Needing some hope

[IntuitiveDawn]

Hi Everyone,
First off , I have to say I am so happy I ran across this site when researching about if my dog would ever walk again.
So here is our story. This past Monday, someone let both of our pit bulls out of the yard, Our male which is 93 lbs and our everything made it up the road onto the big 6 lane street and was hit by a police car and it broke the police officers headlight, He stopped picked up his headlight and another police car pulled up and dragged him to the side of the road and left him to die. I only know this cause there was witnesses and that person took photos and smeared it all over Facebook about what happened. It ended up on the local news and radio as well and has gained a lot of attention. Now I live in Mexico... Every part of me wants to file a complaint but unfortunately I fear endangering my family by going against the police therefore we have not filed a complaint.
Anyways luckily, People recognized him as our dog and someone came to our door to let us know he had been hit, My 11 yr old son went running for him and saw him first, He was just laying there not moving , not blinking or anything, I thought he was dead then I noticed him breathing so I ran back home and called our Vet whom immediately came and picked him up from the road and took him in for treatment. He stayed at the vet for 4 nights, We brought him home on Friday afternoon. Good news is all xrays are clear and they cannot find any damage that cause them major concern, He is alert and eating and drinking. Bad news is, He is unable to use his back legs at all. Unable to sit himself up, Only lifts his head unless we adjust him him on his stomach then he does try to drag himself with her front legs. He basically just lays there all the time, urinates on himself and we keep him clean and rotate sides every few hours. They sent him home on Prednisone 20mg to take twice a day for 15 days then back for a check up . It is absolutely breaking our hearts seeing him like this. The vet told us not to give up on him, they do believe he will walk again within a few months. Our female pit wont leave his side, She sleeps by him and she wont allow our chihuahuas to get near him. We believe she seen him get hit, Grateful we found her . My son is devastated and is constantly on the floor next to him hugging him and kissing him.
this is honestly just so hard, We dont have the resources available like in the USA either. They told us to work his legs and massage his back and legs several times a day in which we are doing.
So basically I guess I am just here for some support and some hope...Anyone else have a dog hit by a car that then became paralyzed and managed to recover? He does seem to have reflexes in his leg, Sometimes when we hit his "spot" he will briefly kick one of his legs before stopping, and his legs seem to spasm and shake quite a bit . He still loves his hot dogs, We used to toss them in the air and he would always catch them, he cant go after them anymore but he is still quick to catch them in his mouth if we throw them to his mouth. He is urinating and having bowel movements although his bowel is very hard , Urination seems to be happening on its own but when we move him and he has pressure he usually pees on us so we think he is holding it as long as he can but earlier we had not even touched him and he urinated a lot. Just praying this are good signs and we will eventually see him walk so would love to hear of any success stories with similar situations!
Below is a picture the day after he was hit, however he is no longer sitting up like that anymore unless we position him and make him sit like that also there is the picture of right after he got hit that managed to circulate locally on FB that someone took. How he looks in that picture is how he basically stays right now.

[CarolC]

I agree if you can possibly give it time, I would do that. There is no way to know how quickly he will recover or how much. There are fast recoveries and slow recoveries, but a slow recovery is still a recovery. If he does not regain enough ability to walk again, he could use a wheelchair. Care is more challenging with a 93-lb dog but people have cared for larger dogs, so it has been done before.

I think right now you simply need to focus on one basic nursing need, his bladder care. You cannot afford to let him leak or dribble, because this is how a urine burn will occur. One thing I would absolutely do immediately is have him start wearing male wraps. A male wrap (aka belly band) is a male doggy diaper that goes around the waist and fastens with velcro. It holds an absorbent pad (Poise) over the male area. For a large dog with a lot of urine, you can also just put a disposable baby diaper over his male area and hold that on with the male wrap. Keeping his skin dry is a critical necessity. You may want to protect the area under the pad with a diaper cream or ointment. Watch that he does not lick any of the white ointments containing zinc oxide, zinc is toxic to dogs if they ingest enough of it. My big dog wore a male wrap and Desitin ointment 24/7 for 2 years and his skin was fine.



https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php/Diapers_and_male_wraps

In addition, it will help if you begin expressing his bladder. Here is a link to a long article with a lot of information on expressing. You may want to start by reading the introduction, then skipping down to the end and watching the videos.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =5&t=16027

[Bobbie]

Spinal cord damage won't always show up on X-ray but it sounds like what he has. If it is a disk rupture odds are not good for walking again- that's what's called Type III traumatic disk rupture. But he could so very well in a cart. I'd keep him quiet and nurse him for awhile and see if any improvement occurs, and if not, or if he isn't walking in a month or so, get him a cart. Or build him one. US companies will ship carts. He can still have a very good quality of life.

It may be the spinal cord is only swollen and with time the swelling goes down and he'll be okay again- that's what the rest is for, to see if that is going to happen.

[critters]

Frankly, I'm impressed with your vet; many US vets would want to PTS right away. I'd give him time and see what happens; you've already gotten good info on nursing care for spinal cord injuries.

[IntuitiveDawn]

He honestly seems to be making some improvements or maybe its just me being hopeful, Yesterday he started rolling onto his back in which he didnt do before and he is already managing to drag himself off his blanket at night time. I know I should be crating him and doing a lot of things, but Again I live in Mexico, Income here is not good and things like crates, pee pads, slings etc doesnt seem to exist where I am . I am near the border and can cross over but living off a 1000 peso income a week is only $70 USD so we are doing our best. I am very grateful for our vet, Whom is American trained but practices here at much cheaper prices. For pick up, xrays, meds, and a 4 night stay our bill was $120USD and they seem very hopeful for him!

[IntuitiveDawn]

Frankly, I'm impressed with your vet; many US vets would want to PTS right away. I'd give him time and see what happens; you've already gotten good info on nursing care for spinal cord injuries.

I honestly think I am even more impressed, The vet has went above and beyond and now unexpectedly showed up at the house to check up on him and take pictures to show everyone at the office how he is doing!

[CarolC]

Crating does not have to be with a crate. In fact I never recommend a crate with a dog that size. It would be too hard on both of you getting him in and out. All he needs is to be confined so he does not move around. For example, block him into a corner with some furniture.

There are a number of ways to improvise a sling. If you have a strong grip you can use a towel under his abdomen but you might need 2 people to support him, the weight of his hindquarters is going to be about 36 lbs if he is a 90 lb dog. Or if you have a canvas tote bag that is sturdy, cut the sides so it lays flat and you'll not only have a sling but one with handles to grasp.

Here is a great idea for a homemade malewrap.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... ill#p48019