Pip diagnosis - Central cord syndrome

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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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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CarolC wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:53 pm
The difference is we are not using the sling right now because he has a red spot where his front leg meets his shoulder. It's tiny and it's been fainter and redder from time to time. I don't know what it is unless the harness rubs, but I didn't think it did. I was trying antibiotic cream but he licks it off. Today I got some hot spot spray (gentamicin) and he didn't bother it after I sprayed it. He does not appear to ever lick it unless I put ointment on.
The red spot is from the grass. Either when he lies on his side in the grass and paddles his legs trying to sit up, or when he runs a few steps and wipes out, not sure which. He's somehow scraping it. It was half healed up and we went out this afternoon and I was encouraging him to be active, and he tried to run after a cat outside the fence (along with one of the other dogs) and wiped out after 6 or 8 feet. When we came back in, it was skinned up again. At least now I know what's causing it.
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critters
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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Yes, knowing what causes stuff is always a good thing Wonder if a Onesie would cover it and help protect it?
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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It might. I was wondering the same thing. Would probably just need a T-shirt. It would protect from grass. Do not know if it would create its own problem with friction in the armpit. Right now he's not allowed to try to run outside, which is regretable as it's all therapy. The spot is healing up. He ignores the gentimicin spray so he's not licking it off. I have been thinking the spray works well and I wonder if it would be effective on scraped toes. He doesn't scrape his toes but rear paralyzed dogs do. If you could see where this spot is, you'd probably wonder how he does it, like it do. This picture is not him, but see the little pink spot? It varies from 1/4" to 1/2". When he's lying down it is hidden in the fold of his arm there inside the shoulder.

You would *think* he'd scrape up the outside of his hip, flank, knee, elbow, but he doesn't. I guess I should say thank goodness for that. That makes me think it's not from lying on his side paddling, but from running and wiping out, which is kind of like doing a face plant with your arms down at your sides and sliding in home in baseball. His front legs are straight down against his chest and waist when this happens, not forward, and he kind of turns a little to the side so he isn't sliding on his windpipe. Maybe this is a typical place for front paralyzed dogs to scrape when they wipe out. It seems like the front of the shoulder or upper chest would be a more likely place.

spot.JPG
coxmaria3
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Re: Pip diagnosis

Post by coxmaria3 »

Hmmm.... that is a weird spot. Could it just be a hot spot somewhat? Colonel use to get a scraped up looking spot on his belly and I thought it was from the grass. We would get it cleared up and then it would come right back and we would have to use the germicide again. I am assuming it was a food allergy because once I switched his food to Purina Pro Plan Focus it completely cleared up and never came back.
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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:thankyou:
That is kind of the cycle we are in. I spray it with the gentimicin hot spot spray, it looks better, then it comes back. I am not sure, but I think it may have started with a mishap he had 2 or 3 months ago. His daytime bed is on the floor near another dog's crate. He used to sometimes spring himself with his strong hind legs (front legs being of little use at that point) and he sprang himself out of his bed and somehow collided with the side of the crate with his right front leg through the wires. He got himself free before I could get to him, but I think he scratched or bruised his almost-armpit area about where that spot is now. I put a rolled up blanket between his bed and the crate to prevent any more mishaps. At the time he had a lot of strength but not much control.

However, there is no question it was looking reasonably good before I encouraged him to move around in the grass, and it was freshly raw when we were done. That was the time he chased the cat. Now we are trying to get it healed up again. It's a judgment call. He can't learn to move in space if he isn't allowed to. With a rear paralyzed dog you get scraped up back toes. With a front paralyzed dog, I guess you get whatever is scraped when he does a face plant in the grass or paddles on his side to get sternal.

I hope it isn't food related, but I can't rule anything out. I appreciate your comment. Your situation does sound a lot like what we've been dealing with. When I adopted him, the rescue had him on Stella and Chewy's raw diet. I don't especially like raw diet, but he likes it and there are some advantages, and she did it because she wanted the best for him, so he's still on it. He gets Science Diet for breakfast.

He got his nails trimmed today and I showed the groomer and she said he's licking it. I know it looks like that, but he's not. I'm sitting here near him all day and he has never licked it except the 2 times I put ointment on and he licked off the ointment. He leaves the gentimicin spray alone and does not lick that. Also, it looks best in the morning, so he's not licking at night. Beats me...
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critters
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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VERY strange!!!
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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Pip is doing something new, which is stellar! He can now push himself into a stand from a crouch if he has the wall to lean against. We've been doing the Wall Treats exercise, and twice in the past week he's lost his footing and collapsed in a heap, and I started to go stand him back up, but he got right up by himself and kept going. Made it look easy, too. That's using both front legs and elbows and not knuckling. Go Pip!!!!!
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critters
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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:hurray:
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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:yay:
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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May have discovered the mystery of the strange scratch on his front leg. When he is lying on his side paddling his front legs and kicking his hind legs like crazy trying to get up, his hind legs (and nails) rake his front legs. I watched him almost scratch himself by accident today when he was in the grass. I had allowed him to try to get up and run for the first time in a couple of weeks and that's when I noticed it. :idea: It finally makes sense. That's the answer to "Why there?"

It's really important, because not knowing what was causing it, I had not been walking him with his harness. I didn't know if maybe the harness was rubbing. Now we can use the harness again, and he needs that.
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coxmaria3
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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That's great sleuthing!
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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Thanks. It was kind of luck or grace. I feel bad because he's missed out on 2 weeks of harness walking, which does do him some good. The groomer sometimes dremels nails. I'll have to be sure to ask her to dremel his hind feet. I was thinking about those soft paws claw caps. I wonder if he would leave them alone or chew them off. I don't even know if she does them. I SURE would like to be able to go back to letting him lie in the grass and try to run a little bit. How is he going to recover if he's not free to move...? But then he curls in a ball and kicks in a frenzy and scrapes himself.
:thankyou:

EDIT TO ADD: Tried claw covers, he disliked them, kept trying to chew them off. Back to the groomer and had them removed.
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critters
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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Baby Boy scratches himself, too. I just keep his claws whacked. He'll be taking a bath and his leg will be kicking him in the head! :shock:
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CarolC
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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Thanks for posting that. I'd think it would be worse for a cat because the claws are so much sharper. I don't really remember anyone posting about this problem before. I wonder if Weeble used to have the same problem. I still think he's scratching his front leg with his hind foot, but I am trying a different type of food, too, in case allergy has anything to do with it. They say not to keep feeding the same type of raw diet continuously, and he's been on raw chicken for several months (with Science Diet w/d dry for breakfast).
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critters
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Re: Pip diagnosis

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For Ares, I think it's because of his spasticity and the motor problems he has.
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