Long weekend, longer weeks ahead

The end of last week and the weekend has been very tough – emotionally, mentally and even physically. It started last Wednesday when Sebastian started yelping in the morning. We assumed he had another back sprain like he had a few years ago. Thursday, when he started dragging his hind feet and losing his balance, we knew it was something more.

Friday morning, we were referred to a neurologist because Sebastian’s spine was clearly affecting the nerves that went to his legs – i.e. why he was walking funny and dragging his legs. Around noon, we were told our baby was suffering from a ruptured spinal disc or slip disc – and he would need surgery to correct this.

Let me try to explain this (ha!). Between each vertebrae in the spine, there is a disc that serves as a shock absorber. The disc has an outer part and an inner part that is made of a gelatinous material. What happened to Sebastian, and is a very common issue in dogs with Sebastian’s body – long torso and short legs, is that the outer part of the disc tore causing the gelatinous material to push upwards and out to the spine – causing that pressure that was hurting him.  The surgery would essentially put “windows” as our vet called it, into the bone to remove the material that was pushing upwards. From what I understand, this will naturally heal and scab over.

The surgery took less than an hour but his recovery will take up to four weeks. The vet called Saturday to let us know they had high expectations for Sebastian’s recovery. He was already walking – which was a very positive sign. It also meant he could come home. We went to pick him up as soon as we could. I thought the hard part was over, but it was just beginning.

Sebastian still lacks motor skills in his hind legs. We are basically teaching him how to walk again – using a leash to hold up his hind legs and encouraging him to walk with his front legs. We were told we needed to confine Sebastian within a small space (preferably a crate) and keep him that way for up to 4 weeks. He was only allowed to go out to use the bathroom and come right back in.

This was a challenge all weekend because 1.) we gave Sebastian’s crate to my sister and 2.) Sebastian is so used to having his way when he wants it in our house.

Our original plan was to keep him in the dining room – blocked off with chairs and tables. I even planned to sleep in there with him (on the hardwood floors!). Unfortunately, he found a way to get where he wanted when he wanted.

For example, right before bed, I thought I’d watch TV. He wined and wined, so I decided to go lay down with him. Less than 30 minutes later, he started wining again. I got up and took him outside to use the bathroom. Another 30 minutes went by and he started wining again. I got the brilliant idea to keep him confined to just under the dining room table, so I blocked it off with everything I could think of. I quickly ran to the bathroom and as I was sitting there, I heard some shuffling. I immediately ran out to find Sebastian who had walked from the dining room, through the kitchen and down the hall to Tim’s room. I woke Tim up – who had been sleeping soundly in his bed for about two hours at this point – to let him know Sebastian was in there. Of course Tim got mad, but I was delirious! We agreed to let Sebastian sleep under Tim’s bed that night and decided we need to resolve the crate issue ASAP.

Thank goodness Tim’s brother had a large crate. It was delivered mid-day Sunday and I finally felt like I could actually do stuff around the house, instead of sitting with Sebastian in the living room all day. I didn’t think he would have the energy to get out of the crate so I left the door open and started to clean and do the dishes. Less than 5 minutes later, I looked up and found Sebastian staring at me in the kitchen. Ugh. Lesson learned – always close the door.

We fought this with our guy all weekend, but thanks to the crate, we’re feeling more confident about his healing process. And we’re finally starting to sleep again. I think Tim and I were both were able to get at least 7 hours of sleep last night – probably the most sleep I’ve had since last Thursday.

And then we were woken up by the sound of a wining dog. But this morning, he showed great signs of progress. He walked more than he has all weekend and his hind legs are starting to hold up his body better. My fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. More signs to come this week – I hope. They include pooping – I’ve never been so nervous about seeing my dog poop!, and just being able to walk on his own more often.

Long post, I know. But I just wanted to get my thoughts down about Sebastian. He’s my world after all. It’s been a hard weekend – don’t know if I’ll ever make it as a mom, I barely survived the weekend – but I’m staying positive!