Spinal cord severed, but suddenly extremely sensitive

[karinski]

Hi and thank you for reading this.

My 4 year old dog was injured when he was four months old and has been on wheels since he was eight months old. He has always had reflex kicking of his back legs when we touch certain areas of his back, but suddenly he has extreme sensitivity and leaps forward if we touch his spine in the area that was injured.

I will of course take him in to the vet, but I wondered if anyone had a similar experience or any thoughts. He's a Chi mix.

Thanks

[CarolC]

I do not remember anything exactly like this occurring so many years after injury. I can tell you nerves do continue to heal, so he may have formed some connections that were not there 2, 3, or 4 years ago. Here is an example from my dog.

http://www.fourfurfeet.com/2008.html

If you notice him licking or chewing the area, that would be an urgent situation and I would ask the vet about gabapentin right away (some dogs can injure themselves, they don't know when to stop licking/chewing).

[karinski]

Thank you Carol!

[critters]

I would start gabapentin ASAP. It can do wonders for that.