Questions- new here. Paralyzed pup

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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BecciH
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Questions- new here. Paralyzed pup

Post by BecciH »

My dog suffered a spinal injury this week. He was unable to walk and hadn’t had a bowel movement since the injury occurred.
The emergency vet said he has no deep and said surgery is about a 50% chance. She suggested euthanizing him. She didn’t do any imaging or tests other than the initial exam.

We brought him home for the weekend to spend some time with him and to help make our decision. Since coming home and bing on the pain meds and prednisone, he has had a bowel movement and he’s wagging his tail when we come in the room or talk to him. He’s also moving his head around if we touch his back.

Do you think he’s improving? Should we go get imaging? What can I do to prevent further injury. How can I properly transport him? He’s a lab mix about 75 lbs and 5 years old.
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CarolC
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Re: Questions- new here. Paralyzed pup

Post by CarolC »

Hi BecciH,

:banner:

If you can afford it, I would go get imaging. I would call and see how much it would cost and see if you can afford it. Also ask the price of surgery. Usually in order to actually go to a referral hospital where they do imaging and surgery, you need to be referred by your vet, so I would do this right now while the vet is hopefully open on Saturday morning. When your vet says what hospital he is referring you to, then call them and inquire about prices.

If it is something you want to do but do not have the money right now, there is a loan for veterinary care called Care Credit. Chances are they will have the application at the desk of the referral hospital. I've never heard anything bad about Care Credit ever. They make the loan, you pay it off over time, the terms are good, and most people I know of have been approved.

There are a couple of types of spinal injury where the dog suddenly cannot walk, but they can recover without surgery. One is fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE). It is also called spinal stroke. It is pretty common, even though many people have never heard of it. The other is acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE), also called a high velocity disk extrusion, or a missile disk. It usually does not need surgery. The rate of recovery for FCE or ANNPE is very high.

Imaging will show if it is an intervertebral disk injury (IVDD) which is the kind of spinal injury that needs surgery if deep pain is lost. In IVDD, the quicker you do surgery after loss of deep pain, the better the chances of recovery, so if you can afford imaging and surgery, I would get a referral immediately to the nearest vet hospital that does imaging and preferably has a board certified surgeon, and get your dog there as soon as you can. This may be a veterinary college or it may be a regional referral hospital, depending on where you live, but your vet will know.

FCE is a diagnosis of exclusion. If they do imaging (and possibly other tests) and don't see anything, then they conclude it was likely a spinal stroke (FCE). If they find a disk injury on the imaging, they will determine if it is ANNPE or IVDD, and whether surgery is needed.

You would just have to get the dog to the vet as best you can. It may take 2 people if you can't lift him alone. My neighbor had to put my golden retriever in the car for me. Just try not to jostle him and do your best. When you arrive at the hospital, they can send someone out to the car to bring him in for you.

Wagging his tail voluntarily when he sees you is a very good sign. It is possible this was FCE and he is beginning to recover already, or it is possible he still had deep pain, a neurologist is the best one to determine that.

Something to consider is that if it is FCE or ANNPE, the vast majority of dogs recover but most are not back on their feet right away. So you may need to provide at home nursing care for a while, such as turning him, or changing his male wrap (a doggy diaper that fastens around the waist to catch urine) or help him urinate. If you are physically unable to care for a 75 lb dog, that is a consideration. If you really cannot do it, that is not your fault, we are not all young and strong. There are rehab places that could help with doggy rehab, but that will depend on what you can afford.

If it was my dog, and if I could afford it, I would go get imaging and have more information before making any decision. If it is IVDD, they may want to get him into surgery right away. If you cannot afford it, at least you will know that it was IVDD and you did not put a dog down that had a good chance (of recovery without surgery), based in an office exam with no imaging. Very best wishes as you make your decisions.
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critters
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Re: Questions- new here. Paralyzed pup

Post by critters »

:whale:
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