Need Help with Cage Rest!!!

[juggernaut1]

I have a 3 year old, 10 lb, long haired girl named Kiya. Before all this happened she was the sweetest dog ever, my little shadow. The only annoying thing she ever did was always shoot a tongue toward my lips and make it impossible to answer the door without an escape.

I had to clean her feet off one day since thats just part of it with a dog door and she wouldn't hold still in the sink. Between my grip and her violent squirming (I wasn't about to let her fall off the counter, and no the water wasn't hot) her back was hurt. She didn't appear hurt until hours later, shaking and not wanting to move. Tried to take her to the base vet (I'm very paranoid of commercialized vets, big $$ for often a shoulder shrug), the bastards were closed for 'training' . This was after a 12-7am shift and classes for the day so I made her as comfortable as I could for the night and took her to a surprisingly genuine vet in town the next day. By then she was dragging her little feet but still had pain, tail wagging, and bowel control. Doc gave me prednisone and what she called a pain-killer/sedative.

That was a week ago, last friday. The first few days I expected her to be loud since I've never crated her in the 4 months I've had her and God knows how things were with her prior owners. She's an AKC pup and has had 2 litters, I was hoping to get her spayed this month but this nightmare promptly murdered that dream. My girlfriend works days and I work nights, Kiya will not settle down if Kristy is in the bedroom where her crate is and I'm not, which makes it a problem when she needs to sleep and I'm at work.

I've tried it all; can with pennies in it, I take her out in the yard and squat her rear end for her and she does her thing, I've sat by her cage to keep her quiet but as soon as I'm out of the room she cannot be silenced. She pants alot because of the medication but her cries are between pants and clearly stress-charged. I don't want to scale back her medicine since it's still early on in recovery but she is crazed in the crate, she misses free reign and following me around. The vet said I can hold her on my lap in the living room but she doesn't want to stay there no matter how long I hold on to her, she never settles down. I swear instead of pain-reliever/sedative its a pain reliever/meth. The only thing that works is hollering at her, which I'm against and usually good at resisting the urge but I've slipped a few times. It's bad enough it's my fault but it shatters my heart to yell at her too.

If anyone has advice that can help me make this up to her PLEASE share. There's no need to tell me that I've already failed her because I know that, I can't afford to face that emotionally until I can get everyone comfortable. My girlfriend's cat went missing monday and I'm desperately trying to at least help her get some sleep at night, she's sad enough as it is, I'm just trying to make the next few weeks bearable for everyone,

 

[juggernaut1]

Here is her picture

 

[vizzla]

Did I understand it right, that she is only calm when you are near? She doesnt trust your girlfriend?

Maybe she has a negative reaction on the meds? Some dogs can get crazy if they are intolerant of meds.

She is most sertain to be stressed out because of her injury and pain. Try to make it as calm for her as possibly. Have a t-shirt with your smell on it in her crate. That calms our dog. Try to stay as near her as possible all day even if you dont talk to her so she is always near.

Good luck and hope she gets better soon!

 

[Wandering Man]

The first thing is for you to be calm. Like a small child, she wants what she wants, and she's letting you know. It is OK to tell her "NO" in a firm voice when she makes too much noise.

If there is a problem with the girlfriend, the two of you can work on that as long as she is willing. Let her spend some bonding time with her, giving her treats and soothing talk. The T-shirt with your scent is an excellent idea.

Then, you need to let go of the guilt you feel. Back problems just happen with dachshunds. We do our best, but they are athletic, squirmy little dogs who sometimes get hurt. All of us who have had a dachshund go down believe there is something we could have done to prevent it. if we'd held on a little tighter, caught him before he fell, made her take that ramp instead of the stairs, not let him play with that other dog ....

The list goes on. But the truth is, we can't stop our beloved pets from getting hurt. The best we can do is try to make them comfortable and do what we can to make them healthy again. And when all else fails, make the really hard decisions that are sometimes founded on financial ability or quality of life, and go on.

Prayers for you and Kiya.

 

[babysis]

That is completely the side effects of the prednisone. It causes them to have behavioral changes and to where they are completely out of control that it cannot be contained. Check with your vet to see if you can give a sedative to calm her down that won't interact with the prednisone. I know vets before have given diphenhydramine (benadryl) to help with prednisone. I know pumping the dog with meds- no one wants to do but she might need it. I just got my girl off of prednisone and she was almost the exact same way- couldn't get her in her crate etc. Hang in there, things will change for the better, just takes time. ( I know it is easier said than done. )