Layla

[Lindsey]

I posted on YT but I don't think I posted this here....

On Friday night, we got to the cabin, and my mom was fussing over Layla in her crate while we were unloading the car. When I finally got a chance to pet Layla, SHE WAGGED HER TAIL AGAIN!!!! I was so happy. All four of us gathered around to see it. There wasn't time to get a camera because we were disorganized from just arriving! But we all saw it and it lasted about 10 seconds. It was a slow wag, but still faster than any she's had lately!

The rest of that night and the next day, we were armed with a camera. We got nothing

On Sunday morning, Scott got up around 6:30 to express Layla's bladder and came back to bed. Between that time and around 9:00, I kept waking up and looking at her in her crate beside our bed, and she would always be looking at me. Finally I decided to get up, and she got this eager look in her eyes and she was jumping from foot to foot in her front legs, like she always has when she's excited. I got down to pet her and there it was! Her tail was going again! I fumbled around for my cell phone (no contacts in my eyes lol) and found the camcorder function finally, but by then, she was just finishing her wag for the day. So I didn't get it on video again! But it was there and I saw it. It feels like she was just sitting there WAITING for me to get out of bed so she could show me it!

[Blueyes]

Oh Lindsey, this is so encouraging!! Maybe you can just document when it wags and for how long

[Lindsey]

I have said since the start I was going to keep a journal of her recovery but haven't gotten around to that yet I have pretty good records of it on here and YT though!

[Lindsey]

Layla had a fantastic day! She was the strongest the vet has ever seen her on the exercise ball and she got a lot of good movement. She walked on the underwater treadmill for 8 minutes, a new record! And she also did some sling walking, and finished with some acupuncture. She was really motivated and energetic today.

Yesterday she didn't pee for 10 hours! I kept trying to express and couldn't get anything and it was so frustrated. When I took her to the vet for laser, I asked the tech to try expressing her. After the 5 minute laser session, she tried and couldn't get her expressed either. So she called the vet in, and she tried for a few minutes and said she couldn't feel the bladder at all, so maybe she just hadn't drank much. That extra 10 minutes of time pushed our therapy session from the regular $22 to $53! I was shocked. I won't ask them for help again if they're going to charge me like that for it, when they didn't even accomplish anything anyway! I successfully expressed her a couple of hours later.

We're getting back to our normal life now. She is still in her crate most of the time, but the last couple of nights I've let her lay on the couch with me and suck on a pillow (her favorite pasttime!) and last night we even napped together. My heart isn't broken anymore. I am finding it hard to work today so I've spent most of my time researching carts for her. I think we will order one next month.

[judy]

I am so glad you are not heartbroken anymore Linds. Layla is such a wonderful dog, and you and Scott have taken such good care of her. You all have each other! As long as she is happy, what else matters?

What does it mean that she can walk on the treadmill underwater?

[Lindsey]

Judy, when Layla walks underwater, she is doing what is called spinal walking. This movement isn't controlled by the brain, but the muscles in charge of reflex remembering that when the front legs move in a walking motion, they used to move in a walking motion too, so it's a jerky kind of motion based on muscle memory. It's basically reflexive walking. She doesn't have the strength yet to hold her weight long while moving on ground, but the water is great because she stays afloat with her life jacket and they can work on just the movements of her legs instead of also holding her weight. I'm sure that eventually she can do it out of water too

Here is a video of another dog named Cricket, who is a yorkie cross owned by a lady I met on another forum for handicapped pets. She was told Cricket would never walk again, but he now spinal walks, and does very well at it!

You Tube

[judy]

That's amazing! I hope Layla does get her full responses back, but if not, and she can do this spinal walking, she will be just fine! She can still run around and play.
I would imagine you would still have to express her urine, but that's not the end of the world either.