*PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

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.
minpinmom
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by minpinmom »

Thank you for replying back. The vet said the tests were inconclusive d/t the marker for Lyme set at 300 and my dog tested at 340. Vet definitely not wanting to make a final decision as more tests need to be done. For now, we are treating it as Lyme. I will ask the vet about PT today.

As far as the pottying, this morning, I noticed his pillow was very wet. It looks like he urinated during the night but it does not smell like urine. In fact, it looked like he was sweating. We had the air on so the house was not warm. His appetite was not as good this morning but I was still able to get him to eat all of his food and meds. Both of these developments are new. Is he getting better or worse? I don't know.

As far as coon hound paralysis, I don't think this is the cause as he had the paralysis start in the front. His hind legs are not paralyzed but with his inability to balance, he doesn't use them. His bark is fine. Breathing is normal.

I do have water available for him to drink while I'm gone.

I gave him a bath. He seems comfortable on the clean and fluffy blanket he's on. He just seems very sad.
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CarolC
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by CarolC »

Have you checked for neck pain? Is he on any other meds besides the antibiotic? Dog's don't sweat like humans (that's why they have to pant) so it seems more likely it is urine, unless the vet gave him a fluid pack. He may not be concentrating his urine so it is mostly water. You might have them check his urine to see if he is having kidney trouble, hence not concentrating the urine...not sure.
minpinmom
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by minpinmom »

Interesting. I will call the vet to check on this. Thank you. He is still panting and seems very warm. Not sure what's going on.
Christine
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by Christine »

Just checking on you...I am afraid the person I thought might respond has not seen our post. How are things going?
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dottie_dice
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I'm new at this.. incident happened 3 days ago

Post by dottie_dice »

Hi!, My name is Erika and I'm from Los Angeles , Ca , 3 days ago my bf noticed that my dog Monkey (poodle Mix) was acting kind of funny, depressed , tail between his legs and cried when petted..this happened on a Wednesday, i thought he was just spooked but something, since pigeons like to mess with him. Day later he had loss of balance and would still cry to the touch, so i took him to the vet , but at this time it was closed. Friday Came , he got worse and i took him again to the vet , the vet took xrays of him and reported to us that he has a slight inter-vertebral disc compression which caused inflammation and is the reason that his rear legs aren't functioning properly. i was devastated, like most of you can already imagine and have been through.. Vet said Surgery would run me about $6k .. I'm 23 and a college student , i can barely take care of myself and i would have never in my life expected this to happen to one of my pets. So, we went with a steroid shot and prescribed 5mg prednisone pills BID Q12H. My mother and I are now taking care of him. He had urine accidents quite often , i think he marked everyone in the household :).. but we regulated that with a male wrap.. we change him every time he gets wet and clean him up with baby wipes and baby powder. he hadn't pooped for 2 days so we tried the ice cube trick but he beat it, then we tried the Q-tip n Vas and it worked like a charm. Also , we massage his legs and do some ROM exercises and don't let him drag himself around. We sleep with him and take very good care of him as far as i know. My question is what now? What to expect? since i cant pay for surgery what can we do to help him. My dad is quite a handy man so he's going to build him a wheel chair later today. I just really need some advice on how to help him. anything will suffice.

Thank You all and God bless your pets.

p.s if i make no sense please bear with my , i haven't really slept since this all happened.
Christine
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by Christine »

Welcome....the fact that your vet said that your dog has a "slight" compression sounds encouraging to me. If you read through some of the posts on here, you will see where many times strict crate rest has worked and surgery was not needed. I am surprised the vet did not suggest that. The only time out of the crate is for pottying and you carry Monkey in and out. This is tough love that can only help your little one.

Take a look at the sticky "Paralysis Information" in the Index for more information about this high priority step for you to take immediately. Also, read about learning to express urine. This will take care of the accidents in the house and relieve his bladder, which is overflowing. You already took care of the poo situation and that is great. You can learn to express too. Your vet or a tech should also be able to help you to learn this. The fact that your dog is small is a bonus in this regard.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10626

It is early to get a wheelchair and you might not even need it. Take a look at this information and come back here every step of the way. There are others here who have gone through this. No question is too small. It's great that your parents are there to help, as well.

Others with more experience and information will chime in soon. We are here for you. Now, take a deep breath and do some reading!
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dottie_dice
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by dottie_dice »

Thank you and yes i started reading a little last night but fell asleep while doing so , i have many questions and one of them is .. how should his posture be ? whats the correct way to carry him? right now hes sitting with his legs to the side , kind of like a side saddle .. I tried looking for it in posts but couldn't find it. Thank you for your response.

this is how he's sitting right now.. we try to lay him down and he just gets back up .

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af47 ... ture-7.jpg
Christine
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by Christine »

What a cutie pie! I am not sure about that and you really don't have any control over this. He does look somewhat comfortable. You just want to make sure that he is not walking, trying to run or jump so that with the help of the prednisone (steroids) the swelling will go down.

The doctor may have told you that you have to follow the prednisone dosing very carefully, including the gradual stepdown of it. He may also have told you that pred does make them drink more water, thus urinate more, so the importance of expressing his bladder so it does not overflow and cause a urinary tract infection is high.

Maybe some of the others will comment on this, but I am a little concerned about the use of baby powder. I am wondering if cornstarch might be safer. I am posting Monkey's picture here for you so everyone can see how precious he is and take a look at the way he is sitting.

As far as the way to carry him, you will want to support his neck and back.
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dottie_dice
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by dottie_dice »

Thank you. he is adorable for a poodle chihuahua mix. the baby powder we just sprinkle on the creases of his legs and testes no where near the urethra or the anus, i read about that.

Vet did tell us about the thirst and hunger, we took measures on that.. trying to control his intake and output.. I'm currently trying to look for a diet to put him on, but i cant figure out which would be best.. I might just end up calling the vet tomorrow and asking her about this.

How long after the injury or when should we start trying to use a wheel chair for him? his appt isn't until 2 weeks from Friday.. I think I'm just hoping everyday that a miracle would happen and he'd just get up and start walking again. Should i post his X-rays so others that are experienced can see and give me their opinions on his condition?

Once again, Thank You so much, its refreshing to be able to come somewhere and have help.
Christine
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by Christine »

He sure is hiding the chihuahua under that fur somewhere!

Strict crate rest is six to eight weeks and then you will think about or possibly not even need a wheelchair. At this point, you want to concentrate on keeping him still, expressing him 3-4 times a day and feeding him a good quality food that will produce solid, yet soft poo, easy to clean up.

Here is a short article with more ideas about crate rest, entertaining them during this time and also some food suggestions.

http://users.cyberport.net/~milnerwm/cr ... plies.html

Here is a video showing you how to express by one of our moderators.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYWs6OEfJI


The vet can suggest the best food to feed him. You might also ask the vet about giving him a Pepcid with the Prednisone as it protects their tummies....but be sure to discuss it with the vet first.

I don't know how easy it would be to post the xrays, but it could not hurt to give a full picture of what is going on.
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dottie_dice
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by dottie_dice »

ok so im guessing the affected area is in the middle of the circle i put in there. if not I'll edit it .. when the vet showed me i was in tears so i don't quite remember. has anyone has anything similar and what symptoms did your pet show. i just want some kind of an idea on how to go through this. thank you

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af47 ... _S0123.jpg
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CarolC
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by CarolC »

I do not think you can really control how he sits, I wouldn't worry about the posture. You just want to keep him quiet. What you want to do is prevent as much activity as possible, which means strict crate rest 24/7, only out for toileting. In one picture it looks like he has the ability to leave his crate. A lot of people hesitate to crate a dog because he isn't used to it, but it is for his own good and I would definitely crate him with the door closed. If you have a baby playpen, that would work for a dog this size, too. I have 2 chihuahuas and they both have playpens. A malewrap is easier to put on the dog than a diaper and would let you avoid so much handling. :malewrap: The cart company I dealt with did not recommend putting a dog in a cart till at least 6 weeks after the injury. (I would make an exception for a really large dog who might get less stress and strain using a cart than being carrier or sling-walked.)

:whale:
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dottie_dice
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by dottie_dice »

yeah i was thinking bout the male wrap and do it sometimes after he has a BM , i still haven't been able to control them so my mom wants to keep on the diaper, when we change the diaper can we put him on his back? that's my main concern , cause i don't want to make things worse. Another thing , hes been sitting since i posted that picture and doesn't want to lay down and starts to fall asleep while sitting , could there possibly be something wrong? . At this point he doesn't use his rear legs at all , yesterday he stood up on his own with one of the legs but now its just nothing and its frustration to see him stand and show progress then he just starts to get worse.. its a roller coaster of emotions. The area that we have him in is actually a ghettofied dog house with the top taken off where i have placed a box at the entrance which carry his food and water at head height. so he cant leave. its the best i can do for now. Once again :thankyou:
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CarolC
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by CarolC »

If you are going to use diapers, I would just put them on whatever way is the least handling and manipulation of the dog, whichever way keeps the back the most stable, and I'm not sure what that is for your dog because it partly depends on the dog. I'd probably be most likely to change the diaper lying on his side, assuming he is comforatable lying on his side.

I have a female dog who wears a diaper and her back is stable, she is not newly injured. I lay the diaper out flat on the counter, then set her bottom on the diaper, then fasten one side (velcro) and then the other. The whole diaper change is done in a sitting position and I have one hand under her chest. But all I can really say for sure is, I'd do it in the least stressful way you can, which partly depends on how your dog behaves when you try it different ways.

What I do with my dogs is be sure the stool quality is good (firm and low odor and not sticky) and then I don't worry if they doodle in bed. The bedding does not get messed up and the dog stays clean and you just pick up the stools and toss them. A diaper might seem like the way to go, but if you have good stool quality you do not have to worry about a mess (so you don't need a diaper) and if you have poor stool quality (too soft), your dog is going to be a mess if the stool is contained in the diaper and sticking in the fur. It is easier to change the bedding than to have to go through a million baby wipes trying to clean mess off of a furry dog, or more likely having to stick his bottom under running water to get him clean, and then maybe blow dry him. I have never used diapers with my male dogs.

I remember seeing something about a dog who didn't want to lie down on this message board, that sounds familiar. I don't remember what the explanation was, I don't think it was anything serious, wish I could be more help.
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dottie_dice
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Re: *PARALYSIS INFORMATION*

Post by dottie_dice »

ok so giving him rice would that make his stool nice and firm .. or would it be giving him foods rich in fiber ?

right now my mom has him in her arms sitting so he can rest his head on her chest because earlier he was falling asleep sitting up and he fell over .. we're trying to make his bed comfy enough for him but he just doesn't staying still. He sits up trying to move around the bed then just turns around. yesterday he was calm and laying on his side.. today hes all over the place .. he doesn't leave the create but does seem frustrated. :( .. thanks again.. ill look for that post.
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