Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

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.
Schnauzerlove
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by Schnauzerlove »

I wanted to update and let everyone know that Dasani is doing really well. We walk for 30 minutes twice a day and he actually RUNS around the his backyard for 10-15 minutes daily. His front left paw drags and we wear a boot for our walks (with many duct tape patches :D ) but he is happy!!

As Caroline wrote on Buster's thread, please don't give up if you are given an FCE diagnosis!!

I still see movement coming back in Dasani's front paw and we are 8 months out from the diagnosis. Just this morning I was watching him play with his stuffed squirrel and he was picking up that paw much better than even a week ago. It takes a long time for those nerve endings to heal and I'm hopeful that he will continue to make progress.
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CarolC
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by CarolC »

:newyear: YAY DASANI!!!!! :party:
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Dianne
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by Dianne »

:wow: THANKS for coming back to update us on Dasani's progress. We love happy stories.
CJsmile
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by CJsmile »

Hi everyone - I am new to this forum and brokenhearted as my beloved 3 year miniature schnauzer Spencer, has become paralysed in all 4 legs due to FCE. He had a seizure on Saturday, took him straight to the vet who sedated him and gave him a steroid injection and kept him overnight. Sunday he was transferred to a neurological vet who did a mylogram which revealed nothing so did an MRI scan yesterday which revealed the damaged tissue in his spinal cord. Hence the FCE diagnosis. We brought him home yesterday late afternoon with instructions from the vet to turn him every 2/4 hours and massage flex his limbs. No medication and no further advice, just wait and see if there is any improvement in the next couple of weeks . I am absolutely devastated and want to do the very best for him but feel so alone and don't know where to turn.
Although he is unable to stand , he can move his legs slightly and does pull away if you tickle his feet so there is some movement and sensation there although the vet says his case is severe.
Can anyone help me and offer any advice please? I need to know more about physio therapy and any other devices or equipment that may help. Many thanks in advance
CJ
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critters
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by critters »

:whale: You should search this bb for FCE info; TONS has been posted over the years! Do you know about walking aids? Personally, I always want my critters on steroids for awhile after a spinal cord insult.
Schnauzerlove
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by Schnauzerlove »

Hello!!

Hope everyone is well. Tomorrow will be one year out from Dasani's FCE and he is doing GREAT!!!!! Life is different, but oh so good. He gets around just fine, his front left paw moves different than the rest, but even at a year out, there is still healing!!!

Don't believe what you hear about the healing stopping after six months, in our case it's been slow and steady improvement. A couple of months ago his front left paw was dragging. Now he makes an effort to lift the paw as he walks. It's not lifting all the way, still a small drag, but he is our little miracle :D

Dasani still wears a boot when we go for a walk or he would be bleeding from scraping. By the way, Love these super sturdy boots, highly recommend them:
http://handicappedpets.com/www/index.ph ... -pets.html

I guess the most important thing for me was to be patient, allow Dasani to heal in his own time and to have faith. As I've said before, I would have been lost without all of you and your incredible support and advice...thank you :thankyou:

P.S. CJ, I got your message and have sent you a reply...hang in there!!
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Caroline
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to prepare

Post by Caroline »

JUST AWESOME!!!!
I am so happy for the little guy he will do just fine.
Caroline

A dog is like an eternal Peter Pan ,a child who never grows old and who, therefore, is always availible to love and to be loved.
--Aaron Katcher.
Cnichols43
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to pre

Post by Cnichols43 »

This is called FIBROCARTILAGINOUS EMBOLIC MYELOPATHY. Miniature schnauzers are prone to this between the ages of 3-6 yrs. we had this happen. Ours ended up with one parallized hind leg. She learned to adapt and lived a happy life to 15 yrs. for the first 2 weeks we kept her in the shower stall which helped with bathroom functions. Don't try to make life easy as it helps to make them adapt if they need to figure it out for themselves. For example help her climb steps but don't carry her up. The correct food is important for recovery and prevention. Go to dogfoodadvisor. It's like the consumer reports for dog food, free site.
Schnauzerlove
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to pre

Post by Schnauzerlove »

It's been years since I've come by here and wanted to update on the life well lived of our precious Mini Schnauzer, Dasani.

We had to say goodbye to the best little soul to ever grace our lives, on July 18, 2018. We are so lucky to have had so many wonderful, amazing years with Dasani. He was 14 years and 3 months old.

Besides the spinal injury, Dasani developed diabetes March 2015. That has certainly been a daily adventure. Coordinated meals/insulin every 12 hours and regularly scheduled walks twice a day, blood sugar testing, and of course running around his back yard to bark...all the time!!

This amazing little man taught us so much about love and life and how to persevere in the face of adversity. At this stage he was wearing boots on all but his right front leg, but that didn't stop him for walking like a champ through the neighborhood to see everyone and all his four-legged friends. The bond he had with his Dada was something of beauty and I feel privileged to have witnessed such a love and devotion.

We started having some unusual intestinal issues off and on the last couple of months, but after a course of antibiotics he would rally. It was the last week that he began to really struggle to walk and was favoring his one good leg. Made a trip to the vet to see if he might have fractured the leg/paw and they did x-rays. There was no fracture, but a chest x-ray showed lungs full of tumors and I was just shocked. I was grateful that he had not had any respiratory symptoms or breathing struggles. There was also microscopic tumor activity in the bone of that front leg. Apparently "lameness" can be a presentation of lung cancer. Because of the number of tumors in the lung it was considered metastatic and we didn't explore further where the primary tumor was. We knew he needed to be set free of this pain and the worsening pain and suffering that was coming.

My husband and I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go later that day, before he got even sicker and in more pain. I've read so many things on-line about when to decide to let them go, and a quote I saw, that I'm trying to hang onto....."Better a week too soon than one day too late". We took him to his back yard to bark and i held him with the window rolled down on the drive back to the vet. He so loved to hang his head out the window and feel the wind blowing in his face.

We are devastated and heartbroken and the pain is raw and real and I'll forever miss him, but he is free of pain and his soul has been released and one day we will be reunited.

I'm so thankful to all of you for the support you offered when Dasani had the spinal injury. I'm forever grateful to have had the support and advice from all of you at that time, I couldn't have helped him past that injury without this wonderful supportive forum.

Love your fur-babies and hold them close, they are truly little angels covered in fur.
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to pre

Post by Christine »

My heart is breaking for you right now. This pain is one shared by many and lessened by nothing other than time. Thank you for returning to let us know what a miracle of life you were able to share with him. Sending you prayers of peace and comfort in the knowledge that you gave him a beautiful life in spite of his challenges.
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Christine... and Bailey, playing at the Bridge
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CarolC
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to pre

Post by CarolC »

I am so glad you got 10 more years of love and living. You may want to write down all the memories large and small that you can remember and bring together all his pictures. It is something you can go back and add to as time goes on and more memories resurface. I am glad he kept his quality of life in spite of his condition. I am so sorry for your loss. He was such a lucky dog to have a family with 2 people who loved him so much. :cry:
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critters
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Re: Mini Schnauzer-sudden partial paralysis-FCE - how to pre

Post by critters »

Better a week too soon than one day too late-- SO true! I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure others will benefit from your update on Dasani. :cry:
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