Corey's SM Update - A week after surgery

First of all I'm sorry if the post is too long, I'm trying to summarize things but in this situation I'm hoping Corey's experience would help others that are considering surgery.

I have posted before about Corey's sm and our decision to go for the surgery with Dr. Shores. Last week went to Auburn Univ. and Dr. Shores did an MRI and the result was shocking. Corey has 2 syrinxes and one of them is 9mm wide. They were surprised because he didn't show any clinical signs other than scratching. We were upset and after talking to Dr. Shores (he said pretty much surgery is the best option) we stick with the plan and he did the surgery on the next day. It went well and he said that he was happy with the result. He hoped that the syrinxes would get smaller in time if everything goes like he planned. I did however talk to a very nice lady that her dog had surgery 3 years ago and he's doing very and his syrinxes (he has more than 1) has shrunk. The news gave me hope and for people out there that's considering surgery, this is one of the proves that surgery could be successful. They kept Corey from Thurs. (the day of the surgery) and we picked him up on Sat. and considering how well he was recovering they let him go home. But at home is another story. It's been a week and Dr. Shores said that by this time he was expecting that dogs would be walking around with restrictions of course and Corey hasn't done that. He's been laying around and he only walk out of his bed when we got home or when we take him out for doing his businesses. If anyone have had their dogs went through surgery, is this lack of energy, sleep all day normal? I know it's only been 1 week but we're really worried. Currently he's on Gabapentin twice a day and prilosec once a day and these medications never bothered him, so I don't think they're causing this. We took him the vet today and per Dr. Shores recommendation Corey will be in Prednisone twice a day (half pill each time) for 7 days. He had bad experience with it before, but to ease the pain we're willing to try again. I'll keep posted on how he's doing and am hoping that this is temporary. If you have any questions about Dr. Shores and the surgery please pm me. From the experience I really recommended Dr. Shores and his staff. They are amazing and they really care about the dogs and the parents.

Thanks,

I would immediately talk to Dr Shores about this lethargy if you haven't yet.

Only two days is quite a short period of time to keep a dog post surgery -- usually the minimum is around three and for many it would be a week minimum. My understanding is three days is generally done as that period is when there's the greatest risk of a haemorrhage. Just wondering if maybe he was home a bit too early? Have they seen him since the surgery?

Hi Gemma

I have no experience with the surgery so I cant help you out on how a dog acts post surgery. However, I do want to thank you for sharing your experience with Dr. Shores. If surgery becomes warranted, I am pretty sure I will be making the trek to Alabama to do it for my Jack.
Most importantly, I hope Corey feels better very soon. Please keep updating on his status, I appreciate the information and I want to know how he is doing.
Best,
Irene

We asked Dr. Shores and they said that mostly they would keep the dog 2 days post-op. What are the signs of hemorrhage? The vet said that there are no infections but his temperature is slightly above normal (by 1 degree) and he wanted to try prednisone first (after he talked to Dr. Shores on the phone). We live 5 hrs away so last time we visited him was when we were there for the surgery.

Riley had decompression surgery with a titanium mesh implant 2+ years ago. She was in the hospital from Wednesday and came home on Saturday. When she came home she was on gabapentin 100 mg 3 times a day, prednisone 5 mg once a day and she a fentanyl patch for the first 72 hours. I don't know if she seemd to be more active because I have 3 other cavaliers, but she was very interested in what was going on around the house. She was either in her crate or in my arms, and she certainly slept a lot, but I don't recall her seeming lethargic. Luckily Riley's neurologist lives 5 minutes from us so I am able to take her in for the least little thing. I would call Dr. Shores and see what he says about her lethargy and her slightly elevated temp. Also, just for an FYI, Riley is just on prednisone 5 mg a day as her only med and is doing great. Good luck to you and Corey.

I know that after I took ella home she would not come out of her crate the first few days. We had to use cheese to get her out to do business. Of course with recent news, I don't know if I'm the best person. It was less than a week and this changed. It is better to be safe. Ella was on other medication that I can't remember but I know dr. Brofman said he would still see corey. He would know more than our vet. Dr, brofman is not in the office tomorrow, but maybe dr, bergman can see him. They are here and are someone that can at least see if something is going on. I'm sorry and just know that I'm here for you. Please try to call tomorrow just at least for your own worries.