From the second hydrotherapy session, Nicoya had an unusual reaction, well, I believe his reaction was from that session but it didn’t happen until 2 days later. On his second walk after this session, he began to drag both hind paws, one more than the other but neither paw pad was touching the sidewalk and one hip appeared to be over compensating for the lack of movement of the other hind leg.
I called the therapist to tell of his latest condition and as soon as she spoke to the vet, Nicoya had an appointment to see her that afternoon. Of course, by the time, we entered the office, he was walking on his own while very anxious to be there once again, the third time at the vet’s office in less than a week! Nicoya was put on a new series of pain meds in addition to his current dosage of tramadoyl. The two new drugs, Tylenol and Gabapentim are both for pain, but hit different areas of pain blocking in the brain and body. Before we left the vet’s with his new regiment of pain pills, both the vet and I surmised the 2nd hydrotherapy was too advanced for him too soon. He overworked his muscles.
So that night, Nicoya began taking his new pain pills. The Gabapentim protocol is to wean the dog on the medication over a period of many nights and slowly adding in a second pill and eventually a third pill over the course of 10 days. Some side effects are tiredness and weakness. I was hoping this would help Nicoya sleep through the night without being bothered so much by his middle of the night pain strikes. He did sleep through that first night and then…
On the very next morning, Nicoya could not move or coordinate his back legs and hips to work as he needed. He could not get his back legs to stand up–no matter how hard he tried to make his front half of his body to get his back half moving. He slipped and slid down to the floor on his way to his breakfast bowl. Once there, where he can stand on a rug to help him steady his stance while he eats, he fell down. Nicoya allowed me to do something his Husky pride of independence would never accept; with both my hands holding up his underside to support his back legs, he ate his food. Afterwards, we both managed to get him back to his bed where he collapsed with all his energy spent and anxiousness at an all time high.
I called the vet. We talked and it was determined we would continue with his pain regiment but only giving half a Gabapentim until his body was used to it. As the hours passed in this day, Nicoya got his coordination back. That night after only taking a half a pill, he slept less during the night but awoke able to stand on all 4 paws! A few days later, Nicoya is back to only one pill a night and I haven’t introduced the 2nd or 3rd pill just yet.
It was also determined by the vet that Nicoya should probably try different therapies to alleviate his arthritic pain. She suggested “weightlessness” in the water with no treadmill or moving on to a different therapy with no water whatsoever. Today, was Nicoya’s third appointment and I was preparing for “weightlessness” in the pool. As soon as the therapist saw Nicoya’s anxiousness at entering her therapy room, she was not comfortable continuing on with hydrotherapy for Nicoya. After her brief discussion with the vet, it was recommended that Nicoya try the cold laser light therapy. A brief video showing his therapy visit. It usually takes several of these sessions to see visible results. We are hopeful. (The conversation is the therapist telling me of another patient and how laser therapy has helped that dog tremendously.)
Nicoya at vet’s in between therapy reaction and action. Anxious pup.
