Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Hope for Abby?

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Hope for Abby?

    Hello all, let me introduce my doggie. Her name is Abby and she is a eleven-year-old St. Bernard. My husband and I adopted her at age eight from a saint bernard rescue. Abby has had arthritis in her hind legs as long as we've had her, so having her be on a carpeted surface to get up was normal. It wasn't until two weeks ago that my husband first said, "Do Abby's gums look a little pale?" I checked and they weren't deep pink, but still pink.

    Anyway, Abby began having weakness in her hind legs to the point she could not get up at all without help! She couldn't stand up for more than a few minutes to even go outside! She then started having accidents in the house and Abby never pees or poos in the house. Abby acted mortified to be wet. We took her to the vet who thought she had a UTI. She tested Abby's urine and blood and found glucose. She then did a glucose test and Abby's blood sugar was super high!

    I feel stupid, how could I have missed the signs? I have and Ed.D. and noticed Abby was drinking a lot more, but we had to increase meds for her arthritis so I chalked it up to that. She also has been sleeping in our bedroom for most of the time we've had her. The last few nights, she couldn't even get up to do that!

    My point is, how can I help her recover? We have her on insulin and the vet gave her a B12 shot yesterday. She is 150 lbs and it's hard for me to move her myself and my hubby can't really because he has back problems and neck problems. I hate seeing her so depressed. We have her antibiotics for the UTI as well.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Hope for Abby?

    As a person that went through this same problem in March i think you have a good chance of her recovering but it will require alot of patience and work on your part honestly. You can click my name and look for my old thread about my dog to get a more full picture of what i did and gone through for my buddy. Ill give you a rough summary of what happened. My dog started to urinate alot more often during the febuary period and i just figured he was just extra thirsty so i didnt think much of it since everything else was normal. Until he started losing hind leg movement then his hind legs just completely vanished and he was paralized hind legs. You have to get your dog to a stable weight for her type and age calculating in activity. Then you have to keep her BG levels in the 100s as much as possible. My dog couldnt walk for more than a month i had to use a towel to support him when he did his business then just let him lay in his bed all day everyday while i slowly nursed him. Eventually when i go to make his food sometime after a month or so after i got his BGs under control he started getting up on his own but not walking and every week he would start walking a few more steps on his own till he could make it out the room to the kitchen and back on his own. Now hes very stable and is able to do everything on his own but doesnt run much anymore since im guessing hes old and lost alot of confidence after losing his legs for 2 months + . i hope this gives you hope and some insight on your pups situation since its practically mirrors my dogs situation and hes the same age too.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Hope for Abby?

      Hi and welcome . Its like mister allen has sugested it will take patience . It is not unusual to see this on the forum and it seems to affect bigger dogs for the most part . The arthritis may contribute to the problem which is likely from higher sugar . The best thing you can do is for sugar to get to a level from 100 to 250 a day . Testing blood sugar at home will help with that and bigger dogs are easier to test . I use the inner upper lip of my jesse

      It does not seem to be a pain issue but a communication problem with the nervous system . They do say the b-12 is helpful and thats the methyl version

      There are types of harnesses out there to help lifting dogs but its like caretaking a disabled human with a dog your size finding ways to use leverage . Maybe like and automotive cart could help moving him around if you dont have carpet . Sometimes you just have to get creative and I am sure you will .

      Ask any questions you would like or just vent we are listening .
      Jesse-26 lbs - 16.5 years old ,11 years diabetic, one meal a day homemade and a vitabone snack . 3 shots of Novolin( under the Relion name ) a day . Total insulin for a 24 hour period is 6.5 units of NPH insulin .
      Jesse earned her wings on 6/21/2021

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Hope for Abby?

        Ahhh yeah almost forgot about the Methyl b-12. You HAVE to get the one without artificial flavoring because its basically poison to a dog system. I buy the Methyl b-12 from GNC which doesn't have any artificial flavoring. and i give him one pill each meal while he is at 70lbs. If she is still not able to use her hind legs i did some range of motion therapy for my dog so the muscles don't stiffen up. If you pull the leg full stretched and go through a range of motion she might do a small tug back and thats a good sign of her able to use some of the nerves in the leg but nerve rebuilding will take some time depending on how long they were out of use. I looked at some youtube videos on range of motion exercises for dog hind legs to not injure the dog further in case i rip or do a wrong motion.
        Last edited by MisterAlan; 11-18-2020, 10:30 PM.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Hope for Abby?

          Thank you so much for your responses. Mark and I have decided to get her up to walk a least three times a day even if it's only for short distances like from the house to the yard or to our driveway and back. We use a harness that goes under her belly with handles to help lift her up. She does not like to make a mess in the house and lately has been wanting to stay outside during the day. I make sure she has a shady spot and cold water. We are also messaging her legs and making sure to feed her twice a day at the same time to get insulin in her.

          I am considering applying for a doggie wheelchair to help Abby regain her strength as well as to help her walk longer distances for weight loss. It's her hips, so I figure a wheelchair can help stabilize her. We have gabupentin and carpropen for the pain.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Hope for Abby?

            Sounds like you are figuring things out . Being outside is a good thing
            Jesse-26 lbs - 16.5 years old ,11 years diabetic, one meal a day homemade and a vitabone snack . 3 shots of Novolin( under the Relion name ) a day . Total insulin for a 24 hour period is 6.5 units of NPH insulin .
            Jesse earned her wings on 6/21/2021

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Hope for Abby?

              Thank ya’ll for your advice. I have been giving her B12. She will have a glucose curve panel done on Dec 1st. She can’t control her poop but drags herself away from it. We, my husband and I, try to move her around. She goes a few steps then falls down. She wants to be outside all the time. I understand none of it is her fault, I just feel bad for her mobility wise and try to let her come inside but she refuses.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Hope for Abby?

                To the degree that her problems standing BG and walking are due to diabetic neuropathy, there is a good chance that she will notice when her blood sugar has been controlled for a while.

                Natalie

                Comment

                Previous template Next
                Working...
                X