My dog lost control of his legs

[merc1100sc]

I brought my 10 year Rottweiler Baggio to a friends camp yesterday. He played all day like normal. Around 9pm we decide to leave. he seemed kind of mopey and didnt want to jump up into the back of my truck like he normally does the minute i open my tailgate. I had to pick him up and put him in. I left to drive home and he did his usual running from side to side to smell like always for about half of the 1 hour trip home. Then he decided to lay down which hes never done before. I figured maybe he was just tired from the long day. I get home, open the gate, and he doesnt want to get out of the truck. i have to carry him out. I set him on the ground and he doesnt move. I step back and call him a few times to come, but, nothing. So, I carry him in the house. Once in, i hold him high enough off the ground that his legs are touching. His front legs are working fine it seems but his back legs are like rubber. Im thinking maybe he hurt his hips, but, not all of a sudden to the point he cant use his legs. hes never had a problem w/ his hips, nor has his syblings. i try to help him walk by holding up his hind legs but hit seems to hurt him. i call my vets answering service. vet says the soonest i can bring him in is this morning. so, i make sure he seems confortable lying on his side and let him sleep the night. this morn i wake up and hes lying there happy as can be but now all four legs are like rubber. i pick him up, hold him off the floor, set him down slowly, and nothing. he doesnt seem in any pain though.
take him to the vet who says he may have ruptured a disc in his back. they test his reflexes and pinch all paws to ensure he has feeling. everything checks out. vet still thinks its a spinal problem. vet calls surgeon who is out this week. vet gives him a cortisone shot hoping it'll help. we go home, an hour goes by, condition doesnt improve at all. has anyone ever heard of this condition. is it indeed a spinal problem, or, can it be something else.

all replies are appreciated.

thanks,
chris

[frontierrots]

They are sure he is not suffering from heat exhaustion?

[Mavides]

Maverick went through a similar thing - and I'm very sorry to say, the news for him was not good...personally I was hoping desperately for a pinched nerve or a ruptured disk (both of which can cause what you are describing) - but with Mav, after MANY tests and three incredibly stressful months, he was finally diagnosed with cancer in his spine. I would guess your best bet would be to see a neurologist and have them help you with the diagnosis. Best of luck and I hope it's something simple & fixable!!! :)

[merc1100sc]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

They are sure he is not suffering from heat exhaustion?

They havent mentioned that. It was extremely hot/humid here also. how long does this typically take to recover from?

[merc1100sc]

Originally Posted by Mavides

Maverick went through a similar thing - and I'm very sorry to say, the news for him was not good...personally I was hoping desperately for a pinched nerve or a ruptured disk (both of which can cause what you are describing) - but with Mav, after MANY tests and three incredibly stressful months, he was finally diagnosed with cancer in his spine. I would guess your best bet would be to see a neurologist and have them help you with the diagnosis. Best of luck and I hope it's something simple & fixable!!! :)

Thank you. with the cancer, would it immobilize his legs just like that. wouldnt it be a gradual thing.

[pazzo]

Chris,
I am sorry to hear that you guys are going through this. I don't have anything to suggest, but we're pullin for ya! keep us posted.

[BostonRott]

Originally Posted by merc1100sc

Thank you. with the cancer, would it immobilize his legs just like that. wouldnt it be a gradual thing.

Yes, it can be "just like that." I lost my 6yr old girl last February to a tumor in her spine. She was racing through the woods with me on Thursday, charging at full speed, and on Saturday she was EXTREMELY weak in her rear. By Monday, she was paralyzed and it took us a week to figure out the diagnosis. Initially, HIGH doses of IV steriods gave her some improvement, she was able to stand and walk VERY small distances by Wednesday and on Friday (when we tapered the steriods down), she was crashing again. I put her down the following Monday after the neruology consult Monday a.m.

This dog was a nationally ranked agility competitor, was in TOP shape, and had been on a raw diet for years. Sometimes, there's just nothing you can do.

One thing we did find also was another tumor in her lungs. You may want to consider a chest xray......if bad things are seen there, you can pretty well assume the spinal issue is a tumor.

I'm sorry you're going through this. At least at 10yrs old, you've had good times with him and he's lived a good life. Sorry I don't have more hope to offer you.

[moondog]

I also lost my dog to spinal cancer. She did not lose the use of her legs, but she developed an increasing amount of pain while we were trying to sort out the problem. Hers started with a lagging walk, no signs of obvious pain, she just hung back. The next morning I found her trembling and off to the emergency vet we went. After 3 doses of a narcotic, she seemed fine again. Five days later she used the ramp into the car for a visit to her regular vet and it was all downhill from there. Xrays were taken and the vets thought it was a pinched nerve, but when 3 weeks of treatment for that (narcotics, rest, acupuncture) she had not improved (pain upon rising, pain upon laying down, pain whenever she moved basically), I took her to an internal medicine specialist who re-xrayed her spine and took a chest xray. It was indeed cancer in her spine and the chest xray showed 3 masses in her lungs. Once I saw that, I knew there was nowhere to go but down, and I couldn't bear for her to suffer, so two days later I had her euthanized and she died in my arms. It still hurts.

I agree with Gretchen to have a chest xray done, because the most important question of all may be answered by it, and that is whether there is any need to put him through more testing to discover the source. I'm sorry that my post does not offer a happy ending.

[Liza]

That happened to my Rotti on the day he had to be euthanased, he had bone cancer, we went to my parents, he jumped out of the car and he couldn't walk after that, the cancer had gone to his spine.

I hope it's nothing as serious as that for your dog.

[merc1100sc]

Thanks for the support and information from everyone.
Im sorry to hear of all of your losses. Its so sad.
With the spinal cancers cases, were your dogs all in good spirits. Mine is as happy as can be and shows no signs of discomfort whatsoever. If you didnt know he couldnt walk, you'd think he was just resting. One thing I noticed is that he hasnt barked since all of this has happened. Not sure what may have caused this. Also, if a spinal tumor, would he become immobilized like this w/in an 8 hour period?

[merc1100sc]

I forog too give an update of his condition. I left him overnight w/ the vet. Brought him home yesterdahy afternoon. hes more lively than he was. before he would jusy lay on his side and look around by moving his eyes. Now he can sit up on his front "forearms" and move his head around fine. He can also reach back to clean his hind legs unlike before. The vet seems to beleive it isnt spinal related but more a coonhound paralysis type of considiton. anyone hear of this before. I did of few searches on the web and his symptoms seem to fit the category pretty much.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by merc1100sc

. The vet seems to beleive it isnt spinal related but more a coonhound paralysis type of considiton. anyone hear of this before. I did of few searches on the web and his symptoms seem to fit the category pretty much.

Coonhound Paralysis (also called acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis) is one of those neuropathies (neurological pathologies) of undetermined origin. It is an auto immune reaction, an immune mediated inflammation of nerves and nerve roots. It occurs when a dog previously sensitized ("allergic") to certain antigens, most commonly a protein in raccoon saliva, develops an immune reaction to the antigen. It seems to follow having been bitten by a raccoon, and seems to affect only dogs. It does NOT affect ALL dogs thus savaged by raccoons, nor does it seem to affect cats or raccoons similarly afflicted.
The scenario goes as follows. A few days after having been bitten, the dog begins to be weak on the hind end and gradually becomes more and more paralyzed, eventually losing control of bladder, and in some cases, of breathing. Fatalities are rare, but known. Severe cases can result in death from respiratory paralysis. This immune system reaction attacks portions of the peripheral nerves, causing rapidly progressing flaccid paralysis. If you can give supportive care for long enough, the dog gets better, usually within 4-6 weeks. There is no recommended "treatment" (antibiotic therapy) that works. Coonhound paralysis resembles tick paralysis. Affected dogs are at increased risk of future attacks if exposed again to raccoon saliva, since they are not sensitized to the antigen.

No toxins have ever been isolated from raccoon saliva, nor have micro-organisms been found that would account for it. It is generally considered to be an immune reaction to some protein in the saliva, which attacks the dog's own neural tissue.

The Vet thinks your dog was bitten by a racoon?

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by Bucky's Mom

The Vet thinks your dog was bitten by a racoon?

I would assume any decent vet would not give that diagnoses without some sort of bite marks to back the diagnoses........

[merc1100sc]

The vet mentioned that a dog doesnt necessarily need to be bitten to have this condition. i guess a number of things can spark this. he said it is called coonhound becuase coon hunting dogs were the 1st to catch this. he did say he isnt 100% positive of what it is. he originally thought tick paralysis, but, no tick was found and he was given a flea/tick bath on monday night. if tick paralysis, the dog normally should have fully recovered within 12-24 hours after tick removal.
he said that if it were spinal, and, he lost control of all 4 legs, that the problem would have to be in his head or neck. he stated if in his head, his mouth, ear, eye functions would be affected, which they're not, and if in his neck, he would be in great pain while performing a series of strechting tests to his neck. also, stated that if a spinal problem, he should have feeling in his paws which he does. does this sound correct?

[GMCTurbo]

I just read about something that transfers from Raccoons just by drinking from the same water source. I can't remember what though.