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Porky Woke Up And Couldn't Walk!


Guest porkysmom

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Guest porkysmom

I have had the worst morning ever! After being perfectly ok last night, this morning I noticed that Porky was stumbling a bit and at first i thought he was just groggy from waking up. When he fell i knew something was wrong - long story short ... DH had to carry him downstairs and we took him to the ER vet (DoveLewis - they are amazing there!). After 7 hours of waiting and $1600 of tests and whatnot, they still don't know what's wrong with him. He's staying there for observation tonight and tomorrow will go to the neurologist. He's mellow and does not seem to be in pain - no whimpering, no crying ... nothing. I know some dogs will mask the pain, but Porky is a diva and he will cry at the slightest thing normally. He will be 10 next month but still acts like a puppy and has never had any leg problems in the past. Right now they are saying he's partially paralyzed in his back legs, the right one being worse than the other. He will try to stand and sometimes make it up, but the dr. said he will fall down soon after. He is also bruising very easily - under his armpits just from people having to hold him up, from being shaved for the IV, and has a large bruise that we noticed this morning that is on his back inner thigh - which the dr. said continues to get bigger. His protein in his urine came back at 300, but the other kidney tests were normal, so they are a bit concerned about the protein, but it's not their main concern right now. They did an xray for his heart and lungs and that's all good. Blood work all came back ok, including the coagulation results that they were worried about due to the bruising. Right now they are thinking it's spinal related, but won't know more til the ultrasound today and maybe the $1500 MRI tomorrow. I just want my dog back happy and healthy, but honestly, the tests and fees are really kicking us. Sorry if i am rambling - it's just been a long morning and always weird to come home and not have him greet us. Has anyone experienced these symptoms before? Is there anything we can suggest to the drs that they may look for? As always, any help, and positive thoughts for our boy, is greatly appreciated.

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wow, how scary!! hoping for a speedy and total recovery :clover:goodluck

Edited by robinw

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Guest SusanP

Hang in there. I know how scary this is, and I'm hoping some others have some positive feedback. I have to tell you that we did help our old angel girl Simon to the bridge (a year ago next week) after an event like you describe with her front legs, but she was already quite lame with arthritis and reacting to the testing they tried to do on her with snarls and snaps, and we felt that she was telling us she didn't want to go through all the vet stuff. Our vet felt that it was probably something neurological. Simon had been having small jaw and hind end tremors and we'd just started thyroid meds and were hoping the tremors would go away.

 

You are having enough testing done to really get to the bottom of it, and I'm waiting to hear good news. Please keep us posted. I'll be thinking of you and your boy.

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Guest Scouts_mom

Poor Porky and poor you. I hope you get some answers soon and, more importantly, that he feels better soon. I don't know if Dove Lewis takes Care Credit, but you might want to look into it as they give interest-free loans to help with vet bills. I've used it when my Tia needed surgery. I know Dove Lewis is very expensive--I get the feeling they charge for just walking through the door.

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Guest porkysmom

UPDATE: I don't know how to update my original post ... but the vet called and said Porky was able to get up, walk outside, and poo, but that he collapsed when he came back inside. This is leaving her to now think it is vasculitis which was one of the many options to begin with. She believes it may be a blood clot that is starting to dissolve ... i will need to do more research on vasculitis ... does anyone have experience with it?

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Guest SusanP

If the blood clot is dissolving, does that mean it's good news? Did the vet seem hopeful? Crossing fingers and paws real hard here!

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Has your Vet ruled out FCE for some reason? It sounds a lot like that, and there's not a whole lot to do but wait for it to work it's way through. Most dogs make a full or near-full recovery fairly quickly.

 

Just search for threads on FCE (aka Fibrocartilagenous Embolism, aka spinal stroke) on Greytalk and Google - there's ton of info and experiences.

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Has your Vet ruled out FCE for some reason? It sounds a lot like that, and there's not a whole lot to do but wait for it to work it's way through. Most dogs make a full or near-full recovery fairly quickly.

 

Recent thread on Fibrocartilagenous Embolism, aka spinal stroke: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=195186

 

I was going to suggest the same thing....My first boy Rascal went thru something like that and was diagnosed with FCE. It was very scary. He got the use back in his legs within 24-48 hrs. It is very similar to a stroke as some damage can be permanent and some heals itself. It all depends on where the blockage was. Rascal unfortunately lost blood supply to his nerves for bladder and bowel control and the control never returned. We managed for 5 years like that but his mobility was fine just a little weaker in his back legs. Walking was not a problem but jumping into the SUV was.

 

I hope he has a full recovery.....when Rascal was diagnosed in '99 I was told it is hard to diagnosis FCE. We did a ton of tests at a huge vet hospital. It was diagnosed because everything else came back negative.

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Has your Vet ruled out FCE for some reason? It sounds a lot like that, and there's not a whole lot to do but wait for it to work it's way through. Most dogs make a full or near-full recovery fairly quickly.

 

Just search for threads on FCE (aka Fibrocartilagenous Embolism, aka spinal stroke) on Greytalk and Google - there's ton of info and experiences.

 

I was going to make the same comment.

 

Any chance Porky was rip-roaring around the yard recently?

Coco (Maze Cocodrillo)

Minerva (Kid's Snipper)

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Guest vahoundlover

I don't have any experience with FCE, but from what I've read here and other places it sounds like it. Sending lots of prayers Porky will be ok.

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The web sites usually say dogs recover from FCE within 3 weeks, but I know of one dog who took 6 weeks just to get up.

 

Did the vet mention how the femoral arteries were? Did they match in both legs? That would tell you if there was a clot directly affecting the legs.

 

The fact that he got up is fantastic news though!

 

I know that steroids are usually given when a dog gets FCE. Not sure if that's so with other kinds of embolisms.

 

Marcia in SC

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Guest fastdogs

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but I lost one of my guys to an FCE. He never got back the use of his hind quarters. Your vet should try course of steroids and hydrotherapy to get him back on his feet. The quicker he gets back on his feet and moving, the better the recovery will be.

 

Good luck.

Edited by fastdogs
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Sending prayers. :grouphug

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Guest porkysmom

****SECOND UPDATE**** Thank you to everyone for your advice, information, and well wishes. The vet called this morning and said Porky is able to stand and walk around a bit this morning, but his back right leg is SUPER wobbly still and he is still collapsing now and then. As for the FCE questions, yes, that is what they are leaning towards with their diagnosis, but because his protein level was so high (300) and his protein/creatine ratio was a bit elevated (1.1) they are still a bit concerned about his kidneys and are running one more urine test. However, I'm off to visit him in an hour or so and if I think we can take care of him at home, then we can break him out of there and bring him home. If not, they are able to keep him another night for us. Two questions - they are talking about a punch biopsy? Does anyone think that's needed? Also, he has a neuro appt for Saturday morning - does that seem necessary at this point? If it is FCE, the neuro can't do anything about it, right?

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Guest fastdogs

Doesn't sound like they are convinced that it's an FCE. Are they treating him for the FCE? IF not, they should be.

 

I'd hold off on the biopsy, but the neuro may be able to help set up a plan to get him on his feet again. Hydrotherapy will go a long way to getting him back on his feet.

Edited by fastdogs
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A punch biopsy, if it means what I think it does, is just for the skin- like taking a disc out of a sheet of fabric with an arch punch, a punch biopsy just takes a disc of skin. That should not relate to an FCE; do they suspect something is wrong with the skin?

 

If it's an FCE, all the damage has already been done; a neuro consult may be of value if not certain the FCE is the cause. At that point, it would mean an MRI (very costly, with no guarantees of diagnosis), but that would probably differentiate between a stroke and an FCE.

 

IIRC, prednisone may be of value early in an FCE to reduce swelling, much like steroids are used to prevent subsequent damage in spinal injuries.

 

Best wishes for you and your pup!

Coco (Maze Cocodrillo)

Minerva (Kid's Snipper)

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