New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

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.
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

Hi. I am new to this site. My dog had herniated disc from injury but did not need surgery. Complete paralysis from mid back down to tail. Loss of deep pain sensation.
The accident was a month ago, she has regained bladder control but not so confident bowel control has returned, not really an issue.
She has physio once a week and initially some improvements such as she kicks legs when touched and she stands herself up, although not convinced this is because she feels her legs.
I was wondering if anyone else has had experience about progress etc.
If i use the sling she making no effort to use legs and has become effective at dragging herself around (at speed!).
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by CarolC »

:welcomepink:

Hi there,

If her injury was a month ago and surgery was not an option, then you are doing "conservative" treatment. In other words, no surgery, just crate rest and medication. That is SUPER encouraging that she regained bladder control already, wow! That is fanstastic.

They recommend 8 weeks of strict crate rest, in the crate 24/7, only out to potty. Carry the dog out to potty (if you are able) and keep on leash. I would expect further improvements, but right now allowing her to drag herself around would not be recommended. My dog did something similar one day not long after I got her home. I took her out in the yard to express her bladder and she saw a cat on the other side of the fence and she shot out from between my legs and tore off after the cat, dragging her legs in the grass. She was fast!

I don't know if this precisely applies to your dog, but it something I learned that helped a lot regarding dragging, after my dog's crate rest was over. My dog is an active breed and getting her energy level down was one key to helping her learn to walk again. I had to give Katie at least 30 minutes (or more) of really active playtime to get her energy level down, so afterwards we could practice our standing and walking. And I could tell when she would start to settle down. I used to say, the first 30 minutes were hers, the next 30 were mine. If we hadn't done this, honestly she never would have learned to walk, she just would have dragged wherever she wanted to go and never slowed down enough to learn to walk, because slow is not her nature.

I wish I could say you can expect her to start walking at 'x' number of weeks or months post-injury, but it's impossible to predict. I do think that since she got bladder control back so soon, it does not sound like it is going to be a long, extended recovery, you are probably going to be fortunate. I'd like to recommend hydrotherapy when the vet says it is permitted. That is a great way for dogs to exercise because the water helps hold them up so they don't need as much balance or muscle control, yet they can use all 4 legs as ability returns. If she is small enough, you can even do it at home in a wading pool, hot tub, or bathtub.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/healingpage.htm

10/6/18 EDIT TO ADD: If this dog had an ANNPE (see Lynne54 below) then my advice was wrong, I was thinking it was IVDD. I am not clear on the diagnosis.
User avatar
critters
Founding Member
Posts: 14362
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2001 7:00 pm

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by critters »

:slant: This sounds good to me. A month is still a very recent injury
Lynne54
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:44 pm

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Lynne54 »

Hi,

My dog was paralysis just like your dog from playing ball. She has ANNPE that happened almost a year ago (Oct 13, 2017). Basically, when she was running a portion of healthy intervertebral disc suddenly shot out of its encasement and collided with the spinal cord at a high velocity. This caused bruising and bleeding within the spinal cord. My dog was stage 4 with little deep pain sensation and could not stand or move any back limbs and she had no control over her bowels and I had to express her bladder. Kona's process of regaining the use of her legs was a long process. The second week she started to slightly move her right hind leg and then slowly her left leg followed. It took 4 months for her to walk with a limp on her own. She still walks a little strange and sometimes she drags that left leg, but she is doing well and she is very happy. She has control of her bladder and bowels, but if we wait too long she will pee and poop in our shower. The bowel took a lot longer to gain control. In fact, I think it was 3 months ago when she started to do better in that area.


Our neuro vet told use to do lots of touching and squeezing all over and make sure you get inside the pad of the paw. We also walked our dog around the yard with the help me up harness and she dragged her behind legs all over. Once in awhile we would see slight movement in the legs as we ran around the perimeter of home (my arms were killing me!)

We also did rehab with her and she went on a water treadmill for 4 months. I had to stop because it was so expensive, but we bought a pool the we could fill and work with her in that.

I hope that helps you!
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralyis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

Thank you for responses. Had a few issues with relying so will see if it will post now.
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by CarolC »

Not sure what it was doing, but it looks like it's working well now if you want to post an update. I hate it when I lose a post, but it hasn't happened for quite a while fortunately!
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

Hi all

I just wanted to post an update on Peppa! We are just over 3 months post accident and seeing great improvements.
Treadmill hydrotherapy is going well and she can do some steps on her own, the muscle is building back up slowiy and the physio is really pleased with her.
Had an ear problem so took her to the vets and they saw lots of voluntary leg movement so said there was no need to do deep pain test as if she didn't have it she couldn't move her legs in the way she does.
So happy for her!
Continuing all the exercises at home and treadmill so hoping for more improvements. All the hard work is paying off. She sits to stands really well and in often seen on all 4 legs independently, and lots of leg movements.
I was so worried after being told that if deep pain sensation did not return after 3 weeks it was unlikely but it goes to show it all takes time. She is a long way from being able to walk but all moving in the right direction!
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

Yes it was an ANNPE that she had, not sure if prognosis differs from compressive disk??
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by CarolC »

Hi Jenna,

That is really good news about your dog. :trophy: I am not a vet, but in general all I know is a compressed disk caused by IVDD is normally treated by crate rest, or surgery plus crate rest. ANNPE is more like FCE, and surgery is usually not needed. My dog's physical therapist told me that 85% of dogs with FCE will recover. (Actually, in the cases discussed in the abstract below it was even higher.) The abstract below talks about the percentages with ANNPE. ANNPE is a diagnosis we didn't used to hear about, it seems they are starting to use it more in recent years.
http://www.nhveterinaryspecialists.com/learn-more/neurological-conditions/fce-and-annpe/ wrote:While some severely affected dogs do not recover from an FCE or ANNPE, the vast majority do well given enough time to recuperate.
Here is what the same source says regarding dogs with IVDD.
http://www.nhveterinaryspecialists.com/learn-more/neurological-conditions/intervertebral-disc-disease/ wrote:While dogs with IVDD can become unable to walk or even paralyzed, the outlook can be very good as long as treatment is initiated immediately. For those dogs who are unable to walk, surgery is recommended to remove the disc material pressing on the spinal cord and restore function to the affected nerves. If surgery is performed before a dog loses feeling to their toes (“deep pain”), there is a 90-95% chance that they will regain the ability to walk. For the most severely affected dogs, in whom deep pain is lost, timely surgery is still able to restore function in 50% of patients. If surgery is delayed for over 48 hours after deep pain is lost, however, the success rate with surgery falls to 5%.
This abstract talks about about the similarities and differences in dogs with FCE vs. ANNPE.
https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/181/11/293 wrote:Abstract

Presumptive ANNPE and FCEM were diagnosed in 157 and 44 dogs , respectively. Ambulatory function was regained in 99 per cent of cases, with persistent motor deficits in 83.6 per cent and 92.5 per cent of dogs with presumptive ANNPE and FCEM, respectively. The presumptive diagnosis was not associated with motor function recovery, recovery times or urinary continence. Faecal incontinence was five times more likely in dogs with presumptive ANNPE (23 per cent) compared with presumptive FCEM (7.5 per cent).
11/23/19 EDIT TO ADD: 'usually' based on this information:
https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/acute-spinal-cord-injuries/ wrote: Traumatic noncompressive intervertebral disk herniation occurs when the nucleus pulposus is extruded and causes a concussive injury to the spinal parenchyma (Figure 2). In some cases this extruded material causes a dural tear, which can be found below the level of the dura mater.9,10

Noncompressive Traumatic Intervertebral Disk Herniation: Surgery is a potential therapy for patients with suspected dural tears, and prognosis appears good based on limited reports.
User avatar
critters
Founding Member
Posts: 14362
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2001 7:00 pm

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by critters »

Congrats, this sounds great!!
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

Thank you for that information!
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

I have not been on the site for a while, we have seen little progress but not much. Until yesterday! Peppa has been prescribed steroids for an allergy and chronic itching and since taking them she has made huge progress with her walking and taking steps, could this be down to the steroids or a complete coinsidence, either way I am completely amazed and excited!
Lynne54
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:44 pm

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Lynne54 »

Jenna,

That is wonderful news!! I am pretty sure Peppa will continue her progress with walking and then some form of running.
Jenna123
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:18 am

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Jenna123 »

It is very exciting! I am trying to establish between spinal walking and normal walking. I don't mind which it is its just lovely to see her upright so much more.
😊
Lynne54
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:44 pm

Re: New to site. Spinal injury, paralysis dog

Post by Lynne54 »

Yeah, my dog does a lot of unique walking. I was out in my front yard and a woman came up to me and said, "you have that dog that walks funny." LOL! Kona walks swinging her left leg out to the side with a little dip and sometimes the step is a drag on the ground. We get the best "normal stride" when she has walked for 15 mins. and then it is only for a few mins. Running is a bunny hop with the back legs.
Post Reply