GrapevineSooner
7/22/2009, 09:39 PM
Our cocker spaniel has little use of her legs thanks to a narrowing of her spinal column, or spinal stenosis. This condition was diagnosed last Friday by our new vet after my wife's friend (who was house sitting for us) noticed something amiss with her, called her husband over because she had to go to work, and he called us letting us know she couldn't move her legs.
Since our dog has epilepsy and is prone to having seizures, we figured she was going into one. So he tells us he has a doctor's appointment and will call my mother-in-law to come over to get her indicating he'll leave the front door unlocked...nevermind that our house has a glass door in front of the front door, which he doesn't even check.
So of course, she gets over to our house and can't get in. When she finally gets a hold of him (after 30 minutes), he opens the garage door, yells 'sorry about that' and drives off.
But his dumbassery isn't the point of my post.
Mother-in-law gets dog over the vet, they give her a steroid shot, put her on crate rest until further notice, and prescribe prednisone twice a day. Anyway, as of last night, she still had no use of her legs, but was able to go to the bathroom with assistance from me.
I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that we were going to have to put her down when we take her back to the vet tomorrow.
My wife had spent Sunday and Monday nights at her mom's house and had not had a chance to see Deja, our cocker spaniel, until last night.
And she lost it.
I lost it, too, when I could hear Deja in the bathroom, where we've set her up on her 'crate' rest, panting loudly and then crying because she couldn't get out to sit by her momma.
So while we were running errands, we had both mentally prepared ourselves for the probability we'd need to put her down when she goes back to see the vet.
And then tonight after I had taken her out to go to the bathroom, she just had to hobble on one of her back legs into the house and give us a little hope.
Still mentally prepared. But even if the vet decides putting her down is the best course of action, she's made us proud because of her fighting spirit.
But should what happen tonight honestly give me some hope? Everything I've read on canine spinal stenosis indicates that treatment will at least take 6-8 weeks. So even if she had shown no signs of improvement, it still seems a little too early to throw in the proverbial towel, right?
Since our dog has epilepsy and is prone to having seizures, we figured she was going into one. So he tells us he has a doctor's appointment and will call my mother-in-law to come over to get her indicating he'll leave the front door unlocked...nevermind that our house has a glass door in front of the front door, which he doesn't even check.
So of course, she gets over to our house and can't get in. When she finally gets a hold of him (after 30 minutes), he opens the garage door, yells 'sorry about that' and drives off.
But his dumbassery isn't the point of my post.
Mother-in-law gets dog over the vet, they give her a steroid shot, put her on crate rest until further notice, and prescribe prednisone twice a day. Anyway, as of last night, she still had no use of her legs, but was able to go to the bathroom with assistance from me.
I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that we were going to have to put her down when we take her back to the vet tomorrow.
My wife had spent Sunday and Monday nights at her mom's house and had not had a chance to see Deja, our cocker spaniel, until last night.
And she lost it.
I lost it, too, when I could hear Deja in the bathroom, where we've set her up on her 'crate' rest, panting loudly and then crying because she couldn't get out to sit by her momma.
So while we were running errands, we had both mentally prepared ourselves for the probability we'd need to put her down when she goes back to see the vet.
And then tonight after I had taken her out to go to the bathroom, she just had to hobble on one of her back legs into the house and give us a little hope.
Still mentally prepared. But even if the vet decides putting her down is the best course of action, she's made us proud because of her fighting spirit.
But should what happen tonight honestly give me some hope? Everything I've read on canine spinal stenosis indicates that treatment will at least take 6-8 weeks. So even if she had shown no signs of improvement, it still seems a little too early to throw in the proverbial towel, right?