dog suddenly almost paralysed - need help!

[troy123]

troy today : he s playing a lot... though hard to catch him on cam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL3KipSI3_c

I have fixed the enclosure. was wondering though, since I may not be the first similar case...
is a dog recovering from cervical disc trouble as fragile as I am assuming.. ?
I m so happy to see him getting better, but am extremely worried. he s at a stage where I cannot prevent him from moving, trying to stand up, falling again etc...
he is also very restless and bored. gone are the days where he would lie on his side, not movin for much of the day, except for scrolling his eyes. is it common for recovering dogs to fall as they try to walk again, and hit the walls of the crate as they do so? can their body take it?
for now I m leaving the crate open most times. only closing it to walk the other dogs, then usually back within 10 minutes or so. he has already been out of it, onto the adjacent mattress, back in again. a couple of times.. my concern is to do the best I can till he recovers, as I m afraid that he may be too clumsy and get hurt again.

[CarolC]

I don't have an answer and I've thought about this for 2 days. I saw his video and was impressed, not only because of how much he is moving his head, rubbing his face on the blanket freely, but also that he seems to be doing it pretty strongly. A therapist might be able to tell if he is avoiding certain movements while doing this, I can't tell. I'm sure he knows how much to do, or not to do, and he knows the angles that are part of his range of motion, so if there are any restrictions he is probably avoiding them. I would still complete the full course of rest because my understanding is the risk of relapse is minimized that way. I hope or suppose that if he falls later from stumbling, maybe he will do it in a controlled manner as he has been doing during rest. But when he gets into the dynamic situations of interacting with other dogs and walking in unfamilar places, I suppose there will always be the chance of him falling unexpectedly in an uncontrolled manner, or attempting some move he should avoid, such as climbing up and down rough terrain or something? Or trying to jump out of the car when your back's turned? I don't know if you ever found any kind of harness that would not touch his neck. If you could, then it would let you walk beside him and you could steady him if he trips, especially while you are trying out splints for that one foot, trying to see if different versions of the splint you might try will help or not. This harness is super expensive but it sits well back from the neck, it's actually for guide dogs that lead the blind.
http://leerburg.com/guidedogharness.htm ... 7AodgwMAzw

[troy123]

hi carol, thanks for your reply. I have just bought him this harness, today - http://www.handicappedpets.com/front-ha ... -walk.html
if you think that the one you sent the link of will work better, i ll get it too. my only concern is that the front strap might put pressure on an area that he may be sensitive to. once troy was going to run off the mattress, I held him with the palm of my hand right where the front strap of the harness is, and he screamed in pain.
I ve also got him this, to hopefully help with the knuckling. if this one doesn't help, im getting the one from the link you sent. - http://www.handicappedpets.com/walkin-w ... plint.html

on a positive note... besides the fact that he is driving me nuts.. the pain seems to be gone. yes, I agree with you, he sees to move his neck without trouble at all. I think the only problems (besides the fact that his neck may not hurt, but still be healing and fragile) seem to be nerve related.. and that, I m told, takes longer to heal.

however, he can sit, occasionally does it and looks totally at ease.. sometimes he stands, jumps from a spot to another, as he knows that his paw will give to the weight..
he is moving a lot more around, to the extent that I m keeping the crate closed, and only opening it occasionally, when he s tired and mellow.

this is him this morning... as you can see, his knuckling makes him fall, towards the end of the clip.. but I m so far very pleased with the improvement. and I m hoping that he will keep getting better, with the passing of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCYi1Zgn7bU

once again, thanks for your reply, and best of new year wishes

[CarolC]

That video really made me understand why you wanted the brace that goes up to the ankle. I didn't realize his ankle was folding under like that, I thought it was just his toes. I see why you decided on the full splint. It is extremely cool to see him standing up like that. 8)

This might not be appropriate right now but it might be later, or in any case I think you will find it interesting. Here is what one guy did for his dog with weak ankles.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=10489&p=52633#p52633

On the harness, I guess you will just have to see how it fits him? It looks like you could loosen the forward fastener so there is no pressure. I've said this before but buying a harness for a dog is like buying jeans for humans. We are not all built the same and different brands do not fit the same. Same with dogs. There is no single best harness, there is only the one that works best for the individual dog. I guess you will just have to see how it fits him. Using the harness is probably going to take concentration, because if he starts to fall, the trick will be to help him without causing more problems by checking him unexpectedly when he thinks he is going to go into his controlled fall.

My dog drove me nuts when he was on crate rest because he whined, and we were in a small house and his crate was next to my computer where I wanted to work. Is there anything you can do for yourself to give yourself a little break, even for an hour and a half or an hour and 15 minutes? I don't even mean take the other dogs for a walk, just do something for yourself, all by yourself? Go out to eat or something? You really do deserve a break!

[troy123]

hi carol, thanks again for your post.
it s a bit hard to go out, as I know that troy is problematic when alone.. have to work on that rather slowly.
I am not sure if its me, the way we were always close to him when he couldnt move, and he had never really been left alone for a single moment... till he got better.. maybe, althought well intentioned, the way I dealt with him may have spoilt him, and needs to be undone..
also, could be because of past experience. his previous owner just left and never came back, leaving troy waiting in an empty house, till he was found. so maybe everytime I leave the house empty, it s a deja vu for him... not sure if that may or may not make sense..
whichever the reason, I have been recording, or leaving my girl to watch on him on Skype on the brief moments that I walk the others. I m only leaving for 10/ 15 minutes twice a day... on average. that is, till the 7th of January, when my girl comes back... I start work back on the 8th, and will leave a lot of this up to her then.

I know that he needs to get used to being alone, but I just feel that I can only deal with that once he is totally better, as all the barking and moving around may not be so good as yet. and he doesn't stop barking and howling, for the whole time that I m away..

when I first wrote on this forum, I wasn't sure if troy would have to be put down, or if he would make it. glad to say, so far I think that... even if recovery may or may not be full, things may be looking a bit more optimistic. he s standing up, sitting down, hopping around, and seems to be pain free. ( I have cut off the painkillers, till I see signs that they are necessary). I still treat him like he s fragile, and a extremely aware that the slightest wrong move may send him back to where we started...
but he s really doing great.

once again, thanks a lot for every post . it really did help. I will keep posting regular updates, and let you know how he s doing

[glaska]

Did you manage to find a vet around your area offering laser therapy?
There's more and more cases out there showing that laser therapy really helps with neurological / spinal conditions and speeds up the healing process:
http://veterinarypage.vetmed.ufl.edu/20 ... rd-stroke/
http://www.litecure.com/companion/2013/ ... mention-1/
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/v ... -ivdd.aspx
http://veterinarypage.vetmed.ufl.edu/20 ... rd-injury/
http://triblive.com/lifestyles/morelife ... z2pw26pCOx

My heart goes out for Troy but he must be feeling pretty lucky to have so much love around him at this moment.

Cheers,
Glaska

[troy123]

hi glaska, thank you for the links.
no, I have asked but had no luck yet with laser therapy. was told that the only person doing it locally has left the island. but I am glad you sent the links, troy is, although still in the enclosure, walking and knuckling less. but I will ask about this again, and try to look a bit harder..

thanks

Did you manage to find a vet around your area offering laser therapy?
There's more and more cases out there showing that laser therapy really helps with neurological / spinal conditions and speeds up the healing process:
http://veterinarypage.vetmed.ufl.edu/20 ... rd-stroke/
http://www.litecure.com/companion/2013/ ... mention-1/
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/v ... -ivdd.aspx
http://veterinarypage.vetmed.ufl.edu/20 ... rd-injury/
http://triblive.com/lifestyles/morelife ... z2pw26pCOx

My heart goes out for Troy but he must be feeling pretty lucky to have so much love around him at this moment.

Cheers,
Glaska

[troy123]

I m waiting for troy s harness and splint... will start to try walk him a bit around the house, perhaps to the yard and back - occasionally... as from the 15th of January. i think he would love that! still planning to keep him in the enclosure, but just to help him out. it has already been 8 weeks I think, but being a neck area injury, I think it wont harm to have him rest more. he is already walking, and his wrist folds less as he does so. twice I spotted him fixing it himself, when it bends under him, rather than fall. I am optimistic that he will get even better than this, with the passing of time.

I have other dogs, and often take them out to nice places... however was planning to restrict troy's walking. at least for now.

was thinking of buying him a stroller, something I could easily fold, and take him with me. this wont be soon, but I would love to make him see places that I know he has loved being at before his injury. and I do not wish him to stress, or walk for long periods of time - so was hoping that I could push him for the 'getting there' parts of the walk....

although, as I said, I feel it s too soon for this, I would still appreciate some feedback on whether my thinking is on a right track.. also as to whether some strollers are better,, or more suitable than others etc...

so far this is the one I m mostly into, I think can carry up to 100 lbs : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pet-Gear-Road ... 58aa506d64

I ve read good reviews about this, but its very expensive, and I would have to buy a stroller conversion kit too. not sure if the others can do the job just as good..
http://www.amazon.com/Petego-Comfort-Wa ... fort+wagon

also this one: http://www.handicappedpets.com/help-pet ... oller.html (too small?)

and this one - http://www.amazon.com/Booyah-Medium-Bik ... t+stroller

I was hoping some users may have experience with any (or even other strollers), as I can only buy online prior to seeing, and not locally...

keeping in mind that troy weighs 25kg, or 55lbs...

thanks

[troy123]

so far I have kept troy off painkillers for a couple of weeks now. he has not shown any pain since.
still giving him 3 cynepathic chiens for the liver, daily. and the neurorubine forte every morning. these are the officially prescribed meds.

besides that, also a vitamin supplement pill and flexible joints one daily... and the homeopathic (plumbum), 3 times a day.

on a good note, his liver count (GPT/ALT) was down to 158+ , from 265+. average dog should be between 17-78. although a bit high, it went down by a 107 within a month. and that result was of 14th November, till 16th December, so I m hoping that it is even lower than that, since another month has passed. will post again when I do the test again. if it has gone down another 100, he would be normal, but I cannot be optimistic before having it on paper... just to be on the safe side. although I wanted to share this news, as I m very happy about it.

[CarolC]

he is already walking, and his wrist folds less as he does so. twice I spotted him fixing it himself, when it bends under him, rather than fall. I am optimistic that he will get even better than this, with the passing of time.

That is neat. Wow! He is doing SO well. I agree about giving him every chance to really lock in that healing.

I've never bought a stroller for a larger dog. I have a stroller for my small dog, and the kind I have is the push kind. The advantage of the push kind with Troy is you would be able to observe whether the bouncing is bothering him as you go along. You might be able to put some kind of foam in the bottom to give him a less bouncy ride. You may also be able to improve the angle of his ride by elevating his bottom or his front feet to adjust the angle of his neck as he sits in it. I do like what they say about the one stroller having real air filled tires, less bouncy, but that is a pull stroller, not a push one.

Here is a photo of Bobbie's stroller for her Corgi.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... ler#p91249

Here is an example where someone adapted a human stroller for a dog.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stroller

The stroller I got for my dog is a human stroller. She is riding on a thickly folded quilted comforter for a shock absorber.

[critters]

My sister gave us a stroller, and it's basically an umbrella-type. Baby hates it, but it'd be OK for a little critter. It's pretty cheapy, and I don't think it'd fit a big critter.

Indeed, fixing his knuckling himself is HUGE!!

[glaska]

[quote="troy123"]hi glaska, thank you for the links.
no, I have asked but had no luck yet with laser therapy. was told that the only person doing it locally has left the island. but I am glad you sent the links, troy is, although still in the enclosure, walking and knuckling less. but I will ask about this again, and try to look a bit harder..

thanks

I don't know how these companies operate in the US, but I can imagine a lot of vets are hesitant to buy a unit without some tryout. If you can't find any on your island, perhaps you can contact the laser company and ask if they are taking to any vets in your area. And if there are, you can ask for the name and request the vet to use Troy as a test case? Or maybe they a have a special temporary lease scheme for vets to try out.
These laser company would be happy to have an owner on their side to convince their vet to buy one. Meanwhile, Troy might just end up getting his laser therapy. Even if the vet eventually decided not to buy.

[troy123]

my apologies if I have not been much online lately.

writing mainly to thank everybody for the help and support, also to give an update on troy.
most times he is now acting like a normal dog. I am still restricting his movement, have closed a part of the house off, till I get ramps done, but he is now, for most of the time, out of the enclosure. at night I lift hi upstairs, and again, close the room to sleep next to us. I had previously put a mattress downstairs, on the floor, next to him, but do not feel this is necessary any more. he can get up, go and have some water by himself, then back on his cushion to sleep.
I am not expressing him anymore.. but walking him outside. never for a long walk, 5 minutes maybe.. but he can do his business, without me stressing about it.
I still want him to rest a lot, and hope that he will improve more. when urinating, at times he loses balance and I help him a bit, by supporting him from the chest. not every time, just sometimes.

as soon as I find time, I ll try take and upload a video of him. will post again with more updates.
once again, thank you all for any post, as it was all extremely helpful from your side.

[CarolC]

In a way it seems like there should be a huge celebration that he is out and walking now. But it's like, when do I get to stop holding my breath, you know what I mean? When can a person say, this is solid now? I hope you will continue to update. You probably don't know how special and out of the ordinary this has been, with his condition and the way you have cared for him. Your message thread here is going to be such a help to anyone else in this situation. Any further tips or observations that can be added in the coming months will also be very useful. I would like to know if you are using the splint, or how the foot is doing now. You guys are tops!

[troy123]

hi carol, thanks for your reply.

I know what you mean, and I m still not thinking of him as recovered yet. to be honest, it is hard to know whether each call is a right or a rushed one. and I also wished to ask if you think I m doing a wrong move etc here.
he still stays for most time of day resting, in the crate. the only difference is that now, instead of being expressed etc I m taking him out to do his business. sometimes he still needs help, when he is on 3 legs, and I hold his chest to help with his balance.. at times I let him out to roam a bit around the room, then back in his enclosure... I am restricting his walks, just to do what he needs to do... up the street, then back down, trying not to overdo it, or get him too excited..

yes I will definitely keep you updated about his progress etc, I also sure that I ll be asking more questions as I think troy needs more months to fully recover...
my worst fear is of making him walk when he shouldn't, or straining him while on the way to recovery. that is why I try leave him in the crate for as much as I can.

thank you again for the reply. I will be posting again soon