# Spinal Cord Injury



## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Today my pug was fine all day long until this afternoon when she all of a sudden could not walk up the step into the door. Later she could not walk straight at all. We took her to the vet who thinks she has a slipped disk, nothing obvious on x ray. I am devastated! Right now she is on steroid therapy in the hopes that it will reduce swelling. She is on strict kennel rest. She could not even sit up straight when I took her out to try to potty. 

I don't know if I should worry about pottying outside or not. At this point I don't really care if she has an accident in her kennel as long as I know she is hydrated. She would not drink out of her bowl, but I fed canned food with a little extra water mixed in. 

The best case scenario is that the steroids help, and she regains function. Worst case. . . she never walks again. I don't know how I will handle that. I was in tears just trying to help her potty.

Any thoughts? I could use some good ideas on how to manage her partial paralysis while we "wait and see."

Thanks,
Amy


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## Sunshyne (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi, I sent you a PM.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

thanks. This is such a horrible time for us.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

So sorry to hear about your pup.....Is surgery an option?....My Inlaws doxi had a disc injury and had to have surgery and is just fine now ....sending positive vibes to your pup


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

The vet, my brother, said she didn't look surgical "yet." We are hoping that she will respond with the steroids. What diagnostic tests did they do with the doxi?


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm not sure what testing was done but I will shoot my MIL a email and ask.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

I just had her out of the kennel again to try to potty. She will not go on demand with a pee pad. (Blizzard outside this morning. . I am NOT doing that to her!) Her towel in the kennel is wet, so she must have peed in there. At this point I am GRATEFUL that she can pee! I do hope it was because she had feeling in her bladder. She did stand a little on her back legs but there is no coordination there. I just held her in my lap to feed her. I will offer water every couple hours, and keep offering the pee pad. I don't know what else to do. ..


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

I don't have any experience with this, but I'm sending good thoughts to you and your pug. I hope treatment goes well.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Thracian said:


> I don't have any experience with this, but I'm sending good thoughts to you and your pug. I hope treatment goes well.


Thank you! Maya and I appreciate that! She sent you a picture. It is off of my cell phone, so not the greatest quality.


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## mylittlebecky (May 27, 2008)

usually the next step is a CT scan. there are definitely great things happening with canine back surgery. even if you just go for a consult they're really great with suggestions. so now she has motor in her back legs? that's great!

def keep an eye on her urination! we had a little cav come in last week, diagnosed by the regular vet who had not urinated in 48 hours, eeek! of course, i'm sure your brother was more clear than their vet. did he teach you how to check/express her bladder?

good luck getting her back up and going!


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I spoke to my MIL she said that they had a CT scan to verify if there was a disc injury...and they found a ruptured disc.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Maya has some very weak, uncoordinated motor function in her back legs. (Yeah!) She also has sensation as she withdrew when I pinched between her toes. 

I am concerned about her bladder. I tried to express it this morning (it had been 18 hours, no pee.) I could not get the hang of it. I just checked her and she was soaked. I have her in a baby diaper right now. I have an appointment with the on call vet in a little while. I want them to teach me how to express the bladder. 

I am also asking for a surgery consult. We will have to go to Colorado as there is no one in Western Nebraska who does that kind of surgery. I don't think we have a veterinary CT scanner in our area either. 

Thanks for the suggestions, and the good wishes, we sure do appreciate them!


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## MarleysGirl (Apr 11, 2008)

So sorry to hear about what your poor pup and you are going through. Like others I am sending good thoughts and vibes.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Maya is now at the CSU veterinary hospital in Fort Collins. I am very pleased with the doctors there. She had slight improvement between last night and this morning with no surgical intervention. Her MRI will be tomorrow morning, and possibly surgery. She has a catheter to keep her bladder drained as well as some IV fluids and pain meds. They seemed confident that she would have a good outcome. 
Thanks for all of your kind words and well wishes!


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## Eyssa (Jul 28, 2008)

Aw, I'm so sorry about your pup! I've never had to deal with anything like that so I'm afraid I am of no help, but I know how stressful it can be when a pet gets sick or has an injury. I'll send prayers and hopes your way... Keep us apprised!


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

Wishing you guys lots of luck


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

We are home from the hospital! Maya can walk, and she can pee! She will still get her feet crossed and fall down when she gets excited, but SHE CAN WALK! 

The specialist did not do an MRI or surgery because she continued to show improvement steadily. 

While I would have liked to have a definative diagnosis, I am happy that she did not need to undergo anesthesia unneccesarily.

She should continue to make gains. For now, she is still on activity restrictions, and we have to monitor her bladder to make sure she is emptying. I can live with that.


Thanks to all for your support.


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## Tricia_88 (Mar 3, 2009)

I just went through this. Sounds like a disc issue. My Beagle started out not acting right on a Thursday. Friday she was walking like she was drunk and would cry out. We brought her to the vet both days because of things getting worse. Was on meds. and took x-rays. Friday night she went down hill FAST..!! She was losing use of her hind end and bladder/bowl function. (I can't begin to tell you how horrific this night was). Saturday we took her to clinic where the surgeon did the surgery. Unfortunately, her spinal cord was severely bruised. Instead of it healing, her paralysis started moving forward. It started affecting her breathing. That Tuesday, a day after her 6th b-day, we lost her. I'm devastated. This just happened Jan. 27th.
Take Disc Disease very seriously. Most cases can be treated with rest and medication. Her scenerio was on the extreme side. Research it....find out what your pup should be avoiding. My other beagle had a disc problem in his neck a couple years ago. Meds, rest and a trip to my chiro helped. after this, I will not let him jump out of the vehicles anymore....trying to find away to minimize even jumping off the furniture. I even read " tug-of-war" is bad for discs. My dog is older, he is 8 now. But I never want to go through or watch another dog go through that again. 

Also...just to let you know....this surgery cost a small fortune. I really couldn't afford it but I had to do whatever I could for her....she was my baby. 

I wish the best for you and your pup......Tricia


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Tricia, I am so sorry you lost your baby! I was devastated at the thought of losing her! I totally agree with you on the small fortune part! I expected expensive, but the estimate kind of blew me away! We were ready to do it though. . 

We have had a rough time the last couple of days. She has not lost any of her function again, but was just not acting right. The vet thought it is probably a pain issue. We have her back on pain meds. 

I hate to have her in the kennel all the time, but I guess in the long run, it is a small sacrifice to make. 

Maya is never allowed on my bed again because I don't ever want her jumping off of it again. I have played all the future scenarios in my mind about jumping, stairs, etc. Thanks for throwing the tug of war thing out there. 

Again, Tricia, I am really sorry to hear of your loss. Thanks for your input,

Amy


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

Amy, I'm so glad she's doing better. Thanks for the update and the picture! She looks like a real sweetie.


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## Tricia_88 (Mar 3, 2009)

I'm glad things are going well for you. With all the researching I have done on the internet it seems like a lot of dogs do well with the treatment you are going through. My personal Chiropractor took a class on working with animals. Lucky for me he just enjoys doing it and does it for his patients for free. It helped my older Beagle when he was having an issue with his neck. My Sassy though, she had never had any problems with her back. It was just this one time and it was as serious as it could get. I sometimes wonder if it would have been different if she had the surgery sooner. I don't know how long it takes for the spinal cord to get bruised. If it is like any other bruise, or if it can happen sooner. No one can seem to answer that for me...or maybe they don't want to. 


Anyway....most of the cases I have read about seem to be slow occurring. Not as accute as Sassy's. There is a good IVDD group that someone posted in an older post here....Dodgerslist.com . There is good info there and experienced people. I'm not sure what the likelyhood of reoccurrence is. The surgeon said that it was no more likely to reoccur than it would be to occur in the beginning. But next to Sassy in the hospital was a little Daschund whose owner was trying to find a way to pay for his 4th surgery. He was the exact same age as Sassy, literally just days older..(6yrs). My older Beagle, Monty, has never had another episode. I do want to take him to have another adjustment though. 

I'm glad your girl is doing well. And YES...I'm sure keeping her crated is hard, but it is the best. I hope the pain meds are helping. The thing about pain though is...sometimes it keeps them from doing things that can hurt them more. Because they don't understand like humans what is going on. I'm not saying severe pain, but some discomfort might not be bad. Hope that came across right. It is just recovery from this is sooooo long. Don't want set backs.

One more thing the vet insisted on.....when Monty had his issue he made us switch to a harness for any activity with a leash. It doesn't pull on his neck. We switched both to a harness.

Good Luck, Tricia

The pic is of my Sassy at Christmas.....just one month before.


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## amynrichie (Sep 3, 2008)

Tricia_88 said:


> One more thing the vet insisted on.....when Monty had his issue he made us switch to a harness for any activity with a leash. It doesn't pull on his neck. We switched both to a harness.


 Good Point, I had a harness around here somewhere. . . 



Maya is doing well today, she really wanted to bounce when I took her out. I really understand your point about some discomfort not being a bad thing. I had to put her in the kennel right away because she was just too busy and happy to be out! Maybe I will only medicate her every 12 hours instead of 8. 

Your Sassy was a beautiful girl, you must miss her terribly. How is Monty doing without her?

Amy



Thracian said:


> Amy, I'm so glad she's doing better. Thanks for the update and the picture! She looks like a real sweetie.


Thanks! She is a sweetie, and a clown! 
Amy


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