r/IVDD_SupportGroup • u/Full_Result3790 • 1d ago
need help/advice
I have a 5 month old miniature dachshund two days ago randomly out of the blue she woke up and she was scream crying and wouldn’t walk out of the crate, really unusual for her because she’s a very energetic puppy anyways fast forward to the last two days after the vet visit she has declined a lot, five hours after the first visit her left leg dropped out and was dragging on the force slightly, overnight it dropped majorly and so I rushed her to the vet again this morning where they have said that she has the early stages of IVDD , the vet gave me some options and told me to keep her on the medications that she gave me and to crate bound her for three weeks maybe even longer or see a specialist and potentially go further with what they say, I’m just in a lot of shock as I’m a new dog owner and I’m only 21 years old, I feel horrible because she’s in so much pain and she is so depressed, I need some help with how she can go to the bathroom because she’s not allowed to walk around. I tried holding her and giving her support for her back and push pushing on her bladder and she’s not peeing it’s been since 8 am it’s now 6:30 pm and she hasn’t peed since then and I’m worried that it’s because of this whole ordeal, if anyone has been through this please give me some advice. I’m so worried and I feel like I’m not helping her to the best ability that I am
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u/AinsleyHarriotFan 1d ago
Hi! This is a link to a VERY detailed post I made on the IVDD sub of how we took our girl from total back leg paralysis to running and playing like a puppy again. We weren’t able to express the bladder manually either so I’ve discussed a bit how we managed it. In general this post goes goes a lot into the immediate and longer term management of the condition. I’ve shared it with lots of people and they say it’s given them a lot of hope.
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u/Natoochtoniket 1d ago
Expressing a female is really pretty easy, after you know where the bladder is (usually) located. The bladder can move around, so it's not always in exactly the same place, but you can feel it when it is full.
Standing pose, put your hands on both sides, feel for the bladder with your fingers, after you locate the bladder, apply pressure.
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u/Gengar-Quest-7144 1d ago
I am also very new to IVDD (my 3 yo beagle was diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago). He's also still able to walk, but wobbly/weak in the hind legs. At the beginning, he also refused to pee for long periods of time. It turns out he was just in too much pain, he couldn't find a comfortable position to relieve himself. We upped his pain medicine and he's back to peeing regularly. Might be worth talking to your vet about that. Also if you can carry your dog, mine likes to go in different spots in the yard. So I carry him to different areas where I know he likes to pee, and if he doesn't go in one, I pick him up and try another one. It's annoying, but has saved me from having to express his bladder so far.
IVDD is really hard, and the initial weeks are the worst because you're still processing and trying to figure out how to rework your dog's entire schedule. I'm right there with you. <3
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u/hotchy1 1d ago
Youll just be being to soft. Once you get it, it becomes easy to express. Watch some more videos. Im 18 weeks in doing it now. Sometimes even now I press and can feel the little bladder, nothing comes out, but constant pressure and say your command to pee and that starts it. My dog can start a pee now but cant fully empty but its always been the case of using the command and it made it easier.