Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

This is an archive of previous forum messages.
Karol

Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by Karol »

How is everyone's dog doing who has recently had an FCE? I remember back in Feb. There was many of them, it seemed. Jus wanted to see how progress was going and what differences you are still seeing?
Oreo is doing slightly better. He took a few, very slow steps the other night on his own. We took him for a walk in his wheelchair the other night, but his paws ended up being bloody. We had him in a kennel for 2 weeks and he did ok, but didnt have much progress while he was there nad was depressed the first few days home. He's back to himself, but progress is so so slow. He can sometimes get his right paw to lie flat on the ground when he walks. His let legs is still not very good and it gets tangled around the right leg making him fall back down to the ground. We had him at the vet a few weeks ago and he has lost 11 pounds. I assume it's all muscle. We can feel his hips bones. His right leg has some muscle in it and we are beginning to see his muscle bellies forming again on his right back leg. Still no bladder or bowel control. It's been 10 weeks. How much time and progress are other people seeing in their dogs? I know its going to be slow, I just dont know if Oreo is slower, on track, or not really progressing? I think the four steps he took was huge. But i'm just not sure how much more he will get back seeing how little muscle he has.
Would love to hear from all of you :) Karol
joel

Chase w/ FCE??

Post by joel »

I know each dog is different, so one dogs time period has no bearing on another. From my reading it appears that some get up and walk in a week or two and some take years.
That being said, Chase our 4 year old chocolate lab, is now about month 7 since FCE. He is able to go for long walks (2 miles or so) and has learned to run (although) his back legs seem to act as one, kind of a hop run. He swims daily, now that the ice is off the lake.
It was over a month before he was able to hold an upright position for a few seconds (not stand but hold it when let down with a harness). It took about two months for bladder and bowel control to be complete. Almost 4 for him to walk without a harness. He can now poop on his own (without falling backward into it) but he will start to walk before he is done. He is still wobbly and when moving fast will skid out and fall. He can do a couple of stairs but not a staircase without assistance. He can't scratch at all (but he sure can itch). He does not jump up. He had knuckle bleeding up until month 5-6 but that is all healed now. He goes through periods where he will lick all the skin off a section of paw and then leaves it alone and moves to another paw or leg. Sometimes front sometimes a back one. He is better about it when he is kept busy but left for long periods by himself he will do it more.
He was shaved on his back by his tail and behind his neck for the spinal tap (to confirm his condition) and his hair never grew back on his back by his tail. After 6 months he still had a rectangle of bald skin as though he was shaved the day before. We went to the vet who finally determined it was low thyroid levels and received medication, after a month he is starting to grow some hair back (this may or may not be related to FCE). If he was not shaved we probably would never have noticed it though.
In the past month we have seen little progress, although he is getting better about finding alternative ways to do things. We really can't believe how far we have come. He is as lovey dovey as ever and we can't believe we considered putting him down, which was what our vet was preparing us for until we flat out refused.
Thanks to this board and reading about the quality of life handicapped pets have.. Joel, Betty and Chase Dog..
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Building muscle

Post by CarolC »

You can wrap his feet real good with vet wrap tape when he's in his chair. Then they won't get bloody. I do that with my dog.

Muscle will come back with exercise. See if you can get him doing 20 minutes of weight bearing exercise a day on those back legs by next Saturday. The week after do 30.

Weight bearing exercise is standing, walking, or practicing sit/stands.

Still counts if you use a sling.

Do the exercise 2 or 3 times a day.

5 minutes morning, 5 minutes noon, 10 minutes at night--you're doing 20 minutes.

Work up from there--he'll get that muscle back.
Jeff

FCE

Post by Jeff »

Our 10.5 year old Lab, Jacques, suffered a FCE about five weeks ago. He was in the vet hospital for about 10 days getting steriods. When we took him home, he required lots of heavy duty care. He's about 75lbs and my wife and I, using a bottom's up harnesss and a towel or sheet struggled to take him out to the yard. About 10 days ago he began to improve. He's at the point now where he can go outside to the yard unassisted. He walks awkwardly, particularly with his rear legs, but we are very pleased with his recovery. We'd like to see more but we'll take him the way he is--that's for sure.
Pavla
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2003 7:00 pm

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by Pavla »

Hi,
Sara had her FCE a year ago. She still improves but you can only compary by months (not weeks or even days). She still has her better and worse days for walking. Sometimes she manages to walk 350 meters by herself and sometimes only 100 meters. You can compare her development on her websites by looking into the video section.
Be patient and hope for the best.
Greetings
Pavla
Monique

Re: Chase w/ FCE?? - Advice needed re: FCE and bladder...

Post by Monique »

thanks Joel for the quick response and suggestion to repost... Appreciate it!
joel

Re: Chase w/ FCE?? - Advice needed re: FCE and bladder...

Post by joel »

Hi Monique, I suggest you repost this as a new message as others with more experience may not be reading older threads.
chase needed to have his bladder expressed for the first month or so. this required us to squeeze the area below (behind) his penis. The bladder when full feels like a pear. If we did not express he would leak constantly, as his bladder was overflowing. It sounds to me like he has an infection (but I am certainly not experienced there).
Regards, Joel and chase..
Monique

Re: Chase w/ FCE?? - Advice needed re: FCE and bladder...

Post by Monique »

Hi there,

Hoping you can pass along some hope and words of advice. Our dog Riley was stricken by FCE a little over a week and a half ago on a walk not far from our house (thankfully). After reading the many posts here it looks like we've been very blessed in that she is already making great progress, going from not being able to use either left or right hind leg to being able to use both - although most frequently relies on the right. Last week we were unsure she'd be able to regain anything in her left leg, and thought she would be rather limited in her right. So we're counting our blessings.

Unfortunately, while she seems to have control of her bowels, her bladder is a different story all together - and frankly it is wearing us all down (Riley included). She routinely leaks at ever sitting in the house, sometimes minimal, sometimes much. And still is needing assistance to relieve herself when outside. The smell associated with her output (whether fullblown or leaking) is strong and extremely rancid. Did anyone else experience this? Our local vet doesn't seem to be able to make heads or tails out of it. Needless to say, our house is not one right now we'd like to invite anyone to, much less be there ourselves. Can anyone offer advice for how they dealt with the lack of bladder control while healing? And also comment on if this smell has been experienced by others? We've had a urinalysis done twice and nothing has come up. I'm taking a little encouragement by at least reading that healing could still be taking place....thank you for sharing and please share more....
LuvElla
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by LuvElla »

Well, my blue pitbull Ella is going on three months next week post FCE. She still has not shown any improvement in using her hind legs...in fact, the physical therapist told me that she may have plateaued in her recovery :( however, I still have not given up hope. Her front legs are really strong and she slides around the apartment to follow me (I try to limit his movement as the carpet is rough on her skin). I still have to express her bladder and she kind of just has bowel movements whenever/ where ever...I can't seem to get the timing right for her to go when I walk her in her wheelchair...but I gladly clean up after her :) she is at p.t. all day today and they are going to run a thyroid test on her since her patch of hair that was shaved for the myleogram never grew back. They told me depending on the results, an underactive thyroid could be contributing to her not healing....I'm anxious to see the results, perhaps if she needs thyroid meds, these may have some positive effect on her healing. I continue to do exercises with her at home, she still has reflexes along her spine, I do resistance exercises with her hind legs and she will push back on my hand for a little bit with her paw and her legs shake a little but the muscles back there are almost nonexistent...I stand her up and sometimes she bears her weight (I still have to spot her so she doesn't fall over) and sometimes, her hind legs are just so weak they buckle under her. Her spirit is unwaivered though :) she is very happy, engaged in her surroundings and toys and LOVES to eat!!
LuvElla
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by LuvElla »

On Monday my vet called me to tell me Ella's urine sample came back as being infected with a strain of MRSA staph....she is on antibiotics...again...I didn't have a chance to ask her but I'm wondering how she may have gotten this?? She has been going to p.t. pretty regularly (twice a week) is it possible she got the MRSA from another dog in rehab? Also, when I'm at work sometimes she poops in her bed and all I can do is clean her up really well (which I do as soon as I get home) but I'm wondering if maybe she is cross-contaminating herself with the poop if it somehow gets into her urinary tract from sitting in it until I get home :((...I'm wondering if I need to start diapering her so at least her girl parts won't come in contact with any poop...any suggestions??
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by CarolC »

Well, this hits home with me because my dog goes to PT twice a week and I have not taken special precautions other than holding her in the waiting room. I only do that because I worry about parvo, I didn't think about MRSA. I usually express her about 2 hours after PT, not right away, because she tends to drink the water in the treadmill and I like to give it a chance to process through her system, and she is always expressed 30 minutes before PT....

Here is an article on MRSA in animals, though you will probably never know where she got it.

http://www.avma.org/animal_health/mrsa_faq.asp

You can get swim diapers at Sam's Dog Hut to protect her when she's scooting on the floor in PT.

http://www.samsdoghut.com/catalog_g4.html?catId=358938

They do recommend expressing the bladder after the dog has been out in public, on a sidewalk or swimming in a creek. I do not know if that would have made any difference and in your position I would have assumed the water at PT was sanitized (the water in the treadmill is chlorinated, I don't know if that kills MRSA or not) and I would not have given much thought to the mats at the PT, if either of those had anything to do with it. I'm sure the staff or janitorial personnel walk through other parts of the hospital and then walk on the mats to some extent. Certainly other dogs are walked through the hospital and could track something in I suppose. :|

I know in humans they say a percentage of MRSA is community acquired, it's just out there in the community and you don't have to get it in a hospital, you can pick it up anywhere.

As far as the diapering, if she is soiling and getting it on her female area, it would probably be good to diaper her just to prevent regular infections. Dry stools would also be helpful. I kind of doubt she got MRSA from her stools, but that is a totally uninformed opinion, I'm not a vet.

I still don't know what to say, this is a shock. How long does she need antibiotics? :(
LuvElla
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by LuvElla »

Hi CarolC...thanks for your quick reply....well, they have yet to try her on the water treadmill again because she wasn't showing any progress in other areas :( As far as I can tell, the place is kept pretty clean/neat...but, the staff does travel from room to room and such.....her stools are always dry now that I have her on such a strict diet and I really don't want to diaper her but I will if that could be a cause) Yes, I was very shocked too to hear she has a strain of MRSA : ( I called the vet and I'm waiting to hear back from her just to see her opinion on how she may have contracted it....I skipped p.t. this week because they also ran a thyroid test on her last week (her hair is not growing back from the myleogram she got in December) vet said this could be a sign of an underactive thyroid which seems to be common and she may need meds if that is the case...and it could be hindering her recovery from the FCE....I'm kind of hoping that is the case and I figured let me save some money on p.t. and if she does need thyroid meds I'll start p.t. again when her thyroid is functioning properly that way she's getting the full benefits of p.t. anyways, as soon as I find out how the vet thinks she may have contracted it (I'm going to be blunt and just ask her if she could have gotten it from the facility AND if any other dogs have presented with it)...I'll let you know what she says....right now she has a dose of antibiotics for about 3 weeks...and I noticed on the bottle she is allowed two more refills : 0!! I'm starting to feel like the FCE has taken a backseat to these bladder problems she's now having : ( (well, apparantly it's the MRSA that is causing the bladder infection)...I'll b in touch
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by CarolC »

I've been reading this

http://www.avma.org/reference/backgroun ... a_bgnd.asp

and it says don't touch animal feces with your bare hands. I confess, sometimes I do...I have 2 paralyzed dogs, doodles happen, sometimes it is quicker that way, but I always wash afterward. I also do not wear gloves when expressing my 2 dogs' bowels and yes, sometimes there is a little contact...it will be a pain to have to use gloves everytime but I guess I will. The article says MRSA is the 10th leading cause of death in humans in the US, I did not know it was that high. Thanks for your reply, I will be following this closely.
:angel:
LuvElla
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by LuvElla »

aww...last night I went to wheelbarrow Ella onto the patio to sit with me and she "doodled" right in the palm of my hand! lol...probably not the most sanitary but of course I wash my hands constantly now...and yes, latex gloves get expensive and you don't always have the time to get them on before an accident happens...she's supposed to go back in a couple of weeks to give another urine sample to see if the MRSA is clearing from the antibiotics...I'll definitely keep you posted! : ) in the meantime, besides her hind legs not working, she still seems as happy as can be ; )
LuvElla
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Just checking on all the dogs w/ FCE??

Post by LuvElla »

Well, good news, Ella's MRSA infection is gone : ) and in the past week, I've noticed when I squeeze her hind paws she kinda pulls them from me which is something new!! : ) she wasn't really responsive at all when I would do exercises with her hind legs...also, she is controlling her bowels much better...I'm wondering/hoping, maybe she's regaining some sensation back there, she now waits till I put her in her cart and express her bladder outside and will usually have a bm while I'm expressing her bladder...this is a huge milestone for her, I'm so excited and hoping this is maybe a precursor for her recovery. The hair on her neck where they did the myleogram is also starting to grow back...all of this happened over a weeks time...I keep telling myself it's only been about 4 months since she "went down" and perhaps she is starting to heal from the FCE. Either way, as always, I'm committed to taking care of her : ) p.s. I took her to visit a friend on Friday who has a cocker spaniel who is blind/deaf...Ella was so gentle with her, it's like they both knew their bodies were compromised in some way...Ella is a 65lb. pitbull and Lexus a 20lb cocker spaniel...just another testimonial that pitbulls CAN be gentle loving companions and not the viscious animals the media makes them out to be....
Post Reply