Dudley, the Shihpoo dog, has IVDD and Scrapes his Back Paws

Dudley was an energetic, loving, playful 3 year old Shihpoo who loved the company of other dogs and his toys.

In March last year Dudley suddenly became paralysed and incontinent from Stage 5 dog IVDD. After suddenly beginning to drag his hind end we rushed him to the vets where he was transferred to 1 of only 2 locations available in Scotland, for further tests to be carried out. Upon arrival it was found that Dudley had no deep pain sensation and he was sent for an MRI scan. The results of the scan showed what we had dreaded, that he had a lot of pressure and loss of circulation around his spine and it was necessary to operate immediately to give him a 50% chance of regaining some ability to walk.

Dudley was kept in the veterinary hospital under intense supervision for around 10 days post IVDD surgery before he was able to return home. He was still completely unable to walk and unable to control his bladder- at this stage it became very apparent we had a long journey ahead. A sling was used on Dudley’s hind end in order to support him to manoeuvre anywhere. We found a physio also to be helpful in Dudley’s aid to recovery at this stage, using laser therapy and massage techniques.

Upon Dudley’s next check up at the veterinary school to see if the operation had been a success, we were told that no deep pain sensation had been regained and Dudley would never walk again. We were devastated, but were determined not to give up on him yet and keep trying to aid his recovery as best we could.

We continued the long process of full time care, and were seeing little sign of improvement, however decided to take him for one final checkup in the hope that some deep pain, despite having been told it wouldn’t, may be regained. To our delight and surprise, the tests showed that signs of deep pain were found and some level of hope was restored.

One day in mid June, miraculously Dudley managed to take a couple of small and wobbly steps, but finally some visible signs of hope. At this point we began hydrotherapy for him, for a dog that never enjoyed swimming this was a bit of a challenge. However, Dudley persevered and continued to take small steps in the tank as well as outside. Slowly but surely he became stronger, and muscle capacity began to build, along with bladder control being regained.

Undoubtedly, it has been an incredibly long and challenging journey for Dudley, with his physio and hydrotherapy only being completed in very recent weeks. However, Dudley now enjoys a lot of what he used to. Now using outdoor sock boots to protect his paws from the slight scuffing he continued to do in his hind end. These have enabled Dudley for his normal walks on hard surfaces to be resumed - with him now walking 3.5 - 4 miles per day.

Around 2 months ago we purchased Dudley some outdoor sock boots from Zoomadog. They have been fantastic in enabling Dudley to not only have to walk on grassy surfaces- due to the slight scuffing that has remained in his hind paws- but also resume his normal walks on hard surfaces too. It has made life a lot simpler for us, and brought a lot of normality back into his walking routine. Since finding the boots, Dudley has become a lot happier as he is now able to walk where he wishes once again. They really have been a perfect conclusion to Dudley’s long journey back to restoring a great deal of normality into his life! We truly are delighted with his recovery. We are so proud of him!