My Dachshund had surgery.

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   rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

   Sebastian had back surgery Friday.  He had a herniated disc at T12/T13 which was chronic, and pretty difficult to extract.  He came home from the hospital Monday and is already walking well.  He is still on meds, and sleeps a lot after doses.  In general, he has obviously started to feel good, and wants to scamper around the house.  He is not supposed to run, jump or play for a month.  Not sure how to prevent this short of sedation.    It is a huge relief that he is doing so well.

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      prettydarkhorseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      hi rmcrayne,  it is good that he is starting to feel good, and as time goes by he will be more alive and back to his normal fit.....
      
      does he eat well now?

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      K Partinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi rm, being a dog and animal lover myself I can imagine what you are going through. So happy he is doing better. He will be in my thoughts! Take care.

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         prettydarkhorseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         K morning

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            K Partinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Morning how are you? PD

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      Sally's Troveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My large dog had knee surgery about 19 months ago, and we faced a similar challenge--keeping her quiet for nearly two months.  We looked at this time as a training opportunity, and rewarded her for calm behavior with treats and with a lot of hands-on affection.  "Lay down" and "stay" became perfectly obeyed!
      
      To help with keeping her quiet, we kept company away from the house.  This wasn't always possible, of course, but the fewer visitors the better, and the more calm and quiet they were the better as well.  Also, we took her out for potty only at those times of the day when no neighbors or other pets were around.
      
      It's wonderful to hear that progress is so good after such a short time.  All the best to you and Sebastian!

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         rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for sharing Sally.  We seldom have people coming to our house, but lots of solicitors ringing our doorbell.  That, and people coming and going from the dentist office that shares our back fence gets Sebastian and our Boykin, Hope excited and barking.  We have a large fenced back yard, have neighbors on each side with 2 outdoor dogs each.  Both of mine love to rush the fence and bark at the neighbor’s dogs on the right side of the house.  You gave me an idea though.  Maybe I could take him on a leash out to the front yard.  The neighborhood is pretty quiet with little activity out front.

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            Sally's Troveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            That's a great idea, about leash walking.  You'll have him under control so he can't be too boisterous.  And it's also another great training opportunity to practice gentle heels, sits, waits, and turns.  Awesome!  Plus he'll get your undivided attention...nice bonding moments!

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      lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That's wonderful, actually, that he's feeling so good that he wants to play, but what does the vet recommend?

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         rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         From his discharge instructions: 
         "Strict exercise restriction must be maintained until further notice.  This implies no running, jumping or playing."  Discharge nurse said for one month.  It says crated when not supervised, but I am here all day and night. 
         
         They recommend leash outside.  So far, he lets me lift him to get to and from the yard, and hasn't really tried to run in the yard.  He has started to "scamper" in the house some though.  I'm trying not to overly stress.  To follow the instructions to the letter, he'd have to be heavily sedated!

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      cosetteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      oh the little darling! please give him smoochies for me!

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         rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         He actually gives funny little kisses.  Like with a little nibble mixed in.  I figure it must somehow have to do with his HUGE overbite.

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      howardyoungposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I know what you are going through and I'm glad to hear your Doxie is on the way to recovery. 
      
      My Odie (Dachshund) ruptured his disk about 3 years ago and we kept him in a 4ft x 4ft exercise pen pretty much 24x7 to keep him from running and jumping after surgery.  I hope that helps.
      
      -Howard

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   NaomiRposted 13 years ago

   Glad he's improving!

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   manlypoetrymanposted 13 years ago

   Hope the little feller has a speedy and full recovery!

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   wavegirl22posted 13 years ago

   aww poor little puppy. . at least the worst is over . .amazing how our pets become one of the family. .
   
   hope the recovery is going easy and Sebastian is back to his old self soon!

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   alexandriaruthkposted 13 years ago

   oh if Sebastain gets well, Can I play with him? I hope he gets well fast...

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   rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

   Thanks everyone for your warm wishes and support:  pretty, naomi, K Partin, manly, Sally, wavegirl and alexandria.  I lost my first reply with the HP "scheduled maintenance" glitch.

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   Crazdwriterposted 13 years ago

   I'm glad that he had the surgery and is doing good. I heard about Dachshunds had back problems because of their long spine. Glad he is doing better.

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      rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Crazd.  You are so right.  Some say with Dachshunds it's not if, but when will they have major back problems.  I was warned by a friend before I adopted Sebastian.  He's handsome and sweet, but probably will be my only Dachshund.

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         Crazdwriterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         yea one of our married couple friends want to get a Dachshund even though it will have back problems. some do some don't sadly lil Sebastian was one of them. But thankfully he is okay...and yea he might get himself in trouble but hey be careful and he'll be fine.

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            rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah I had made up my mind too.  Hardheaded.  Well maybe at least your friends could take maximum precautions on the front end.  We had steps for the bed and couch.  Problem is, he would take the steps up, because that's the only way he could get up, but then he would jump down at least half the time.  Best not to start access to the beds or couch.  Jumping is bad.

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   Madame Xposted 13 years ago

   Poor little guy
   
   I hope he feels better soon

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      rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Madame X.  I'm actually worried about him feeling too good and getting himself "in trouble".  I also dread the removing of the staples.  He has to be sedated for any vet visit.  Not too keen on unfamiliar people or threatening situations.

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   Crazdwriterposted 13 years ago

   aaaaa yea even my dog an English Bulldog/Terrier is having issues jumping up and down. SHe hurts herself quite often. I agree 100% jumping up or down is bad...poor babies!

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    habeeposted 13 years ago

    Glad to hear your little patient is recovering nicely! He has a great caretaker!

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       rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks habee.  Some days I feel like I'm running on empty.  My sister keeps saying, "you have to do like with an infant:  sleep when he sleeps".

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    rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

    Sebastian played with his favorite squeeky toy today!

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       rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       ahhh, he's feeling better!! so happy to hear. it's hard when our pets are not well. yeah sebastian!

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          rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yes I definitely took this as a sign he's doing better.  I think I might actually sleep in my bed tonight (instead of the couch).

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       Crazdwriterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       that is great news RM just make sure he doesn't over do it

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    Beth100posted 13 years ago

    RM, that's fantastic news!  I'm glad that he's doing so well.  He must be feeling great to want to jump and scamper!  Happy for you and him. 

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    rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

    Thanks for your supportive comments Crazd and Beth.  He still sleeps a lot, especially around his prescription meds doses.  I think I'm going to have to start putting him on a leash to go outside since he's wanting to be more playful.  He goes back to the vet Tuesday to have his staples removed.  I'll have to sedate him for that

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       yoshi97posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Sorry I haven't been around much ... being in a job revolving around retail sales ... well ... this isn't an easy time of year for me to find time online.
       
       Still, I make time for the important things.
       
       Glad to hear all went well with the surgery, and that your pupper is feeling more chipper.

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    Zsuzsy Beeposted 13 years ago

    Glad to hear that Sebastian is doing so great after his surgery. What great news.

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    rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

    Thank you so much yoshi and Zsuzsy Bee for the warm words of support. 
    
    yoshi sorry you're retail weary.  Hang in there.

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       yoshi97posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       haha ... I almost accidentally sold myself yesterday.

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          rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          That's funny

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    Jane@CMposted 13 years ago

    I hope he continues to feel better.  I hope he was able to get out on his leash for awhile

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       rmcrayneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Jane.

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