Onset Paralysis

Neurological Disorders Resources. Treatment and care for pets having pain or trouble walking or standing due to spinal injuries or neurological disorders like IVDD, FCE and DM.
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CarolC
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by CarolC »

Here are links to some products for knuckling. Most people manage without them, and they are a little pricey, but it's nice to know they exist. The first one says it is only to be used a few minutes at a time. The second one has been around a long time and must be ordered by your vet or rehab facility. The third one has also been around a long time.

https://www.handicappedpets.com/no-knuc ... ning-sock/

https://www.therapaw.com/standard-hindl ... lex-assist

https://orthopets.com/product/orthopets-toe-up-device/

https://alpha-mobility.com/shop/balto-d ... e-bt-pull/

https://maximusskates.com/shop/1-pawsup

https://www.walkaboutharnesses.com/prod ... -walkaboot

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13006
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critters
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by critters »

Thanks. He was a sweet boy too.
pbj_33
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by pbj_33 »

You guys are amazing.

We have done several of the exercises that were shared!

When we did the treat under the leg, Kujo struggled a little at first. I attempted to show him what I was trying to get him to do by placing the treat under his foot & then tickling his toes which would cause him to move his foot. Maybe if we continue to do this, he will start picking it up on his own.

We have a small paint brush that we use to tickle his toes, as well. I know he probably hates it, but it definitely gets his legs moving. My boyfriend was a little hesitant to use his toothbrush on Kujo's toes so we got a cheap one from the dollar store.

We are going to the pool again today & we had a friend mention a holistic vet who practices acupuncture. I'm not sure how helpful things like that might be or if any of you had heard of someone using acupuncture before. I don't want him to be a test dummy because we want him to recover as soon as possible. If something is unnecessary, I'd rather not put him through it seeing as he already has a lot of stress on his body & mental state.

We are scheduled to see our PT in Tally on Monday!! :angel: I feel like it has been months since we've last went & I'm kind of nervous about what his reports will look like EVEN THOUGH we have worked as hard as we really knew how to with him at home. He has insane amounts of energy and I truly feel like it's just a meaning of time before he is walking again.

His right leg is still a little behind, so it may not be the prettiest walk, but I don't care. We are training extra hard on that right leg, especially with the treat game & paintbrushes.

Thank you all for the links and suggestions. Kuj probably would've gone insane by now if it weren't for some of these exercises. You guys are seriously the best. :grouph:
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critters
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by critters »

pbj_33 wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:27 am My boyfriend was a little hesitant to use his toothbrush on Kujo's toes so we got a cheap one from the dollar store.

:haha:

We've never done acupuncture or any of that stuff.

It's possible his right leg might always be a bit wonky, but time will tell. It looks like he may get a good recovery, though!!
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CarolC
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by CarolC »

I can't speak from experience either, but my dog is scheduled for acupuncture. The earliest appointment we could get is in October.

He had a neurological evaluation and the neurologist said he did very well and was very cooperative, and she could not find any neck pain, and she diagnosed him with 3 possible things, the most likely being FCE or ANNPE. She suggested we try acupuncture, and she sounded very positive and definite about it.

She's a board certified neurologist and she made a good impression on me, so I made an acupuncture appointment for Pip, but it's in October. I didn't ask what it would cost. I'll let you know how it goes. I figure maybe we'll try 1 or 2 appointments, and if there's no visible change, then that will be it and we'll know we tried. He's tetraplegic and his hind legs are doing well, but his front legs still need recovery and he needs to lock in what he's already capable of.
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by pbj_33 »

Hi CarolC. & Critters,

We had our appointment last week for the first time in 3 weeks and it was long over due!! He only enjoyed cold laser and had to miss out on the underwater treadmill, sadly. We are scheduled for another appointment on the 14th for both laser & water therapy as well as the 29th.

We were going every single week. We really appreciated the trip, seeing as it got him out of the house & he gets to see his friends & also burn some energy! Now, we are going every other week or every 2 weeks. The vet had good things to say & has some new things to try since she believes he is getting ready to (hopefully) stand on his own.

Like I've said before, he CAN stand once in the position. The hold up is getting there on his own. The vet recommend that we get him into his normal sitting position & to then tickle or squeeze his toes to get him to push up into the standing position. She complimented his muscles that have started to come back but reminded us that we HAVE to build up those on the back of his legs, so we are working on those doggie squats to hopefully help with that.

I've started seeing him get higher and higher up when he tries standing on his own. It isn't pretty, it even makes me nervous sometimes but WHEN I can't make it over to him in time to hold up his weight, he WILL do it on his own. He has gone from mostly dragging from side to side to almost crawling. Like I said, he has started to get "higher" up & this weekend was the closest I've seen to him holding himself up accurately with zero assistance. If you were to look at his feet, you could tell that he was still struggling some, but the fact that he is trying gives me so much hope. It also makes me sick that he can't do it just yet.

Another thing we've noticed is a much cleaner bed area. When we have to go to work, Kujo is left alone for, at most, 3 hours. I hate it, but it's something we just can't get around. We have come home & sometimes, he has moved to the hardwood floor off of his bed. Sometimes he is in the same position. Regardless, we have noticed that his bed has stayed mostly clean. I'm hoping that is a good sign, seeing as he still uses the bathroom outside & sometimes will let loose when we are strapping him into his sling. I assume that he must know what's going on, causing excitement.

That is great, CarolC.! I have heard multiple things on acupuncture but have been hesitant to try it. I hope that you see results in your sweet pup & that he enjoys his sessions! Please keep me updated on the process, end results, your opinions, etc. We are willing to try whatever!!

I hope everyone had great weekend!!

OH. Our neighbors allowed us to use the pool on Saturday for the first time. It's very convenient & we are so lucky to have them across the street! Kujo was so excited about his new swimming hole, that he decided to leave a poo offering RIGHT IN THE POOL!! My thought process went a little something like... "OMG.... should I use the scooper for the pool?... I specifically asked him not to!" :lol: We walked back home after getting Kuj out of the pool, grabbed a bag, & went to fishing!! LOL. I hope that wasn't TMI but just enough to make everyone's Monday a little better. :wub:
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by CarolC »

LOL about the fishing trip! I'm surprised this is the first time it's happened. :lol:
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=11099#p11099 wrote:I would keep a fishnet or kitchen strainer handy in case the warm water has a relaxing effect on her bowels. This is not uncommon in hydrotherapy.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5673&p=31465#p31465 wrote:My dog's first physical therapist described what is involved with cleaning an underwater treadmill after a dog messes in it. It takes 2 people a couple of hours to drain, disassemble, sanitize, and reassemble it. Any other appointments are out of luck so they lose money and inconvenience other clients. It is a big problem. She said any time a dog is going to mess in the treadmill, she just prays "Oh, please let it be 'formed'".
They even make "rehab wraps" or swim diapers for dogs! :D For some reason the photo isn't showing on the website right now.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=103463#p103463 wrote:
https://www.samsdoghut.com/ecommerce/doggie-essentials/swimwear-doggie-diaper-wraps.html wrote:Drawstring and Cord-Lock System to trap most feces from entering into treadmills and pools. Used for Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy for dogs using equipment on either underwater treadmills or pools.
swimwear.jpg
"doggie squats"! I like that! LOL

I like your description of how he stands up but not all the way. My dog did something similar.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1756&p=7204#p7204 wrote: Four Ways of Walking
My little friend has developed 4 ways of walking. The first is very clever--I call it her Possum Walk. She invented it about 2 weeks ago. She knows if she stands all the way up and takes steps she loses her balance, yet she also knows she can move her feet perfectly well. She developed a way to waddle along with her bottom only 1 to 2 inches off the ground, taking steps like a human child doing the duck walk. With her head down, ears back, and tail trailing behind, she looks just like a little opossum. The second is what I call the Table Legs Walk. Again, she knows if she stands all the way up and takes steps she loses her balance, yet she can stand all the way up perfectly well before falling over. So she stands up with her back legs straight and well apart (knees locked I think) and takes steps with her front feet simply pulling her back legs along like a person dragging a table across the room. She may be on her toes or her pads. The third is Table Legs With Skating. She stands all the way up with her back legs straight and begins dragging her back legs as in the Table Legs Walk, only she may move one or the other foot a time or two by skating it forward so the pads never leave the ground. This way she does not lose her balance. The fourth way is close to real walking. I don't have a name for it. It involves going very fast so the momentum helps her keep her balance enough to take steps as she goes. She'd be able to do it better if there was someplace she could practice that was bigger than a 15' living room. By the time she gets up and going, she runs out of room to run. This is where we're at at 7 1/2 months.
I don't know if you have any place that has a good slope you could try him on. (Someplace safe where you won't get bothered by other dogs.)
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=9517#p9517 wrote: Our big breakthrough outdoors came one day when we'd been out for a walk and I set her down on a gently sloping sidewalk. When she took a step forward she discovered the slope made it easy for her to take that next step. She went about 4 feet and sat, then did another 4 feet that day. If you can find a gently sloping sidewalk, I would try it. After that we began doing it often and I told her therapist about it, and after a therapy session we took her outside to a sloping sidewalk and the therapist saw how well she could do going downhill. We developed a routine where I would set her down at the top of the slope and the therapist would wait at the bottom with a treat, and she'd walk (run!) down to get her treat. We'd do that repeatedly till all the treats were going. (We broke them into tiny pieces.) A couple of sessions later when they gave me her daily therapy report, I had to smile when it said she had done "Incline therapy". Oh, so that's what we'd been doing! :D

slope.PNG

Here is a picture of the slope we used the most. It's the school near our house.

click to enlarge
click to enlarge
We've been doing a new exercise with Pip. I call it Wall Treats. :D I'm trying to think whether it would work with your dog at all, or not. Pip can use all 4 legs but his FCE was in his neck and it affected his front legs more than his hind legs, especially his left front. When he tries to walk he usually wipes out on about the 4th step. Anyway, I have a long wall on one side of the livingroom and there is no furniture for about 8 1/2 feet. I sit Pip against the baseboard (he doesn't exactly sit perfectly but he's not lying on his side, he's kind of sitting) at one end and I put a treat next to the baseboard about 6 feet in front of him. He then kind of semi-pushes up, using the wall for balance, and walks along the wall to get the treat. We've done it maybe 4 or 5 times. Today he was really good at it. I mean, he's getting good at it. The first time we did it he made a lot of his forward motion by lying on his side paddling and scuffing his feet against the carpet to propel himself on his side. Today he got to most of his treats on his feet! I think there is some learning involved in how to lean against the wall to stay on your feet. We do about 4 treats per session. I don't want him to get tired of it. I'm using Whole Hearted tender tidbits peanut butter treats because they're 3 calories each. https://www.amazon.com/WholeHearted-Pea ... B07N3VHNFB If you try it, you probably need to take care he doesn't get going and then run into something. Pip got back on his feet after eating his last treat and started forward again and ran into something because he was already almost out of space by then.
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by critters »

:mrgreen: on the "fishing trip." LOL I'm with Carol on the swim diaper idea; after all, they work for humans!

I have a suspicion that swimming will be really good for him, and, hopefully, fun as well.
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Re: Onset Paralysis

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We had our acupuncture appointment today. Maybe not quite what I expected. She popped the needles in quickly, when I guess I was expecting her to take a long time finding the exact right spot and carefully putting them in, but maybe she's just done it a million times.

His main problem is his front legs but she put in about 8 (didn't count) needles along each side of his spine from head to rear. I was a little worried that poking in a needle and hitting a nerve might actually do some harm, but the needles are barely in. They're in through the skin, and he has fairly loose skin, but I only noticed 2 of them looking ilke they were going any deeper than that, down into the muscle, and he only flinched on one that hurt.

Then we had to wait a while, can't remember if it was 20 or 30 minutes, during which an assistant held him and he looked like a porcupine. She told the assistant to push them back in if they came out. One or two did start to come loose and she pushed them back in further. If they had been into the muscle they would have stood up straight, but instead most of them were laying over sideways.

She wanted to give him 2 kinds of herbal medicine, and I've never given him pills (which would involve messing with his head and neck and his problem is in his neck) and I also want to just do one thing at a time and see how he responds to the acupuncture only. She said the herbs work with the acupuncture to get the chi (energy) flowing and just doing the needles will not be as effective.

She also said you should have 3-5 appointments before you decide if it isn't working. She said not to expect a big response after this one treatment (I didn't, I mostly want to be sure he's not worse after it). I asked her what to expect after the appointment and she said he might be tired today but he should be really good tomorrow.

I asked her if she knew if there could be long term pain from ANNPE (the neurologist said he probably either has FCE or ANNPE) and she had never heard of it, yet she has been a vet since 2001 and got her rehab certification in 2011. ANNPE is a fairly new diagnosis in the last 10+ years, but I'm surprised she is treating dogs with neurological issues and has not heard of ANNPE. Also, she had read the chart from the neurology apppointment which gave his diagnosis and apparently didn't see all the info about ANNPE so I don't know what to think. She did the right thing and went and asked the neurologist to explain ANNPE to her, and I imagine she's going to read up on it now, I hope so. But still, I'm surprised.

I told her I would watch how he is for the next few days, and we have an appointment next week but I may or may not keep it. It was $208 (I'm in Texas) but part of that was the consultation. The acupuncture itself was $81.

If I notice any changes or improvements in the next few days I will let you know.
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by pbj_33 »

CarolC.,

I hate to hear that...really. I know how excited Kujo gets for his appointments, so I hate thinking you guys were let down. Like you said, we may not expect big results so that we don't crush our spirits, but that doesn't mean we don't still want to see those results more than anything. Having someone in charge of taking care of your baby & not knowing exactly what their diagnosis entails is rather scary. You never want to feel like you are more knowledgeable than your doctor or vet & I hate that your experience wasn't exactly what you expected.

I hope that your baby shows signs of a positive reaction to the acupuncture & that the future visits will go smoother for the both of you. The trips definitely add up in cost, especially if you are including gas, food, time from work, etc.

We have our trip next week on the 14th, but while we've been at home- we've gone swimming almost everyday. Thursday-Sunday we went every day this week as well as Monday. Now that we are using the neighbors pool, Kujo is unstoppable on the way over. (In his sling, of course!) We are doing some of the same exercises & also some of the newer ones. We are really trying to build up his muscle on the back of his legs so that he can better support himself.

I will be thinking of you guys & praying that you see results- even if they're subtle.

PS- we would really like to gift our neighbors and family friends something for allowing us to use their pools. Any ideas would be appreciated!

I hope ya'll have a wonderful week!! :grouph:
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Re: Onset Paralysis

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Thank you for your SO kind message. I was trying to give you impressions of how it went by giving a factual account, and you read between the lines way better than I intended. :blush: But you were right!
:thankyou:

I really think this is one of those situations where you try a bunch of things, all the while planning that many of them won't work, and then you make the best of the ones that do work. Tried that, didn't work, checkmark. Tried that, didn't work, checkmark. Tried that, seemed to work. Oh! OK we'll keep doing that. Now what else can we try...?

If one thing doesn't work you try another, just so you do some kind of exercise. That is something I learned from the wonderful-wonderful-wonderful therapist I used to take my dog to when she didn't want to do the peanut ball (highlighting added).
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3775&p=18524#p18524 wrote:As for the ball, my dog didn't like it either. One therapist couldn't get her to do it, the other one could get her to do it sometimes. It was pretty much The Battle of the Ball most times. However, if she wouldn't do that, the therapist made sure she did some other exercise instead.
In the case with this dog, what seems to be working is sling walking, weight bearing exercises for the front legs, and this new Wall Treats exercise. Maybe it should be called Wall Walking because he leans against the wall and walks. I don't think it really matters what kind of exercise it is, as long as he is moving his legs and bearing some weight.

I agree 100% with what you said about not wanting to make a test case out of your dog and putting him through a lot. Have to weigh the stress of taking him to the acupuncture session versus what he gets out of it, and right now the jury's still out on whether it's worth it.

That is so neat that Kujo gets so excited about going swimming! Halfway dragging you to the pool. It really makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable. Caroline's boxer rehabbed in the backyard pool and they all looked like they were having a great time. You're getting him to do exercise, but he thinks he's having fun! :D
pbj_33
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by pbj_33 »

Hello Friends & Happy Holidays!

I have been offline for a while to say the least. We have been so busy but I would like to update you guys! I also have a few questions to ask that I have also asked our PT Vet. I would like to hear opinions from pet owners who deal with things like this on a daily as well, just for some reassurance.

We are rolling up to month 7 (December 6th) in Kujo's recovery. He still visits his PT vets once every 2 weeks & we are still doing the pool every other day at home. We were doing once a week therapy but due to work issues, I had to cut down on time I take off which really messes with my conscience. I don't want to be the reason he can't make a full recovery.

As of Kujo's most recent trip, November 20th, the main issue seems to be his mid-lower back. His vet says that his leg muscles look great & that he has amazing mass. His back - not so much. Due to him not sitting/standing on his own, his back has become weaker. We are now working on the sit position to help with that, hopefully. We try coercing him from the laying position into the sitting position with treats & we sometimes have to hold his legs in place.

He is very strong on his left leg. I'm curious if we were to get his back stronger, would he be able to get around with one leg being stronger than the other?

If Kujo stops progressing, what should I expect to be the next couple of steps to be for us?

Would using a wheelchair help or hurt with growing his back muscles?

I know some of these may seem silly, but I would rather not be taken by surprise. I felt like a couple of the questions would be really hard to answer not knowing kujo's case personally, so the questions above are hopefully more general.

There are days that we cry just from everything that we've seen and done over these months. We hate all of this going on, knowing Kujo can't understand how we wish he could. We continue to ask for prayers & good thoughts for complete healing over Kujo!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving & is having a good start to the Christmas season!!
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by CarolC »

pbj_33 wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:45 am Hello Friends & Happy Holidays!

Hi! I have been thinking about you and wondering how you were doing. I am not a vet or a rehab therapist, but I'm speaking here from my own experience and from the heart.

I have been offline for a while to say the least. We have been so busy but I would like to update you guys! I also have a few questions to ask that I have also asked our PT Vet. I would like to hear opinions from pet owners who deal with things like this on a daily as well, just for some reassurance.

We are rolling up to month 7 (December 6th) in Kujo's recovery. He still visits his PT vets once every 2 weeks & we are still doing the pool every other day at home. We were doing once a week therapy but due to work issues, I had to cut down on time I take off which really messes with my conscience. I don't want to be the reason he can't make a full recovery.

Absolutely don't feel bad. My heavens, if he is swimming every other day, then please do not worry if he goes every 2 weeks instead of every week. And you are doing PT at home, too. He is getting REALLY GOOD PT, you do not have to feel like you are not doing enough. What you are doing is excellent. You are wondering if it is inadequate? No! It is great! Just pat yourself on the back and be satisfied, you are doing right by him. You ARE taking care of his needs. You will NEVER have to feel like you didn't do enough. And it IS helping. Maybe if the weather gets to where you can't swim him, then once a week sessions would be better, but with all the swimming he is doing, I think you've got him well covered right now.

It's not you, it's just that recovery can be slow (as I sometimes say, glacial). Even if you did more PT (no need, you're fine the way you are, I'm just saying hypothetically 'if'), he still cannot do more than the nerves are ready for. They are slowly improving in the background where you can't see it. In my experience, it goes like this for a long time, then when you finally get closer to walking, things suddenly start falling in place much more rapidly. Right now it may look like nothing is happening. You may see one slight improvement every few weeks and you are trying to hang onto that as evidence he is progressing. But he is still healing.


As of Kujo's most recent trip, November 20th, the main issue seems to be his mid-lower back. His vet says that his leg muscles look great & that he has amazing mass. His back - not so much. Due to him not sitting/standing on his own, his back has become weaker. We are now working on the sit position to help with that, hopefully. We try coercing him from the laying position into the sitting position with treats & we sometimes have to hold his legs in place.

He is very strong on his left leg. I'm curious if we were to get his back stronger, would he be able to get around with one leg being stronger than the other?

Yes, I would think so. My dog's physical therapist had a Yorkie who had a stroke and lost use of 2 legs. The ability in one leg came back first so she taught the dog to walk on 3 legs, then eventually the 4th leg came back as well.

If Kujo stops progressing, what should I expect to be the next couple of steps to be for us?

Honestly, I don't think it's going to come to that. If you can keep going. Some dogs just take longer. I don't like to give examples of long recoveries, because I'm afraid someone might read it and think, "OMG, if it's going to take that long, I just can't do it." For some people, that would be a valid reaction, we do not all have the same ability to care for a paralyzed dog, especially a large one. We are not the same age, same physical fitness, we do not have the same spare time, etc. You cannot judge people if they get to where they really honestly can't do it. Other people will hear of a long recovery and think, "Oh, well OK, that means there's still hope so we should keep going." I never know how it will sound to one person or another. And in addition, each case is different. But I will make an exception and give examples. I think the real thing to learn from these examples is, in each case the dog was getting continual PT like you've been doing, but it still took time. It took time, but the dog was continuing to heal that whole time and did walk in the end.

You may already know, it took my dog 9 months to walk, and I had already given up long ago when it happened.

https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=24483#p24483 wrote:My dog first managed to walk about 4 feet (going on a downhill slope, mind you) at around 9 months. Nobody was more surprised than me. At that point, she still couldn't stand up for 10 seconds. I used to watch her try to stand and topple over, and we were lucky if I counted to 7. We did our therapy all along, like you and your partner are doing, but I wasn't working toward a goal because I pretty much abandoned hope at about the 4-month point. Once she got to point of taking steps downhill though, it seemed that progress accelerated. Before that, as I always say, I could Maybe, Possibly, if I really Stretched my imagination, think PERHAPS I saw a little progress about every 6 weeks. I can't even say we proceeded on faith. Honestly, we proceeded on auto-pilot. We just kept doing therapy with no goal in sight. There wasn't anybody telling me we were getting anywhere. There wasn't anybody saying to keep doing it, you're accomplishing something. I didn't know a soul whose dog walked after 9 months. We just kept doing it mindlessly more out of habit than anything. I figured the exercise was good for her, I didn't think she was going to walk.

Murphy's Dad swam Murphy (beagle) for 9 months before he could even stand up. He later walked, ran, and climbed stairs. Murphy is the dog that was rehabbed in a horse therapy pool back before most places had any kind of canine PT.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5626&p=31250#p31250 wrote:Our Murphy was injured 6 years ago and too date, has no DPS. But he learned to stand,walk, run, climb stairs, stand against the bed to ask for help on the bed. It took him a year to learn to stand after 9 months of swimming therapy. Walking and the rest followed shortly there after. He has not been in his cart for 2 years.

joanne26 is a hero of mine. Her dog, Phoebe, lost the use of all 4 legs, and she was a big dog, a doberman. They couldn't afford anything but they got her walking again with only home PT.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=86543#p86543 wrote:7 months after last post and over a year since phoebes spinal surgery.....just got to say what a difference a year makes ........phoebe has massively improved she is able to walk around the house and now manages short walks she is slowly getting stronger

Would using a wheelchair help or hurt with growing his back muscles?
As far as I know, the only time a wheelchair hurts is when the owner abandons the dog to the cart and starts to slack on PT.
https://web.archive.org/web/20051215190731/http://www.dachshund-dca.org/diskbook.html wrote:"Carts are made commercially or can be made at home to provide "mobility" for paralyzed dogs. Carts allow dogs to get up and participate in more household activities, but do not provide any form of physiotherapy. Owners who "abandon" their dogs to carts will probably never have a walking dog again. Carts have a place in the overall management of paralyzed dogs but can not be substituted for good nursing care and physiotherapy."

I know some of these may seem silly, but I would rather not be taken by surprise. I felt like a couple of the questions would be really hard to answer not knowing kujo's case personally, so the questions above are hopefully more general.

There are days that we cry just from everything that we've seen and done over these months. We hate all of this going on, knowing Kujo can't understand how we wish he could. We continue to ask for prayers & good thoughts for complete healing over Kujo!!

The replies above were about Kujo, and dogs. This reply is about owners/caregivers. I don't remember if I have mentioned this before, but when you have a paralyzed dog, the first weeks are the hardest, and you kind of figure out what you are doing. But then there is a second stumbling block. You go along for a number of months, and it starts to wear on you. You know what you're doing, but maybe you get tired, or maybe you don't see the progress you expected *when* you expected. We have noticed that in general it tends to hit people at about the 6-month point. It might be a little sooner, it might be a little later. My dog was paralyzed in late September and my lowest point was in April, somewhere around 6 or 7 months. It didn't help that it hit in the dark part of winter. I posted what happened when I was at my low point here.

The real lesson in it is, somehow, for reasons nobody has quite explained, you hit this point, but then it turns around, not from anything you do, it just does...and it's never that bad again. I don't know, you and your partner might be about there now. Let's put it this way, you'd be right on schedule if you are. All I can say is, it gets better. You keep putting one foot in front of the other even though you feel wiped out and every other negative thing, and it does get better. Hope you can hang in there. You are doing everything right.

A member here named Anita wrote a post that we have come to call the "Six Month Wonder". It's about that 6-month point, which Dianne referred to as the 6 months crash. Here is Anita's post.

https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?p=16745#p16745 wrote:
I can't say more than has been said about the 6 Month Wonder.

I wonder if I am doing the right thing?
I wonder if she/he is happy?
I wonder what people think?
I wonder if it is all worth it?
I wonder is he/she will ever walk again?
I wonder where I will get more money for treatment?
I wonder how long I can do this?

Wonder, wonder, wonder. We have all done it and know exactly where you are. I think what is missing is acceptance. Once you accept that this is they way it is going to be, then it becomes so much easier. I know that it is hard and you are tired but you have gone this far, why give up now? The hard part is over!!! It will all become a way of life and you won't think anything about. I promise you.

It will be 2 years Labor Day weekend that my Sydney went down. Looking back, it was tough. But now, it is no big deal. Yeah we have been through alot because of the UTI but it all worked out and through my bad experience I have been able to teach others. We can't do everything right all the time. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in this world. I have met some of the nicest and kindest people-many on this board-that have helped me out and in turn I have helped out others. I look back now and wonder what I use to do with all my free time?? Now it is spent expressing, pooping, exercising, giving butt baths, Chiro treatments, accu treatments, and the list goes on. I must have had a lot of free time on my hands!!!!

Don't give up now. Go to www.dodgerslist.com and read all the Success Stories there as well as the stories of the months. They will amaze you. There really isn't a time limit to when they should walk again. One critter started walking after 2 years!! Talk about a fighter.
[skip]
Don't forget to take care of your self through all of this. You deserve it.

There was also a very good website created by another member, Tom, about caring for the caregiver, called Pet Inspiration. It is an old geocities website, but what he says is still true. He covers different subjects. My favorite has alway been "My House Is a Mess Because Of My Needy Pet." Here is a link.

viewtopic.php?p=103675#p103675


I do hope you can keep going. If you really can't, you've got a big dog, anyone can understand that. It is clear that you are a very conscientious and loving dog owner. You are doing everything needed and still afraid you are not doing enough. It may help if you can just tell yourself you really are doing enough. I think it's just that it's taking time, and there's no way to hurry that. Nerves heal at the rate they heal. But again, when you finally get closer, you start seeing things happen faster.

I had a golden retriever who was down for 8.5 months and I was working full time, and no longer young, and had no one to help me, and I'm the kind of skinny person where if I try to work out to get stronger I just lose more weight and don't seem to put on muscle. I know about all the physical stress on your body of caring for a big, down dog. I ended up having to go to PT for myself after he passed. This is why I say nobody can judge you if you just can't keep it up, and only you can decide where you are on that. But at the same time I hope with 2 of you, maybe it will be doable a little while longer. There are no guarantees with any of this, but the statistics on spinal stroke are so good.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving & is having a good start to the Christmas season!!
:angel:

The same to you and your partner, and to Kujo. I hope you start to see more visible progress soon. That's what keeps us going. I'm seeing slow progress with Pip, but it's progress and that's all I care. One thing that helps is if you can take videos of your dog, so you have something to look back at. Because it can be hard to see if there is any change. But by looking at a video, you can see, "Hey, wait a minute, he's doing better now, I just didn't realize it." Hope you will keep us posted on Kujo and on you.
:angel:
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CarolC
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by CarolC »

Just another thought. I was thinking of 2 different exercises worth trying.

Using a Slope
Have you tried walking him down a downward slope? My dog's physical therapist called it incline therapy. She could move all 4 legs in the underwater treadmill, and had been doing that for several months, but just wasn't walking on flat surfaces without a sling. It was like the slope substituted for the treadmill because of the momentum of going down a slope. It kind of keeps you going whether you want to or not. You know how hard it is to stop when you're running downhill.
http://fourfurfeet.com/2004-page3.html wrote:
8-04 Incline therapy

I discovered she could "spinal walk" best going down slopes. I told her therapist about it, and after a therapy session we took her outside to a sloping sidewalk and the therapist saw how well she could do going downhill. We developed a routine where I would set her down at the top of the slope and the therapist would wait at the bottom with a treat, and she'd walk (run!) down to get her treat. We'd do that repeatedly till all the treats were gone. (We broke them into tiny pieces.) A couple of sessions later when they gave me her daily therapy report, I had to smile when it said she had done "Incline therapy". Oh, so that's what we'd been doing!

slope.PNG
Here are 2 photos of our favorite slope. It's not real steep. It's in front of the admin building of a school. I had to think and think of everywhere around our neighborhood I had seen slopes we could use. She could walk down unassisted, and then I would take her back to the top and we'd do it again.

sloping_sidewalk1.JPG
sloping_sidewalk2.JPG

Using a Wall
Another thing to try is using a wall, if you can find a wall long enough. My dog, Pip, was paralyzed in 4 legs, and 3 have come back sooner while one is taking longer. When I put him next to a wall, he can walk by leaning against it. He can go one direction better than the other, but he does both directions. I put the treat at the opposite end each time. He goes one direction leaning his right side against the wall. The next treat he goes the other direction leaning his left side against the wall. He actually uses all 4 feet but his one foot just gives him a little more trouble. He doesn't walk without support yet, but he does walk with a wall to lean his side against.

I place a treat on the floor next to the baseboard at one end of the wall, and stand him at the either end, then I step back and he walks toward his treat leaning against the wall. Sometimes he'll lose his balance but he's gotten better. In the beginning he used to fall when trying to reach down for the treat but he doesn't do that very often now. I would recommend placing the treat a few feet away from the corner in case he loses his balance, so he doesn't bump his nose. He has gotten better at it and stronger.

You may have to move some furniture to get a length of wall. We are using the wall under the livingroom windows. We're starting to get a light smudge on the wall from the oils of his coat as he leans on it while walking. I swear if he gets to where he can walk again, it will be a while before I clean off that smudge! :lol:
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critters
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Re: Onset Paralysis

Post by critters »

Re: the gifts. I think that's a great idea, and I'd have him sign the card himself with a paw print, with a human adding his name so the recipient knows whose print it is.
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