Paralysis in both hind legs

Orthopedic/Arthritis: Problems associated with joints, bone, and connective tissue, and CH (cerebellar hypoplasia), or brain damage.
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MichelleSara1
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Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2020 5:22 am

Paralysis in both hind legs

Post by MichelleSara1 »

Hi I’m new to this group and so glad I found it .. I live in the U.K. and my dog only recently became paralysed New Year’s Day after chasing his ball understandably I’ve been devastated es got me through so much in the 7 years I’ve become his mum .. he owes me nothing but I owe him so much for his loyalty and love for being my family and best friend .. my question is he’s 3 weeks on since his accident he was totally paralysed no activity in any of his legs I’ve been in tears watching him shuffle about ..my vet wanted to put him to sleep on day one I’m not ready to say goodbye Im a very determined person so determined I’m hoping he’ll walk again ... 3 weeks on he’s now feeling pain in both his feet , tail only slight movement he’s also having muscle spasms when doing leg exercisers .. I would love to know everyone’s opinions hes even nibbling his feet quite a lot .. is this all a good sign or is it just me hoping .. Michelle
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My gorgeous boy Monty
My gorgeous boy Monty
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CarolC
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Re: Paralysis in both hind legs

Post by CarolC »

Hi MichelleSara1,

Yes, he's a gorgeous dog. You did not mention a diagnosis, did your vet do any tests?

Without knowing any test results but going by the description of how it happened playing ball, and seeing his feeling is coming back, it kind of sounds like a spinal stroke (FCE or fibrocartilaginous embolism). If it was, the vast majority of dogs with FCE will recover and go on to live normal lives. The physio you are doing will help.

You will want to do something about the chewing right away. The theory is, it is like when we humans sleep on our arm and it goes numb, then it tingles like crazy when it starts to wake back up. As his feeling is returning, he may be feeling a pins and needles sensation or some similar nerve sensations that are really bothering him, so he will lick and chew to try to address it.

Unfortunately, some dogs have self-mutilated from this problem, chewing off toes, private parts, and very sadly I know of 3 dogs who had to be put down because they did so much damage before the owner knew it had happened. You can't be home to watch him every minute, and you can't stay awake every night.

The solution is a medication called gabapentin. I would explain the chewing to the vet and ask for a prescription right away. You don't want him to injure himself. Chewing is a phase some dogs go through during recovery. It is not likely to be permanent but he is experiencing these funny feelings right now as his nerves are recovering.

In the past before they discovered the usefulness of gabapentin for this, people tried other solutions, such as putting the dog in a cone collar, wrapping the feet, putting a bitter tasting spray or gel on to discourage chewing, but none of these are really effective. Dogs tend to chew in spite of Bitter Apple or Yuk-2-E, and they can get out of a cone collar and remove bandages, so I strongly recommend asking the vet about the medication. However, if you have a cone collar at home, I would put him in it temporarily till you can get the medication started, it is better than nothing.

:collar:

If your vet did tests or gave you a diagnosis, I'd love to hear what he said. It sounds like your dog is on the road to recovery, and you have good reason to be optimistic.

:group:
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critters
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Re: Paralysis in both hind legs

Post by critters »

:whale: I couldn't agree more about stopping the chewing, and one of my boys had to take gabapentin several times until the nerves settled down. He, too, was chewing.
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