Bear has spinal swelling- need advise

[bear's mom]

We just found out that our 12-year old large mixed-breed male has swelling around his spine. His rear legs are now paralyzed. This happened in the last 3 days and has devastated us. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Do you have a large dog that uses a pet wheelchair? Does it work? Is the quality of life still there? thanks for your help, Leslie

[Mary and Roxy]

Hi Leslie..
Iffffff your dog dosent get better.. he can still have a great happy life, I say ifffff because so many dogs do get better. looking at him now its hard to believe but it can happen, It did with my dog Roxy..Many of the people on here have dogs using the carts.. You will be getting some great advice soon. i just wanted to let you know someone saw your post.and its kinda late and most the "Wise ones" arnt usually on this late..
Your gonna be told crate rest lots of it. at least 6 weeks, how to make sure hes going potty. and he should be on steroids..My Roxy lost the use of her hind legs ( within 1 day)I was told it was a pinched nerve and she wasnt going to walk again.. I listened to what I was advised here,( my vet really wasnt any help it was the people here that saved Roxy) and shes walking, running, jumping, even tho she gets in trouble for that.. have faith... Mary and Roxy

[maddiesmom]

Hi -

Oh - what a bummer. This is a scary time as we all know.

Can you see a specialist (like a neurologist) - is there a specialty group near you or an animal university? I think it would be good to talk to someone who is more of an expert- that way you'll be able to know the best course of action. And if they say they can't see you right away, raise a BIG FUSS! (I lost 3 days with silly receptionists telling me I couldn't get in right away) - when a lot of times you can go and camp out in the reception area until they can squeeze you in between appointments. the first few days of the issue (like FCE) are crucial to their recovery. You are your dogs advocate so push hard to get the answers you need. Good luck!

[CarolC]

Hi Bear's Mom,

The short answer is yes, large dogs can use wheelchairs. Yes, quality of life is still great, you can still have a happy dog. Go to one of the cart company websites and look at all the photos of german shepherds, sheep dogs, rottweilers, etc. in carts.

http://www.eddieswheels.com/html/picture_gallery.html has some good pictures.

What kind of dog is he and how much does he weigh?

What tests were done?

Did they say what is causing the swelling around the spine? Is it arthritis, a disk problem, a tumor, or something else?

Is your dog home yet?

Is the paralysis affecting his bladder?

There are a bunch of people here with paralyzed dogs (and cats) or dogs recovering or who have recovered from paralysis. I have one. We can give you better information if we know more about the diagnosis.

If it is a disk problem, right now he should be on strict crate rest 24/7, only out to potty, then right back in his crate. If he is too big to get into and out of a crate easily, an exercise pen is good as long as it is set up small enough that he is not tempted to try to drag himself around.

Often the vet will prescribe steroids like prednisone for swelling around the spine. Ask your vet about the risks and benefits of steroids. With crate rest and steroids, he may regain the ability to walk and never need a cart.

Here is a page with guidelines on the proper way to do crate rest for a back problem.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/lit/After_Surgery.htm

Hope you will tell us more. Glad you are here!