[One Dog's Stroke Recovery Experience]

Greyhound Update. It has been just over 9 months since Foxy had her stroke. She has had full recovery and shows no apparent outward signs of that event. Her personality has long returned fully to what it was before. In fact she is probably more affectionate and attached to us now as working her through the stroke caused my wife and I to spend a lot of close and personal time with her. She seems to have full sight and hearing. The only outward sign we notice is a tendency she has to not always put full weight on the front paw on the affected side right away, flipping it upside down if she's only standing for a short time. If standing a while she will eventually shift her weight onto it, and she doesn't avoid walking on it in any way. Perhaps it does and always will feel a little weird to her....? The only other long term repercussion is that she takes half a tablet of Clopidogrel (generic Plavix) each day to reduce the possibility of future clots. The vets were never able to pinpoint any particular reason why this happened, saying that in some lines it might just be a hereditary predisposition.

[One Dog's Stroke Recovery Experience]

Our sweet 4 year, 5 month old greyhound Foxy suffered a stroke on May 21, 2021. After the vet, we went to the internet for information of course, but while what we found was useful for the big picture and long term prognosis, we found little or nothing telling us what might be expected day by day or how long we might be waiting to see any signs of recovery. In fact, what little we did find online gave us time frames that we watched Foxy pass while showing no improvement, causing us much dismay and distress.

We saw articles about dogs that showed signs of recovery in as little as 24 hours, and another that said the best chance of recovery is for dogs who are showing signs of improvement within 72 hours. Foxy continued to get worse for the first 72 hours, so these did nothing to ease our minds. She showed no signs of improvement until after 120 hours, into day 6. We were starting to believe there was no hope, as nothing we found online spoke of dogs going so long without showing signs of recovery. Only the early assurances of the neurologist who did her MRI, that the damage was in a less vital area and well located for neural reconnection, gave us hope that Foxy would come through the other side of this with good quality of life. Her age also gave hope for a strong recovery.

To help round out information that is available, we provide the following timeline of Foxy's recovery milestones. We weren't writing much down at first. Unless otherwise noted, we were lifting the dog from the floor, putting her up on her legs, carrying her down the stairs. The doc prescribed Trazadone as a sedative as Foxy was extremely agitated at being unable to move normally, and we used it regularly, as we were assured it would not interfere with recovery.

Friday May 21

• 8am - First symptoms of stroke noticed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
• 1130am – First diagnosis with local vet
• 4pm – Arrival at emergency vet in Pittsburgh (PVSEC)
• 6pm – MRI, at 7pm – confirmed diagnosis Ischemic Infarction
• 10pm- Arrived home, Foxy took a few short steps taken to pee -last she walked for days.

Sat May 22

Foxy laid on her side all day. Doing regular leg manipulations, stretching, and standing her up on her feet. Took little if any nourishment. Small amounts of water. Sedated.  We were battling to stop bleeding on both of her left side legs (the affected side) where she got cut up Friday falling on porch steps. Difficult because Foxy was now taking blood thinner.

Sunday May 23 – More of the same

Monday May 24– Doing regular leg manipulations, stretching, and standing her up on her feet. Only now started tracking notable activities. When we take her out we have been using a sling and harness to assist standing.

• 4:30 pm – Pee on pad laying down

Tuesday May 25

• 2am – Pee - pad
• 1010am– Pee - pad
• 4pm – Pee - pad
• 705pm – First decent meal of yogurt + Fresh Pet+ nutrient paste. Propped her up on right elbow to eat
• Took her outside to stand. Weak and unwilling

Wednesday May 26

• 4am – Restless. Flipped her on her back to cockroach leaning against bed, she slept well for 3 hours.
• 740am – Took her out and she walked several steps to squat and pee – first walking since Friday night
• 8 – Fresh Pet + yogurt mix and water on left elbow (propped her up)
• 830 - Rest but awake
• 920 – Manipulated legs, flipped
• 950 – Back to sleep
• 1120 - Manipulation
• 1130 – Peed outside.
• 1135 – Stood several minutes
• 1140 -On R elbow, drink
• 1150 – Rest on R elbow
• 120 – Left side elbow rest
• 125 – Standing
• 410 – Long walk outside and pee – was excited to get up. Small drink.
• 420 - Rest on L elbow
• 430 - Chicken and water, very excited to eat
• 545 – Dinner Fresh Pet + yogurt on L elbow
• 830 – Outside pee, small amount Fresh Pet + yogurt
• 9 – Bed, panting heavily at 10. Stroked until back to sleep
• 1145 – Awake again, put in cockroach position and went right to sleep

Thursday May 27

• 330 – Found her turned 90 degrees with head off pet bed – on her own
• 6am - Up on elbows panting. Out for long walk and pee. Eat, drink Fresh Pet + yogurt +nutrient paste
• 1010 – Long walk on street, poop (first this week) and pee. More Fresh Pet+yogurt
• 1200 – Walk and bigger poop
• 1250 – Up on elbows and side
• 1pm – Walk and pee
• Mid afternoon - Walk – first time got up on her own
• 7pm – Walk unassisted in yard. Got up on her own

Friday May 28 – One week since stroke

• 630 – Out for pee and poop, walked unassisted (without help from sling and/or harness). Tried to walk up steps.
• 845 – Long walk followed by deep sleep
• 12 – Walk
• 2 – Vet follow up. Foxy is exhausted
• 3 – Sleeps rest of day and into night, assisted by sedation

Saturday May 29 – At this point eating, walking, peeing, pooping, getting up and down from floor are on her own, though difficult and awkward. This might have been the day she first trotted at a run for a moment. Still helping up her and down stairs with sling, still cannot get on bed or furniture.

Sunday – Barked for the first time since stroke

Monday – Had enthusiasm and played with a toy

Tuesday - Sat on her haunches to eat a bone

Thursday – Got onto couch by herself

As activities became more and more normal, stopped recording them. Stopped wearing harness all the time. Foxy remained awkward, running into things on her left side, being confused and turning right instead of left, dragging left paws after a while on her feet, though these things lessened steadily over time. We reduced and stopped the use of the sedative rather quickly as she became more able to do things and therefore less agitated and upset.

Today, 7 weeks after the stroke, it would be hard for anyone who didn't know her before to tell that she had a problem. We can see it...she still may drag a left paw when tired. She sometimes turns the left front paw upside down when standing and eating. She is still a bit skittish approaching the steps. She circles an lot more to prep to lay down than she did, she now prefers to lay down against something. She is still awkward and bump prone on the left side, and we're not sure how much she can see on that side. But she's running and playing, eating, cuddling, and perhaps most important, has her old personality back and seems none the worse for wear. Of course, now she's on plavix for the rest of her life.