another great encouraging site!
Murphy is very handsome and what a fighter! I've always had positive attitude and I know she's slowly getting better. We did not opt for surgery because the Dr. said sometimes they die in surgery and surgery doesn't guarantee mobility. I wish we had a great swimming rehab place like you have! I'll buy a little float vest and have her float in the bathtub, I guess. I think she's going to be out of the hospital tomorrow. We're going to see Santa Paws. Now the intense P/T is really going to start. I'll update again tomorrow. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/walking.gif

[Murphy's Dad]

HDL, Your very welcome. Your vet is right, surgery does not guarentee mobility...but neither does crate rest. Its a hard choice. As for rehab, any body of water will do. Got a friend with a pool? Even a calm ocean would work. Do anything to get those little legs kicking.

Good luck and Aloha,

Murphy's Dad - http://geocities.com/murphys_world

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thanks Murphy's Dad! She's home now, not
thrilled about being confined to the playpen.
I wonder if I should cut back on the accupuncture sessions though? The Dr. said it would take more than 5 sessions (we're going 2x/week) and she has more feeling now, has gained weight, and her back legs have gained muscle mass. Now when the Dr. pinch her toes on both feet she'll actually turn around, and when they twist the needles you can see the tail and legs moving more. Other than that not really a big improvement. I know it'll take a long time-and I'm here for her however long it takes. I think we just have to really work the legs and continue the sessions. I don't know anyone with a pool, and don't want sand in her ears, so the tub will have to do. Today she's 11#. She's bloated from the medicine, so she kind of looks like a seal that sunbathes on the beach! Thursday is our 5th session. What's confusing though is her regular vet and the accupuncture vet have two different opinions on things-one says she's too skinny, the other says she's too fat; one says the bloated tummy is from the medicines, the other says it's "fat".
And expressing the bladder...oh boy...having a hard time. I guess I just need to get the "feel" of what full and empty are.
She sends Murphy, her inspiration, a big:
http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/love.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/heart.gif

[Murphy's Dad]

HDL,
Medical Vets vs. Holistic Vets... Let me start by saying that I am not bashing. This was our experience. We tried holistic (herbal) and accupuncture. Very Expensive with little noticeable improvements. It seemed OK until they tried the electro accupuncture on Murphy. It set him back a month in his recovery. We never went back. Don't get me wrong, many people I spoke with claim virtual miracles through these methods. But, his vet and his surgeon never steered us wrong. They suggested water therapy and excercize. It worked for us.

Definitely watch her weight. While recovering, they tend to put on the pounds. The heavier they are, the more weight on their rear legs, thus the harder it is for them.

Expressing the Bladder... Welcome to THE toughest job you will ever learn. Its like trying to hold and squeeze a water balloon inside a bag of oil while blindfolded. Try this... get her standing if possible. While standing behind her, locate the bladder. With one hand, cradle and trap it. I use 3 fingers. Left hand index and ring fingers to trap, middle for support. Right hand to push into the cradle. Try not to push upward. Push across with a mild downward pressure. Early on, don't worry about completely draining her bladder. Get as much out as you can and if there is some left, make up for it with frequency. If she yelps, stop. If her bladder slips out and you can't find it again, just try again in a little while. Most of all, be patient and gentle. What you are trying to learn is not easy. I had to cathaterize Murphy for quite some time until I learned the technique. Cathaterization is also not a bad fallback. You may want to have your vet teach you how just in case. It was far less traumatic than running to the emergency room because of not being able to empty his bladder.

I hope this helps. Any questions, you know where to find me.

Good Luck,
Murphy's Dad - http://geocities.com/murphys_world

[dutchman]

Hi, I'm not up on all the therapy techniques your are using but thought I would make one comment. With traditional non-surgical treatments the x-pen would give more freedom than is generally recommended during the crate rest period. The idea at that point is that they aren't allowed to drag themselves and put further strain on the injury site. Acupuncture is gaining great respect from the traditional vet medicine. The Colorado State University VTH has an acupuncturists on staff.

Best wishes for a full recovery,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thanks everybody! She was in the hospital for MORE than a month-isn't that considered
crate rest? She really doesn't drag when she's in the playpen-just sits in the same corner close to where we are. I'm getting a little better finding the "water balloon" and yes, once you squeeze it it's hard to find it again to get the rest out. How do you know the electric set him back a month? She had it on her 2nd session, and will have it done again on Tuesday then the week after that we'll probably only go once a week. She was weighed in at 10+1/2# at today's appointment, and is gaining muscle mass in the back legs. I bought a floatie vest today, (S) but I think it's a little big because when I put her in the tub she was
TERRIFIED and got her front legs out of the sleeves. I'll TRY XS, but I don't think it'll fit! As for the exercise, I'm bicycling her legs, doing leg squats...

[Murphy's Dad]

We had gone to about 10-12 accupuncture treatments prior to the electro. That day you saw the difference, all bad. Please remember, this was our experience. It could have been any variable, the accupuncturist, the equipment, the settings... anything. It was just that we worked so hard to get that far, then a huge setback. His regular vet found nothing else wrong.

There are many good things to be said about accupuncture, holistic medicine, chiropracty, etc. Many people swear by them, others do not. We were willing to try anything that would show progress. Water therapy worked for us.

HDL, one last thing. Try the smaller vest. It should fit snug but allow freedom of movement. She should be able to float and swim even if her back legs don't move.

Murphy's Dad - http://geocities.com/murphys_world

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Thanks, Murphy's Dad...I just got home from working both jobs today, and exchanged the vest for the XS, but it's after midnight now, and I live in one of the higher elevation communities, so it's really cold right now, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to try. I'll just TRY to keep her quiet, warm and emptied out for the night! One thing I have to bring up with her regular doctor at her recheck appointment tomorrow: she eats her (dry) food WITHOUT CHEWING, then several hours later will throw up all the kibbles. I'll let you know what he says about it.

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Hey Murphy's Dad-do you remember Murphy panting a lot? The Dr. said it's from the disk strain or something. When I take her in
the tub for "swimming" (actually tub walking/floating) she pants and when she's in
her playpen she pants a lot. She's down to 1/2 a Pred every other day now, and the bloated tummy has gone down a little. She sleeps a little better now (so I do too).
I just ordered her a Magna Therapy collar...
hope it helps! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/jacks.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/walking.gif

[Murphy's Dad]

Panting? Panting can be a sign of a number of things... nervous, anxious, scared, in pain, hot (duh!) or simply tired. While she is panting, with your hand, very gently try putting mild pressure on her back. Moving from the neck to the tail, one disk at a time. If she yelps or snaps, she is in pain. That means its VET time again.

------------------

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

The accu vet says it's from the steroids!
We are so confused...http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/confused.gif
Doing the tub sessions every other day; I push her to the far end of the tub and call her to come and she'll walk over. The back legs float along. It's easier to bicycle the legs in the water this way. I usually make her do a couple times until she starts panting, then take her out. I give her InClover Jumpin'Ginger Glucosamine biscuits-have to order them from online catalogs-they just don't sell good stuff here. While waiting in the Dr.'s office I saw an ad posted for "Sea Jerky", so I'm going to try that. Still anxious to try the magna collar. It should be here Monday or Tuesday. The accu vet says we can come in only once a week now and would've hoped for more progress by now (we've had 7 sessions) so we're just going to take it week by week and see what happens. She actually had a withdraw reaction yesterday when the Dr. pinch her toes. Never saw that before. She's only turned around before.
Still I'm not giving up. The Dr. said she's had cases where it took 2 months, others about a year, but thinks ours probably won't be a full recovery. But we still hope to prove the Dr.'s wrong!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/bounce.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/jacks.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/walking.gif

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Oh yeah...someone gave me a catalog of a co.
I never heard of before, so I looked in it and they had this stuff "Sure Nutrition Next Level Joint Fluid" (www.omahavaccine.com)
Going to try that too...The accu vet says she
has osteoporosis from not moving. (You can
actually hear the bones when you move her legs) So it's definetely worth a try!

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Didn't find "Sea Jerky" (I think I saw it in a specialty store here-it was like $30 or $45) but found something similar, but without the Shark Cartilage: Ark Naturals
"Sea Mobility" (www.arknaturals.com) got it here for $15. They really like it...a little too much, so I've decided to give an INCH piece per day (one whole strip is the amount for a 50# dog) http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Just found this site: abledogs.net
It has good ideas on the swimming sessions!

[snoopy]

I'm really sorry to hear about your dachsie. I have my fingers crossed that she makes a good recovery.
I've had three dachsies with back problems. The first wasn't too severe, a months cage rest and some anti-inflammatories did the trick. The second time, with a different dog, i opted for surgery. A week after the operation i had to have Mitzi put to sleep. I don't know what happened, the vet said the operation was successful, i think she may just have given up.
This time last year, the same thing happened to Biddy, it came on within two days. Again i opted for surgery, not holding out much hope. I was devastated. I chose a different vets this time though, to do the operation. It was a success. The day after surgery i brought her home. My vet told me to execise her back legs like you are doing. He also said, four days after the operation she could go for lead walks. I suggested i took her swimming, but he said no, she didn't need to. Six weeks later she was enjoying her runs off the lead again, and was completely back to normal. I have all three of my dogs insured, which is just as well because Biddy's treatment amounted to just over £900.
I was very lucky, i have an excellent vet. Please don't be put off by surgery. It does work. I wish you the best of luck.

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Last night I pinch her between her toes, her tail was (not wagging side to side, but)
WHIPPING up, down, left, down...I was soooooo
happy...It's the biggest progress I've seen--
YET! I haven't seen big movement out of her tail for 2 months. This morning when I pinch her toes on one foot, the other foot TOES moved! From you parents who've been there, are these promising signs like I'm hoping they are???? And could it have something to do with the magnetic necklace? (which, by the way, looks SO nice on her and she kind of looks up and has this look like "my Mommy bought me GOLD! What? ME? SPOILED?")http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/jacks.gif

[mduvall2001]

Hi,
My "Clementine" also suffered a collapse last spring and has just begun some tail "wagging" and also, just recently(!!), begun to recover some hind leg movement; flexing of toes and actually "scootching" around as if she really wants to walk.
The bathtub water therapy helps but I think time is a major key element.
Recovering leg strength, once movement somes back, is my major next step to try to figure out.
It IS hard and I wish you all the best, try to keep your hopes up! Good luck to y'all!
Mary

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

Hi! We're so happy to hear that you're also
finally seeing some progress!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/bounce.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/jacks.gif
She has regained muscle mass very nicely-when she was in the hospital (more than a month-she had an "addissonian crisis" and almost died from it) she was nothing but bones in the rear. We've been doing physical therapy like bicycling and leg squats and now looks great (except for the bloated tummy from the medicines! She sometimes wakes me up because she'll be sleeping on her back and CAN'T ROLL OVER TO GET UP because her tummy's so big! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/blushie.gif) She just needs to get moving now...I CAN'T WAIT for the day I get to see her scratch an itch again! Keep up the good work Clementine!
http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/love.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/heart.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/walking.gif

[HawaiiDoxieLover]

http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/wink.gif http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif Last night we did massage, brush hair, bicycling, and when I pinch toes-more tail whipping and feet KICKING! YEEEEEEAH!!