life span question

[jazzybaby]

I have kind of a dumb question I was hoping for some insight on. Does the life span of a dog go down when they become paralyzed. My Jasmine is 5 and became paralyzed at 4 she is now what I think they call spinal walking but is getting better still each day. She still has to be expressed 4 times a day and I know her vet said to always keep a very close eye on her urine to watch for signs of a UTI because if one would come about things could get bad quickly. But otherwise she is still the happy healthy dog she was before. I know that cocker spaniels normal life span is like 10 to 13 years old and wanted to know if any of you have heard that that time can be cut short due to her handicap. I know it is stupid of me to worry but I had another vet tell me that because she became paralyzed at such a young age she could not life as long as if she could walk. And I have never heard this before.

Stacy

[Bobbie]

That's not really an easy question to answer.

Overall, life expectancy goes down for paraplegics, human or animal, because when you average them all together you include the ones who have recurrent UTIs or pressure sores, either of which can be fatal as they can lead to widespread infection or systemic organ failure.

Here is some info about people:

WHAT IS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF PEOPLE WITH PARAPLEGIA?

Life expectancy is the average remaining years of life for an individual. It refers to how much longer someone is expected lo live. Life expectancy for people with paraplegia is lower than normal, but has continued to increase over the years. Death rates are significantly higher during the first years after the injury than the later years. This is especially true as the severity of the injury increases. Also, younger people with paraplegia have longer life expectancies than older people with paraplegia.

The following are average life expectancies for people who have survived a spinal cord injury after 24 hours. It is important to remember that these averages represent group data and cannot be applied to a specific individual. For people who develop paraplegia at age 20, the average life expectancy is 45 years (meaning they will live, on averae, for 45 more years). By comparison, people at age 20 with no spinal cord injury have an average life expectancy of 57 years. For people who develop paraplegia at age 40, the average life expectancy is 28 years. People at age 40 with no spinal cord injury have an average life expectancy of 38 years. For people who develop paraplegia at age 60, the average life expectancy is 13 years. People at age 60 with no spinal cord injury have an average life expectancy of 21 years.

from http://www.medfriendly.com/paraplegia.html#lifeex

How to translate that to dogs, assuming it would be similar? A dog injured at 4 is like a person injured at about age 30. At that point life expectancy would be about 37 years, or something more than twice their current age, but about 75% as long as a non-paraplegic. So if your breed has a normal average life expectancy of 12 years, the average with paraplegia onset at 4 would be about 9 years.

HOWEVER...it also states that death rates are higher sooner after the injury. That is, the longer the person survives with paraplegia, the higher her life expectancy goes. So Candy, injured at 4, but already 10 and still perfectly healthy, probably now has a close to normal life expectancy, compared to other 10 year old corgis.

Also, I doubt some of the things that decrease life expectancy in humans even affect dogs. Humans are at higher risk for pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the legs.) I don't know if dogs even get this, but a very active dog like Candy would be at lower risk for it. Another cause of death in humans is autonomic dysreflexia, which is when the nervous system basically freaks out due to some stimulus below the injury level, such as an overfull bladder. This is most common with an injury above T5 or with quadriplegia. T5 is at the level of chest muscles. Autonomic dysreflexia has been demonstrated in animal models but I doubt it has been identified clinically.

So, to make a long answer short, the longer your dog lives problem-free with a spinal cord injury, the longer she is likely to live. Keeping her active and avoiding UTI's and other infections will probably help. Candy, as I said, is now 10, six years plus post injury, and in the peak of health, and I doubt his life expectancy is anything below normal any more.

[jazzybaby]

Bobbie, Thank you for the info, I know it is a hard question and every dog or human is different. I just worry a lot. And when I hear something new or different than what I had been told I worry that much more.

stacy & jasmine

[CarolC]

My reply is more anecdotal. If you read this thread

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14616

you will see an update by Sheri, Pete's Mom. Sheri and Pete came to the message board about the same time Katie and I did. Pete was about 8 apparently, when he was shut in a door and paralyzed in the rear. He is now 15. Pete is a Jack Russell Terrier. Sherie has cared for him, and he has had a couple of problems that are more related to an aging dog, not specifically related to his paralysis (going from memory right now, no time to check).

My Katie is a chihuahua, and her exact age is not known. When she was first paralyzed by a spinal fracture Sept 23, 2003, and I brought her home from the hospital, I thought she was about 6-7. However, the following year she got mammary cancer, which is normally around 8-9, so I adjusted her age, and am assuming I got her at 7-8. That means that now Katie is close to 15, and she has been paralyzed since 2003. She has had a bladder infection about once a year, or sometimes maybe 9 months apart. She has had a full life and even though her little red head began to go white several years ago, she is still a bright happy (sometimes feisty) little friend.

I can't predict how it may go with other dogs, but I see no reason why a paralyzed dog can't live a normal life span. Like Bobbie says, take care of any infections, do be sure they get exercise, I don't think you have to worry. It's a good question. I would also say, in the studies, it would be interesting to see the results when factoring in size of dog.

[FYI]

http://www.wheelywilly.com/Willy_announce.htm

[slshepherds]

As humans we have this urge to quantify things, including life expectancy, I know, I do it all the time! I'm known for taking in special needs dogs, but also for having "dogs that never die". The reason for this is that the average age that my dogs have passed away is 17 years, one lab living to 23, another to 19 years old.

People ask me how this is - I used to joke that it was the water at my house, but if I think about it carefully it is more likely that the dogs are well looked after, being an appropriate weight, getting exercise, treated for medical issues as soon as they arise, getting regular vet checks etc. This kinda fits with the info from Bobbie - being proactive and observant may well have increased (or not decreased) my dogs life expectancy by addressing problems before they became life altering.

In 2005 I lost Bram, the love of my life, to hemangiosarcoma. He also had seizures and I wasted untold months worrying about them instead of enjoying the time we had together. To this day I regret the time I lost and make a conscious effort to focus on the here and now. Carl became paralyzed at 1 year old (now 2 1/2) and my expectation is that he'll hit 14 years, the age at which I call my dogs "senior".

Wishing Jasmine a long, healthy life
Joanne and Carl

[sheri m]

Hi Carol. NIce you remember Pete. Pete used to get UTIs as you say about once a year. I started giving Pete oil of oregeno and have not had a UTI in almost 3 years. He is 15 and slowing down but I think may dogs at his age start to slow down. Pete has advanced at the rate of most dogs I think. Being paralized does not seem to have shortened his lifespan. You never know with any pet so just enjoy every day you have with them.

[critters]

HOWEVER...it also states that death rates are higher sooner after the injury. That is, the longer the person survives with paraplegia, the higher her life expectancy goes. So Candy, injured at 4, but already 10 and still perfectly healthy, probably now has a close to normal life expectancy, compared to other 10 year old corgis.


So, to make a long answer short, the longer your dog lives problem-free with a spinal cord injury, the longer she is likely to live. Keeping her active and avoiding UTI's and other infections will probably help. Candy, as I said, is now 10, six years plus post injury, and in the peak of health, and I doubt his life expectancy is anything below normal any more.

I'd agree with that. Buddy's freaky bladder showed up within 6 months and took him away within a year. The 3 current SCI boys are all fine, although 2 are very mildly affected.

[Bobbie]

I have known of several that had overwhelming problems with bladder infections but both started within the first year after the injury.