There are drugs and treatments
which can't harm the dachshund down but can
greatly help the recovery. Niilo tried all these:
Crate rest -- from 2 to 8 weeks depending on
case and possible pain. And crate rest means that
the dog comes out only to eat, pee & poop and
for gentle gymnastics like biking the rear legs
if the dog is not in pain. The idea with the
crate rest is to give the possible swelling on
the spine time to go down and prevent the dog
from moving in a way that might do some more
damage.
Some
cases just pass with the rest because the
swelling goes down, eases up the pressure against
the spine. When this happens fast the dog can
walk more or less normally without any more
therapy. When it starts to take time, the nerves
are damaged and the dog needs both medication and
training.
How
long the crate rest is in individual cases? Well,
you have to know your dog, read his spirit. Niilo
accepted the rest very well in 5 weeks, then he
started to get annoyed and after 8 weeks I had to
let him out to be a full member of the pack
again. Now, afterwards when it's easy to be wise,
I believe I could have taken him out after 4-5
weeks. Then again, a little tiny wirehaired lady,
good friend to us was allowed out from her crate
after 5 weeks, got worse and had to have a
surgery.
Acupuncture
-- the old Chinese knew what they were doing.
Acupuncture stimulates nerves and muscles. It
can't do any harm but a world of good.
Adequan/Cartrophen
-- a drug that prevents the joints from drying
up. It adds the amount and quality of the joint
fluids and is really needed when the dog is down
for a long time. Adequan is actually developed
for horses but used especially for bigger dogs in
Canada. Cartrophen is the "dog
version". Niilo used Cartrophen twice and
did not experienced any side effects. The effects
of Cartrophen last for 3 to 4 months.
Holistic drugs
-- there's many of them from drugs taking down
side the effects of Prednisone to herbs helping
the nerve system and the general health. It's
always best if an expert in holistic treatment
can see the dog and think out the best
combination of these herbs.
Keep the spirit up, yours and the dog's
Dachsies read your moods and if you get depressed
they do too. Niilo to his nature was a a happy
boy, content with everything and did not care how
many legs he had working. But still I tried to
give him some special happenings to keep him
alert. Only a visit to his beloved vet made him
to improve, a trip from Finland to USA without
the other dogs was a heaven for him and kicked
him forward quite a bit.
Vitamin B
-- "the nerve vitamin" helps to prevent
any more nerve damage.
Vitamin C
-- good as such to support the general health of
the dog but it also helps to prevent bladder
problems. But it has to be Ester-C. The
usual vit C might develope crystals in the
bladder, Ester-C doesn't. Crystals can be the
beginning of bladder stones.
Cranberry juice concentrate
-- helps to prevent bladder infections and a dog
who can't pee on his own can develope those
easily.
Not everything is safe to try
even if you have to. These I have mixed feelings
about:
Prednisone
-- the first "shock treatment" against
the swelling and pressure against the spine. But
the dog can't go on Prednisone for very long
because the drug has side effects that can harm
kidneys and liver. Some homeopathic drugs can be
added to prevent these side effects.
It
seems that a drug called Rimadyl has the
same healing effect as Prednisone but not the
same side effects. I have not tried Rimadyl and
thus have no experience of it, good or bad. But
for those who want more information about it the
Senior Dog Project's arthritis site might give
some views.
Chiropractor
-- I bless mine, but he's a man who does not do a
thing if he does not believe he can help. A bad
chiropractor, not knowing what s/he's doing can
do more harm than good. But a chiropractor can
feel things that do not necessarily show on
x-rays. Even a slight dislocation can make a
dachsie go down.
These you can consider, but I
can't say anything for sure. What to do with the
dog is always the owner's decision.
Surgery
-- the Finnish vets say that a surgery can be
successfull only if made within 12-24 hours after
the dog went down. A surgery later might not do
any other good than ease the pain. I decided not
to have Niilo operated because of two main
reasons: absolutely no pain and he could wag his
tail. And nobody could promise me he would walk
with or without surgery.
Eldepryl
-- a drug Niilo had for 100 days, one pill every
day. It's said to be a drug used for people with
Parkinson disease and it should have the ability
to rebuild damaged nerves. The stuff in it seems
to be 'selegilin' and 'hydrochlorid' and the drug
is made by a Finnish company, Orion Corporation
produced under the license of Chinoin Budapest,
Hungary.
I was
told that a research team used this drug to rats
they had paralyzed by cutting off the growth
nerves and the drug got the rats walking again.
Niilo's recovery and improved walking might be a
result of this drug, but he has also got
acupuncture and Cartrophen treatment at the same
time, so it's hard to say what actually helped or
if it was the combination of all three.
Water therapy
-- something Niilo did not feel very comfortable
with although he loves to swim. The idea with
hydrotherapy is to make the dog use the
instinctive swimming reflex. The water makes the
movements easier for the dog, the warm water
relaxes the dog and it can be fun gymnastics
especially if the bath tub or yacuzzi is big
enough so you both can enjoy the moment together.
© Silja Linko-Lindh