This is a fight for sure.
Yesterday morning he seemed a bit better but deterioriated throughout the day until this morning he could barely walk and was trembling from head to toe.
I talked to his nuerologist today and he thinks there is a possbility of infection and we are adding 15 mgs of Pred and Baytril for a week. The Pred to control the pain and the Baytril for possbile infection.
Ugh.
Well Dante seems a bit better today, his back legs are stronger but his head is still trembling quite a bit. He’s following me around, which is a good sign.
I must say that I am terribly frustrated. So far the only meds he is getting are his IBD meds and Tramadol. When he is in pain, the Tramadol is increased to three tablets three times a day and it really doesn’t seem to do too much. I left a message with his neurologist but I haven’t heard back from him. I think the idea is to have him go through the next four weeks of recovery without introducing new meds such as Neurotin, etc. to be able to make some judgement as to whether or not he improves, but it is extremely frustrating to watch.
At one point yesterday he just stood there with one of his back legs hanging up in the air. I backed away and called him and he walked to me normally but it seemed like his back leg didn’t get the message from the brain at first, or he was in too much pain and didn’t want to lower it all of the way.
Do I regret the surgery? No I don’t. It was a shot and this is all part of recovery if it stops the progression but I didn’t think he’d have days where he was worse than he ever was pre-surgery. And the last two days definitely fit into that category.
The frustrating emotion that I have is that I’m not too sure at this point we are ever going to have any good days again 
I do know this, if I had the condition, I’d take the shot at surgery without hesitation. I pray he gets better and that there are some good days ahead of us.
Since Friday evening he's been at his worst since before surgery. I'm mystified as to why he's had such a change. I had to lift him in and out of the car (which is no small feat with a 75 lb poodle!)
Dr. Bush reminded me that this will happen and most surgery dogs seem to exhibit their best results no sooner than 6 weeks post-op which is when Dante's next visit with Dr. Bush is.
I wonder if the heat is affecting this? I've heard others mention this and it has gotten quite warm here in Virginia. Who knows?
Seriously up and down.
On day 8 he didn’t need any pain medication during the evening and night. On day 9 he woke up with military neck, he was totally stiff. I did notice a few slight trembling episodes, but no crying out.
He goes to get his staples out this afternoon. Yay!
Rollercoaster. Today he seems very painful, clicking the jaw and crying out. I had a nice conversation with my regular vet who called and had some encouraging words.
That in combination with the support of the Yahoo group and the thorough info from Cavalier health group is keeping me propped up.
When I read the Yahoo group's emails and responses it gives me support and information and that's important when your dog can't tell you how he/she feels.
Worse you can't convey to the dog in any way, that in time things will get better, even if it is just stopping the progression of the condition and finding a better way to manage bad days. The experience of the post-op owner is especially important to me in judging what to do.
This is the best dog I've ever had!
Update for note to self: constant dry nose. Remember to chronical IBD issues Further update to note for nuerologist on Friday: His two prime pain sites pre-surgery, neck and back legs (including weakness), I noticed he is somewhat hypersensitive on the neck (incision area)(expected) but though his back legs are stonger, noticiably, in terms of strength and coordination, he puts his back end out for above tail rubbing and likes it, if i give him a friendly pat there (stronger than the rub) which I normally do at the conclusion of a back end rub, he clicks his jaw… That for observation.
I've also noticed that Dante wants to eat a ton and drink a lot. This was also the case pre-op and may have to do with his IBD meds but I note this for continued observation
Well, the fentynal patch is off and as of last night all of his symptoms are back. Head trembles, jaw-clicking, and one crying out episode after the neighborhood dogs were all in an uproar and he joined in.
Positive signs: his back legs are much better, no uncoordination at all. He also is much more perky so I know he isn't in constant pain, which I'm pretty sure he was in before.
My DSL is up and down. I'm hoping to be able to get links up and the photos I took yesterday but that all depends on Verizon!!
I think his pain patch is wearing off. Not because he's in excruciating pain or anything but because he's quite a bit more alert and bright-eyed.
No crying out last night that I woke up for anyway and this morning he actually jumped up on the bed to snuggle with me! I'm a little worried about him being up on the bed as I'm afraid I'll bump his incision in my sleep. I'm hoping that the non-crying out is due to healing and not due to the addition of Tramodol. Only time will tell.
I got some great e-mails from the Yahoo support group that I mentioned in the first post. These people are wonderful. One even gave me his phone number should I need a shoulder to cry on.
To join the group go to the Yahoo home page and click on Groups then search for Arnold-Chiari. Or, click-on the following link or copy and paste into your browser: ArnoldChiari_dogs@yahoogroups.co.uk. It takes a little while to sign-up, you have to be approved and fill out a diagnosis form, but it's worth signing up for because there are a lot of people there who have dealt with this problem who can provide support and advice.
They also have a files section with complete information about the condition, DMVs who deal with this condition in various areas around the country and UK, and the status of current research and DNA collection. This blog is just about one dog, the Yahoo group has complete information. That information provided enough of a primer that enabled me to communicate more concisely with Dante's nuerologist. Without it I would have had no idea that his symptoms indicated something different than allerigies and/or infected ears, which was what I always thought all of the stratching, face-rubbing and yelping was about.
I'm going to try and get links and whatnot up today. Unfortunately I am totally ickish today A stomach virus of some kind. No fever though so this too shall pass. A good day, therefore, to get the rest of this blog set up.
Frankendog is set up to chronicle my dog's progress after surgery for a malformation of the optical bone in the back of his head (optical bone dysplasia). This kind of malformation usually leads to syringomyelia, which Dante doesn't have (no syrinx — more on this later.)
The reason I thought to blog about it is because nearly 50% of Cavelier dogs have it and when I accidentally signed up for a Yahoo group for humans who have this problem, I became acutely aware of how devastating this problem is and how painful it is.
In Dante's case, looking back on his medical history, I realize that he has exhibited symptoms from day one. I'm lucky this hasn't progressed (it is a progressive condition) to SM.
Going through this I realize that there is treatment for these dogs beyond pain killers that may cure them, at least for a while, and give them a good life. It's not inordinately expensive compared to a life on drugs to alleviate the pain and more should be known about it.
There is a great Yahoo group that provided a great education about the condition. All of this I will provide in link form as I develop this blog. There are very talented vets out there who can help these dogs. I will talk about that also as I develop the blog.
So, what about the handle? It's because my dog looks like Frankenstein right now, minus the bolts on the side of the head.
I will upload his MRI shots and pictures of this great dog from puppyhood to his current condition.
I'm not sure this will be useful to anyone besides me, but WordPress is free and it's easier than creating a journal for all of this on my hard drive!
