Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

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.
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Team Luna
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Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by Team Luna »

Hello All,

I am reaching out for any encouragement or advice this community can offer. Our 14 YO Chihuahua fell off a 2nd story balcony on Thursday night (8/23). We immediately took her to the ER. On the way there she was whining and in a lot of pain. She had movement in her hind legs but it was very painful and motion was really limited. They gave her pain meds at the ER and referred us to a Neurologist. The next day, Friday 8/25, she had surgery to align and stabilize her spine. Going into surgery she wagged her tail as we said goodbye.

The Doctor said surgery went well. He said he was able to decompress her spinal cord and stabilize the vertebrae with bone cement and pins. He told us that we have done everything we can to give her her best shot of recovery and the rest is really up to her.

Everything seemed hopeful but when we picked her up she had no control of her back legs or tail and seemed to have no DPS. The Doctor said she needs time to recover and gives her a 50/50 shot of recovery and we have to be patient.

We are completely heartbroken and it is painful to see her struggling to move. She seems really depressed and scared and I know it is early on but I don't see any progress and am really stating to worry.

Does anyone have any insight on this? I am hoping that since she had movement and sensation before surgery she still has a chance to be mobile.

She is the light of our life and is so energetic and such a sweet dog. Please help.
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CarolC
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by CarolC »

Big hugs to you.
It's going to be OK.
:grouph:

I don't normally do this, but this is so similar to my Katie that I am giving you the link to her story. She is also a chihuahua, also had a spinal fracture, also pins and bone cement. She actually went into surgery with no deep pain sensation, so your dog has a better prognosis. Katie had a slow recovery, but a recovery.

What location on her spine is the fracture?

It is too soon to predict anything in terms of how much sensation she will have following surgery, she has a lot of swelling affecting her function right now. You will have a better idea after the swelling has gone down, which won't be this week.

Please see Katie's story. It's going to be OK...
http://www.fourfurfeet.com
Team Luna
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by Team Luna »

Hi Carol!

First of all, I have to say that I am speechless after reading Katie's story. It is an amazing story that gives our family hope, inspiration, and motivation to help Luna recover. It has been a rough week for us and we are starting to realize that this will be a long process to get her walking again. But we are determined to do it! Katie's story is amazing and I am so impressed at the level of care that went into getting her mobile again. I hope we can have the same results. I think the main thing we can take away from this is to not give up hope even though it seems like Luna is not making progress as quickly as we thought.

She fractured L5 and the X-Rays showed it was skewed in relation to the rest of her spine. The surgeon aligned it and now we just have to support her and shower her with love and kisses.

We are considering PT but reading Katie's story perhaps we should wait until DPS is present.

I will post updates on Luna's status and I hope one day I can report that she is walking again like Katie.

Again, thank you so much for your kind words of inspiration and for sharing Katie's story. It is truly the glimpse of hope that we needed.
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CarolC
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by CarolC »

Since your dog had DPS going into surgery, I would think her recovery might be quicker. I was advised to rest my dog for 3-4 weeks after surgery. At the time of her evaluation for surgery, the surgeon mentioned we might get her into PT later, so I assumed they already had PT. I would have gladly started her in PT right after that first month of rest, but it was not available. At the time I thought they did not accept her because she had no DPS, but I found out later that actually the hospital was just starting up its PT department, I don't think it was fully up and running yet. I wish I had known that, I would have asked again in a few weeks and she probably could have got in sooner.

If you can afford it, I think swimming or the underwater treadmill is still good therapy even if the dog does not show DPS yet. My dog learned to spinal walk (which does not require DPS) first, and later she was able to do real walking. Spinal walking is helped along by PT. If you are on a limited budget, I think it is better to do steady PT over time, rather than try to do intensive PT at first and then run short on money. It isn't something where working the dog harder will really have significant benefit, she can't do more than the nerves are ready for. If you can go twice weekly or weekly and also do exercises at home and just give it time, she will have a chance to gradually improve. Some people live where there is no PT or they just can't afford it, but especially with a small dog you can do a lot at home (and have fun doing it!). :D

Improvement from spinal injury tends to be by baby steps, a little at a time. Does she seem to have bladder control at the moment? I would expect dribbling right now with an L5 injury.

Would love to see a picture of her. :D
Team Luna
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by Team Luna »

IMG_4131.JPG
She is dribbling and I have gotten better at expressing her. It has been a week since surgery and still no movemet or pain sensation in her rear... its just really limp. We have a nuero follow up nexxt thursday so were hoping for good news.
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CarolC
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by CarolC »

Oh boy is she cute!! Maybe 4 or 4.5 lbs? Just precious!!

It would be perfectly normal if you go to the recheck on Thursday and still have no definite signs. Do not be discouraged if that turns out to be the case. Surgeons may like to tell you about the dog they operated on who was walking right out of surgery, and I'm sure it's true that some do, but I sure wouldn't expect it. There have been several disk cases here (not fractures) where the dog seemed to show no signs at all, then they suddenly started seeing improvement at 6 weeks.

I had trouble several times as my dog reached certain points. I had it in my head that she would be able to stand at 2 months and start walking at 4 months. This was based on reading the account of another dog who learned to walk. I was disappointed at 2 months and really distressed over missing the "deadline" at 4 months. Everywhere in the literature you read that if they aren't walking by 6 months you might as well throw in the towel. Not true. It took my dog longer than most dogs, but we got there! Wish I had known, it is better not to use other dogs for comparison. In my experience having a slow recovery, you just end up stressing yourself out if you don't meet expectations. Your dog will heal on her own schedule, and not the vet's or the therapist's or anyone else's. Healing of nerve damage tends to occur in the background where you don't see it. Your dog may look much the same every day, but the nerves are healing even if you can't see it. Drop dead dates are unrealistic.

One other thing that worries people is if there is a slow recovery and they see the dog losing muscle mass in the hind legs. This is much less of a problem than it seems. Muscle tone in the legs comes back again later once the nerves improve, the muscles are not gone forever, so don't panic about any loss of muscle tone if you begin to see it. Swimming and PT can help her preserve it somewhat, if you are able to do that when she is released from crate rest later.
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critters
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Re: Chihuaha fell off balcony, can't move legs after surgery

Post by critters »

:whale: Regular PT may also help prevent contractures, which, unlike losing muscle mass, are usually permanent. Contractures are evil to deal with and may lead to skin breakdown.
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