Post-Op care for SM

[Lexie323]

Hi,
My 2.5 year old tri-color cavalier, scooter, had decompression surgery yesterday with Dr. Marino. Just got the morning update that he ate breakfast this morning and walked around a little. He will be in the ICU for another day or two and i will hopefully be able to pick him up sometime this weekend or monday

I was wondering what everybody did once they got their cavs home as far as crating and walking.
What kind of harness? I'm guessing a step in like up-country
Did your dogs have cones?
any advice for bringing scooter home is appreciated. I want to make sure I have everything prepared.

[WoodHaven]

I would write out all your questions and bring the list and ask the doctor. I wouldn't think a cone would be necessary (actually I would guess it could be detrimental). Not many people here have had cavaliers with SM surgery -- there is a SM list that would probably be a better place to get more feedback on the surgery.
CKCS-SM@yahoogroups.com

Best wishes and good luck with Scooter

[Karlin]

Dr Marino is really good at giving detailed info on aftercare. Generally, it will be strict crate rest for several weeks, no e-collar, keeping the dog quiet. Doctors vary when they feel the dog is OK moving about freely -- Ckare Rusbridge tends to allow more activity sooner than Dr Marino but Dr Marino is doing a far more complex surgery than a straightforward decompression. I know many owners have felt their dogs went a step back when allowed to do too much too soon so fight the urge to try to get back to normal too quickly.

People have used whatever harness style seems to suit. I know some who've been in the mesh Puppias, some in step in harnesses, some in other types of harness eg jacket style).

Best of health to Scooter and hope he has a fast recovery. Sounds good so far!

[Bridam]

You should follow your doctor's instructions explicitly. You can see in detail what our doctor recommended for our dog in my thread about our Madison's fight with the disease. GOOD LUCK! Also, we've used the over the head harness and are switching to an upcountry as soon as possible. But, you probably won't be doing a lot of walking for some time to come.

[Cathy Moon]

Best wishes for Scooter and you.

When you go to bring Scooter home, ask questions and make sure you tell Dr. Marino all your concerns and things you may be worried about as far as Scooter's condition and how to care for him. Don't hold back! I took a tablet and pen to write everything down.

The upcountry harness was the only one that worked for our Charlie after his decompression surgery. We were told not to use a cone collar.

[Love my Cavaliers]

I am about one month behind you, Lexie 323. I hope your dog is doing well. Keep us up to date. My 5 year 9 mos black and tan female, Riley, had decompression surgery June 10. Her surgeon has started putting titanium implants in to help reduce the formation of scar tissue. Anyone have any experience with that? She is home now and on crate rest except for 3 short urination and defecation walks. She's doing o.k. - not back yet to her pre-op status yet though. She's much more unsteady. I'm hoping that she will get back to her previous status, anything more is a bonus. I use an up-country harness for walks, but may go to a soft puppia one when and if she can tolerate things pulled over her head. The one positive thing about Riley is that she has never seemed in pain - even post-operatively. She had a fentanyl patch on for a while which helped. My biggest problem is going to be how to keep her quiet when she can be out of the crate more. I have 3 other cavaliers (Oliver - 7, blenheim male; Madison - 4, ruby female; and Oz - 11 month tri-color male) who can be a rambunctious bunch at times. By the way, Oz was diagnosed with the malformation but is asymptomatic - a 1 on a scale of 1-10 whereas Riley was a 9. Any help on keeping a dog quiet in a multi-dog household would be appreciated. Thanks.