Paralysis caused by mass on spinal cord
Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:54 pm
Hi there,
I am new here, currently attempting to manage a new normal.
After exercise one Saturday, my dog’s gait was off and was suddenly experiencing rear end weakness and pain in the back. I took her to a few vets and I wished I had pushed for a MRI because none of them seemed concerned about her situation, and it didn’t help that she would perk up at the vet and symptoms were masked. Long story short, her condition worsened and the night before her scheduled MRI, she lost all function of her hind end. The MRI showed a mass on the spinal cord. The neurologist along with my dog’s oncologist advised to treat with prednisone and a dose of elspar(chemo) because my dog also has t-zone (indolent) lymphoma that at the time did not require any treatment. The thought was that if the tumor was lymphoma, the chemo and pred would shrink the tumor and symptoms would improve. Well, it didn’t, and 7 days later she had a hemilaminectamy. The mass was removed and we’re still waiting for the biopsy results.
Today is 12 days post op. So far, she has regained very little function. She can bear weight for just a couple of seconds each time I stand her up. She can urinate but needs help (slight pressure on the bladder helps her “start”). I see her move her legs occasionally - such as when she is resting and decides to stretch - her legs stretch as well. She has always been very conservative with her tail wags, but I believe I saw her wagging it yesterday.
Her discharge papers said she was deep pain positive.
Does anyone have any experience with paralysis caused by a mass on the spinal cord? The surgeon said she expects improvement sooner than in a dog that underwent the same surgery for a herniated disc. I’ve been reading a lot about dogs with herniated discs and IVDD, but would really like to hear about others’ experiences regarding a mass on the spinal cord.
I am new here, currently attempting to manage a new normal.
After exercise one Saturday, my dog’s gait was off and was suddenly experiencing rear end weakness and pain in the back. I took her to a few vets and I wished I had pushed for a MRI because none of them seemed concerned about her situation, and it didn’t help that she would perk up at the vet and symptoms were masked. Long story short, her condition worsened and the night before her scheduled MRI, she lost all function of her hind end. The MRI showed a mass on the spinal cord. The neurologist along with my dog’s oncologist advised to treat with prednisone and a dose of elspar(chemo) because my dog also has t-zone (indolent) lymphoma that at the time did not require any treatment. The thought was that if the tumor was lymphoma, the chemo and pred would shrink the tumor and symptoms would improve. Well, it didn’t, and 7 days later she had a hemilaminectamy. The mass was removed and we’re still waiting for the biopsy results.
Today is 12 days post op. So far, she has regained very little function. She can bear weight for just a couple of seconds each time I stand her up. She can urinate but needs help (slight pressure on the bladder helps her “start”). I see her move her legs occasionally - such as when she is resting and decides to stretch - her legs stretch as well. She has always been very conservative with her tail wags, but I believe I saw her wagging it yesterday.
Her discharge papers said she was deep pain positive.
Does anyone have any experience with paralysis caused by a mass on the spinal cord? The surgeon said she expects improvement sooner than in a dog that underwent the same surgery for a herniated disc. I’ve been reading a lot about dogs with herniated discs and IVDD, but would really like to hear about others’ experiences regarding a mass on the spinal cord.