Day Two Spinal Surgery Post-Op

Taking care of a Dachshund right after spinal surgery is a lot like taking care of a newborn. While Cody can go to the bathroom on his own (without us having to manually express him) he has no bladder or bowel control, so much like a baby we are cleaning and changing out his bedding 5 to 6 times a day. He'll whimper when he is uncomfortable and we'll adjust his position. I can't imagine what it's like not to be able to move your lower half.

Each time we take him out of his crate to clean his bedding, we do 'bicycle exercises' with each of his back legs as part of physical therapy. Once we hit the two week mark his therapy will be more aggressive. We are meeting with someone at the University of Minnesota to discuss what type of rehab program would be best for him. My assumption is some type of hydrotherapy but we'll see what they say.

Aside from that, Cody still has no deep pain sensation (that we can tell) but that's to be expected. Cody sleeps most of the day due to all the pain medication but when he's up, he's happy and alert.