Well I'm not sure if these are 'improvements' or if these were always there but we'll see.
Oliver last night spent some time on the couch with me while we watched a movie. He was very happy to be scratched and pet and would do his 'ha-rumph' noise when I quit petting him. That seemed pretty normal. His appetite and thirst are still the same as before he went down so there is no worries there :)
Oliver spent the night on the bed with his girls Sadie, Ell and Zoe. Much face licking, ear washing ensued between Zoe, Ell and Oliver......another nightly ritual before they crash. Big O doesn't appear to be depressed at all and seems most normal to me in that regard. Through out the night, I would wake often (I'm a light sleeper) and see that he could manage to spin around on the bed on his rear and either lay flat on his side (which he rarely did before his back went out) or he'd stretch way out with his legs behind him in the frog position.
While I did try to put a pee pad down and a few towels, Ell and Zoe seemed to appreciate them as their personal pads to get more comfy on, so that idea went out the window. Oliver never soiled the comforter and when it was time to get up this morning, he simply waited for me to lift him up and carry him through the house to the back yard. I then just picked up his legs and he walked around the smaller pen on his front legs and me holding up his back end. He didn't once look back at me and carried on his business by pooping and peeing freely on his own will and then stopping for a bit of grass. His tail did arch for when he pooped and I'm not sure if that is good, or if that is associated with the anal tension he retained? This is all new to me....
Granted it WAS pouring rain, and a mere 38 degrees.......and I was only in my boxers (hey I can do that when I live way out in the sticks!). Needless to say my back was extremely wet and cold by the time I decided to take him back inside.
So improvements? I think they are all small steps. He seems much more relaxed at home now and I think its because I'm not an emotional basket case :)
11 comments:
Glad that you both are doing better. Hugs
If he pooped and peed outside on his own that's a really good thing :-)
After Juneau went down his tail did that lifting thing, too. You could tell when it was coming by watching his tail.
What Carolyn said- peeing on his own, especially, is a really good sign! Can't tell you about the tail as mine don't have them.
Garrett - I am sending good thoughts your way and to me, it sounds like Oliver wants to be your best pal for many, many years to come!
Dogs live in the here and now...I think (though I love to do it myself) assigning depression is an anthopomorphic fallacy. Nono was always happy, even after he was in a cart. So if he's been a happy boy before rather than a worrier, he will likely remain so.
This all sounds promising with him pooping and peeing ....even more, not going during the night.
You are forcing me to come read a blog a couple times a day for info.
;-)
It all sounds really good, Garrett.
Just a word from the vet's wife, one that has done back surgery on a dachshund, years ago. Do you best to keep your dogs from jumping off couches and beds (I know, I know!); that is one of the highest-risk activities a long-backed dog can engage in. Would hate for one of your other corgis to injury itself.
Peeing and Popping on his own sounds like good news to me! Sending more healing thoughts your way. Garrett - Be sure to take care of yourself too!
Next time you go out in your boxers, could you set up a live video feed? I'd pay to see that. ;o)
Yeaaaa! Peeing and pooping on his own is huge! Now, when you're sitting on the couch with him, massage his back feet, paying attention to around the nail and between the pads. This also stimulates the nerves. I would massage each of Megan's feet for about five minutes several times a day. The day she jerked her foot away was awesome!
Hang in there, Garrett. It is a time thing.
Joanne is 110% right on that! If there is no stimulation the nerves aren't going to regenerate as much...well....fast.
Touch him all over in the areas of loss.
Make him work! ;-) This is all good.
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