# URGENT---Dog paralyzed and unsure why



## elliephan (Jan 11, 2009)

I need some urgent advice. My dog started limping and got quiet a few days ago, then later that night lost the use of her back legs. I took her to the vet and she has been there since (3 1/2 days). She has no movement in her hind legs, no deep pain response, and no bladder control. An xray showed nothing. The vet says that surgery wont help, that she likely received some trauma, and that it isn't likely that she will improve. I don't know what to do. She is apparently not in pain, but I don't know what caused this (particularly as it was a gradual onset), and whether there is any chance that she will get better. I also don't know what to do - euthanasia or maybe we can try to look after her at home? I'd like to look after her if possible, but I don't know if I can. Does anyone have any advice on what could have caused this problem (it seems strange that there was such a gradual onset and not terrible pain if it was an injury). Also, I would love some advice on how hard it would be to look after her at home, particularly with regard to her not being able to urinate alone. I need some advice, please?


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## 4paws-up (Jan 6, 2009)

First I am so sorry your baby is going thru this..

My first thought was spinal and then nerve damage - what did he x-ray?- not so sure I would buy the "there is nothing you can do theory yet either" I am more a multiple opinion person myself. Holistic vets are more probing IMO and more willing to look outside the scope- do you have any that are available to you- they are far and few between unfortunately

As far as leaving her- there are wonderful absorbant pads that take the wet to a lower surface so you could crate her with these pads and many are machine washable so you could get a few and rotate. 

You can also make a cart for her so she can wheel herself around. The shelter I helped at had a dog that lost the use of her back legs from being shot and she is happy as a clam in her wheeling cart - she lays on papers all day so I am not sure if she has any bladder control

At least get another opinion before you think about putting her down. Please keep me posted


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## elliephan (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks for your reply. 

One of the biggest problems it seems is that she cant urinate alone. Her bladder needs to be expressed, apparently at least every 8 hours. Apart from the fact that I dont know how to do this or if I could regularly do this, I am concerned that I will be at work for longer than 8 hours. I am unsure what this means.

We are also confused as to what is causing the paralysis, and the vet has also been puzzling over it (with the most likely cause it seems now to be spinal injury).


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## 4paws-up (Jan 6, 2009)

Oh I did not know it had to be expressed- I am sure that can be taught like anal glands- what about a bug bite--they can have parlayzing affects or snake?? Just fishing here since the xrays showed nothing


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## elliephan (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks for 'fishing', so are we! The vet thought it might have been snake bite, but all tests have been negative and she hasnt improved. There were spiders around but the vet thinks that all the local spiders wouldnt cause paralysis. The cost is over $2000 already, and a more expansive xray (mylegram?) is another $1200, with the possibility that it may not help anyway (?). We are looking for any ideas?


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## surellabaer (Nov 13, 2007)

I know this may be completely wrong but the same thing happened to my dog. Dingo suddenly stopped walking and I had to carry her to the vet. She also lost bladder control. It turned out to be a tumor in her spleen. She was almost 13 so the decision to put her out of her misery was hard but it was the right thing to do.
You said the vet took x-rays but nothing is perfect-is it possible that there is an underlying cause that he has missed? Maybe a tumor that is too small or is in a place he didn't x-ray? 
I don't have alot of faith in vets because the vet I took Dingo to first said "nothing" was wrong and I should just take her home-which I did and then decided to take her to another, much better, more compassionate vet who x-rayed her spleen and showed me the problem. 
Talk to friends-maybe they can recommend a second opinion vet for you.


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## elliephan (Jan 11, 2009)

Thank you for replying. I am interested in any ideas or experience as our vet is very good but even he thinks that this is a puzzling case.


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## Rough_Collies2008 (Jan 4, 2008)

When you say she started limping...was it both hind legs? Was she almost bunny hopping a bit when she first started to shown signs something was wrong?

How you describe the gradual advancement reminds me of something that happened to my puppy. She received two vaccines on September 11th, 48 hours later started to show weakness in her hind legs, days following that...she completely loss use of her legs. It took about 5 days altogether for her to first show the 'signs' something was wrong, to completely lose control of her hind legs.

I took her to a neurologist, and he diagnosed her with Vaccine-Induced Polyneuropathy. He told me that there was a high chance she would walk again with time. 

The best way I can explain polyneuropathy, is swelling/inflammation around the nerves going the hind legs. When this area swells, it cuts off feeling...so they are paralyzed. He said the 'gradual' loss of their hind legs, is a very good indicator of Polyneuropathy. Once this swelling goes down, the dog starts to regain use of their hind legs. Angel started to walk again, almost in the same fashion she lost her ability(she started hopping first, then started walking, and then started to move more normally etc)

If you can, take her to a neurologist, ask about Polyneuropathy. 

Here is Angel on the 13th. As you can tell, she was having difficulty getting up here. They thought maybe something was wrong with her hips. x-rays showed nothing:






This was just three days after the above video. You can tell she loss even more use of her hind legs. The following day, she couldn't sit up or put weight on her hind legs at all:






When she started to Hop again in October:






Her first steps:






And Angel in December, I would say about 90% recovered:


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## bbstubbles (Jan 11, 2009)

Hey there I am sorry to hear that about your dog! Well about a year ago my grandmas min pin started limping, stopped barking, just was acting not like herself. I watched her breathe quickly and felt as though she had a fever and after a few weeks it just got worse...I was so angry with my gma cause she still hadnt taken her to the vet but she finally did cause I mentioned maybe she caught valley fever...and as it turns out she did...its a neuro disorder so I thought I would mention it since it seems to be a neuro issue. Dont know where you live so it might not be that but you never know! I hope you figure out what it is! Good luck!


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## angiemj2 (Jan 4, 2009)

I'm so sorry to hear about your baby. I have a 1 1/2 year old pekingese, on Dec 30, I notice she was not able to jump up and her barking was different, real low. Seemed to get weaker so took her to vet, he just gave her some cortizone. Her back legs were real weak, on Jan 1 i woke up to find she was unable to walk at all. Took her to vet, he thought was disk problem.. Had to have another vet come in was going to do surgery,, but he did x-rays showed nothing, he did a spinal, and alot of other test he ruled out 12 different things, could not find anything wrong with her. They kept her there 3 days, she was paralyzed. I would go visit her there. They said usually most paralysis there is a cure for and they come out of it. He released her . He gave me a doggy pad u can wash than i went and got the training ones at the store. also got some diapers for her. Vet called me said he talked to other vets , looked information up on the internet. He is most sure it is coonhound paralysis/coming in contact with raccoon. That eventually they will come out of it. So i fed her and gave her water with a syringe and just babied her, and talked to her like always to keep her happy. He said gatorade is good to give them/and also something called bounce back/i got at tractor supply. On the 15th she walked a couple steps, seems she walks a couple more each day. Also my Emily had no pain at all. I did get up every few hours during night to turn her, and put her in warm tub for therapy for her legs. You need to move the legs to get the muscle strong. I hope they figure out what it is.. I know it is hard when your baby is sick/ Best of Luck!


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

I had this same thing happen to my parakeet a few years back. My vet couldnt' find what caused it.. but she suspected something was putting pressure on the spine and causing the paralysis. She thought it might be due to trauma or an infection, so she gave him two shots. The first one was a steroid that was supposed to help if there was trauma, and the second was an antibiotic if there was an infection in there somewhere. We went back every day for 4 or 5 days to get the shots and my parakeet got better every day. We're still not sure which one it was, but after the last shot he had complete use of his legs and feet again and never had troubles again. Has your vet tried anything like that?


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## Grafinay (Oct 18, 2009)

Sorry about yr dog. I had the same problem in 02/2008 and now again. First, my dog paralyzed his back legs. He couldn't walk at all, he only used his front legs. I took him to my vet and they shot him with Dexamethasone Inj, Depo Medrol Inj, Vit B-12 Inj, and Pen –G Inj. It helped. He started walking on the second day. Now, he got med-back problem. He got a swollen spot between his shoulders. I can't figure out what is it. Spinal abscess or Pinched nerve. He was paralyzing slowly in crucial pain. 
Good luck!

Hi Binkalette,
Do u remember what kind of shots they gave him? What kind of antibiotic and steroids?
Thnx


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

I'm sorry this is happening to you. 

I wanted to give you a link, to a thread on anothe forum, where the dog lost feeling in both back legs. They are still working through it (if you read it til the end) but things are looking positive some days. They've been doing water therapy, acupuncture, etc.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sick-injured-emergencies-talk/202773-worried-about-layla.html


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## vitchiro (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi all, if you or someone you know has a dog with sudden rear end paralysis, please consider trying animal chiropractic care. Many people don't know about this option and it has a great success rate. I am an AVCA animal chiropractor and I have many patients who come in with this problem and are able to walk again with treatment. If you are unfamiliar with chiropractic care for animals, it works in the same way as it does in people by removing interference in the nervous system. Sometimes long standing subluxations (areas where the vertebra loses the correct position and motion in the spine) can cause rear limb paralysis. I find many times this area of immobility is in either the midback region, upper neck, or both. 

To find an AVCA animal chiropractor in your area, visit AVCAdoctors.com. Every doctor on the site is either a licensed chiropractor or veterinarian who has taken the further education in animal chiropractic and is board certified through the AVCA. Hope this helps!

Dr. Erin O'Connor


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## nicole11 (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi there after days and weeks of researching a case like mine, I finally found yours that kind of sounds like mine... On 5/15/11 I took my morkie (9 lbs) to the vet because we thought he was poisened.. She (the vet) injected him twice with huge needles and saved him. The next day he was still a little sick so we took him again and she re injeted him with vitamins and some kind of medicine to protect his stomach and intestines and what not. The case is, the night after the second set of injections (all of them on his hind legs) he lost movement in his back legs, he had already been showing signs of walking funky before that, but we thought he was in pain because of the injections.. Anyway, since 5/16/11 at 7 pm he hasnt been able to walk he has been dragging himself everywhere.. we took him to another vet and he couldnt find anything wrong and said to wait.. that it could be overdose.. three weeks later we met the vet the is treating him now with vitamins injections to help promote movement in his legs.. During this time we have been massaging his legs and trying to make him swim. He has gotten better but still cant control his pee sometimes when he is dragging around and gets excited.. when we do his therapy oustide of water he moves his legs and makes a punch with his paws and they shiver...but in water he maintains them stiff.. I want to know if this is anything like what happend to your doggy.. my doggy is 5 and we dont want to lose him but we dont think its fair to have him drag himself anywhere.. do you think he has what your collie had???? please helppppp mmeeeeeeeeeee=[


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

@nicole11--I would get a second opinion. Sometimes a vet isn't sure what to do but doesn't want to admit it. Contact another vet to see if he/she recommends the same treatment. Possibly a specialist, if possible.

If all else fails, there is no reason to put your dog down. Manymany dogs live quite happily using doggie wheelchairs.


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## vitchiro (Mar 24, 2011)

Nicole, where are you located? Please try to seek out an AVCA animal chiropractor. I am an animal chiropractor and see cases like this all the time and over 95% of the patients with rear limb paralysis are now walking with their normal lives back. If you have any questions about it, please let me know, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can search for an animal chiropractor in your area at AVCAdoctors.com.


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## golden (Jun 28, 2011)

We recently innoculated 10 pups and after 7 to 10 days we had the same symptoms in our pups. They started to loose their use of their hind limbs and then paralysed. The bones went like rubber but only the hind limbs. Unfortunately our vet recommended they were put to sleep. One of the pups did not receive the innoculation properly because it moved and it went straight through the skin . This pup is perfectly normal. The pups were six weeks old and it was a Lep and Parvo all in one innoculation not two you would normally mix together. We have two remaining pups, one perfect and the other improving. The legs starting to straighten and is able to get around after four weeks.

we would like to know if anyone has had the same experience and if they did, can they help us?


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## vitchiro (Mar 24, 2011)

golden said:


> We recently innoculated 10 pups and after 7 to 10 days we had the same symptoms in our pups. They started to loose their use of their hind limbs and then paralysed. The bones went like rubber but only the hind limbs. Unfortunately our vet recommended they were put to sleep. One of the pups did not receive the innoculation properly because it moved and it went straight through the skin . This pup is perfectly normal. The pups were six weeks old and it was a Lep and Parvo all in one innoculation not two you would normally mix together. We have two remaining pups, one perfect and the other improving. The legs starting to straighten and is able to get around after four weeks.
> 
> we would like to know if anyone has had the same experience and if they did, can they help us?


You can help detox with thuja or lyssin, see a hollistic vet (www.ahvma.org) and they can help you with dosages. Also see an animal chiropractor (avcadoctors.com) as this will help the puppies nervous system and immune system heal itself, and usually can start helping with motor function in the rear limbs. If you have any questions or trouble finding either, e-mail me directly at [email protected]


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## golden (Jun 28, 2011)

We detoxed using live yoghurt (Gleniske) together with honey, drop of tomato puree and drop of cider vinegar. We are also using extra calcium in the diet (crushed bone meal for horses) 1/2 teaspoon daily on food. The pup's rear legs are straightening as they were bow legged at first and appear strong as opposed to rubber like as if lack of calcium in them. On the pups as each became symptomatic after the first 4 were put to sleep, the vet recommended try Rymadyll which is an anti-inflammatory and pain killer to try to keep them on their hind legs. This worked for a while but when we stopped they became so weak they could not get up at all and as a result were also put to sleep. 

Thanks for your advice, we have a chiropractor who can look at the pups too.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

before making any decisions, I'd ask for a referral to a othopedic or neurological specialist. Or go holistic


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## gdog (Nov 19, 2011)

I know that the original post was awhile ago, but for all of you who have had this problem, I did take my yellow lab to the vet 5 years ago with the original 'injury'. We were playing outside and his legs all of a sudden went paralyzed. The vet said there is nothing to do but wait and I could not accept that. I found a dog chiropractor in our area and he was carried in to the appointment and walked out by himself. Every now and again he needs an adjustment because one or the other leg goes out, but it was pretty cool and inexpensive. My boyfriend thought it was all 'voodoo', but became a believer when he witnessed it himself. Good luck to all.


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## kdavonhodge (Jun 18, 2013)

Hi I know what you must be feeling and I am so sorry. I am going through the same problem with my Jack Russell. Everything happened so suddenly about five days ago. He is home with us. Do not give up hope . Our dog is on steroids, a Anti-inflammatory;Antibiotics and a muscle relaxer. He has no control of his bladder or bowels. Once started the medication he is eating good and drinking good. We worked together and put a diaper on him and laid a tarp on the floor to cover the area he is mostly in. He is moving around really good and somehow manged to get out an open door and make it downstairs without falling down all 14 steps. Of cause we had to carry him back up. It was both frustrating , tiring and heartbreaking but it is working out. Our dog was fine before that and started walking like he had a little stiffness in his leg when one leg went out and then the other one. We use a lot of pampers, and tape. We want to give him a chance. He was even smiling after he made it down the steps. We are considering a basket for him, He has a follow-up appointment next week hopefully we might get some answers.


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

@ Kdavon you should see if he would be a candidate for a chiropractic treatment.  I have seen many miracles from the treatments on paralyzed dogs.


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## voodookitten (Nov 25, 2012)

Geez I hope the problem has been fixed or solved - it was 18 months ago! 

Thinking the date was overlooked hehe


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

kdavonhodge said:


> Hi I know what you must be feeling and I am so sorry. I am going through the same problem with my Jack Russell. Everything happened so suddenly about five days ago. He is home with us. Do not give up hope . Our dog is on steroids, a Anti-inflammatory;Antibiotics and a muscle relaxer. He has no control of his bladder or bowels. Once started the medication he is eating good and drinking good. We worked together and put a diaper on him and laid a tarp on the floor to cover the area he is mostly in. He is moving around really good and somehow manged to get out an open door and make it downstairs without falling down all 14 steps. Of cause we had to carry him back up. It was both frustrating , tiring and heartbreaking but it is working out. Our dog was fine before that and started walking like he had a little stiffness in his leg when one leg went out and then the other one. We use a lot of pampers, and tape. We want to give him a chance. He was even smiling after he made it down the steps. We are considering a basket for him, He has a follow-up appointment next week hopefully we might get some answers.


Yes pls give him a chance there might be some improvement that everyone can work with.... Keep us updated (start a new thread).....


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