Wow, I just can’t say enough good things about Pewaukee Veterinary Center, Dr. Ann-Margaret Morgan, Sarah vet technician, and their staff. Everyone is so kind and so helpful. I’m so glad to have this resource relatively close to me.
The minute we got home and came out to my writing cottage, Joie zonked out face down on her blanket! Dr. Morgan ran her through different exercises showing me what I can do to help her get along better, and as you can see she is now exhausted. She worked really hard and I’m so proud of her.
I initially thought Joie was weak in her front legs, but she is actually super strong. Dr. Morgan was amazed at the amount of upper body strength Joie has comparing her to a super gymnast. Though we are still perplexed as to why Joie has this wiggly back and forth motion when sitting still– or rather she can’t quite sit still. But she felt because she does not have use of her back legs she has been overcompensating with her front legs.
Joie does not have deep pain sensation which is the somewhat bad news and she is indeed paralyzed in her hind quarters. But her reflexes are good which will only help her in the exercises I will be doing for her. We have to work hard to not have her back legs splay out to the sides when she scoots as that is not good at all for her muscles in her back end. So I’ll also work with a sling to help her walk to her food dish, etc. until we can get her not to do that and then soon hopefully in a wheelchair to alleviate that as well.
Because I didn’t get any vet records from went Joie went down in May we can only guess where the rupture may have occurred and try to relate it to what we are seeing in terms of how she has tried to adjust. The great news is she will be fine. I will do my best to work with her at home to help her become more stable in her front and back end, and then having her use a wheelchair we believe can only help her. As always, hope is never lost that she could walk on her own again. You just never know. But if she needs the wheelchair permanently that is okay too, as I know, and you all know from Frankie, these little ones live wonderful lives with the great invention of the dog wheelchair.
Joie also has some funky, fun booties to wear to help her grip better and she will wear them when we do her exercises. They are awesome! I’ll share a photo tomorrow and a resource of where you can get them for your dog. Not only are they good for IVDD dogs, but also for walking your dogs in the cold and snow, etc….. and they stay on!
I’ll continue to share Joie’s progress and photos of the exercises I will be doing with her. It continues to be so important to me to share this information and continue to educate others that these dogs can live happy, healthy lives with a little help. I feel blessed to have been able to take Joie to Dr. Morgan today, as well as feel blessed to have another little one who is inspiring me beyond words!