Thursday 19 June 2014

Week 7 Post op


I have now caught up the blog to real time, and I will continue to update Pennys progress weekly.  

For the 1st time in 7 weeks my heart is not so heavy, but I have to admit to still being quite depressed by all this.  I feel a variety of mixed emotions- 

Hope:  Penny will get better, and be able to walk and will be continent again... but I am filled with doubts,  and know she will never be the same again. 

Fear:  This could easily happen again, or it could happen to Gidget... how are we going to manage THAT, fark!

Guilt: 1st, The money, of course. So many other uses.  So many need it more than my dog.  All those poor stray dogs in India, children needing medical attention, etc, it seems selfish to me to have spent it on Penny when so many others could have benefited from it. The words of my family haunt me... would it have been better to put her down? 
2nd: If I looked after her better- not allowing her to jump, play with big dogs, chase her ball etc maybe this would not have happened.... it's my fault somehow....

Doubt: Have we done the right thing "by Penny"  were we being self-serving because we could not bear to live with out her?    Is she happy?  Are we doing everything we can to help her heal and get better?

Anger:  Why did this have to happen to us?  Why can't things just go back the way they were "before"

Resentment:  OMG all this time spent on Penny.... Penny this and Penny that.... wheres my time?  I feel guilty going out, or even having a shower.... I should be doing things for Penny.  

Pathetic:  Is pathetic an emotion?  Any way I feel pretty pathetic crying all the time and not just "getting on with it"  I mean compared to others our situation is just one tiny dog who can't walk.  Get over it.  

I'm sure all these feelings are quite normal, but geez it's a lot to bear, and not sure if I'm strong enough......

This week continues to see small improvements... Penny continues to try to walk, and is getting better every day.  We have had another acupuncture and another physiotherapy session.  She is still in her pen 23/7, as she is still incontinent and we have not had clearance to let her out from the surgeon yet.  That appointment is still 2 weeks off.  

We filled the bath tub and marched her up and down, Kane had to put non-slip adhesive down for her, as it was way to slippery the 1st time.  I'm not sure how effective it is, but we are trying to  following the instructions on:

www.k9physio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hydro-at-Animal-Physio-Services-2013.

And we have been pretty religious in doing her physio exercises 2ce a day.  Some of the exercises are harder than others, and she is learning how to cheat by "hand-standing" so I will ask at our next appointment how to encourage more weight onto the back legs.  Here is a list of exercises we are doing: 
  • An electric toothbrush to each toe pad 5 x.  
  • Then toothbrush from toe to outside ankle to knee 5x . 
  • Then toothbrush for 2 mins around the vulva, and the sides of the tail... (this always makes her pee, so we do it outside)  
  • Then from sit to stand 5 x , and she has to sit correctly with her legs under her, not out in front like a kangaroo. (we usually do more than 5 x) If she does not sit correctly, we just have to try again, often her back legs "lock up".
  • Then puppy pilates- front legs on a 1/2 filled hot water bottle, back legs on the table and shift weight from side to side 5x
  • Then marching in place- pinch her toe till she lifts her foot- direct her foot back down, and do the other leg. She is still having a lot of trouble placing her foot back down and shifting her weight to the other side, but the fact that she can now stand the whole time we are doing this is a great improvement. 
Following some advise from the Dachshund IVDD support group, we now put little Gidget up on the table so she can see what we are doing and join in.  When Gidget sits, she gets a treat too.... this has helped with the frustration aspect of having Gidget whining and jumping up to see what we are doing with Penny.   It's still challenging to wrangle two dogs on the table, but it's easier than dealing with an unhappy jealous Gidget LOL. 



Little things are starting to happen... She is trying to squat when I express her bladder and I can see her trying to squat at other times and if I notice I take her out.... poop!  So I do think in the next couple of weeks she will get control of her bowels- it's looking very promising!  She is doing more "doggie" things, like she now rolls over so you can pet her belly (completely voluntarily), she's sleeping curled up, she's licking me- and everything really.  She tries to stand when eating, she lists to one side and then eventually falls over, but she's trying to stand, and the length she can support her self is getting longer, of course she is using a lot of front-end strength "hand-standing" but still, she is getting herself up onto her back legs more....

Next week: Finding the "new normal".....


1 comment:

  1. Oh my darling friend! I am so glad that you are sharing this with me and others - I know how all consuming Penny World seems to be at the moment. All those emotions - they are so familiar to me - you are not alone. This will help others see that they have allies, there are people who might understand what they are going through. All those rhetoric questions you pose - all I can suggest my darling girl is to stay true to your own heart and follow it - otherwise you change who you are. It IS hard, but it IS getting better - believe me, I know - and I cry a lot too! You need to give yourself a big pat on the back for your devotion and care.

    ReplyDelete