My chihuahua was attacked by a lab. The vet said his shoulder is completely dislocated but the bigger issue is he can't move his legs. When held above the exam table he made no attempt to stand. He shows no pain response in his back legs. The vet took an xray which didnt show a break in the vertebrae so he said the spinal colon could be bruised and swollen and he may regain movement or it fractured and just isnt showing up on xray. He said there is no point fixing the shoulder which would need surgery if he cant move. He said if the spinal column is just swollen there should be some minor intentional movement in the next few days.
Its been two days and he has had no movement at all on his back end. Front legs show some pain response but he doesnt move them, he doesn't even move his head but I know he can. He drinks a little but doesn't want to eat. It breaks my heart to have himblaying motionless. I can not imagine his living this way for any length of time. I know it can take a very long time to regain movement but should I be seeing something at this point? He is totally limp when I move him.
Paralysis along with shoulder dislocation
Re: Paralysis along with shoulder dislocation
Did the vet give him any medication? Is he on Tramadol or prednisone? Anything for pain, or an anti-inflammatory? I am not a vet but if he were my dog, I would want him on anti-inflammatory medication of some kind (like prednisone), because this may help function return more quickly.
Is there any way you can get him evaluated by a specialist in your area ASAP? My biggest question would be to get a better idea about his neck. Do you know if he was shaken? If it is just bruising and swelling, that's great.
This isn't an easy one, but I would want to try to give him time if possible. He needs time for the swelling and pain to go down, and that would take more than a few days. We had a very senior beagle here who was attacked by a larger dog and it took her about a month to get back on her feet, but she did. What you are seeing now is not a good quality of life, but hopefully you will see improvement. You just need to be able to care for him while you wait to see how he does. If he is dribbling urine, you will have to keep him dry. I would recommend a male doggy diaper. It is a belly band that holds an absorbent pad, and you fasten it around his waist with velcro.
If he is not urinating, you may need to express his bladder (squeeze his tummy to get him to empty his bladder, the vet should show you how). His bladder needs to be completely emptied about every 8 hours to keep it healthy and comfortable. Expressing the bladder can be done with him lying down. There are videos showing different ways to do it if you scroll to the end of this link.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16027
It sounds like you need to hand feed him. You might ask the vet for some Science Diet a/d. It is a super smooth canned food that is easy to give, and it has extra flavor and extra nutrition for pets during convalescence. They don't have to eat as much of it as they do with regular food, to get good nutrition. You can even feed it with a syringe.
The good thing is he small, and that makes it easier to care for him while you try to keep him as comfortable as possible and see how he does. If you feel that the pain medication is not adequate, please tell the vet. The vet is depending on you to let him know, otherwise he will assume that what he prescribed is working. There are some really excellent pain medications for dogs.
Is there any way you can get him evaluated by a specialist in your area ASAP? My biggest question would be to get a better idea about his neck. Do you know if he was shaken? If it is just bruising and swelling, that's great.
This isn't an easy one, but I would want to try to give him time if possible. He needs time for the swelling and pain to go down, and that would take more than a few days. We had a very senior beagle here who was attacked by a larger dog and it took her about a month to get back on her feet, but she did. What you are seeing now is not a good quality of life, but hopefully you will see improvement. You just need to be able to care for him while you wait to see how he does. If he is dribbling urine, you will have to keep him dry. I would recommend a male doggy diaper. It is a belly band that holds an absorbent pad, and you fasten it around his waist with velcro.
If he is not urinating, you may need to express his bladder (squeeze his tummy to get him to empty his bladder, the vet should show you how). His bladder needs to be completely emptied about every 8 hours to keep it healthy and comfortable. Expressing the bladder can be done with him lying down. There are videos showing different ways to do it if you scroll to the end of this link.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16027
It sounds like you need to hand feed him. You might ask the vet for some Science Diet a/d. It is a super smooth canned food that is easy to give, and it has extra flavor and extra nutrition for pets during convalescence. They don't have to eat as much of it as they do with regular food, to get good nutrition. You can even feed it with a syringe.
The good thing is he small, and that makes it easier to care for him while you try to keep him as comfortable as possible and see how he does. If you feel that the pain medication is not adequate, please tell the vet. The vet is depending on you to let him know, otherwise he will assume that what he prescribed is working. There are some really excellent pain medications for dogs.
Re: Paralysis along with shoulder dislocation
Thank you for the helpful information. We went back to the vet today and he said he was impressed with the improvements and now thinks it was just swelling. My Rhett is definitely showing pain response and is moving his legs a little. After the swelling had subsided some it was determined that his shoulder is not dislocated bit the tip of the scapula is broken. Because he is A chihuahua and because here bone is so thin he said there is no great way to pin it and that it will heal on its own, especially because the paralysis will prevent him from moving a whole lot. The vet talked to us about moving his positions, expressing his bladder, keeping him clean and better pain control. He was on carprofin and we are discussing adding a phentanyl patch or tramadol.
Thank you for your suggestions. I will be doing a lot of reading.
Thank you for your suggestions. I will be doing a lot of reading.
Re: Paralysis along with shoulder dislocation
That's really good news about moving his legs a little, and about the shoulder. Changing positions is good, but I would not stress about it too much with such a lightweight dog (unless he was super skinny and had bones sticking out). The most important thing to preventing skin breakdown is keeping him dry. For example, if he has an open wound on his shoulder on one side, I would not feel compelled to make him lie on it in order to change his position. I am not a vet, just going on experience. A chihuahua on soft cotton bedding should not get pressure sores very easily even if he is not turned frequently. But if he wets the bedding and lies in it, that is when a skin problem could occur. Malewraps are your friend. 
So glad he is making progress.
So glad he is making progress. 
Re: Paralysis along with shoulder dislocation
I've found that I prefer a food that's called Recovery. I think it's by Royal Canin, and it was available (in the US) at PetsMart (with a prescription). It didn't take as much mixing or extra water to be able to be syringed, in case you need to do that.
It sounds like you have a good vet, having covered expressing and home nursing! In my experience, many vets don't think that non-vets can express at home.
It sounds like you have a good vet, having covered expressing and home nursing! In my experience, many vets don't think that non-vets can express at home.