Spinal Injury

[mauirobin]

Took Button's to the vet yesterday. She started showing weakness in her back legs. I'm still not sure what could have caused this. Seems she might have a disk that's putting pressure on her spinal cord. The x-ray showed a possible place where the bones might be closer together than they should have been.

I have a new dog in the house that initially was aggressive to the other dogs, but they all are buds now. I don't know if she fell off the bed, & even if that could have caused it.

She was put on 3 week crate-rest, and is on prednisone & methocarbamol. She is eating well & loves her new wellness. I have been mixing a small bag of wellness with their Iam's, & the dogs go nuts for it.

It's killing me that I can't put her in bed with the rest of us at night. She doesn't like it much either, but I can't risk her jumping off when I am sleeping. I have tried the stairs, they hate em. They currently use a box that is tucked partially under the bed, that gives them a step up. I am thinking I might try to build my own, as I think the narrowness of the store-bought stairs turns them off.

I saw another member here uses laundry baskets on her furniture to deter jumping on furniture. I'm going to try that. She has already majorly improved since yesterday, as she is able to traverse the hard floors I have now. Pre-vet her hind legs would splay as they slid on the floor, only able to walk half-way normal in the grassy yard.

She is loving being carried everywhere & the extra attention she is getting. But for the life of me, I can't figure out how this might have happened in the first place. I would suspect that even if she jumped off some furniture wrong, that that would have been an injury to the front legs & not the rear? Also, hubby is working in Columbus now & took the couch, so there is only a desk chair, rocking chair (a wooden one the dogs don't care to sit in) & the recliner which isn't very high anyway. It had to be my bed or a scuffle with Jillian, who has only been here about 3 weeks. Jillian was 13 pounds when I brought her home, but that was when you could feel every bone in her body, lol. She has gained weight since she has been here. Buttons though only weighed out at 6 lbs at the vet yesterday.

I'm at a loss....but am open to any other suggestions that might help her recovery.

[mauirobin]

I'm a little slow, but I think I just figured out how she got injured.

Two days ago I let the dogs out, went to the fridge to grab a tea, & heard the dogs going nuts. They were barking at something on the other side of the gate, (not able to see from the door), but Jillian wanted to go through the gate she was so mad. The yorkies flew back into the back door when I opened it. I still couldn't see what was going on for a second. Then I saw 2 sticks, (branches from my neighbors tree that usually likes to fall towards my car) through the gate. My neighbor's grand-kids were visiting her & were hitting them with sticks through the gate. I had to physically go pick up Jillian to get her in the house. She was so mad, that I think if she could have gone through the gate, she would have bitten those kids.

I checked all the dogs & didn't see any injuries, but it was later that same evening that Button's started losing control of her hind legs. I didn't think that they were actually hit, but now I'm second-guessing that episode. Those two kids don't visit her often. That was only the 2nd time I have seen them in over 2 yrs. I still don't know for sure, as I didn't see them actually get hit, but knowing Button's she would have been there barking with Jillian & not running into the house. So something must have scared her.

*Sigh....am thinking a big 6 foot privacy fence is in the makings now

[BonBon]

I'm so sorry Buttons is hurting! Sending lots of prayers that she's feeling better soon.

Have you looked into ramps instead of stairs? Some yorkies prefer them for some reason and they're easier on their little joints. With her back injury a ramp might be a better option for you.

Give her some gentle get well huggins for me,
Bonny

[mauirobin]

A ramp sounds like a great idea Bonny! Gosh, sometimes I feel sooo stupid, lol.

[Sammy Mommy]

A ramp and the 6 foot privacy fence sound good!! Could Buttons got hurt running away from the kids hitting with the sticks. Maybe something in the spinal area got twisted? (Why don't adults teach children not to do things like that????!!!!!). I hope Buttons is feeling better. Sammy and I send get well wishes!!!!

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by mauirobin

A ramp sounds like a great idea Bonny! Gosh, sometimes I feel sooo stupid, lol.

I didn't even know they made ramps for pets for the longest time. I discovered them when Alexander's arthritis made it hard for him to use the pet stairs. Now I have ramps to the bed and the sofa - my gang loves them.

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by mauirobin

I'm a little slow, but I think I just figured out how she got injured.

Two days ago I let the dogs out, went to the fridge to grab a tea, & heard the dogs going nuts. They were barking at something on the other side of the gate, (not able to see from the door), but Jillian wanted to go through the gate she was so mad. The yorkies flew back into the back door when I opened it. I still couldn't see what was going on for a second. Then I saw 2 sticks, (branches from my neighbors tree that usually likes to fall towards my car) through the gate. My neighbor's grand-kids were visiting her & were hitting them with sticks through the gate. I had to physically go pick up Jillian to get her in the house. She was so mad, that I think if she could have gone through the gate, she would have bitten those kids.

I checked all the dogs & didn't see any injuries, but it was later that same evening that Button's started losing control of her hind legs. I didn't think that they were actually hit, but now I'm second-guessing that episode. Those two kids don't visit her often. That was only the 2nd time I have seen them in over 2 yrs. I still don't know for sure, as I didn't see them actually get hit, but knowing Button's she would have been there barking with Jillian & not running into the house. So something must have scared her.

*Sigh....am thinking a big 6 foot privacy fence is in the makings now

What on Earth possesses kids to do things like this. My sister had a few kids throwing rocks at and poking her dogs...she finally had enough one day, followed the kids home and yelled at the parents. Sister has no problem saying what's on her mind, and she was about 6 months pregnant at the time. So tired, angry, pregnant lady, lets just say it was ugly for the parents, and I'm betting the kids as well since she hasn't reported any more kids anywhere near her yard.
Even if the kids didn't cause the injury, I think this is worth talking to the grandparents about, or the parents if you see them.
I hope your pup gets better soon.
I know Rizzo would hate 3 weeks of crate rest. If he cant go outside for his zoomies once a day he becomes a destructosaur! and he only destroys expensive things

[Bitsy]

Oh poor Buttons. I hope she makes a full recovery. Peyton is on a week of extreme crate rest...it's not easy, is it?

I would definitely talk with the neighbors. I would at least ask them to give you a heads up for when the kids visit. That way you can protect your dogs from them.

Keep us posted on Buttons!

[Buster Brown]

I am so sorry to hear Buttons is having problems and has to crate rest. For Buster I have a couple plastic storage bins of different heights leading up to my bed. It is sort of a cross between a ramp and steps. I cover them with a rubber backed bathroom mat so is is cushioned and not slippery. I also make sure they are heavy enough to not be moved when the dog is climbing on it. I keep his extra things in there. I set up boxes by the front door as well so he can perch there and look out the screen door. I hope Buttons feels better. Best wishes.

[mauirobin]

Originally Posted by Sammy Mommy

A ramp and the 6 foot privacy fence sound good!! Could Buttons got hurt running away from the kids hitting with the sticks. Maybe something in the spinal area got twisted? (Why don't adults teach children not to do things like that????!!!!!). I hope Buttons is feeling better. Sammy and I send get well wishes!!!!

Buttons is almost as bad as Jillian is when it comes to barking at folks too close, so the fact that she ran into the house & wasn't defending her yard, tells me that she probably got hit. She was always skittish as a pup, & only learned her "ferociousness" as an adult. But I have seen her go full at it, when the other neighbors have kids too close to her fence. She didn't back down for anything.
This occasion, she ran full on into the house, should have told me then what I needed to know. It was hindsight that I realized these things

[kjc]

Maybe try a vet that practices VOM... there's an article in the YT library about it... or a chiropractor... sometimes they can really help.

[ladyjane]

You may never know what caused it. Spinal injuries are tricky...sometimes crate rest and anti inflammatories help. I am sure you vet told you that if she shows any further deterioration in her neurological functions that you should immediately get her in to a neurologist. Once they start to deteriorate they can quickly end up permanently paralyzed if it is not addressed quickly. Personally, I would probably do a consult now.

I would never do any types of alternative meds for a spinal injury. That is my preference, but if you should choose to go that route I strongly suggest a consult with a board certified neurologist first!

You can find one at:

www.acvim.org

I hope that Buttons shows improvement very soon!

[mauirobin]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

You may never know what caused it. Spinal injuries are tricky...sometimes crate rest and anti inflammatories help. I am sure you vet told you that if she shows any further deterioration in her neurological functions that you should immediately get her in to a neurologist. Once they start to deteriorate they can quickly end up permanently paralyzed if it is not addressed quickly. Personally, I would probably do a consult now.

I would never do any types of alternative meds for a spinal injury. That is my preference, but if you should choose to go that route I strongly suggest a consult with a board certified neurologist first!


You can find one at:

www.acvim.org

I hope that Buttons shows improvement very soon!

We have one here at the University for neurology. Thanks for that link! Button's is vastly improved. She can walk on the hard-wood floors & linoleum without losing control of her back legs now. She does sleep a lot, but I am grateful to that, as I'm sure the rest is doing her good, & it's probably the muscle-relaxer. They did say she would be really thirsty though, and I don't see it. However, I was concerned about her fluid intake, so started serving her kibble wet. She is drinking her water though, I guess I'm just worried.

Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts & wishes!

[ltret0294]

The "bed" rest and NSAIDs (predisone sp?) worked well for old Zipp. His has a herniated disk according to the Vet and the xrays. Just be careful with the NSAIDs as some of them (predisone) can affect their bladder/kidneys etc while they are on the meds. Old Zipp is getting his zip back, walking much better.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by mauirobin

We have one here at the University for neurology. Thanks for that link! Button's is vastly improved. She can walk on the hard-wood floors & linoleum without losing control of her back legs now. She does sleep a lot, but I am grateful to that, as I'm sure the rest is doing her good, & it's probably the muscle-relaxer. They did say she would be really thirsty though, and I don't see it. However, I was concerned about her fluid intake, so started serving her kibble wet. She is drinking her water though, I guess I'm just worried.

Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts & wishes!

I'm so glad she's getting around better. A little rest and relaxation can work wonders.

If there's any sign she's starting to deteriorate, please follow Ladyjane's advice and get her to a neurologist.

Sending gentle get well huggins to Buttons,
Bonny