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My dog may be paralyzed

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Girlrocks

Girlrocks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 19, 2006
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575
I'm a work at home mom, and this morning I had a meeting with a client. Arrived home around lunchtime. Noticed my dog was acting a bit off. Wouldn't walk, would take 2 steps and then sit down. She had a sad/painful look on her face. As time progressed, she got worse and worse. She was laying on the ground moaning, kept repositioning herself as if she could not find a comfortable position. I thought maybe she had to go out, so I tried to get her to go outside, she wouldn't get up. Tried to bribe her to walk to me with a treat, just layed there. I finally helped her up and helped her outside. She has hip displaysia and with a 20 degree day, I thought maybe it was that and some arthritis, but she was really struggling to walk and arching her back. She went out on the deck and collapsed. I had to carry her back inside. She collapsed again just inside the door. She seemed very uncomfortable, burying her head in my arm and leg as if she was in pain and looking for comfort. The bus pulled up outside and she always waits excited at the front door for my kids. When they walked in, she was trying to get to them but couldn't walk, so she was attempting to crawl across the floor using her front legs only. I frantically called DH, who was already racing home from work. She was wimpering and shaking all over. We rushed her to the vet. They feel that she either blew out a disc in her spine and the bulge is pressing on the spinal cord, or that she had a blood clot that traveled to that area of the spine because it came on rather suddenly, however progressed as the hours passed. They did some neurological testing and felt that they had ruled out a stroke. They tested her for Lyme's disease which was negative. They have her on steroids for inflammation and a muscle relaxer. Our vet is very into Chinese acupuncture, so she did a treatment on her with electronic stimulation and that seemed to give her some relief; she passed out asleep on the exam room floor snoring during the treatment. We have to keep her activity to a minimum for the next 2 weeks at least. They said she could improve or it could progress to paralysis. We may have to take her to a neurosurgeon and have spinal surgery. We have to watch her closely because the vet said if it progresses to full paralysis, we have a 4 hour window to get her into surgery to try to correct it. She is a 9 year old yellow lab and my children are so in love with her.

I'm trying to downplay the severity of the issue for my kids sake. They know that she hurt her back and that we are giving her medicine to help her feel better. She was fine this morning. Nothing happened today that I know of that could have injured her. The vet said she could have slipped on some ice, or just turned quickly because of a noise, really it could have been anything. We have to take her out on a leash to do her business and then right back inside. She normally sleeps upstairs in our room, but no stairs for at least 2 weeks. DH is going to sleep downstairs tonight (we have a guest room on the main floor thank god) to keep an eye on her. We have a sling to help her get down our patio stairs to get out into the yard. She is really out of it, probably partly because of the medication. She has not moved since we got home from the vet 2 hours ago. I have to follow up on the phone daily with the vet and perhaps taker her in for some more accupuncture. She has such a sad look on her face. She is still so gentle and loving. The vet was in such a hurry to draw blood, that they took it from her jugular vein in her neck, and all she could do was lick her hand afterwards.

Thanks for letting me vent. And anyone that wishes to include her in your prayers tonight, by all means, please do so.
 
Sending prayers her way Girlrocks. I grew up with yellow labs, many of which had hip displasia. I am hoping the steroids and the muscle relaxants do the trick. It''s probably that she moved so quickly, something went out of whack, disk, etc... I have a Bichon that dislocates her knee now and then. One minute she''s fine and next she can barely walk. I pray your doggie doesn''t need spinal surgery. Sounds like you guys are giving her the best care possible. I know it''s hard on your kids. Hard for them to see her in pain. But you are doing all the right things, I hope she gets better soon!!! And hugs to you!!
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I''m so sorry to hear about your pup. She sounds like such a lovely dog. I hope she recovers from whatever this is.
 
I truely hope that all goes well and that the acupuncture may help. My thoughts are with you and your kids.
 
Girlrocks-
My heart goes out to you. I have a dachshund who has had some back scares so I know how worried you must be. I pray that her condition improves *hugs*
 
So sorry to hear about your poor sweet doggie. I hope she feels better soon and that the injury does not progress to paralysis. I''ll send all possible good thoughts and prayers to you and your family and your dog at this difficult time.
 
I hope the treatment will help. I have heard positive things about accupuncture in pets.

A lab is such an active dog, I really hope all is well. Prayers to you and your family and your beloved dog.
 
I''m sorry Girlrocks. I can only imagine how challenging this must be to deal with. I am keeping you, your family and your precious pup in my thoughts and hoping for a speedy and full recovery.
 
thats so sad, sorry about your doggy. i will keep you guys in my prayers and wish all is OK.
 
Oh Girlrocks, so sorry to hear about your dog! Sending good thoughts her way...
Hope she''s okay.
 
Aw, poor little pooch! I will most definitely say a prayer for your pup tonight...I hope she feels better soon.
 
My heart goes out to you, your family, and your sweet pooch. We have a lab ourselves, and I cant imagine not having her in our lives.

I will whisper a prayer on her behalf tonight.
 
Oh, rocks, my sympathies.

My in-laws have a lab with hip displasia, too. She started off exactly how you''re describing. She''s been on meds for several years and is around 11 yrs old. She just recently started avoiding the stairs, but other than that, she does fine. Sometimes her hip will act up and we tell her to sit and then lay and it fixes it.

i really hope this is all that is wrong with your pooch.

Good Luck!
 
So sorry to hear this, girlrocks! I really, really hope your beloved dog makes a full recovery and that everything turns out ok. I''m the proud parent of two beagles, one of which has epilepsy... I know how it is to have a furbaby with a debilitating disease. My best wishes and most heartfelt thoughts go out to you.
 
Keeping you and your dog in my thoughts.
 
Girlrocks-

I just wanted to let you know, this is almost EXACTLY what happened with my dog (a mini pinscher) this past summer. He has always been in excellent health, yet one day my mom (he lives with my family, back at home) called me and told me he was ill. He basically had the same symptoms as your dog....moaning, whimpering, holding his head down, etc....He went from a firecracker type of dog (he's extremely active) to a really sick dog who couldnt do anything. We took him to our vet...he told us almost the exact same thing yours did...that the most likely cause of his pain was a bulging/strained disc in the neck. It was horrible. All I remember was my dog lying on his little bed, flipping from side to side trying to get comfortable...Everyone in the family was so freaked out. Really, part of me thought he was going to have to be put down.

The treatment was steriods (to decrease inflammation) and REST. Girlrocks, I cannot stress how important it is that you keep your dog quiet and confined... away from the kids, away from stairs, jumping, etc. You need to keep her in a small space, so she cant move around alot... If you need to sedate her in order to accomplish this, do it...My dog could not understand how he went from king of the house to being confined in the kitchen 24/7 (we used baby gates to keep him in). He was in so much pain, but still so anxious about the fact that he coudnt roam around the house freely...so we sedated him to the point that all he did was want to sleep during the day. We were told that we should not stimulate him too much, didnt want him to get worked up. It was really sad, b/c he is so much part of our family, but we knew it was for the best. I would say that he was confined for 6 weeks....He couldnt go up or down stairs....My mom ended up sleeping with him in the guest room for that WHOLE time (so he wouldnt have to use stairs), so he wasnt alone at night...Yes, he is very much loved, and like I said, "king of the house"!!!

He came out of it just fine, and now he is back to his old self...The vet said that the strain could have been from anything...jumping, going up stairs, etc...that this type of ailment is very common in middle age dogs (my dog is 7- your dog is 9-makes sense). We were also told by the vet that if it didnt heal properly, our doggie may be paralyzed...We were absolutely devastated, so we did everything we could to help him....Even though he is better now, I dont think he is TOTALLY out of the woods, I think it can happen again....To do our best to prevent it, we try discourage him from jumping alot, going up and down stairs frequently, and we use a harness now exclusively when walking him....nothing around the neck at all..

Stay positive, and make sure she is confined and quiet...I know its sad, but if she does too much right now, this can really get alot worse. I will keep you and your doggie in my thoughts and prayers...Just wanted to share my story!!!

Good luck!!!
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Oh, darlin'', my heart goes out to you and your family, and of course you sweet dog. I really hope the situation improves soon. Keep us posted, please.
 
Date: 2/29/2008 5:26:17 AM
Author: Dani
Girlrocks-

I just wanted to let you know, this is almost EXACTLY what happened with my dog (a mini pinscher) this past summer. He has always been in excellent health, yet one day my mom (he lives with my family, back at home) called me and told me he was ill. He basically had the same symptoms as your dog....moaning, whimpering, holding his head down, etc....He went from a firecracker type of dog (he''s extremely active) to a really sick dog who couldnt do anything. We took him to our vet...he told us almost the exact same thing yours did...that the most likely cause of his pain was a bulging/strained disc in the neck. It was horrible. All I remember was my dog lying on his little bed, flipping from side to side trying to get comfortable...Everyone in the family was so freaked out. Really, part of me thought he was going to have to be put down.

The treatment was steriods (to decrease inflammation) and REST. Girlrocks, I cannot stress how important it is that you keep your dog quiet and confined... away from the kids, away from stairs, jumping, etc. You need to keep her in a small space, so she cant move around alot... If you need to sedate her in order to accomplish this, do it...My dog could not understand how he went from king of the house to being confined in the kitchen 24/7 (we used baby gates to keep him in). He was in so much pain, but still so anxious about the fact that he coudnt roam around the house freely...so we sedated him to the point that all he did was want to sleep during the day. We were told that we should not stimulate him too much, didnt want him to get worked up. It was really sad, b/c he is so much part of our family, but we knew it was for the best. I would say that he was confined for 6 weeks....He couldnt go up or down stairs....My mom ended up sleeping with him in the guest room for that WHOLE time (so he wouldnt have to use stairs), so he wasnt alone at night...Yes, he is very much loved, and like I said, ''king of the house''!!!

He came out of it just fine, and now he is back to his old self...The vet said that the strain could have been from anything...jumping, going up stairs, etc...that this type of ailment is very common in middle age dogs (my dog is 7- your dog is 9-makes sense). We were also told by the vet that if it didnt heal properly, our doggie may be paralyzed...We were absolutely devastated, so we did everything we could to help him....Even though he is better now, I dont think he is TOTALLY out of the woods, I think it can happen again....To do our best to prevent it, we try discourage him from jumping alot, going up and down stairs frequently, and we use a harness now exclusively when walking him....nothing around the neck at all..

Stay positive, and make sure she is confined and quiet...I know its sad, but if she does too much right now, this can really get alot worse. I will keep you and your doggie in my thoughts and prayers...Just wanted to share my story!!!

Good luck!!!
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This sounds like EXACTLY the same thing! Our vet told us the same thing your vet said! Oh goodness, I hope it''s not 6 weeks!! It''s so hard to have be inactive, especially with spring right around the corner. We''ve just gotten back into taking our nightly family walks with the few nice days that we''ve had here and there lately. Thank you for sharing your story, it made me feel like maybe this situation wasn''t so bleak.
 
Well last night was pretty rough (for DH and I that is!). I don't think either of us slept for more than an hour at a time, we were constantly up checking on her. During the evening, she usually is right in the middle of everything with the family, but she definitely stayed off to the side in a quiet corner and rested, so we knew that she wasn't feeling well. She wasn't even really interested in the goldfish crackers my daughters tried to sneek to her.
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I had shuffled my kids over to the neighbors house when we took her to the vet yesterday, and even the neighbors kids were crying at the thought of something wrong with our dog, she is loved so much! So she had some visitors last night because my neighbors kids had to see that she was OK before they would go to sleep.

She slept in the same position ALL night long, on her side, never moved. A couple of times I checked to see if she was breathing just to make sure. She has been very thirsty from the steroids, so she has to go out a lot, so we fashioned a harness out of a 6 foot by 6 inch ace bandage and we loop that around her belly just before her back legs so we can take some of the weight off of them when she goes up and down the 4 stairs to our back patio door. The area of her back where they suspect that the disc is ruptured is very swollen and tense, probably from her muscles spasming. Luckily I am home during the day so she can have as much water as she wants and I can take her out several times, the vet said not to limit her water with the steroids. Normally she goes nuts when she sees her leash (I mean, NUTS!) because she knows that either means a walk or the vet, which she loves both equally but last night when DH got her leash out to take her out to go to the bathroom, she weakly just sat up and wagged her tail. We can definitely tell that she is not feeling well and in pain.

She just looks so sad. She has her ears down and her eyes seem to be so big and wide. It just breaks my heart because she's still so loving and gentle. To see her crawling across the floor to get to my oldest kids to see them was just horrifying. But now she's getting lots of attention from them (and unauthorized treats!) so I'm sure she'll be quite spoiled after this. My youngest jumped up at 6am this morning (she normally sleeps until 8am) asking to go see our dog downstairs.

Our vet said this is very common in dachsunds obviously because of their build, and she said the way they treat them is to back them into a small cat crate and only let them out to go to the bathroom for a minimum of 1 month! They eat, everything in the crate. So I'm trying to keep that in mind and be very limiting on her activity, which hasn't been too hard yet because she doesn't want to do anything but lay down.

We're just trying to do everything we can to help her heal because we really don't want to have to go the route of surgery. I don't mean to sound cruel, we obviously LOVE our dog, but with 4 kids, I don't want to even think about the expense of a veterinary neurosurgeon at one of those specialized animal hospitals. I almost fell over last night at the pharmacy getting her medications...steroids, muscle relaxactant with no insurance to cushion the blow...I was like, can't we just put these in my name and use my insurance card????
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I'm going to ask the vet today if she thinks we can do some more accupuncture. The only problem is she gets SOOOOO excited to go to the vet, and then she is so fired up while we are there, and for the accupuncture, she has to lie still for 20 minutes which was no problem last night, but I'm just worried that the excitement and activity could hurt her back more than the accupuncture would help. I'll she what the vet thinks today when she calls.

Sorry my posts are so long, I think this is the most I've posted on PS ever! Thank you to everyone who has posted, given a thought or a prayer to our dog or offered your kind words to me during this difficult and stressful time.
 
OH my goodness! My heart goes out to you and your lovely pup.

I always say to speak what you want. So keep telling her that she is getting better and you are proud of her!
 
Girlrocks - your precious pup is in my thoughts and prayers. Something similar happened with our dog when I was growing up - we thought she was paralyzed too. We also confined her and kept her in her bed for days so, that and medication helped her pull through. She was back to her old self after a week or two (from what I can remember).

It sounds like you and your family are do EVERYTHING you can to make her comfortable and to help her heal - she''s one lucky dog!
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Stay strong and know that she''ll pull through this.
 
Oh I''m so sorry to hear that. Your doggie will be in my thoughts
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I am so sorry to hear about your girl Girlrocks. I understand completely how you feel. I have a 13 year old yellow lab, with what sounds the exact same tempermant as yours. Gentle and loving. She has arthritis and today is very ''wobbly'' on her back legs. Obviously as the muscle wastes this will happen. She is in no pain because of mediication thankfully. When we got back from a little stroll I was on my knees crying because I know she will be gone sooner rather than later. She did no more than lick tears away as if to tell me it is okay.

My thoughts and prayers are with you
 
I''m so sorry GirlRocks. It''s not fun watching your loved poochie in pain.
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Sending her lots of love and prayers for her and your family for a speedy recovery!
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Oh, GirlRocks - I''m sending good wishes your way! I hate to hear when our fellow PSers pets aren''t feeling well, because I can completely relate.

I''ll keep your puppy in my thoughts!
 
My heart goes out to you! I''m going to keep you in my prayers.

Might your vet be willing to make a house call to do the acupuncture in order to keep her quiet? Some vets are more than willing! I would recommend light massage in the surrounding muscles as well to help release the tension in the muscles that are spasming. You could probably do this as well, rubbing your hands with the hair, and using the flat of your hand to apply slight pressure on the muscle and moving in the direction the muscle flows (normally front to back in their back) can help release tension. I''m a certified equine massage therapist and I actually use these techniques on SO''s pit bull who has a lot of back muscle tension and she seems to feel better afterward.
 
oh my gosh, my heart goes out to you and your family GR...it's heartbreaking to look into their faces and know they don't feel well...and you feel like they are looking at you like 'take my pain away'. and also they don't really understand what is happening, so things like having to crate them when they are typically allowed run of the house or similar to them probably feels like a punishment because they don't understand it's for their good.

westies are prone to hip dysplasia as well...i'm kind of paranoid about it, i give portia these chicken and lamb strips that have glucocosamine in them for strong hip joints (they are called happy hips) in hope of keeping her hips strong as she ages. she's been eating them since she was 1 year old. but who knows what really helps.

anyway, hang in there, i will keep my fingers crossed for you guys...i would give her a ton of affection though it might just make yourself feel better...poor pup!!
 
poor doggy
prayers outgoing that she will be up and bouncing around in no time.
 
I''m so sorry to hear that your sweet doggy is in such pain. We''ve never had a dog, but when any of our kitties were sick, it was worse than when our kids were. The kids could communicate, but the kitties just stared woefull at us as if to say, "You should know what to do. So do it now!"

It would be wonderful if your vet would come and do acupuncture so that she wouldn''t have to move.

My thoughts and prayers are with your family and especially your poor baby.
 
I''m so sorry. ((( Girlrocks )) ((Girlrock''s doggie)) Sending lots of good thoughts your way.
 
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