My puppy may have Spina Bifida
Submitted by Jessica and Winston on September 21, 2011 - 11:39amMy three month old bullie may have SB. I was reading some other post on hear about a dog that poops in his sleep. Winston does the same thing! When we walk him he knows when he is peeing and sometimes know when he is pooping. If his stool is hard he knows, but if it is soft he doesnt. His poop has never been really hard, its always been on the soft side, but formed. When its not formed thats when Winston walks and poops. I was wondering if there is a food that would be good for him? Plus I would take any information anyone would give me on this since this is new to me. When I took Winston to the vet yesterday the vet stated that he has very low rectal tone, and has a dimple/indent on his back by his hind legs. The vet and the breeder he came from mentioned putting him to sleep. I dont want to put him to sleep because he is a great dog minus the poop issue. Is SB painful? Can he live a healthy life? I am kinda in the dark on this. Any help would be wonderful!
Jessica
He can live a healthy life...
there are many on here who have SB pups and I'm sure they will give you lots of advice. I helped transport a boy with SB a couple of years ago and he was the happiest boy I've ever seen.
The dimple is a sure sign...
of SB. Atleast that is what I was taught.....And they can live a healthy life.
I suggest sending a message to Miranda Sephton who has had many SB babies before. She also belongs to forums, like BDW, that are all about SB dogs.
Best of luck and thanks for giving him a chance.
There is alot of info to learn that can help him,
First of all, his sounds very mild. Controling his urine is huge, it is really good. That he can feel he has to poop when his stool is firm is also very good, it means he has feeling in those nerves. The main thing is to keep his stool firm. 100% pure canned pumpkin can help with that. This is the cheapest way, there are other ways, but for now this will work and pretty quickly. Even though he can control his urine, a cranberry pill supplement would be good to give him. The only thing different about him is you have to keep his stool firm. I always excercise my dogs about 20-30 minutes after they ate, either a walk or in the backyard. Excercise will help the bowels to empry, then he won't drop any "nuggets" in the house. If he does drop some, atleast if they are firm there will be no mess. When he sleeps, a crate or x-pen would be good, it would contain the nuggets. If he eats an earlier dinner and goes for a walk after dinner and before bed, his bowels should be empty for the night. My guys ate twice a day, but being a puppy he will have to eat more often, but if he walks after every meal, he should still be empty.
Please join the SBbullies yahoo group, everyone there has or has had bullies with SB, and they are a great source of info, you can ask questions, vent, whatever.
Here is the link
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/SBbullies/
Thank u
Thank you for all the information! I will check out the group on yahoo also. Winston also thanks you for putting his mommy at easy :)
Jessica
i have 4 sb 2 girls and 2 boys.....
the main thing is to keep them clean...since you have a boy it is a little easier.. first about peeing...he will lift his leg to empty his bladder but he may as he gets older dribble a little...a belly band works wonders for car rides and trips to other peoples home keeps thing tidy.....my boys go right out for a walk and do a nice job of emptying their bladders....but this is important an sb will leak urine their is no control...you cant teach them as a normale dog to pee only outside...my boys go out...but they also will leak.....pooping i find easier...stay with a grain free food....i feed raw and all my sb poop twice a day with no little turts about the house....you may really want to think about a raw diet ......
depending on were the dimple is...depends on how severs...casper one of my girls has problems walking due to her sb......but she is very active just gets a little wobbley once in a while
many sb dogs are put to sleep....and many bulldog rescues groups will not take them....becasue their so hard to place..it takes work its sometime frustrating...and alot of vets have no idea about sb..so they figure well if i dont no lets put it to sleep....mine dont have any special medical problems than a "normale" bulldog has
sb dogs can live a long healthy life with just a little extra care
daisy is 9 casper is 2 charlie is 4 and henery is only 13 months.....
if you have a question just ask.....
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the information!! This is all new to me, and all the support and information is wonderful! This is my first puppy, and of course wasnt expecting him to have a medical condition. But I love him the same and just want him to live a happy healthy life.
Jessica
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the information!! This is all new to me, and all the support and information is wonderful! This is my first puppy, and of course wasnt expecting him to have a medical condition. But I love him the same and just want him to live a happy healthy life.
Jessica
diet
I am currently feeding him science diet large dog adult food. His vet had us put him on adult food because he said it would help firm up his poop. What does a raw diet for puppies consist of?
Jessica
science diet is a waste...
its a horrible food.....stay on grain free food... a raw diet does not matter if your puppy is a puppy or an adult....it keeps the poop less becasue they absorb everything they need most sb leak poop from grain food....becasue they cannot absord everything in it....thats why i like raw so much...very little poop no leaking of poop....
just keep in mind this never gets better.....he will never be house trained....i will not sugar coat this problem....its a lifetime problem...health wise their fine...bowel wise their messy.....if their is any doubt in your mind you dont want to deal with diapers or belly bands or poop or urine....then contact a rescue...the younger they are they can get adopted faster....and dont feel bad....if this is some thing you cannot handle....
i know of several people wh adpoted a sb and could not handle it.....once your in a routine and i have four its easy...do i mop my floors alot...you bet....i do laundry every single day.....
i refuse to keep them crated 24/7.....i have special throw rugs on my furniture and my bed....
ask alot of questions...here and of yourself is this going to be ok.....
if you want to talk more about a raw diet...either one you make yourself...or a premade one...let me know
Possible help for you
Jessica I have a friend who runs a flat faced dog rescue organization and she has rescued at least one bulldog puppy with spina bifida with great success. If you are interested her name is Kathleen and her website is www.homewardboundrescue.com I know she would be most willing to talk to you if you contact her.
Thank you for the information
Thank you for the information and thoughts. The thought never crossed my mind to give Winston to a shelter. He has been with us for two months and completes our family. I understand that it is going to take more work than the average dog. He has been that way since we picked him up from the breeder. Im pretty use to the laundry over load, and should have probably bought stock in paper towels :). I have never had a dog that has SB, and want to make sure we are doing all we can so he can have a long happy life. When we found out about he condition earlier this week it was scary. We dont know a lot about SB in dogs. But with the help of this website we have learned some great information. I would love to know more about a raw diet. That seems like the healthiest for him.
Jessica
you'll do really good.....
its not the end of the world..but it is a little extra work.....what are your thoughts about a raw diet....their are good pre packaged out their if you have only one dog....i do my own as several other people also do their own...
one thing keep a can of pumpkin on hand...you do not want to let loose stools go to long..... if any of mine get dirrhea its a can of pumpkin to stuff them up.....
just ask any question you need...and we'll all help
Do you know the name of the
Do you know the name of the commerical raw food? This may sound dumb but, how do you make your own? Im going to grab some canned pumpkin to keep on hand, just in case, because I know he will need it sometime :). How much pumkin do you give them when their bowel get loose? Thanks for everything! You have been a great help!
Jessica
their are several
one. is called bravo...then their abady.....another called instinct....call your local pet stores to see what brands they carry i use 1/2 can of pumpkin 2x a day till firm....to start your own raw diet start with chicken thighs....its 80% meat 10% bone 10% organs..... use cod liver tab for your omgeas...
once you have a good idea of what you want to do...we will gt specific...
I have a 2.5yr old bully with SB
YES they can lead normal lives!!
My boy is happy and is in no pain from his SB and it does not slow him down!! However, we have recently found out that due to the SB he has bad hips, knees and degenerative joint disease in his back. He takes an NSAID from my Vet I work for, gets x-rays once a year to check his "progress" and saw an orthopedic specialist who said he's not a surgical candiadate, will live a long life but may need to be in a wheel chair later if his back end goes out.
I am fortunate that he does not have urination or BM issues and cherish everyday that we have with our silly boy! Putting him down was NEVER an option for me, it's quailty of life over quantity and if I get 5 GOOD years vs. none at all I will be very very happy.
He only eats grain free, takes supplements and so far so good!! He has been labled "fragile" which we think is funny because he is anything but!!
Good luck with your kid!!