My beloved boy paralysed. Advice needed please.

Hi
Is there anyone out there who has had or got a similar problem to mine - My 4 year old staffy George suffered a ruptured disc in his back (whilst playing tug with our other staffy )which badly damaged his spine leaving him paralysed. It happened just over 2 weeks ago. Things looked pretty bleak at first as he had no deep pain sensation in his feet but it has come back slightly. Bless him he keeps trying to push himself up but his legs just wont do it. We are absolutely devastated but trying to think positive. He seems 'happy' enough in himself apart from when I leave him to take my other dog out - he gets very stressed and cries till I get back (someone always stays with him). I think taking him to the vet hospital and having to leave him there has really unsettled him - he was abit of a 'mummys boy' to start with but this has made him much worse - we had to bring him home from the hospital as he was getting too stressed and they thought he would recover better at home which has turned out to be true.

He can use his bladder fortunately but is having to wear special pants. Our vet says a full recovery will be slow but if he doesnt recover full use of his legs he would be a good candidate for a 'doggie wheelchair' as he is still young and strong in his front half.

What I would really appreciate is hearing from anyone who has gone through similar and could give me some good advice on how to help him as best I can. I would add that my other staffie - a female isnt handling things too well. She has always been the dominant one and is getting very agitated when we have to do physio with George. He is having to be kept in a crate with a tall puppy pen round it to keep him safe. She has had a couple of snarls and lunges at his cage. it has really unsettled her as well!

Sorry to go on but want to try and explain everything best as i can.

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oh my goodness ..sorry no advice but so sad ..hope someone here can help you and i hope your George makes a full recovery

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Sorry but I dont have any experience of this, I'm sure someone will be along with some advice soon.

Thank you

Hi & welcome.

Although I don't have personal experience of paralysis I'm following the progress of a GSD that has just been fitted with a 'wheelchair'. He has coped extremely well & is learning to get around very quickly.

Your other dog is obviously very troubled with his disability & is struggling to make sense of it. Give her time - try to act as though nothing is different (difficult I know). Once your boy is up & about things should hopefully improve.

Hi Karen I have a similar story to yours to share my sister in law has a miniture snouser (sorry spelling) he jumped from the sofa and a huge cry she went to him and like your boy he was instantly paralised. He went to vets who said there was nothing they could do for him so he went to a hospital they too said surgery was no quick fix and he needs rest and take it from there, he lost use of his back legs bladder and bowel it wasnt looking good at all. It was a long haul but very slowly and very small steps hes made a great recovery, he walks runs with a slight gait has full function wees and poop and that was about 4 years ago he has never looked back and certainly never gave up hes a happy 12 year old this year.
Rest and love from his family worked in his case and I hope it does for you, he has improved already by the sounds of it so maybe he will continue .
When my sister in law came home from her first vet he wanted to put him down and shes so glad she gave him a chance as hes as good as new apart from his little dip movement but its not effected his quality of life what so ever. All the research she did indicated positive so keep yourself focused on a good outcome until you know more your boy may sence you upset and may slow his recovery ><

Welcome

Sorry, I have no experience of this, but I'm glad someone has been able to give personal experience of the matter to you, and I hope George makes a full recovery!

Take him out in a pram, he can see what is going on, still geting mental stimulation but isn't using his back legs.

Has the vet suggested hydro fo rhim eventually? Which vet hospital did he go to?

If you want I can send him Reiki, do you have a phot of him taken side on to him? It doesnt' have to be a recent photo, any photo will do, I can the direct the Reiki to were it is needed most.

I had a Greyhound who had a slipped disc that calcified, my vet is an animal hospital and there is a consultant there who is very experienced with spinal injuries, he operated on Merlin, if he hadn't the disc would have cut through his spinal cord. Merlin became his old self again once he recovered from the operation.

Hi from Skye buster and me

Sorry about your boy I'm afraid I can't give any advice but taking him out in a pram sounds a good idea we have a couple around the corner that often go out on their bikes and the dog as he's getting on a bit rides in a trailer on the back

Sending hugs and lots of love to both of your lovely looking dogs

hia from me and sasha
sorry i cant give you any advise at all,just wishing you all the very best for your boy ><

Hi from me and the boys

welcome, hope your boy gets well soon..

hope it all goes well , but the couple of Stories on here can give you some encouragement ><

hello and welcome from Tyson & me. Sorry to hear about your boy. Gem has given some great advice and I know Reiki can really help (even at a distance). Saw it in action first hand when a family member had a stroke.

Hi from us, can't really add anything Xx

So sorry. I hope he continues to improve. I think as long as he's making progress you should be hopeful, no one know the time course of these things.

So sorry to hear this =( ... My old boy i had from a rescue ended up paralised and sadly the vets said there was nothing they could do for him .. he damaged his spine and lost use of his back legs too .. to be honest i think the vet didnt even try and think of things to help him :@ which makes my blood boil!!! he was put on pain killers and was given 4 days to make an improvement, sadly he didn't and if anything he had gotten worse it was heartbreaking watching him and i sadly cant get the way he was on his last days out of my head!!.
Its promising that your vet is giving yours a chance!! the vet did say to us that it was differant in diesels case to a younger dog, my boy was about 10-11 (rescue you can only guess) and they said its alot more promising in a younger dog.
Fingers crossed for you

Hi
Thank you all very much for your kind wishes. It does seem that there is hope and thats all that matters. We will do anything we possibly can to help our boy. Our vets have arranged some physio / therapy for him starting next week and we are looking into hydro therapy as well. We have got various appointments booked over the next couple of weeks so hoping things will keep improving!
It's just such a shock that something as innocent as a 2 minute tug play in the garden has caused such an injury. The vet at the hospital said it was just a freak accident something like a 1 in 20,000 chance of that happening!
Will look into finding a pram for George - my husband did suggest a wheelbarrow but I'm not convinced on that one!
Thanks again for your kind wishes - will post updates as they happen.
Will get back to the lady about the Reiki later - will sort a photo out thank you.
Sorry to hear about your poor boy staffy-lover89 - we have had one vet initially give us a 2 week deadline but there was no way would give up after 2 weeks, the good thing with George is that he is still young. I can only imagine what you went through - the past 2 weeks for us have been like a living nighmare!

Hi and welcome from us and Suki. I don't have any personal experience with this but there is a dog in a wheel chair at the park we go to and he gets around nicely. I hope your boy recovers as much as possible.

Hi Karen, my heart goes out to you, to see your dog distressed and feeling that you can't put things right is a terrible experience. Reiki is an excellent idea, as is hydrotherapy. In the meantime if your vet okays it, fill your bath with tepid water and with the help of somebody else,allow him to try and move his legs in the water. My friend had a long haired dachsund who suffered the same problem, she put a floatation ring around her dog and put her in a bath on a daily basis. The dog did recover...slow process, this too was a young dog(3). Do check with your vet though cos a staff is much larger than a dachsund and heavier to handle!! All the luck in the world and welcome!!

Hi and welcome from me, Millie and Bella

Cyril baby wrote:Take him out in a pram, he can see what is going on, still geting mental stimulation but isn't using his back legs.

Has the vet suggested hydro fo rhim eventually? Which vet hospital did he go to?

If you want I can send him Reiki, do you have a phot of him taken side on to him? It doesnt' have to be a recent photo, any photo will do, I can the direct the Reiki to were it is needed most.

I had a Greyhound who had a slipped disc that calcified, my vet is an animal hospital and there is a consultant there who is very experienced with spinal injuries, he operated on Merlin, if he hadn't the disc would have cut through his spinal cord. Merlin became his old self again once he recovered from the operation.

Hi
Thank you for your kind offer of sending Reiki to my George.Have posted a couple of sideways shots of him - hope they are ok!
Sorry to hear your dog has had problems too!
George has been in Pride Veterinary hospital in Derby (on referral from my own vet) where they have been very good so far! We have got to take him back in 2 weeks time in the meantime my own vet is arranging for therapy to start next week.
I am doing some physio with him 3 times a day as well.

thanks again

Thomos 2 wrote:Hi Karen, my heart goes out to you, to see your dog distressed and feeling that you can't put things right is a terrible experience. Reiki is an excellent idea, as is hydrotherapy. In the meantime if your vet okays it, fill your bath with tepid water and with the help of somebody else,allow him to try and move his legs in the water. My friend had a long haired dachsund who suffered the same problem, she put a floatation ring around her dog and put her in a bath on a daily basis. The dog did recover...slow process, this too was a young dog(3). Do check with your vet though cos a staff is much larger than a dachsund and heavier to handle!! All the luck in the world and welcome!!

Hi
Thank you - I did wonder about the bath myself -will check with my vet - anything is worth a try!

Hi Karen, I also have no experience with anything like this, and can only imagine how hard it would be trying to deal with everything as well as your dilemma with your other staff.
I hope George continues to improve and I'm glad some members have been able to give some advice and help.

We think our staffies are such strong and tough dogs and I wouldn't think twice about them playing tug of war until now.

Good luck with everything. ><

Hi & welcome to the forum

Hello and welcome to the forum, hope it all works out

I can send Reiki without the photo which I have done now but it is better with a photo, I can then direct it to the right place, he will get it.

One of my dogs now at the Bridge, Gracie, had so much arthritis that she could hardly walk, as she ws on 9Kg I used to carry her around in a bag, she loved it, always refused to walk once she went in one, I am sure your dog will love a push chair. Put a wanted add up on your local Freecyle, you may get one that way.

Don't give up, I know someone who's Staffy ran into a metal clothes post and damaged his spine, he was paralised for some time but eventually he was able to walk again and enjoy his walkies.

Hello and welcome aboard

Cyril baby wrote:I can send Reiki without the photo which I have done now but it is better with a photo, I can then direct it to the right place, he will get it.

One of my dogs now at the Bridge, Gracie, had so much arthritis that she could hardly walk, as she ws on 9Kg I used to carry her around in a bag, she loved it, always refused to walk once she went in one, I am sure your dog will love a push chair. Put a wanted add up on your local Freecyle, you may get one that way.

Don't give up, I know someone who's Staffy ran into a metal clothes post and damaged his spine, he was paralised for some time but eventually he was able to walk again and enjoy his walkies.

Hi

Hope you found the side on picture of George that I posted. Thank you for your help. George had a good day yesterday - I swear he's trying to stand up - his bottom seems to get higher off the ground every day! He's such a special boy which makes it so hard to see him going through this!

Would you like me to ask the owner of the dog who was paralised if she will talk to you, I am sure she will because she went to hell and back as well with him?

You can help him by rolling a towel up and putting it under his body to help support him.

Hi & welcome to the forum

Hi. We were just looking through the boards and came accross your thread. I hope everything goes ok. When you are getting ready to get your man some wheels to get him mobile again, please contact me directly. We may be able to help. Best of luck. Rich x

proud papacass wrote:Hi. We were just looking through the boards and came accross your thread. I hope everything goes ok. When you are getting ready to get your man some wheels to get him mobile again, please contact me directly. We may be able to help. Best of luck. Rich x

Hi
Thank you very much. Don't know yet when wheels can be used. We've got a few appointments over the next few weeks so hopefully will know abit more then. It's still early days yet - he's trying really hard to stand up but cant quite get there yet! Will definately contact you if and when wheels are needed.

Cyril baby wrote:Would you like me to ask the owner of the dog who was paralised if she will talk to you, I am sure she will because she went to hell and back as well with him?

You can help him by rolling a towel up and putting it under his body to help support him.

Hi
Sorry not replied to you sooner - not been back on internet for a couple of days. If your friend would talk to me I would really appreciate that - it would be nice to talk to someone who has been through the same kind of thing and has got through it! Don't worry if she can't. I'm having good days when I can talk about George and then other bad days when I just can't come to terms with what happened to him.

The towel does help plus the hospital gave me a sling - they work quite well but do tend to pull his 'nappy' off! I have found what looks to be a good rear leg support on the internet. It's coming from America so I'm hopeful that that will help George as well.

Thank you for your kindness.

Hi from Max and me ... what a horrific thing to have happened ... it must be soooo difficult to deal with for you , and I wish there were more people like you who are willing to persavere with an otherwise healthy dog

Unfortunately (or should that be fortunately ) .. there arnt many people on here who have been in the same boat by the look of it ... but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say you know where we are if we can help in any other way

Thank you for your kind words. Just want whats best for George - he means the world to me and as long as he's happy will keep trying to get him better!

My collie cross who is 11 has disk/nerve & spondylosis problems in his back & like your George can not use his leg propery anymore i need to help him around with a sling..

Here he is at doggy hospital (Specialist vets) which he spent 10days there


& here he is after 3months of complete bed rest! Walking without a sling


He had hydrotheropy which really helped build back muscle in his back legs which he lost but sadly his legs are playing him up again so needs help with his slings a lot again.. But as long as you dont mind using slings or a doggy wheel chair an as long as he is happy he will still enjoy life to the full just like my Charlie ><

I can't imagine how you must feel at the moment and unfortunately I have no advice to give you except to stay positive as hard as it may seem, wish you & George all the best.

Hi and welcome, so sorry to hear bout this. Hope all works out well

Hi
Thank you for letting me know about your dog and pics. I'm sorry that he's having problems again with his legs - it's very difficult to see them suffer!
The doggy hospital gave me a sling like yours which does help to get George mobile - problem is he wants to be off and away - typical Staffy - goes full tilt at everything! I have to almost run to keep up with him.!
I'm hoping the therapist we are seeing this week will recommend hydrotherapy for George as I've heard it can be very beneficial to dogs like him.
He seems content at the moment - just hoping he stays that way!

You are welcome Deffently go for hydro well worth it shame i had to stop with Charlie though he was terrifed of the water so i didnt think it was fair on him anymore, But he did do 10 sessions once a week for 10 weeks. Luckly Charlie has slowed down with his back & age that he walks nice & slow He is happy to be walked around with his sling even in the house because he can't walk on the kitchen tiled floor without falling anymore & he knows when its on he's safe to walk

Louloukk, my Greyhound was terrified of the water when he went to hydro, he had to be supported for 8 weeks he was so bad, he just colapsed in the water. By 10 weeks after his course was up my vet asked me to give him another 10 weeks because of how frightened he was at first so I did. By the end of those he loved the water and continued to have hydro for another 2 years until he developed renal failure.

For the tiled floor put mats down, that is what I did with Merlin and he happily walked on the floor then, he stepped over the gaps

Charlie really hated it poor thing he would put the brakes on when near the pool & hes a heavy boy so had to be carried in by two people, He never got any better so decided it was enough for him as he had make such good procress & the vet was very happy with him. We have a bit of carpet on half the floor as there wasnt enough for the whole floor