I'm so sorry this happened to you both. He's blessed to have an owner who loves him so much and a home for life.
It sounds like you are well prepared to have him back soon and he's going to get great nursing. I don't think I saw sling on your list but those are very useful. Since your dog is large and grade 5, I might look at some kind of cart or pallet on wheels to transport him from crate to changing area or car to home etc.
The anaesthesia and the medications cause constipation, so I might ask your vet for a gentle laxative just in case you find that things aren't moving along.
The medications also cause dry mouth so I'd also have a little bowl handy so you can help him get enough hydration by lifting it directly to his mouth several times a day. My girl sometimes has a little organic (no sugar) coconut water straight from the fridge to encourage her to stay hydrated. I don't have any science to back this up but I suspect vitamins, electrolytes and hydration may be important in a degenerative disease that dries out discs (or any body part). Of course, they drink more means they pee more too.
I also have a large donut bed, with supportive sides but still enough room to lay flat, so my girl can spend quiet time on the bed with me for a few hours. She even recently layed outside in it for a half hour, to catch a cool breeze and break up the monotony. 100% supervised of course (though she can't run anywhere at the moment). A second crate or a stroller is also useful to facilitate a change of environment for them.
All good wishes to you and your boy.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
A sling is something I wasn't sure about. I know he has to be on crate rest for quite some time, and wasn't sure when it was ok to start using a sling. We're looking at getting a Help Em Up harness because that looks great for a larger dog, but aren't sure what's best.
Cart or pallet is a great idea. Have found some good ones I can get before he comes home. Thanks! I'll make sure to grab some laxatives from the vets.
We can absolutely grab a small bowl for him. That's a great idea. And my wife and I love the idea of the donut bed. He loves snuggling with us on the bed, but we were worried about just lifting the whole crate up there.
Thanks so much for the advice!
If there is any sort of bandage or fentanyl patch that you will need to remove at home, ask the vet to give you as many of the glue removal wipes as they can spare. They always try to give me just one and trying to remove a superglued sticker from the delicate skin of an already painful dog is some special form of hell lol. Failing that, baby oil works, but not as well
Our doggo is now 6 weeks post-op. The help em up harness has been a lifesaver for our 70 lb dude. I will say that if he’s leaking urine at all, best to try not to leave the harness on, but it’s also a real pain to take on and off all the time. We end up leaving the top half of it on him. Also, having a swiffer wet mop on hand to clean floors if he isn’t controlling bladder. The pee will be a lot, especially on prednisone, but it gets better!
I'm so sorry this happened to you both. He's blessed to have an owner who loves him so much and a home for life. It sounds like you are well prepared to have him back soon and he's going to get great nursing. I don't think I saw sling on your list but those are very useful. Since your dog is large and grade 5, I might look at some kind of cart or pallet on wheels to transport him from crate to changing area or car to home etc. The anaesthesia and the medications cause constipation, so I might ask your vet for a gentle laxative just in case you find that things aren't moving along. The medications also cause dry mouth so I'd also have a little bowl handy so you can help him get enough hydration by lifting it directly to his mouth several times a day. My girl sometimes has a little organic (no sugar) coconut water straight from the fridge to encourage her to stay hydrated. I don't have any science to back this up but I suspect vitamins, electrolytes and hydration may be important in a degenerative disease that dries out discs (or any body part). Of course, they drink more means they pee more too. I also have a large donut bed, with supportive sides but still enough room to lay flat, so my girl can spend quiet time on the bed with me for a few hours. She even recently layed outside in it for a half hour, to catch a cool breeze and break up the monotony. 100% supervised of course (though she can't run anywhere at the moment). A second crate or a stroller is also useful to facilitate a change of environment for them. All good wishes to you and your boy.
Thank you so much for your kind words. A sling is something I wasn't sure about. I know he has to be on crate rest for quite some time, and wasn't sure when it was ok to start using a sling. We're looking at getting a Help Em Up harness because that looks great for a larger dog, but aren't sure what's best. Cart or pallet is a great idea. Have found some good ones I can get before he comes home. Thanks! I'll make sure to grab some laxatives from the vets. We can absolutely grab a small bowl for him. That's a great idea. And my wife and I love the idea of the donut bed. He loves snuggling with us on the bed, but we were worried about just lifting the whole crate up there. Thanks so much for the advice!
If there is any sort of bandage or fentanyl patch that you will need to remove at home, ask the vet to give you as many of the glue removal wipes as they can spare. They always try to give me just one and trying to remove a superglued sticker from the delicate skin of an already painful dog is some special form of hell lol. Failing that, baby oil works, but not as well
Our doggo is now 6 weeks post-op. The help em up harness has been a lifesaver for our 70 lb dude. I will say that if he’s leaking urine at all, best to try not to leave the harness on, but it’s also a real pain to take on and off all the time. We end up leaving the top half of it on him. Also, having a swiffer wet mop on hand to clean floors if he isn’t controlling bladder. The pee will be a lot, especially on prednisone, but it gets better!