Layla

[Lindsey]

I will take pictures when I get time Maybe this weekend!

After her laser therapy yesterday, I was carrying Layla's crate out of the vet's office and across the parking lot. There was a paving crew there with a bunch of big burly guys and one of them said something to me. I stopped and said "Pardon?" and he went straight to Layla and stuck his fingers through her crate to scratch her chin and said "Oh you're such a pretty dog! Yes you are! What a pretty puppy!" LOL! Everyone who sees her loves her.

[JJJ]

Lol, I saw Layla's pic on YT and she sure is adorable

[paula1961]

I'm glad you got the stroller in Lyns! And so glad that Layla likes it. YAY!! Yeah like Jessica said...now you'll have to post pix of her in it.

That's funny about the construction guy lol. But what's not to love about these precious little ones. And Layla sure is a cutie pie!!!

[judy]

Layla has got groupies!!! The stroller is such a good idea. I'm so glad she likes it.
Now you can take her for "strolls" again.

[Lindsey]

Layla's vet said yesterday she did better than Monday, but not as good as Friday with her spinal walking. She isn't showing as much movement as she did the first day! But I'm confident it will come, and that feeling will come back too.

Scott said he saw her tail wag this morning. I've seen it a couple of times before too, so I'm glad he's seeing it as well. He always seems to have an explanation for it though, she had to go to the bathroom, something touched her, whatever.... This morning he said it very cautiously and when I said "Was that when she had to go to the bathroom?" and he said "It was AFTER she had just peed and pooped, she was back in her crate, and I came around the corner towards her. It was wagging sideways" I don't want to get my hopes up yet but that's really exciting. When she has to go to the bathroom, it will sometimes wag in a circular motion or up and down, but with nothing touching her for a reflex, I don't know what else a side to side motion could be but a tail wag for joy! We just can't get it to happen consistently so it's tough to say what it is for sure.

[JJJ]

Your such a good mommy, I think the best thing you can do for her is to keep your hopes up. I'm sure she can feel your energy.

[Lindsey]

Originally Posted by JJJ

Your such a good mommy, I think the best thing you can do for her is to keep your hopes up. I'm sure she can feel your energy.

Thank you so much. I am trying my hardest to stay positive. Layla's already changing the minds of so many people around us who told me to put her down from the start. No way, she's my little fighter. I have gone from wondering if I made the right decision with her surgery to wondering if I'm making the right decisions for her therapy because I KNOW now the surgery was the right thing to do. And I'm doing every kind of therapy I can for her! I think in the end, it will pay off.

She's snoring really deeply behind me right now and it's adorable. This morning, Scott told me he packed a sweater and a fleece blanket in her stroller "in case she gets cold because it's raining outside" and when I got to work I noticed he also threw in her little teddy bear What a thoughtful daddy! I took a picture of her sleeping beside it earlier this morning.

[JJJ]

No matter the outcome, it seems like one happy family.

She looks adorable next to her teddy

[Gina]

Lindsey she is just to cute , she will have her good days and bad days.. Hopefully the good out weigh the bad...

[judy]

Tail wagging sounds promising! She is just so precious with her little teddy.

[Janet]

I have thought about Lelah quite often and kept her in my prayers. I really think having hope and doing all that you've been doing for her will pay off in the end. You're a great Mommy Lindsey!

[Lindsey]

Thank you so much. I am finding it hard to read other peoples' stories on the IVDD dogs yahoo group I joined. For example, there was one woman who was devastated.. her dog was down for days and had no deep pain for days and the vet told her to put the dog to sleep, she had less than a 5% chance of walking again. I comforted her and said that even if she can't walk, she can be happy. After encouragement, she decided to go ahead with surgery so the dog wasn't in pain. The day after surgery the dog has feeling back and is moving her legs and tail on her own. It feels like a kick in the stomach for us. Everyone is seeming to get a miracle except us. It's hard to stay positive reading stories like that, and I usually feel like nobody really responds to my questions, concerns, or stories about Layla. It's basically a group for dachshunds so maybe that's why.

But in good news, Layla wagged her tail TWICE this morning. I tried early this morning, even gave her treats, and she was excited but there was no movement. We were sitting in the waiting room to drop her off for rehab today, and I was watching a tv while Layla was watching the people and dogs walk around us. All of a sudden I felt something against my stomach. I looked down and her tail was moving! I told Scott to look and he caught the last wag before it stopped. He asked if she was pooping, but she wasn't! She already pooped an hour earlier! A minute later she did it again for about 5 seconds! I pinched her back but she still has no sensation. I will tell her rehab vet when she calls this afternoon.

[paula1961]

That is wonderful Lynsey that Layla is wagging her tail!! I can't wait to hear what they say about that. Stay positive. You are doing all the right things. Try not to get too discouraged. I'm still sending prayers for you guys and Layla.
She looks sooooo cute in her crate. She's happy just being near you. That was so sweet of Scott to put her teddy in.

[Lindsey]

Layla is my little rockstar. She is proving everyone wrong and I couldn't be more proud of her.

On Friday we didn't get a call from the vet all day, but when we got there to pick Layla up she was there waiting for us. She apologized for not calling but she wanted to talk in person. Layla did so well that day, she couldn't figure out the difference but there was a big difference in two days. She went from walking 4 minutes on the treadmill to 7 minutes. She had good movements in her legs on the treadmill and the exercise ball, and she has really good reflexes. She does different movements if you massage different areas of her leg, which was something cool the vet figured out! We asked about the tail wag and were told it's really exciting but for now to just chalk it up to reflex, although "Layla hasn't read the text books, so who knows!" She still had no deep pain sensation.

Today I just got a call that Layla had another really motivated walking day. She walked for 8 minutes total, 3 minutes with her back feet being placed for her, and 5 minutes TOTALLY ON HER OWN. When the treadmill stopped, Layla wandered around a little on her own too with all 4 legs walking. The vet wants us to try putting her in the bath tub and seeing if she will do any movements in there with her back legs. She still has no deep pain sensation and the same reflexes as last week, but the rehab vet and the surgeon both really want to see a tail wag and have requested that we try to get one on video for them! That makes me feel so much more hopeful than them just saying "It's probably just a reflex" and leaving it as it is. Now that they actually want to see it for themselves really gives me hope that they believe it might be something returning! And she said again what she said on Friday, "Layla hasn't read the books!" When I told Scott this, he said he forgot to tell me earlier but she wagged her tail for a full 10 seconds side to side as he was getting her food this morning! So I am going to pray and pray that we can get that on video.

Speaking of prayers, we had a very small congregation at church yesterday lol... There were 6 of us. One of the ladies did some readings and she asked me to read "The Lord is My Shepherd" and after singling me out for that, she singled out some other people asking how prayer has helped their lives. She asked Scott and he mentioned his dad having back problems and getting better, and also that our dog is sick but showing signs of getting better. Later when we went downstairs for some juice and baking, people asked more about it and we told them her story. Everyone said they'd keep her in their prayers. We drove an older woman home, who lives in the seniors complex beside our house. She told us how she was born in Serbia, lived in Germany, knows 7 languages but can't read or write, and raised 4 well educated children, and travelled the world. She lived in Ontario, but moved to Saskatchewan to be with her daughter, and said she was very very sick and "I came here to die". But, she kept praying and kept her faith and she got a lot better and she loves life. She is such a spunky and loveable woman! As she got out of my car, she told us she will try to remember to keep Layla in her prayers. It means a lot for so many people who barely know us to understand and see how deeply we care about Layla and to ask God to help us and help her.

[gja1000]

I am so glad to hear this, Lindsay! I just know that Layla is going to walk again!

I will be going out of town soon, but will be reading this forum every day or so. Although I may not post, please do not think I am not thinking of you and Layla. I will be thinking of you, everyday and looking for more good news.