# Update on Lucy!



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

First off, I want to thank you all for your kind support when Lucy was not doing well a few weeks ago. Lucy is our first maltese we bought as a pet and she is a huge member of our family, so this was pretty traumatic on us all.

3 weeks ago, Lucy suddenly had problems using her rear legs with shaking and restlessness and by the time I got her to the vet, she could not walk without falling over and she had very delayed reflexes in the rear. My vet immediately wanted us to see a neurologist and thanks to Pam and her recommendation for the wonderful vet who treated her Lola, we were sent in the absolute right direction (I live in the middle of california so it was going to be a drive to either northern or southern cal where the specialists are) and 10 minutes after leaving my vet office, I was on my way to Los Angeles to take Lucy to Animal Specialty Group.

An MRI showed she had an acute disc herniation that was putting pressure on her spine, causing the inability to use her rear and had emergency surgery to fix it. We stayed in LA for 4 days and brought her home and now she is on strict crate rest for 3 more weeks, but she is doing SOO much better. She can walk now but still has residual weakness and I'm not sure if that will improve but it's better than total paralysis, which is what she was facing if it hadn't been taken care of.

The scary thing is - I have no idea what triggered it. She was mad because she was left at home for a weekend and hauled her little butt up the stairs to run into my bedroom and I think that is what did it. So lesson learned - stairs are no longer in Lucy's future!

Here are some pics - some might be hard to look at so I apologize.










This is Lucy about 6 months ago, after being my daughter's show dog for 6 years. Lucy is now 8 years old.










And Lucy with my daughter in December at the AKC/Eukanuba National championship (where they were 1 of 12 finalist out of a group of 160 juniors)












When I finally got to visit her after the surgery












the day I brought her home from Los Angeles






















Here she is after day 14 when we went back down to LA to get her staples out and have a recheck












Staples coming out meant she could have a bath - so she had one  












And now we are at 3 weeks post - op and she is doing soooo much better. She is her usual slothy self so it's not too hard to keep her contained but she gets into her little moods and tries to run around when she has a potty break, which i have to put an end too very quickly. 










And her incision is healing very well. All in all, it could have been MUCH worse and I'm so glad to have Lucy acting her usual self!


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Omg, yes, some of those pictures were really hard to look at...but it was okay when we came to the ones that showed healing. She will be completely well soon, and I am so glad.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm so glad that Lucy is doing better and praying that she will eventually be 100%. 

Big surgery (and scar) for such a little girl.

Lucy -- you are such a special fluff.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Lacie's Mom said:


> I'm so glad that Lucy is doing better and praying that she will eventually be 100%.
> 
> Big surgery (and scar) for such a little girl.
> 
> Lucy -- you are such a special fluff.


I hope she will be 100 percent! But I will take where we are at now - she walks with her tail up and top line level(ish), that is better than she was, that is for sure. Stairs will not be in her future again, that is for sure. She is not one who jumps up and down furniture so it's pretty easy to keep her quiet and contained.




Sylie said:


> Omg, yes, some of those pictures were really hard to look at...but it was okay when we came to the ones that showed healing. She will be completely well soon, and I am so glad.


Yes, she just sits there looking at me with her little grin on her face. She doesn't look like a frankensloth anymore, thank goodness!


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

Wow--so sorry you had to go through that--so frightening. Interestingly, With my other dog, I had to go overnight to NY for my dad's funeral and it was the first time I had left him--he always traveled with me. He ended up with a slipped disc from stress and possibly jumping on/off the bed--at least that's what the doctor said. I wonder if it was a combination of stress not just the steps for Lucy? I guess you'll never know, but at least she's on the road to recovery. 

She looks really alert--the hair will grow back in no time and she'll be back to her old self!


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Oh Stacy! I am so happy to see how well she is doing. My goodness that was scary. She is a trooper. :tender:


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Very, very happy that this episode turned out as well as it has! Lucy is a very dear girl and I am so happy to see her looking so much better!!


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## chichi (Apr 12, 2007)

[/SIZESo glad little Lucy is doing better, hopefully she will be as good as new really soon.


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## MalteseObsessed (Mar 7, 2010)

Wow, what a traumatic experience. Happy ~~ Thrilled she is healing so wonderfully!


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Stacy, I am so happy that Lucy is doing so well. I hope that you and your daughter are doing okay as well. It is very traumatic to go through such an ordeal.
My first Malt, Molly, had the same surgery. She had sudden paralysis due to a ruptured disc. One thing that really helped with her recovery was physical therapy. We did underwater treadmill therapy once a week, and also would have her walk in the bathtub a few times a week at home. It really helped her to make a full recovery. You could consider talking to a veterinary physical therapist to see if there is anything they would recommend for her to help with healing. Just a thought.
Lots of love to little Lucy! :wub:


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

kd1212 said:


> Wow--so sorry you had to go through that--so frightening. Interestingly, With my other dog, I had to go overnight to NY for my dad's funeral and it was the first time I had left him--he always traveled with me. He ended up with a slipped disc from stress and possibly jumping on/off the bed--at least that's what the doctor said. I wonder if it was a combination of stress not just the steps for Lucy? I guess you'll never know, but at least she's on the road to recovery.
> 
> She looks really alert--the hair will grow back in no time and she'll be back to her old self!


Oh sorry that happened to your other dog! It is so scary to go through. Lucy doesn't jump so i know it wasn't anything too traumatic, which only makes it harder to figure out what happened. All I know is she was fine when I got home, took off in a snit and ran up the stairs to my room, waited for me to lift her on the bed then about half hour later, was shivering in the pillows. I thought she had an upset tummy or something.

Lucy has only been able to enjoy a short haircut for less than a month before this happened (had been in full show coat for 6 years) so the hair growing back isn't too difficult to deal with! 



silverhaven said:


> Oh Stacy! I am so happy to see how well she is doing. My goodness that was scary. She is a trooper. :tender:


I am so relieved she is feeling better!! I don't like it when my dogs are sick 



pammy4501 said:


> Very, very happy that this episode turned out as well as it has! Lucy is a very dear girl and I am so happy to see her looking so much better!!


Thank you again sooo much, Pam, for everything! Now my vet office has someone specific to send patients too that need neuro or ortho! 



chichi said:


> [/SIZESo glad little Lucy is doing better, hopefully she will be as good as new really soon.




thank you so much!



MalteseObsessed said:


> Wow, what a traumatic experience. Happy ~~ Thrilled she is healing so wonderfully!


yes, definitely a learning experience!


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

Stacy:

I think you'll probably never know--like me with Trevor. He didn't run up steps, but the next day was in obvious pain--I guess both are not explainable, but thank God she's okay and he was too. Hair grows back quickly and I'm glad she's got the short cut coming in--she'll be back to full coat before you know it!

Kim


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I am so happy Lucy is recovering well!:chili::wub: As you know, I went through this with my Rose(age 7)...hers was sudden also...I don't let her run up and down the stairs anymore, either..she has 3 discs in her spine that are affected that caused weakness in her hind end...fortunately hers did not require surgery...I hope it stays that way..again so happy about Lucy..she is utterly adorable...and look how quick her hair is growing back!:wub:


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## doggyluver5 (Feb 1, 2013)

Stacy, I am so sorry you, your daughter and your adorable little Lucy had to go through such a traumatic time. The pics were hard to look at especially after the one where she was in the ring in full show coat and looking so healthy only 6 mo. ago. I am glad she is getting better little by little and soon I'm sure she will be back to her old self! Hugs to all.


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## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

Ouch! Poor little thing. I am glad she is doing better and definitely lessons learned!


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

I remember the pics from a few weeks ago and yes, they are hard to look at! But she is healing so well. Hopefully she will be 100 % before long.


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## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

I'm so glad to see little Lucy is doing better & on the road to a great recovery.


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## Brick's Mom (Apr 19, 2014)

So nice to see her little tail UP in the pictures. So glad she is doing well. What a little trooper.


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

Stacy I am so happy to see little lucy looking so good. It's so hard on us when they have something wrong with them and they don't understand why they are hurting. A few months ago Pipper had to have bladder surgery for stones. I know this is nothing compared to back surgery but just the same, I had to leave him in a strange place with strange people when he wasn't well and it just about broke my heart. I had wished so bad that I could have taken the pain for him. It's just so hard to see them hurting and I've also been told that these stones have a high rate of recurrance so I'm so worried he will have to go through this again. I hope Lucy never has any more problems with her back.


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Oh my, she is so loved by you. It is so hard to look at those pictures. Glad she is getting better after the surgery. Things can happen so fast. On day all is good, the next not so good. It is so scary, Here is hoping she recovers quickly.


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Stacy, thank you for the update. I'm so happy to hear that Lucy is doing so much better that her tail is up! It's so traumatic when any of our precious fluffs are in pain. Both of mine run up and down the stairs in our house, so it's scary to think about how this could hurt them in the future. As I keep getting older, the thought of living in a stair free home is very appealing! 

Praying that Lucy continues to heal and surpasses all expectations.


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

I was wondering how Lucy was doing just this morning and am SO happy to hear she's healing well! What an ordeal for you guys...Hugs!!!

I'm so glad you found someplace wonderful to take her and I will keep them on my list as well, just in case. I'm thankful that we have the resources of SM to help guide us through some of the rough spots.


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## socalyte (Nov 15, 2010)

Stacy, I am so sorry that you had to go through that! I know how difficult having major surgery like that is on everybody. I'm very glad Lucy is through the worst of it....she's such a precious little girl. I'll continue keeping her in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Stacy - I'm so glad that Lucy is improving. Such a huge scare and so much to go through but we all knew you would go to the ends of the earth to make things better for her. Happy that it's all paying off. :grouphug:


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

Oh my--- What an ordeal for her and for you. And I know how attached Marina is to that little angel. I'm happy to hear that Lucy is doing so well. And, like the others have said, hair grows back. She STILL has that adorable face. :wub:


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I am so glad she's doing better and amazed at how well she's healed...wonderful!! I had to go fast over the pics, I did see the first one you posted previously so I thought they were similar. Which is ok, but I knew they were hard to see and I'm sure this was all hard for you all to go thru. Thankfully she's on the mend.


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

I did not know about the trauma poor little Lucy went through. The last pictures you posted of her looks really good. Her expression to me looks as if she is feeling better. I am so happy that all went well.

I know more than one person who has used pet massage on their pets that have trouble walking. I have not tried this so don't have experience to tell you if it is a good idea or not so good.

Rylee is a little rascal. She hates bath day and gets mad at me and will ignore me for the rest of the day. She becomes my husband's best friend.

Praying for Lucy to have a complete recovery.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

So happy that Lucy is doing so much better. Hopefully it will get to 100%. We don't have any stairs in the house, but just the few Charlie uses to get on the couch is enough to scare me sometimes. He runs down on them like crazy when he hears something. I am always afraid he will hurt himself.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Aww she looks so precious , we're all sooo glad she's doing so well... keep us updated on how she's doing. Such happy news that she's up and about and healing. I know how scary it is. We went through it with Amber, Bits and Sasha, so far no surgery yet. but terrifying hen they can't move their back legs and they fall over and you don't know what's wrong...


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## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

I'm really happy to hear that Lucy is healing so well. Poor little one, it's heartbreaking to see them in pain. Sending good thoughts to you all that she continues to heal nicely!


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## love is yuki (Mar 22, 2012)

Oh my goodness. So tragic. Such scary pics. Thank you for sharing. Shes so beautiful still!


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## jane and addison (Nov 1, 2012)

Poor little thing. Pray she is improving day by day. So beautiful.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

Stacy we need another update, prayers for beautiful Lucy


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

L...........Little Lucy, we hope you feel much much better:smootch:

U..........Unfortunate experience:smheat:

C..........Cutie patutie doesn't like stairs anymore:no2:

Y..........Yes, we are all glad she is recovering:Sunny Smile:





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