Dog has a lesion on thoracic vertebrae, now paralyzed
Dog has a lesion on thoracic vertebrae, now paralyzed
As of Friday Aug 4 my weimaraner pit mix Kaipo has been unable to walk. We had x-rays in July (due to him appearing painful in the hind end) and repeated them again at the emergency hospital this weekend. Both x-rays and radiology reports stated degenerative hip dysplasia and discospondylosis. We were initially given pain meds and sent home. Kaipo exhibited what appeared to be severe neorological deficits, not just pain from bad hips.....a few days and many visits later....today he had a myelogram and CT scan which revealed a lesion on his thoracic vertebrae. They believe it is cancer or an infection..need surgery to biopsy to be sure. The vet called and just kept saying any way you look at it the prognosis is not good, and I need to make a decision...even suggested that he was still under anesthesia and they could just not wake him up. Not an option. I am to meet with the vet tomorrow morning and am hoping to get some help in formulating a list of questions for him. I am pretty upset and not really thinking well. If anyone can think of questions I should ask please let me know.
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Susan Stamford
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:52 am
Re: Dog has a lesion on thoracic vertebrae- our experiences
Hi
I understand and feel you pain and we had a similar situation with my golden retriever on Friday. I was having a hard time coping with the situation but have after a few days now come to terms with the reality of her condition. (She had a lesion on her spine also as well as other issues and was paralyzed in her hind legs.) Vets do err on the side of caution and ensure you are rfully ealistic with your expectations and recovery of your pet. Normally a vet will give you treatment options following surgery. You should ask about this and also request for assistance and guidance in, worst case scenario managing a dog with paralysis. There are a number of treatment options following surgery and experts in this field that can help with electrical stimulation therapy, water therapy etc which can improve recovery rates and quality of life for the dog. In our situation we know we'll need to do this to give her a decent chance of being able to walk again.
While I can't help you too much with questions, I can help you by letting you know what we went thru'. Our dog had a malformation in her spine and lesions and other issues (a double/triple whammy)..the surgery costs and care costs are currently running at around $5K. The vets were very pessimistic about her ever being able to walk again and similar to you situation almost encouraged us to give up on her. She is very much part of our family and that option was not an option...and yet we are now four days after surgery and seeing small signs of movement in her hind legs where previous there was no response. I had not expected any movement for quite some time
We plan to get our dog a cart (she can get one three weeks after surgery) and will do our best to manage her condition whether she walks again or not.
The vet should be able to help you with this and how to best manage her current condition etc...please e-mail me if you'd like to chat further as I think we're pretty dealing with similar situations.
Thanks
Susan
I understand and feel you pain and we had a similar situation with my golden retriever on Friday. I was having a hard time coping with the situation but have after a few days now come to terms with the reality of her condition. (She had a lesion on her spine also as well as other issues and was paralyzed in her hind legs.) Vets do err on the side of caution and ensure you are rfully ealistic with your expectations and recovery of your pet. Normally a vet will give you treatment options following surgery. You should ask about this and also request for assistance and guidance in, worst case scenario managing a dog with paralysis. There are a number of treatment options following surgery and experts in this field that can help with electrical stimulation therapy, water therapy etc which can improve recovery rates and quality of life for the dog. In our situation we know we'll need to do this to give her a decent chance of being able to walk again.
While I can't help you too much with questions, I can help you by letting you know what we went thru'. Our dog had a malformation in her spine and lesions and other issues (a double/triple whammy)..the surgery costs and care costs are currently running at around $5K. The vets were very pessimistic about her ever being able to walk again and similar to you situation almost encouraged us to give up on her. She is very much part of our family and that option was not an option...and yet we are now four days after surgery and seeing small signs of movement in her hind legs where previous there was no response. I had not expected any movement for quite some time
We plan to get our dog a cart (she can get one three weeks after surgery) and will do our best to manage her condition whether she walks again or not.
The vet should be able to help you with this and how to best manage her current condition etc...please e-mail me if you'd like to chat further as I think we're pretty dealing with similar situations.
Thanks
Susan
Re: Dog has a lesion on thoracic vertebrae, now paralyzed
Hi Kristin,
I am sorry I didn't read your post sooner, I imagine you have already spoken with the vet this morning. You said your dog had a CT and myelogram and they aren't sure if it is cancer or an infection. I think before you try a biopsy, you might consider trying a course of antibiotics to see if that clears it up.
You said your dog is not walking and he's a big dog. There is so much to talk about there that I don't think I will go into it all right now. There are wheelchairs and walking harnesses and every kind of adaptation you could need. If the impairment affects his bladder there are easy ways to deal with that as well. He can still have a happy life like so many of the dogs here. My paralyzed dog still rules the house.
Here is a link to a webpage about Toni's dog Ivan who also has spondylosis.
http://www.handicappedpets.com/gallery/ivan11/index.htm
Right now you are probably overwhelmed with all the little things like getting him in the car, and getting him out to the yard for pottying. And on top of that you are worried it might be cancer. Please don't think you have to give up on him because he can't walk.
I hope you will post an update about your visit to the vet, and questions about your most immediate problems. I am going to post a link to get a walking harness which should help you a lot. HandicappedPets can overnight you a harness if they have the right size in stock:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mobility ... arness.htm
Here is the kind I got my golden retriever, which is also good:
http://www.hartmanharness.com
I am sorry I didn't read your post sooner, I imagine you have already spoken with the vet this morning. You said your dog had a CT and myelogram and they aren't sure if it is cancer or an infection. I think before you try a biopsy, you might consider trying a course of antibiotics to see if that clears it up.
You said your dog is not walking and he's a big dog. There is so much to talk about there that I don't think I will go into it all right now. There are wheelchairs and walking harnesses and every kind of adaptation you could need. If the impairment affects his bladder there are easy ways to deal with that as well. He can still have a happy life like so many of the dogs here. My paralyzed dog still rules the house.
Here is a link to a webpage about Toni's dog Ivan who also has spondylosis.
http://www.handicappedpets.com/gallery/ivan11/index.htm
Right now you are probably overwhelmed with all the little things like getting him in the car, and getting him out to the yard for pottying. And on top of that you are worried it might be cancer. Please don't think you have to give up on him because he can't walk.
I hope you will post an update about your visit to the vet, and questions about your most immediate problems. I am going to post a link to get a walking harness which should help you a lot. HandicappedPets can overnight you a harness if they have the right size in stock:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/Mobility ... arness.htm
Here is the kind I got my golden retriever, which is also good:
http://www.hartmanharness.com
