Spinal Surgery & Diarrhea of Pet Dog is about the beloved canine pet of homeowners (and specifically this Architect) during a time of crisis.
THIS IS NOT AN ARCHITECTURAL ARTICLE, BUT NONETHELESS IS LIKELY TO BE OF INTEREST TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DOG GOING THROUGH SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES.
Above is Polly, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel of Rand and Merry, the sweetest Cavalier in the world. During her first 3-1/2 years of blissful life in the mountains.
Then, one afternoon, for no reason at all, Polly’s hindquarters became instantly paralyzed. Back legs, bladder. Suddenly, not much worked back there. And so Rand & Merry drove Polly over to MedVet, the area’s only 24/7 emergency pet center in the Asheville area. After a couple hour waiting period, the Vet DVM said that Polly needed the care of a much larger facility: UpstateVet in Greenville, where they had an MRI and a practicing Doctor of Neurologist who performs spinal surgeries on a daily basis. By this time, it was perhaps around 7PM.
And so Rand and Merry drove Polly down to SC to this very large animal hospital.
Image courtesy of UpstateVet from a screen capture image of their website.
UpstateVet has 35 staff members according to their website and thousands of square feet of space for veterinary care. And the region’s only practicing Neurologist veterinary doctor.
After a waiting period, a skilled DVM veterinarian examined Polly and hospitalized her for a surgery to take place the next day, after an MRI examination of her spine. Rand and Merry drove home.
The next day, the specialist vet talked with Merry, explaining that yes, the MRI did show a herniated disc in her spine and several other questionable vertebrae. And then the next day, the Vet talked with Merry and said that the damaged disc material was removed and several other vertebrae where also corrected. It appeared to be genetically caused, not the result of any mechanical impact. Polly was allowed to recover for 2 days, then Rand and Merry drove to UpstateVet and picked her up. Several medications were provided to control pain and other conditions.
Above you can see the shaved portion of Polly’s back where the surgeon operated on her spine, then stapled the incision. And as you can see, Polly’s rear legs are now operating again, but she has not completely regained total motor control. Her hindquarters must be supported with a soft fabric sling when she is taken out for walks to relieve herself. The multi-colored “hat” is called a “snood” and is used by dog owners who have a long-eared dog during feeding to keep the dog’s ears out of the food and water.
As if this was not enough for this sweet little dog to endure, about a week later, she developed diarrhea. Perhaps having picked up something from one of the animal hospitals or otherwise. And so, Rand and Merry took Polly back to MedVet and they examined Polly and prescribed and provided several medications to administer about twice a day with a bland special gastro-intestinal canned food diet. To be served only twice a day instead of her usually 3x a day feeding schedule.
Also, Polly’s rear end became very irritated and sensitive due to the stomach acids and frequent diarrhea, so one of the medications is a medical powder that is administered to her rump 2x a day. And Polly cannot be allowed to lick her parts, as that would remove the medical powder, so a conical head gear was provided that prevents her from doing so. This is removed during outside walks and during feeding, for about the next 5 days until she is healed. Rand became OCD about Polly’s meds, numbering the caps of each, and cross referencing that number to the instructions from the Vet. And carefully noted the date and time of providing each med. Got to be careful with a delicate little furry girl.
The new medications worked within a 2 to 3 day period and now the diarrhea has stopped. Thank God. She can once again be on the sofa and in bed at night with her mom and dad. However, her new poop is like rubber and is uncomfortable for Polly. Rand had to put on a special surgical glove and gently and slowly pull out a part of a log that refused to drop when Polly wanted it to do so. So it became time for Rand to modify (stop using) some of the medications having to do with solidifying her stool. You cannot only do what the doctors said to do. You have to evaluate a day-to-day changing situation with your pet.
And now, several days later, after the final Neurologist checkup, Polly is now walking on a harness and leash again, and her rear legs are gradually improving, occasionally being uncoordinated with her front legs, but about 80% of her previous rear leg movement has been restored. And she’s peeing and pooping more regularly and on-command, they way she’s been taught to during the last 3-1/2 years, God bless her. All’s well that ends well. If your dog ever has to go through the above, we hope this might be of some help and relieve some of the anxiety. A good vet is worth their weight in gold, when it comes to the life of your dog.