Need help and advice please.

[carn1]

Hi,

We have a beautiful 2 and a half year old pug called Doris who suffered a stroke in the early hours of Saturday morning.
We have been told she is completely paralyzed in her back legs and that this is permanent. Also she will have to have her urine expressed as you can imagine this is a massive shock to us and we are all devastated. We 100% want to take her home and believe we can look after her and we would really like some advice and suggestions.
At the moment it feels like the end of the world please can somebody give us some positive advice and some hope.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
The Carnie family.

[marilynb]

This is not the end of the world, I know how you feel, I have been there. Is your dog on pain meds and steroids? My doxin was paralysed for two and a half years. He walks , although his legs shake quite a bit. He has no control of his urine or bowels. I keep him in a male wrap for his urine,and I feed him so his stools are firm. The best thing you can do for your dog as of now is make sure he is on these meds and that you crate him so he isn't walking around dragging himself and getting worse. the crating should last at least six weeks. I know this sounds like a long time, but this is what is best for your dogIf he can pee and poop on his own you can take him out for that and then put him back in his crate. Your dog is not doomed even if he is still unable to walk or go to the bathroom on his own. There are carts that are used for this purpose. If the dog can't go to the bathroom by himself, you can express him. the vet can show you how to do this. Don't panic if you are unable to do it at first, have the vet keep showing you how. It took me several times to be shown. once you are able to do it , you will realize how easy it is. Good luck to you, I hope I have helped. Hang in there, it really isn't the end of the world.

Marilyn and Wally

[CarolC]

Hi carn1,

Something like this is always so unexpected, suddenly you are dealing with something you barely knew existed. Can you please clarify, did they say it was a regular stroke (in the brain) or was it a spinal stroke? Did anyone use the term FCE? Is it more on one side, or equally on both sides? You are lucky you are dealing with a small dog, it will be easier to care for her. Before you bring her home the vet will need to show you how to empty her bladder. There is a lot of great information on that in this article (and videos at the end):

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawik ... dog_or_cat

Would you like information on getting things set up at home for her? Do you have any questions that you are especially wondering about at this point? Just ask! Chances are there is someone here with exactly the answer you need.