I have a six year-old pit/lab mix who (up until this point) has been healthy as a horse, never overweight, extremely athletic and active. On Wednesday night we noticed he was struggling on the stairs - this was so unlike him that we called the vet. She gave us an anti-inflammatory. By 5am the next morning, he was dragging his hind legs. He can stand on them for a few seconds and makes deliberate movements with them, but he just seems so weak and tends to not be able to support himself. He has full bladder and bowel function and is wagging his tail and responds to all sensations.

Essentially, we can't afford an MRI to confirm the diagnosis but all signs point to a disc being slipped. He also tested VERY strongly positive for anaplasma (a tick-borne illness like Lyme Disease). Because of that, the vet didnt' want him on steroids until he got a few days of antibiotics. So he was on doxycyline, carprofen (anti-inflammatory), rimadyl, glucosamine. Today she is switching him to a steroid and taking him off pain meds because he is so alert and not exhibiting any signs of pain.

It's very painful to see him like this. He doesn't understand what has happened to him, wants to go about his normal day and is very visibly frustrated. We are keeping him as still as possible - supporting him when we take him out to go to the bathroom and keeping him in bed otherwise.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and if you think his odds at recovery sound good? Is there anything else you think we should be doing? We are desperate to help our beloved dog. And he is desperate to get his life back as well.

Thank you!

[chevy & karen]

Originally Posted by lucaslove

I have a six year-old pit/lab mix who (up until this point) has been healthy as a horse, never overweight, extremely athletic and active. On Wednesday night we noticed he was struggling on the stairs - this was so unlike him that we called the vet. She gave us an anti-inflammatory. By 5am the next morning, he was dragging his hind legs. He can stand on them for a few seconds and makes deliberate movements with them, but he just seems so weak and tends to not be able to support himself. He has full bladder and bowel function and is wagging his tail and responds to all sensations.

Essentially, we can't afford an MRI to confirm the diagnosis but all signs point to a disc being slipped. He also tested VERY strongly positive for anaplasma (a tick-borne illness like Lyme Disease). Because of that, the vet didnt' want him on steroids until he got a few days of antibiotics. So he was on doxycyline, carprofen (anti-inflammatory), rimadyl, glucosamine. Today she is switching him to a steroid and taking him off pain meds because he is so alert and not exhibiting any signs of pain.

It's very painful to see him like this. He doesn't understand what has happened to him, wants to go about his normal day and is very visibly frustrated. We are keeping him as still as possible - supporting him when we take him out to go to the bathroom and keeping him in bed otherwise.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and if you think his odds at recovery sound good? Is there anything else you think we should be doing? We are desperate to help our beloved dog. And he is desperate to get his life back as well.

Thank you!

I just finished treating my pup for Lyme disease with doxycyline. Does the vet think that the lameness is due to the tick disease or is this another ailment of it's own? What is your vet saying about recovery and have you seen any improvement?
I am not sure what purpose tick's serve on this earth but they sure do cause alot of health problem's.. I hate them.

Please keep us updated and I'm sending Prayer's for a full recovery.

[Lara's mom]

When my border collie X (Bailey) was 6 months old, she was playing with a couple of dogs who were too big for her and suffere a severe soft tissue injury. She lost the next six months of her puppyhood because she was in pain despite the painkillers prescribed by her Dr. We finally put her on steroids...It was "a season in hell." She was starved constantly and was always begging for food which she never did before. Her temperment changed radically. She became a miserable, snappy dog. In the end, the steroids did there job and she started moving around and playing again. She became her old wonderful self. If I had to do it over, I'd still have given her the steroids because it was the only thing that helped. I just wish we'd been told what to expect in the way of behaviour changes. It may have saved us a lot of growls and a few bites...

Hi - I have recently been through this very painful experience as well.
My german shepherd who was five lost all control of his hind legs one day with no warning.
The doctor said that she thought it was a disc as well and might require surgery. She gave steriods immediately. We had the MRI as a precaution and found that he actually had bleeding in the lower lumbar area from a stroke. unfortunately after months of rehab and lots of extreme measures we had to put our baby down.
I'm not trying to scare you - here's how our cases sound different.
Ours had no sensation or feeling in the back limbs, lost bowel and bladder control.
If your dog has a spinal injury related to disc you should see some improvement as the swelling goes down with the steroids.
Good luck please post how you are all doing.

When we were going through all of this I saw several dogs leave the vet clinic walking after being paralysed. This surgery is expensive but can be so incredibly successful. It sounds weird but the disc might be your best case scenario. mind you the lyme's sounds suspicious to me as a cause as well.

Having raised Dachshunds for years, and having a ruptured disc myself, I'm all to familiar with disc problems.

Steroids, in particular Dexamethasone, are the treatment of choice if the dog still has bowel/bladder control. And the sooner the treatment is started, the better your chances of getting a recovery. It's unfortunate your dog had to wait while the infection cleared up, but your vet was right. You don't give steroids when there's an active infection.

In addition to the steroids, ultrasound treatments can be helpful. And a supplement of glucosamine and chondroitin will often help in the recovery process. If possible, swimming the dog can help too. It strengthens muscles without putting additional strain on the spine. And, if you can find one who works on dogs, a chiropractor should be consulted.

Treatment for a disc injury should also include cage rest if possible. And under no circumstances should the dog be jumping on the furniture, going up and down stairs, or running and playing, until he's recoverd.

And I feel I should mention the chances of a complete return to his status prior to the injury are not good. He will probably always have some weakness in his hind legs. But he'll compensate. He probably should never go up/down stairs again, without some type of support. You can use a towel, passed under his belly and held above the spine, to help him go up/down stairs, or you can purchase a sling that's designed to help support dogs with hip problems, spinal injuries, or neuromuscular disease.