Hi everyone! My 3 year old Cocker Spaniel, Lucky, had surgery 4 months ago. He had IVDD at stage 5. After 2 weeks, the neurosurgeon said that DPS had returned and that we should have started physiotherapy. Unfortunately, in our city there are no nearby physiotherapy centers, and it was almost impossible for us to travel long distances with Lucky. So we had a physiotherapist come to our home twice, just to show us how to do all the exercises.
We did the exercises twice a day for a month and a half, and Lucky started trying to walk. Then we had a lot of personal issues, and we stopped doing the exercises. We couldn’t even take him out for walks during those months.
In the last few days, we’ve started doing physiotherapy again, and for the first time we are taking him for a walk once a day using a rear harness.
Here are the signs I’ve noticed over these months:
He wags his tail only during strong emotions and when he is standing on all four legs
He can stand on his own for a long time, but he often crosses his legs (I think this is called ataxia due to weakness?)
He can walk on his own around the house, but he often crosses his legs and falls because of it. The floor is also slippery, which makes it harder for him
He still wears diapers, but when he poops he spreads his legs and walks around like he used to (maybe a voluntary movement?)
He also tries to scratch his ears with his rear legs and can do it, but very slowly
I’m worried that the 2-month break may have affected his recovery. I would really appreciate your opinions, especially if someone has had a similar recovery experience. Thank you all, and I wish you the best.❤️