Close, Jake is a liver and white Brittany. He is a great dog really and an excellent hunter too, both birds and outside rodents (moles, squirrels, fieldmice, rabbits). He is absolutely fearless.
Wow, he’s dark for a Brittany. But he’s beautiful and looks very sweet.
:: back to cheering for Ruffi ::
Prayers have been said for Ruffi’s continued recovery and for you, too, StGermain. Sounds like she’s got a good stubborn streak that will serve her well.
I opened this thread thinking the worst. I’m so glad she’s on the mend, StG.
Sending out more good healing milkbone shaped doggie vibes. Keep us posted.
Ruffi Update - She seems much stronger today. She still isn’t standing on her own, but she’s trying and she’s sort of balancing. Her back feet are tangling up, and if I try to straighten them she puts them back crossed again. She’s still incontinant. I can live with incontinance (she’ll have to become an outside dog, though) if she can regain her mobility. We’ll see.
StG
A friend sent me this article about a break-through new treatment for paralysis in dogs. It’s still experimental, but two injections of a chemical related to anti-freeze has shown a 68% success rate in healing parapelegic dogs. The surgical success rate was about 25%. Unfortunately, the treatment muct be given shortly after the accident, so it’s already too late for Ruffi, but I’ve e-mailed the article to my vet. This is going to give hope to countless pet owners, and maybe human accident victems, someday.
StG
How is she doing? I’m glad you’ve seen progress; that’s really a hopeful sign. Still sending prayers for a full recovery.
My late dog Bandit had some trouble like this. In Oct. 2000 something happened - we weren’t sure exactly but we think he came down the stairs in the backyard wrong and whatever the reason he couldn’t get up or walk. We took him to the vet immediately, but x-rays showed nothing broken. My vet suspected nerve damage. I remember waiting to see if he could pee and poop. He did pee and poop while at the vets, they kept him for about a week and had a massueuse and therapist come in to work with him.
He improved at the vets, and could walk, but still was not able to stand long or get up on his own. We brought him home and for four months took him out with the towel under his backend so he could go potty. Finally he could get up and walk on his own. He wasn’t able to navigate the yard (we live on the side of a hill, and the majority of our yard is up a level), but he did enjoy walks daily for the next four years.
He was always slower to get up, and never really ran or jumped after that accident, but he stayed with us for four more years, and only in the end did he experience more mobility problems (at almost 14 years of age). Despite our cutting back on his food after the accident, he gained weight and developed diabetes later in life. His kidneys failed and we had to let him go. My advice is keep an eye on her weight, I honestly think if we had kept Bandit slimmer he might still be with us.
No more guilt trips, Bosciba.
You did all the right things you could for Bandit, the proof of which is he lived to 14 years of age. That’s a long lfe for a dog, and the overwhelming majority of it was happy and filled with love.
I’m sorry-that must have been just terrifying to see.
Sounds like your dog’s a trooper though. Happy healing and much love to her!
Ruffi Update - We’ve started her on steriods to reduce any swelling. Her bladder control seems to be better - she’s holding it until I get her up with a towel around her middle. I guess the pressure causes her to let go then, but at least she’s not constantly dribbling. She’s moving pretty well with the towel. I’m using less energy to keep her upright, but she isn’t holding herself up yet. She doesn’t have a great deal of energy, or perhaps she’s in pain and doesn’t want to move too much. I had to take her off the rimadyl when I put her on the steroids. I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to push her to move.
Boscibo - For me, Ruffi’s mobility is a big factor in the decision I’ll have to make about putting her down. As I’ve mentioned, she’s an airedale and a farm dog. There’s nothing she loves so much as running through the fields chasing rabbits or my horse. She’s only 4 years old. I don’t want her to live out her life watching the other dogs do these things. Right now, if I have her in the yard and I go feed Irish (my horse) and the other dogs come with me, she cries because she can’t go. I’m willing to help her around for months, if that’s what it takes, but eventually she’ll have to be able to get around on her own. I think you have to put away regrets about Bandit. If you did the best you could for your pets, you have to accept that it’s good enough. It might be that someone with lots more money than I have could take Ruffi to some clinic half way across the country and do an experimental surgery to help her. I just can’t do that. I have to accept that what I’m doing for her is the best I can do, that I’m putting her needs ahead of personal convenience, and whatever the outcome is, she won’t hold it against me.
StG
**Ruffi Update **- She’s just about stopped eating the last two days. Not completely, but close enough. Tonight she even turned her nose up at fried chicken. She doesn’t seem to making any more improvements, and what we have isn’t much. The eating thing was when she went on the steroids. I wonder if they could be blocking her appetite? I’ll keep trying, but if she doesn’t eat, I guess she’ll have made the choice for me.
StG
Yikes, StGermain. Check with the vet to see if the steroids could be messing with Ruffi’s appetite.
My Ivan, Cammie, Jasper and Bouncer send good wishes to y’all.
The steroids could indeed be messing with her appetite- I was on the for a couple of weeks last year for a back injury, and I lost almost 10lbs in two weeks because I just wasn’t hungry. Definitely check with the vet and see if he can maybe reduce the dosage or change the type of steroid.
I know it's horrible to have to watch your beloved doggie suffer, but remember that she's had a spinal injury, which could take months to heal properly. I know how difficult it is to be paitient, especially with an active dog- but Ruffi sounds like a tough little gal who knows what she needs to do to heal. Her quality of life may not be what you'd like right now, but hang in there.
Oh, and try tempting her with liverwurst! I can get Auggie to swallow anything if I wrap it in liverwurst!Ruffi Update - I talked to the vet. She wants to start Ruffi back on the rimadyl, on antibiotics (I was surprised they didn’t give her them before) and wants me to (ugh!) give her an enema. I have, in my 43 years, neither given nor received an enema. I was hoping to die without the experience. She thinks maybe the depression is caused by pain and an infection. I’m not giving up hope yet. Thanks for the well-wishes and vibes.
StG
:eek:
I don’t even want to imagine how that’s going to go down. However, goodluck!
Voltaire and I are sending good, healing puppy thoughts.
Ruffi just died. She’d been lethargic all day, but didn’t seem that badly off. We were supposed to go to the vet’s tomorrow to try more treatments. At least the end was peaceful.
StG
My condolences.
I’m so sorry for your loss ** StGermain **. 
I’m so so sorry …
((hugs))