spinal injuries in dogs

[haycroft]

My dog has had a spinal injury/spinal cord damage last august in resulting her to go paralysed in her hind legs for a while...she now lives a good quality life without taking drugs but with a disabilty in her legs but can run and play
i was wondering as any of you experiance this sort of injury in your dogs... and how youve coped

 

[dozzie]

My dog had symptoms of wobblers and was very wobbly at the back end. He couldnt stand/sit easily, couldnt turn round corners, couldnt cope with the kitchen floor (we had to put down carpet temporarily) constantly doing the splits and falling over, clamped tail and so on... It all matched with everything known about wobblers in mastiffs, the age, the breeding, the symptoms.
My vets initially diagnosed hip dyplasia and gave him metacam which just made him sick. He doesnt have hip dyplasia! It was only my knowledge of horses that made me think wobblers and the vets didnt even know it was in a lot of large breeds. i suggested it could be wobblers and they said well he isnt a Doberman so it cant be! I then presented them with the information about great danes, dalmations, St bernards and so on!!!! Plus Mastiffs!

It can be found in so many large breeds. TBF some of the tests for neurological damage didnt appear to be negative until i compared them to my other dog's reactions. Then it was really obvious.

My standard vets suggested myelogram followed by surgery at about 6K and i found out via the Mastiff bods that there was currently a 95% failure rate in Mastiffs I chose to try something else first. I contacted an holistic vet who suggested McTimoney before myelogram and surgery as both procedures carry high risks. So that is what we did. He had 6 treatments altogether and the total cost was £120 and he was sorted! His neck is still slightly out of allignment but it doesnt cause a problem. It will possibly cause him problems later in life but e willl wait and see. I was looking at having an 8 month old pup PTS so as he is now 5 he is doing well!

I know a lot about wobblers as a result!

I no longer use those vets!

I would always say to anyone with a dog with spinal probs to try McTimoney. There has been a lot of success in the States and over here but our vets just dont seem to be openminded!

 

[tiggs]

My lab had a similar problem her back legs just collapsed when we were out walking.She had a myelogram and it showed that a disc in her neck was pressing on the spinal cord. She had an operation and had to stay in hospital for a week. When I took her home she could only walk supported but within a week she was almost back to normal. That was in 2006 and we have had no further problems.