Sand_Dune

Update in Private Ryan: Long Story Short: Ryan had a Stroke/Large Brain Heamorrage/Right forebrain ischemic infarct...comfirmed by MRI. The notes I had from the neuro specialist advised: walks only on a lead, no playing, no running, no climbing, no uncontrolled movements for 4 weeks. Ryan came home on the Friday: 1. A couple of days him learning to walk again in my yard using the harness + physio prescribed by vet: (he bumped into things on his left, kept falling over when conducting his ablutions or having a shake and dragged his left paws) 2. Day 3: Progressed to normal lead (with harness to grab him just in case), steadyish on his feet, no falling over, wobbly ablutions. went on a short 100 yard or so walk. 3. Day 4: Decided to go to our local 'wilderness' where he is always off lead. It's soft grass. My thinking is that it's soft grass and better to fall over there than the tarmac of my yard and local walks. 4. Day 5: Ryan taking it all at his own pace; I decided to let him off lead and do his own thing; this being the best physio there can be. He seemed aware of his limitations and let him progress off lead at his pace rather than me dictating it. 5. Day 6 - Day 26: Each and every day 2pm off lead at our local 'wilderness': each and every day there was visible improvement in his mobility and confidence. from balance to walking to trotting to cantering and by day 26 he was enjoying full sprint galloping and finally climbing and descending the stairs to my 1st floor apartment! Private Ryan dictated the pace of his own recovery during this time. I did question myself (given the Neuro surgeons advice aforementioned) using this approach but Ryan was happiest off the lead doing his own thing. He was sensible and that gave me confidence. In hindsight; it was the correct decision. 26 days to a full recovery (28 if you include the 2 days in hospital). I notice a very occasional strange placement of the rear left paw on firm ground that was VERY pronounced in the first 14 days. But other than that I can;t tell he had had a major stroke. He is on zero medication and this was reccomended (bar Paracetamol for a couple of days) I was confused at this at first but went with the advice of the Neurosurgeon. Perhaps blood thinners might be a thing but vetinary opinions do vary. My Neuro specialist advised against. Full spectrum of tests bloods, CT scans heart scans etc. etc. could find no root cause to the stroke. I now have a hound that shows no signs of ever having a major bleed on his brain. He's happy, very active (within the definition of Greyhound of course). He's off lead once a day an odd zoomie some gallops all as per pre stroke. The only odd behaviour he has shown is the want to go to a different mornign walk location that we once went 3 years ago! he demands it from day 5 of his recovery. Really Weird! As for me. Carrying a 34kg hound up and down narrow stairs each day for 3 weeks or so knackered my knees and back for a while! Only just getting over that even now. It's taken a good deal longer than Ryan for me to get over his stroke. I wouldn;t let him go up or down stairs without me by his side and a collar on, just in case. That took 2 or 3 months beofre I am relaxing about that. Worrying another stroke will happen? I'm less concerned about that now. Having nearly lost him once, I'm foccusing on his quality of life rather than the worry of it happening again. If it does, then we know what to do again!!!!! Having said that, that sentiment took time to develop. After a couple of months I am MUCH less worried about a relapse than I was. £10k ish on multiple MRIs, CT scans, Ultra sound, 1 week in hospital... It paid for the knowledge of him having a stroke and that we don;t know why (apparebntly 50% of the time the reasons behind a dog stroke is undetermined despite the testing). In terms of treatment. Of course the Neurosurgeon and the hospital helped. But the treatment was 100% on his own. Here's some more pics of Private Ryan for you... https://imgur.com/pguPquj https://imgur.com/Z8lC9R0 https://imgur.com/fM83BGa https://imgur.com/OoGcaju

I picked Private Ryan up from the hospital today...(Friday) He's a bit wobbly on his feet, but can walk with the aid of a special harness. But there is brightness in his eyes and he's aware of his surroundings. He can just about to get up on his own, sometimes. The comparison between Wednesday and today (48 hrs) is remarkable! I'm shocked at how much progress he has made. I'd made my peace in saying goodbye to him that same evening it was that bad. I had a session with the physiotherapist at the hospital, been given a long list of physio to do with him at home. The physio was great in terms of showing me what to do and how to do it. I've borrowed a hold em up harness for light exercise and ablutions plus some meds. We have arranged a follow-up with the Vetinary hospital in a couple of weeks when we plan to do follow-ups and ascertain what caused the stroke in the first place. X-Rays, more scans etc. etc. All the original blood work didn't show anything. Happier days

Rattletrap, Your post on Foxy has been inspiring... My Private Ryan had a "medium to large" stroke (bleed to the brain in the early hours of Sunday morning)... Started off with him unable to move his front paw on Sunday morning, he was dragging it on occasion and struggled to walk. I'd heard a noise in the early hours and found him at the bottom of a short (3 stairs) set of stairs. It appeared that he had clouted his shin on the stair and as a result was struggling with his paw. On further examination there appeared to be grazes on his knees and perhaps the stumble down the stairs was a bit more serious than first imagined. He wasn't showing any signs of pain and appeared to be 100% himself (bar the 'drop paw'). The local vet took him in and he stayed the night there. On Monday morning the local vet called and referred him to a hospital for an emergency MRI scan which took some time to find a local hospital with the facilites and an MRI slot at short notice. I was somewhat surprised, not least given the cost of an emergency MRI for a bruise to the shin? At this point Private Ryan was still himself other than being somewhat anxious being in unfamiliar surroundings. He kept popping his head up looking at me and whining at me. As he does whenever he wants anything. The vet feared there was nerve damage to the spinal cord and thereafter they carried out the scan on the spine. It showed nothing. I was hoping to take my boy back home the next morning. It was only a bruised shin?????? The following morning, the vet called and said his condition had deteriorated...he was struggling to stand and appeared a bit distant. I confess to being dubious. I assumed he was being idle and aloof to his sanitised surroundings. I went to see him. By the time I had arrived he was unable to stand up, he was carried in a sling to meet me with his legs dragging behind him, absent of mind, glazed over. I carried him outside to the grass and we had a few moments. He didn't know who I was, couldn't stand on his own and showed only a small response to noises such as cars passing etc. It took 2 nurses and the vetinary surgeon to cart him back into the hospital using a sling and harness It was an awful thing to witness. I stood back and cried like never before. The vet feared a stroke or a tuma on the brain and they carried out another emergency MRI brain scan that evening (yesterday) which confirmed a (medium to large) bleed on the brain. I received a call to this effect late last night. The vet said, "...with care and Physiotherapy dogs can make a recovery from such things." Which surprises me given what I witnessed. This morning the vet called; Private Ryan is now a little more aware of his surroundings and able to put a little weight on his left side. They are giving him physio, aqua therapy and round the clock care and they say he may make a full, or near full recovery, or not. TIme will tell. I then found your post telling the tale of your Foxy and in itself it has given me hope for the future. So thank you for sharing your story. It give me hope for the future and has gone a long way in putting myself back in order. Private Ryan is all I have in my life. Here's hoping he recovers well and stays that way. Many thanks -x-