Help Needed: advice for paralyzed dog mom

[Anna]

My dog Dylan has been in the hospital for 3 weeks with a spinal cord injury and we are at the point where we are trying to decide whether to put him down or try to bring him home. I'm not sure what to do, because he has made baby steps of progress but not enough for the doctors to think he can recover. He only has one good front leg and cannot put weight on any other legs. He is showing some reflexes now, and he kicks a little when I try to leave. I feel like he is trying to fight and get better, but I am not sure I can help him with rehab on my own. He is a shephard mix that is over 80 pounds and we live in a second story apartment. I don't know if I am strong enough to flip him on my own every four hours, and I don't know if getting up in the middle of the night to flip him is something I can handle long term... It breaks my heart, but I know my boy wants to walk/run/play in the grass, not just lay on his side for the rest of his life. The cost of the 3 weeks of hospitalization has already been way more than I can afford (he is at a specialty place), and I am worried that trying rehab, continuing meds, getting a wheelchair, etc. will be beyond what I can do. Can anyone give me an idea of the how much time and money they have spent in getting a large dog to recover from paralysis (able to walk again)? Any advice or insight that would help me make this decision would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Anna

[Karen Hudgin]

We are going through the same thing. The stress of the emotional burden and the stress of the financial burden alone is enough to give up. Talking to different people on this site has given me the strength to carry on. All of these people have gone through similar situations and they all seemed to have grown stronger. The only advise that I can offer at this point is....the best thing I have done since this ordeal started is to have brought Paisley home. I don't know how it is going to work out as we are living minute by minute, but the difference in her brightness, happiness, and overall being bringing her home was worth all of it. It has outweighed all of the burdens all together. She watches birds fly over, a squirrel on the roof, the other dogs on the street, and that blasted cat sulking around the corner! Keep strong we are all in this with you.

[Christine]

Dear Anna,

Welcome...don't know how you found this board, but I believe in "no coincidences". My Bailey is blind and I had a short term experience with a problem affecting her walking which just ripped my heart out. Just read through the couple of posts below your letter. Friend2Dogs and Beth and Cindi know your world. There are many other wonderful members of this group with babies needing this kind of care. They are filled with information and compassion...they will help you and be a source of support. You have come this far..it feels like you have made your decision and you just want to know that you can really do it. I know you are exhausted and emotionally drained right now..please know that this place is one huge shoulder to place your head. Your baby sounds like a fighter who definitely wants to be with you. You will be hearing from those who really know..give it some more time..look into your heart and know that miracles happen every day. Here's a hug for you and a kiss on the nose for your baby.

Love,

Christine and Bailey

[CarolC]

Hi Anna,

It is difficult to give a firm answer on the amount of time required for recovery, because each case is different. I am not trying to be Pollyanna, but your dog's case does sound hopeful to me. I am not a vet, but I have a paralyzed dog who learned to walk again. The fact that your dog is kicking his legs when you get ready to leave sounds like he is improving a lot. Many people do not see that kind of progress in 3 weeks, so your dog is doing well.

You do not say what caused his paralysis, and that makes a big difference in the answer about his recovery. Was it a disk injury, a spinal stroke (FCE), a fracture? Also, where is the spinal injury located, is it in his neck or back?

Also, you did not mention whether he has bladder control. If he has bladder control, then there is no question (to me) you should give him more time. If he does not, he may still regain control, and some extra bladder care in involved.

Here is a link for you to look at. It gives instructions on how to flip your dog. In fact, it shows a German shepherd. It should not be hard for an average person, but I do not know your limitations. I guess you will have to judge whether you think you can do it. (I am sorry, I do not know your age or state of health, whether you have back problems, heart problems, etc.) By the way, if you click this link and it says something about ActiveX, I just close the pop-up and ignore it.

How to turn your dog

Also, having a very soft orthopedic bed like a Beaslely will mean there is less need to turn him so often.

Wheelchairs are several hundred dollars, however they do not recommend getting one until at least 6 weeks after the injury, to give more time to heal. If you are handy, or know the right person, you can make your own wheelchair and save money. There are examples and instructions on this website.

For rehab you would probably want a walking harness. A good one will be around $75. I have a really good one for my golden retriever and it cost about $90 but worth every penny.

The fact that you live in a second floor apartment is a slight problem if you were planning to take him outside. You can always just potty him indoors until he is better. That is what I would do.

There was another person here who had a dog that was down, and only one front leg was good. Hopefully she will be along soon to respond to your question. She was determined to help her dog and he did make a good recovery, but I remember she was in exactly your shoes at one point, with her dog in the hospital and she didn't know if she should bring him home because she didn't know if she could handle him.

If I think of something else, I will add it later. I hope you will post back to explain what caused his injury. Best wishes to you!

[Cindidoxiemom]

Hi Anna...Welcome to both you and Dylan,
First let me begin by telling you that you are NOT alone. I have four doggers doodle doos, and two of them have been paralyzed, one still is. The key is getting into a routine and having the right tools to make things easier on you. It can be done. Now, what kind of spinal injury does Dylan have? Oscar, my youngest dachshund JUST regained deep pain and movement about two weeks ago. This was 8 months post op. I have to express him 3-4 times a day to keep his bladder empty , and we do therapy, but in total, it is only about 30-40 minutes of care time. I have his care down to a science. I remember when he first came home from the hospital I was so overwhelmed...scared...and didn't know how I was going to take care of him. I am single and have to do it all on my own. Trust me...over time things DO GET EASIER. Just stay strong...realize there is going to be a learning curve and prepare.
Please let us know some further information:
Type of spinal injury?
Bladder/bowel control?
Eating and drinking?
Meds?
Treatement while in the hospital?
It is going to be ok.
HUGS,
Cindi

[Stephanie]

The fact that he is trying to fight and get better just says it all. He wants to live and he knows he is going to get better. Living on a second story will be an adjustment, but if it were a human, you would adjust for them, no questions asked. When we adopt our babies, we promise them to take care of them no matter what. My Tama, who passed away just a few days ago, tragically and totally preventable, had a spinal stroke and was paralyzed. It took awhile, but within a month or two, he was walking again. Very labored at first, but eventually he was running. He was always crooked, but he still enjoyed living. He did not care that his hind end could not keep up with the front end that well, so he adjusted. Just like your baby will. You will adjust. It will get easier and easier. Eventually, he may even go up and down the steps himself. Just stand behind him when going up, sometimes they get a good running start, but halfway, they lose their momentum, that is where Mom comes in. He won't be able to scratch his ears, make sure you itch him. Also,watch for fleas. He won't be able to itch, so watch for those fleas that will eat him up.

Keep your hopes up, you'll be wonderfully surprised.

Stephanie Missy and forever Tama

[Rita]

Question to Carol C.,

How does one potty a big dog inside? (I may need to know sometime.......)

Thanks,

Rita

[Anna]

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging words. My husband and I are truly torn about what to do, because we love our dog, but the financial part has caused us some stress and we don't want to put our dog through the pain and unhappiness of not being able to move and go through exercises if there is no hope of him recovering. The doctors say there is little chance of recovery now, since the spinal injury happened during a fall from the second floor and there was no signs of damage except swelling, bruising of the spinal cord (no disk damage, no fractures, no other injuries). They feel that after three weeks, the swelling should be down and our dog should be doing more if he is recovering (like standing wobbly or trying to stand), but he cannot get up or do much with his legs... they believe the injury was in the neck, since most of his legs are affected, and that's where they saw the bruising on the MRI.

Bladder/bowel control? As far as we know, his bladder and bowel control are not perfect, but manageable (he has a little of both). They tell us that he urinates on his own now, but doesn't completely empty his bladder, and he has bowel movements, but not that often.

Eating and drinking? Eating and drinking are both good. He is alert, happy to see me and eats and drinks well when I visit him. This is what makes me feel like he wants me to take him home (along with the kicking and barking when I leave)

Meds? he's on prednisone, a painkiller, an antibiotic and antacid.

Treatement while in the hospital? he gets his meds, is turned every four hours, and gets some form of physical therapy every day. We tried giving him hydrotherapy a week ago, but he was scared to death of the water and didn't do much. So now we just stick to electrical stimulation of his back leg muscles, range of motion exercises and massage, and standing on an exercise ball to help him learn to put weight on his front and back legs.

What worried me yesterday is that the doctor showed me which reflex he is looking for when my dog is on the ball, and that my dog doesn't have it. He turns his paws inward as the ball rolls forward instead of popping them out flat to put weight on them. The doctor told me that was a sign of nerve damage because it should be an automatic reflex. So that gave me the impression that recovery was less likely.

The doctors and physical therapists have been open and honest, telling me that 5 percent of dogs in Dylan's condition are able to recover, and only time can tell us if he can or not. They are less optimistic about his chances now though, since his progress has been so small after 3 weeks (not trying to stand or put weight on his front legs, he only lifts his head from the neck up).

I appreciate hearing about your experiences.
Thanks again, Anna

[Cindidoxiemom]

Anna~
Thank you for your honesty and answering my questions. I understand your concern about the financial aspect of all of this. I don't think I have ever shared this on this board, but I am a single, teacher (so you know my income is bad..LOL) and in one year, between Oscar and Hunter's IVDD I spent over 10k. YIKEEEESSSS I know. I again...I truly do understand. I think the fact that he is eating and drinking are good signs. Your Vet/Therapist seem to be doing standard treatment for neuro injury's. The only think I disagree with is prognosis. Again...Oscar showed NO signs of movement until 8 months after his surgery. Nerves can form new paths. I would at least bring him home and give it a month or two to see how both of you are handling things. Please understand also that so many of us have paralyzed dogs that are living Wonderful lives. Let him try, we will be here to help in any way we can! Also there are quad carts to help with mobility for puppers just like yours. http://www.eddieswheels.com/index.html
Hang in there!
Cindi

[kruzen55]

hi,

the surgeon that performed molly's disc rupture said there was no chance for her to ever walk again and that i should order a wheelchair if we wanted to keep her. we ordered the chair and she wanted nothing to do with it. the doc did all the tests about folding over her back paws and her not righting them back. he did the deep pain sensation test-she failed. he said no hope for her.

well, it took 6 weeks of her laying to finally just move her tail to the one side. once.

now 7 months later, molly is running, playing, eating, drinking, barking and being just plain rambuncous. far from what the surgeon said her prognosis is.

we've got the bodily functions under control, she was in diapers for 2-3 months, now we express her about every 1-1.5 hours and pump her little butt to get her to poop.

the only things she can't do now, is jump on the couch, go up stairs (even though she did do it once about 2 weeks ago)....

she is such a joy.

i have a few videos out on www.youtube.com, you can search under...molly movie; molly movie part two and a video on how i express her bladder and anal gland.

check them out and you'll see how well she is doing. she proved the vet wrong and your can to, please if you can give her a chance.
susan

[connie]

like the others, i too have a paralyzed pet. my cricket( a yorkie mix) had a rupured disk in nov. last year. he had the surgery, thanks to a vet that is letting me pay him out monthy. but he didn't have much hope for his recovery. in fact 2 days before i brought him home, vet called saying he thought it would be humane to put him down. then the next day he called saying that overnight cricket got better. still said he'd never get deep pain and walk ever. well he is till not normal, but he spinal walks, runs like the wind, plays ball, whatever he wants to do. but like susans molly, he can't jump up on sofa and bed anymore. ( at least not yet) lol. he had to be crated 6 weeks to heal, all he could do was raise his head up. but we worked so hard, doing P.T. and just little exercises. i cried all the time, almost drove vet crazy, saying I CAN'T DO THIS. but time helped, i took one day at a time, and took lessons from cricket. i thought if he was willing to work so hard, i could at least try. so here we are, healthy and happy little boy, maybe never normal again, but he acts like he isn't different than other dogs. i agree with others, at least give it a try. i have no one to help me with cricket, everyone thought i was a fool to go into debt and do this. but i have no regrets. i come home , he is at the door, ready to give me wet sloppy slurps , they are worth gold to me. . you are not alone. this site saved me i think. one night after cricket came home , i was so upset and crying, i got online just to see if there was someone out there like me going through that. and i found this site of marks. that man will be blessed forever for this site.
we are here for you, keep us informed on how your baby does. you and your fur kid will always me in my prayers. remember that miracles do happen, no matter what vets say. i have 2 vets that are amazed right now. lol
i also have a video of cricket at www.youtube.com
in video search type in" another walking video of cricket". sorry this was so long! good luck!!

hugs,

connie and cricket

[mohana]

hi believe in ur dog and ur ability 2 help ur dog get wel.Iv been thru great trauma with one of my cats.Wen i got her sterelisd she totaly lost use of one of her hind legs.my vet who is 2 gud was most upset she organsd 4 snr vets,homeopaths etc.eventually she discoverd a physiotherapist (human) who was very fond of animals,and does a lot of work with spastic childrn and animals.my cat tuch now jumps up on2 my wardrobe and down.all it needs is perseverance and a gud physiotherapist.
take care
all the best with ur dog.
make sure u do the xrcises ur physio tels u re ur dog.ALL THE BEST. (wat i meant was make sure u do it regurlarly.thats the only cure!

[CarolC]

Hi Rita,

It works to potty the dog in bed. If he is 80 lbs, you can put extra large incontinent pads under him. You can cause a dog to evacuate the bowel by using bowel management techniques as shown on the bowel management page. Even if the dog has bowel control, you can still use the technique to time the movements.

Bowel management

Believe me, if you just drop a kleenex over the mess as soon as it appears, it cuts the smell in the house way down, it's not as bad as you might think.

As for the bladder, male wraps would be a good choice. They will keep his bed dry. It sounds like he has some bladder control. Here is an article on diapers and male wraps.

Diapers and male wraps

Later if he becomes able to walk with assistance, it might work to potty him on the balcony rather than trying to negotiate 2 flights of stairs. I'm not sure what kind of balcony the apartment has.

Rita, do you live in a walk-up and have a big dog who is failing? How soon do you think he will go down, and do you need to make other preparations?

[CarolC]

I'm sorry, but your reply below will not open up, would your write it again and I will read it tomorrow. Thanks!