Possible Slipped Disc

**Yorkysue** · 1st December 2009, 08:10 PM

Harry, my healthy 11 yr old has today taken a bad turn. Up till now he has been reasonably spritely, though sometime looked a little athritic at times.

But this morning he did not seem to be using his hind legs properly, and my husband did not take him for his usual morning walk. By lunch time when I got home from work, he had slowly progressed to the stage where he could hardly stand. I immediately though he must ahve had a stroke and booked to see the vet.

The vet however, diagnosed a probable slipped disc, or maybe a tumour on his spine. I was surprised as he's hardly the type of dog to throw himself around. She said this could happen without him doing anything unusual.

She gave him an introvenus steroid injection and I have to take him back at 9am tomorrow.

What is really worrying me though is that he is getting worse by the hour, and now cannot stand at all his hind quarters are totally paralysed. Also though he had eaten and drunk water - he had not relieved himself, despite me carrying him outside and propping him up.

Sorry about the length of this post, but has anyone had any experience of this? and does anyone have any idea whether this kind of paralysis may extend to his bladder and bowels?

**Love my Cavaliers** · 1st December 2009, 08:43 PM

I'm so sorry this is happening to Harry and you. If you live near a specialty practice, I would try to get him in today to see an ortho or a neuro veterinarian vs your regular vet. Sometimes paralysis that comes on this sudden can become permanent without timely treatment. At the leasdt, I would phone your vet and tell that Harry's paralysis is progressing and see if there's anything they can do immediately. I feel so sad for you. My 8+ year old male is undergoing an MRI right now to determine the estent of his disc disease as he has been in discomfort now for two weeks. Good luck to you.

**MadPip** · 1st December 2009, 09:45 PM

Maddie had a mild slipped disc earlier this year, but she did not deteriorate as Harry seems to be.

A friend has a Dacshund who had paralysis but recovered with steroids, cage rest and massage/ rehab when appropriate. However, he was only 4 yrs old.

I echo the advice given, get straight on to your vet and tell him things are getting worse. Don't be fobbed off, and try to get a referral to a specialist centre tomorrow for and MRI and any further treatment necessary. I hope you're insured as this may cost a bit?

Let us know how you get on.

**Wagtails** · 2nd December 2009, 06:18 PM

How did you get on today with Harry, Yorkysue?

We're all keeping our fingers crossed for him on here

***Pauline*** · 2nd December 2009, 06:36 PM

Thinking of you Sue

**Margaret C** · 3rd December 2009, 04:02 PM

YorkySue,

In case you have not seen this.......Ellie Mordecai left a message on CC for you.

"My, at the time, 9yr old Champion dog Millhill Le Voleur had a prolapsed disc. We had no warning whatsoever, just got up one morning and he was completely quadraplaegic (sp?). No history of back problems, pain etc. We were referred to The Willows Referral Centre in the Midlands where we were given all the options and prognosis for each...........which were.............that we could either treat conservatively or opt for surgery. If we opted for surgery, they told us that they would expect to see some improvement within about 6 weeks. We opted for the surgery because he couldn't move any of his legs at all. It was a worrying time to say the least but amazingly when I went to pick him up, he had actually got up on his feet and they brought him out to me on a harness front and back but he was definitely trying to use his legs again. They were amazed. It was a long, slow process to recovery, it was almost like he had to learn how do do everything again..............but we got there and he made a full recovery........going on to win the Veteran Class at the Club Show the following year. He had a perfectly normal life until we sadly had to put him to sleep at 13 with kidney failure. It wasn't cheap - approx £1,100 and with no insurance, hard to find the money but boy it was worth every penny.
PS He never lost control of his bowels/bladder but because he couldn't move his legs, had to do what he had to do where he was. I used those puppy training pads underneath him so that if he had to go to the toilet, it was easy to clear up. After the surgery, we had to keep him in a large cage and he was taken out at regular intervals on his harness, with another support under his tummy and was able to toilet outside.
Hope this helps
Permission to crosspost.............. My, at the time, 9yr old Champion dog Millhill Le Voleur had a prolapsed disc. We had no warning whatsoever, just got up one morning and he was completely quadraplaegic (sp?). No history of back problems, pain etc. We were referred to The Willows Referral Centre in the Midlands where we were given all the options and prognosis for each...........which were.............that we could either treat conservatively or opt for surgery. If we opted for surgery, they told us that they would expect to see some improvement within about 6 weeks. We opted for the surgery because he couldn't move any of his legs at all. It was a worrying time to say the least but amazingly when I went to pick him up, he had actually got up on his feet and they brought him out to me on a harness front and back but he was definitely trying to use his legs again. They were amazed. It was a long, slow process to recovery, it was almost like he had to learn how do do everything again..............but we got there and he made a full recovery........going on to win the Veteran Class at the Club Show the following year. He had a perfectly normal life until we sadly had to put him to sleep at 13 with kidney failure. It wasn't cheap - approx £1,100 and with no insurance, hard to find the money but boy it was worth every penny.
PS He never lost control of his bowels/bladder but because he couldn't move his legs, had to do what he had to do where he was. I used those puppy training pads underneath him so that if he had to go to the toilet, it was easy to clear up. After the surgery, we had to keep him in a large cage and he was taken out at regular intervals on his harness, with another support under his tummy and was able to toilet outside.
Hope this helps
Permission to crosspost.............."

I hope that things improve for Harry