URGENT! My dog was hit by a car last night.

[CarolC]

This is the first time I've heard of a dog licking all 4 paws, but I'm sure each injury is different. Glad he is doing so well on walks. It's amazing. If the foot isn't knuckling quite as much and he is sort of standing on it somewhat, that sounds like progress. Nerves do heal, but they do it very slowly. If you are seeing improvement this quickly, that's just wonderful. Sometimes healing is so slow you can't really tell anything is changing and it can take months, but healing is occurring all the while.

[critters]

This isn't even a terribly new or unknown use of Neurontin/gabapentin. I just don't understand why they don't know about it.

[LoveMakesTheWorld]

I just wanted to give you all, my angels, an update on my pooch. He is back to his normal self pre-accident. He is running, playing fetch, urinating on his own (even lifting his leg up), eating like normal, and walking like normal. After 3 months, he is finally walking on his front left paw and no longer knuckling it. He will no longer be ever able to go up and down a flight of steps, but this is nothing compared to where he was. Other than that little hindrance, one would never know he was in an accident.

Regarding the paw licking, I did take him to the vet. I was testing him to see if he would recommend the gabbapentin...he never even brought it up until I told him about the recommendations you fine people gave me. I ended up getting the prescription but it didn't work. He was on it for 3 straight weeks and would not stop the paw licking. I have come to accept it is just a neurotic behavior he has. It's been almost 3 months now that he is wearing the cone. I put it on him when he goes to sleep and when I'm at work, otherwise he will lick his paws til he bleeds. He has grown accustomed to it. In fact, the cone is made of clear plastic so he will lick the cone thinking that he is actually licking his paws...this is what leads me to think this is a neurotic behavior. Either way, I can live with it. Just to have him alive and well is a miracle.

So I wanted to thank all of you...my angels...for all your kindness and support and words of hope & encouragement. I could NOT have gotten through this without you. As happy as I am to share my story, I know there are just as many people out there struggling with the pain of their own pet accidents. My advice to them is to never give up hope and never give up on prayer. The support I received from these lovely people, mere strangers I have never met, was enough to carry me through something that could have turned out to be a tragedy. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your love and thank you so much for this forum. May God richly bless and reward each and every one of you. Every time I look at him now, I am reminded of your kindness and am in utter awe of his recovery. It is simply unfathomable.

[Christine]

Wonderful, wonderful news!!

Now, you will be able to give someone else encouragement with your happy ending. I am thinking that at some point, with the help of the cone, he might "grow" out of the paw licking, but, for now this is definitely a harmless alternative.

So, so happy to hear that he is back!

[LoveMakesTheWorld]

Bless your heart, Christine. You were the first person to ever reply to me on this forum and your words literally lifted me up and gave me all the hope I needed. You don't know how grateful I am to you...to all of you.

[Christine]

We sure would love to see a picture of your boy. What is his name? Everyone was so focused on helping him, we didn't have time to ask.

[CarolC]

Regarding the paw licking, I did take him to the vet. I was testing him to see if he would recommend the gabbapentin...he never even brought it up until I told him about the recommendations you fine people gave me. I ended up getting the prescription but it didn't work. He was on it for 3 straight weeks and would not stop the paw licking. I have come to accept it is just a neurotic behavior he has. It's been almost 3 months now that he is wearing the cone. I put it on him when he goes to sleep and when I'm at work, otherwise he will lick his paws til he bleeds. He has grown accustomed to it. In fact, the cone is made of clear plastic so he will lick the cone thinking that he is actually licking his paws...this is what leads me to think this is a neurotic behavior. Either way, I can live with it. Just to have him alive and well is a miracle.

I am sorry you tried the gabapentin and it did not work. I mean I am sorry you spent money on it, only to find it did not work. This is the first time I have ever heard of it not working, but 3 weeks seems like plenty of time. I am not a vet, but I wonder if maybe he needed a higher dose? I guess it could be neurotic, but it still worries me that he is licking the paw of the leg that had nerve injury. It is too much of a coincidence that it is that paw, and he never had a neurotic licking problem before. I am not really convinced the licking is not neurological. I am still afraid he is feeling the pins and needles tingling, and if so, then there is still the risk of self-mutilation. I am sorry to use that word, but it has happened to other dogs. It is worth doing everything possible to avoid it. Several dogs have had to be put down because they chewed so badly, a horrible experience for the dog and the owner to come home to blood everywhere and a dog that can't be saved. I am so sorry to be so graphic. Unfortunately, it does not seem reasonable or possible to our way of thinking as humans, but some of them do not stop, even when it begins to bleed they keep chewing. I know you have the collar on him, but they can get out of a collar (see below). If it was my dog I think I would also ask the vet about the dosage? Was he on a low dose, could you try a higher dose? I have never heard of gabapentin not taking care of this problem. It's only that the consequences can be so great. Here are two posts, and there are more.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12506&p=65005#p65005 (chewed foot off, euthanized)

http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/ ... =4&t=11598 (got out of e-collar, chewed foot nearly off)

For what it's worth, I think it is too soon to say he will never be able to climb steps. Healing from nerve injury continues for months. You are only 3 months post-injury. You will have a better idea at 6 months, but healing will continue after the 6-month point as well. I am so glad to hear how extremely well he is doing. Want you to know I am celebrating with you, even though my posting sounds grim. I'm sorry, I don't think it would be fair to your dog not to give you the complete picture.

If increasing the dose isn't an option, then you might ask the vet if there is some other medication that works for this.

[kaylagreen]

I have read all of the posts and comments regarding the dog that got hit by a car last night. Here is advice and my Dog's story. The advice is this. DO NOT GIVE UP! All things take time but Brain Injuries, which is what my dog has, take lots of time !! But you do need to take action. My dog got hit by a car on the Highway exactly 30 days ago. We thought she was gone but she was alive. She looked like the exorcist dog. Her head was literally twisted backwards. So Horrifying !! We rushed her to the Vet and it was a 50/50 chance she would make it through the night. We left her there for the night and came and got her the next afternoon. She could not walk and was deaf and blind. She did recognize the smell of her collar which we picked up off of the highway, and she knew who we were. She just cried and cried. Shockingly, No broken bones or injured organs that they could tell from x-rays. Some road rash on her feet and cuts on some legs was all. To get her to a MRI would be a 3 hr drive ( I live in the sticks) and lots of money I do not have so we did our best.

First of all you HAVE to force feed your dog. And you need to do this ASAP. Get a feeding syringe from the vet. I fed my dog grass fed raw liver blended in my blender. Keep it in a jar and feed her little bits all day long. I also fed her re-hydrated raw food mixed with a raw egg and cod liver oil. STINKY but She Loves it !! Our store has a brand called "I love and love and love you" but there are others. Your dog needs brain food and healing food which is good fats and raw meat. My poor dog just had a hand in her face every few hours because she could not see and soon she was sucking on the syringe. Also she did not poop for a week !! Poor Dog. I helped her walk with a towel under her tummy for a sling. Within a few days she could walk but only in a small circle. Heart breaking !! I had cushions and pillows protecting her from hard surfaces because she walked into everything and would just stand there. Could not figure out how to back up. I was heartbroken. I read all I could and talked to friends who had been through similar situations and the answer was ALWAYS keep doing what you are doing and give her TIME. Fortunately I am retired so I literally held her in my arms on the floor for 4 nights so she would not walk in circles, and sat with her those 4 days. I walked next to her and made her walk straight and after a few days the circles were bigger. After 4 days she ate raw hamburger out of my hand!!! I made little raw meat balls of hamburger and cod liver oil for her. Then she started to regain her hearing and then her sight. She sat on command one day and I cried happy tears. Then she could walk straight and see good enough to stop walking into stuff. It has been 30 days today and she is almost back to her old self. She does not run as much yet and she is a little confused as to where noise is coming from but she is coming back !! She can eat on her own, knows where her dish is and goes in out her doggie door now and up and down 7 steps on the front porch. She plays a little till she is tired and waits at 5 p.m. every day for family members to come home from work. Just like she used to do. Very sweet. She saw and chased a bird the other day. Little by little she is better every day. I know it will still need time but she is on her way !!

I am back in my bed and she is back to her routine. I would have never believed a Dog in such bad shape could make it to her almost old self. She does not bark any more but maybe it will come back.

Putting her down was a real consideration, but she is happy and loved so we are very glad we put in the time and effort instead.

I hope this gives you hope I hope your dog makes a full recovery .

[critters]

kaylagreen!

[LoveMakesTheWorld]

Agree, welcome, kaylagreen! I think reading these posts kind of retraumatized me but looking at my pooch now, who is alive, well, and back to his normal self, fills me with so much thanksgiving and gratitude. I don't know what I would have done without the support of all of you. Kayla, I hope your pooch is doing well. We are here for you if you need anything!