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Sudden Paralysis in hind legs

22K views 94 replies 48 participants last post by  Maxs Mom 
#1 ·
Don't know where to begin I'm in total shock...but this morning my almost 5 year old chocolate male and I went for a walk, everything was fine, typical morning out for us. We got to a nice field and I tossed a ball a couple times with the chuck-it, he ran out and retrieved it very happy and eager to go. Typical. On the third or forth toss he ran out and collapsed right at the ball. Howling, biting at his hind quarters. OH CRAP I thought, a broken leg in a gopher hole. I dropped everything ran out there to check, no gopher hole, but his two back legs were completely limp! I picked him up and rushed him back to the truck and headed off to the vet which was about 20 minutes away.

We got to the vet and they took him right in, discussed the event and possible causes and to be completely honest at this point I don't even know what they said. My mind was a is still a complete blur I'm trying to reconstruct everything in my head but Ive got nothing. Everything was completely normal. He's in good shape, 72 pounds and gets plenty of exercise. Eating/drinking regularly.

Right now he's loaded up on drugs, going for X-rays, and a bunch of testing. The Vet suggested arthritis but personally thats a stretch for me. theres ZERO feeling in his hind legs. The only other thing I can remember the vet saying was we may have to think about alternative measures and that was the kick in the gut that I was not prepared for. As for symptoms the rear left leg seems to hang straight, but both are numb, and he can't stand on either, on the top of his left hip it does seem tender to touch. Maybe out of joint? pinched nerve? I have no idea!

So right now, I'm sitting here waiting for test results and specialists to check him out. They tell me the results should be back in a few hours.

Anybody ever seen anything like this before?
 
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#58 ·
Positive thoughts, positive thoughts .........
 
#60 ·
Did you put him on the steriods? That will help if it's FCE or disk herniation to take down any swelling. A little doxy won't hurt either. Glad things are looking up.
 
#64 ·
Saw your initial post & haven't been back online since. When I saw how many had posted I thought the worst. I so, so hope that you have a good outcome. It's frustrating that the financial piece has to come into things, but don't beat yourself up over that. Do everything you can within your power to give your dog the quality of life he deserves while respecting what your family needs. I hope that your dog turns around and you have a long life ahead with him bringing home his birds.

Prayers Up from Vermont-

M
 
#63 ·
did they do any tick borne testing? Happy you have improvement!!!
 
#65 ·
I have an FCE Lab. The first 48 hours was horrible. Quite painful at onset but it subsides moderately quickly. My dog was mid dock jump. I've been told it's one of the most common afflictions no one has ever heard of.

EVet said spondylosis and prescribed prednisone for the inflammation. My vet had reservations and told me to get to a neurologist. Neurologist "diagnosed" FCE but said to truly diagnose you have to eliminate all other possibilities. He told me "if it were his dog" he'd take her home and let her be a dog. Also said pred is a good drug and prescribed a protocol for medicating and stepping down and out.

It took a few months but she came back quite well. She was my agility dog and she did briefly return to agility and run at the AKC Preferred National Championships. Her back end came back about 85%. FCE can only happen once, and depending on the initial damage they can recover. Belle was paralyzed temporarily.

Good Luck. If you can find a Neurologist it might be worth the money. Ours charged us $200 for the visit. It was the best money I ever spent for piece of mind.
 
#66 ·
Newf,

I just caught this thread. I'm so sorry for you and your dog's situation, but I'm glad to hear there's signs of improvement. Don't make any rash decisions. Our dogs are remarkably resilient! Give yours a chance to continue the recovery that seems to be coming.

Prayers sent from Indiana!

Swack
 
#67 ·
Prayers for continued progress!
 
#68 · (Edited)
So we saw the doctor at the rehab clinic this evening, and I am happy to say the prognosis is now looking very positive! :-D

im not entirely sure where to begin as this is literally all a blur and I am still in sort of in shock. We got to the clinic this evening around 4pm. The doctor made her assessment, and suggested that because of my quick response in getting medical help and the massage and stretching i had done the night before went a long way in assisting the recovery rate. She also did massage, acupuncture, and hydrotherapy during the session and was very happy to see that there was a response to the acupuncture. This early in the recovery process and showing these signs she said the recovery rate should be very high!

I can not tell you the feeling that overcame me when she said that! From a bleak prognosis yesterday to this extremely positive one today, it has been something I do not want to go through again. While we are not out of the woods yet it does sound promising. So I have him lined up for 2 weeks of therapy starting tomorrow. I will be dropping him off and letting the staff do their thing for the next two weeks. All fingers and toes will be crossed and prayers will be sent!

As of tonight, id like to say that he is becoming much stronger on the 3 legs, the 4th leg is improving with feeling and slight movement, he managed to pee on his own this evening and his tail even made a couple little twitches!!!
 
#71 ·
Sounds like good news. Best of luck and hope your dog recovers nicely.
What was the diagnosis???

as an FYI for anyone interested in FCE here is My opinion and experience.
FCE cannot be diagnosed 100% except post mortum. It is diagnosed by ruling out other causes.
The embolism occuring in the spine is not unlike a human stroke.
TIME (first hours) critical to more positive outcome for dog with FCE.
IF your dog goes down lame, unable to use one or more limbs, carry dog to truck and get to vet immediatelly. Make all attempts to see a neurologist within in a few hours of injury. Chasing tick born disease or stuff treatable with antibiotic isn't TIME critical. Rule out spinal involvement first.
An MRI is likely indicated and will show disk issues, emboli etc.
It is IMPERATIVE your dog recieve the lastest current prefered Steroid via IV within 4 HOURS of injury if FCE is suspected.
After IV steroid and follow up treatment the next step is to attempt to elicite grow of new nerves.
Through various rehab exercises it is possible to convince the brain that there is a Demand from a paralized limb for communication so to speak. Enough of this and new nerve pathways may develope.
Extensive damage may be irreversable, hense the early steroids, but it is possible for dog to regain use of or partial use of paralized limbs.
I'm no doctor and there's more to it but basically there is hope if you act quickly and make sure your dog gets the right care and treatment without delay.
.
One of my dogs had an FCE while away on summer trip paralizing here right rear leg. Not totaly but signifigantly. She recieved the 2nd best steroid in the early hours, had MRI, stayed 24/7 with Dr Sarah Shull in MI for initial rehab. Stayed with the late Dr John Sherman 24/7 for serveal months of more rehab. Regained enough use of leg to go back to training and competing but compensated relying on left leg. Led to CCL in left leg. After rehabbing that, sigh, she went on to be Finalist 2007 Canadian National and later won an Amateur to earn AFC.
There is hope. Just one man and his dog's experience.
 
#73 ·
Well I dropped him off this morning for 2 weeks of treatment/rehab. He will be getting a combination of hydrotherapy, acupuncture, massage, and judging from the staff...lots of attention. One of the girls there already wanted to put him behind the front desk so I think he's in good hands.

As for a physical update: last night he was hobbling around on 3 legs a little and today that was getting stronger. There also appears to be more feeling developing in the remaining limp left leg. As well as some very slight movement. Early this morning he also managed a pee on his own and a very small bit of poop. Funny how those things can mean so much at a time like this!! Then to top everything off, I had to run a short errand and when I returned he managed to wag his tail a little! I Never would have thought I would get choked up with the sight of a tail wag....

So it does seem like the recovery is in progress. Keeping the fingers crossed and the Prayers going!
 
#75 ·
Awesome news! Keep us posted. Continued prayers.
 
#77 ·
Come on Cooper dog... keep getting better, wag that tail!!

Newf, I couldn't read your story at first, having lost my best pup to a slashed spiral cord a few yrs ago. It is so tough on the heart... I'm so happy for you, please keep sharing his progress here.
 
#79 ·
It sounds like it could be a FCE. I have a golden who suddenly went down on his way out to get a bumper. In his case, all 4 legs were impacted. It has some specific symptoms and luckily the pain is short lived. While I retried him from field training and finishing his MH, he lives a very happy life. If this is what has happened, lots of rehab, acupuncture goes a long way. I know of one golden who went back to running field trials after his FCE. Good luck!
 
#81 ·
Me too! Having brought a lab back from an extreme FCE almost 20 years ago when little was known id love to hear an update. I don't know Neuf or his dog but have had a strong Attachment to them since his first post.
 
#82 ·
Sounds like a typical FCE. My Standard Poodle suffered one while jumping up to catch a tennis ball in our house. One yelp and her right hind leg was paralyzed. We headed immediately to the emergency vet where x-rays confirmed no damage to the limb or the vertebrae. The good news is that IF that is what it is, intense physical therapy will typically allow the nerve connections to start to regenerate. We did several rounds of PT every day at home as well as underwater treadmill, balance ball, etc at a specialist clinic near our home. My dog just ran her first HT after suffering the FCE a year ago in Feb but passed her SH test with flying colors. Hope you find out soon what it is and that your dog enjoys the same quality recovery as mine. Please feel free to contact me directly if you want any additional information.
 
#84 ·
Sorry for the delay in giving an update, but its been super busy around here.

In my last post I said I had dropped Cooper off for 2 weeks of rehab, and I am very happy to say that the two weeks has literally done WONDERS for my dog. We still have a ways to go, but we are now far from the bleak prognosis that I received from the first vet visit 2 weeks ago. This has been one heck of a roller coaster to say the least!

Im happy to say that Cooper is now probably at about 80-90% recovered. He can walk, play and run a bit. The rear leg still is a little limp, he drags his toes a little, sometimes steps on the knuckles and has to reposition his foot. As well he sometimes loses his balance, but with only 2 weeks into the recovery stage the doctors at the rehab clinic are very hopeful that we should see very close to 100% recovery. We have to watch his sitting positions and there are exercises that we have to do for with him, but overall the recovery has been awesome.

Here is a little video I shot in the backyard earlier today of him playing with our other dog. (Cooper is the chocolate dog) Keep in mind two weeks ago we were given a very poor prognosis and both hind legs and tail were completely limp....

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Thank you all for the words of encouragement and prayers during this ordeal!

Mike & Cooper
 
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