3DogNite Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 For some reason I'm not able to do the search for FCE... and here I am in shock that my boy was FINE this morning (4am) and then by 9 am ,,, he couldn't walk! We have not done the MRI, but our vet is as certain as he can be that we are dealing with FCE. I know there are a lot of success stories out there,, i really need to hear some right now... I'm no stranger to being a nurse maid to my dog,, Rascal had both Achilles tendons reconstructed a couple of years ago.. in my opinion he is a miracle dog already.. and now to be faced with this!!!!! I just can't believe it. We haven't done the MRI yet,, but I haven't ruled it out ~ I don't know, if we treat with acupuncture and therapy,, he gets better,, then i've saved the $1200, and he gets better anyway, so I'm not so sure i really need to do the MRI... any thoughts? He already has been on an acupuncture regime,, so doing more will only help, and i have a good therapist close by too,, so we will definitely be doing that,, my vet really didn't say much about Prednisone,,,, any thoughts on that too? Thanks for your support! i'm going to start my giving myself a group hug,, i really need one! Quote lorinda, mom to the ever revolving door of Foster greyhounds Always in my heart: Teala (LC Sweet Dream) , Pepton, Darbee-Do (Hey Barb) , Rascal (Abitta Rascal), Power (Beyond the Power), and the miracle boy LAZER (2/21/14), Spirit (Bitter Almonds) 8/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Call Ohio State asap and see if you can get them to tell you the difference. Many greys have strokes, not FCE's, and the treatment is dramatically different -- aspirin vs pred (which can worsen a stroke) Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Here's a search that'll help more directly: FCE on Greytalk. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Keep in mind that FCE in greyhounds are diagnosed, but many are misdiagnosed as they are strokes. I was amazed..... Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mike Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 fce can't always be diagnosed with mri. usually only after the animal is deceased. i see both fce and stroke. if fce was suspected the earlier treatment with pred should have been given this am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNite Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) fce can't always be diagnosed with mri. usually only after the animal is deceased. i see both fce and stroke. if fce was suspected the earlier treatment with pred should have been given this am. I forgot to add that the reason my vet did not do Pred. is that Rascal has been doing light daily doses of Rimadyl for cronic pain for previous injury. we have to wait i think 2 weeks before we can think of the Pred. treatment. Edited August 24, 2009 by 3DogNite Quote lorinda, mom to the ever revolving door of Foster greyhounds Always in my heart: Teala (LC Sweet Dream) , Pepton, Darbee-Do (Hey Barb) , Rascal (Abitta Rascal), Power (Beyond the Power), and the miracle boy LAZER (2/21/14), Spirit (Bitter Almonds) 8/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 http://marvistavet.com/html/body_fibrocart...s_embolism.html Found this for you. I have no experience with it, but, surely want to send good wishes, prayers and love! Good Luck, and I, too, would contact OSU about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fasave Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 One of my friends greys had FCE. Came on suddenly and was very unstable. Can't remember the actual treatment but he made a full recovery with no restrictions. They even said the chance of it reoccurring was low. I hope your pup feels better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyGreys Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Sending prayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paulamariez Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Sending healing prayers, love and light for your sweet hound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverbosun Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 My Rev had a bout of FCE at age 8 or so. He was walking in circles and it predominantly affected his left side. This happened on a Friday and I thought he stroked. I had him at my vet on Sat and he was no worse but clearly with left side weakness and symptoms. I brought him to Dr. Sisson at Angell the following Tuesday and he was diagnosed with FCE. From what I understand the damage with FCE occurs within the first 24 hours and recovery begins after that. Rev recovered about 90% or so and he was not at any greater risk statistically of another occurence. Quote Barbara Majestic and Ranger "If you want to hear the patter of little feet I'll put shoes on my dogs." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I don't have any advice or knowledge, but we are sending many many prayers for Rascal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vahoundlover Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I agree, contact OSU. Sending lots of prayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest multigrey Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Please, please do contact Dr. Couto and Ohio State. Diane is right.....we just heard him speak on this subject and so many dogs improve quickly with a dose of aspirin. But you need to talk to a vet for complete information. Hoping for good news!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newgreymom Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 PLEASE CALL OHIO STATE! This just happened to Dylan 3 months ago. My vet administered aspirin immediately and he recovered 100%. Our vets are mistaking strokes for FCE. Dylan woke up one morning, couldn't walk, knuckling on the right side, circling to the right when he could stand. The aspirin was administered within 2 hours of the stroke and within days he was back to normal. He was dragging his right legs (front and back) for 5 days, but after that there was NO deficit. He is on 1/2 of 81mg aspirin a day and is back to his happy ol' self. If you PM me, I will call you and talk to you directly. I'm passionate about making our vets aware of strokes. They learned in vet school that dogs don't have strokes, which is completely wrong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNite Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 Thank you all for your support... and prayers.. they WORK! First of all,, Rascal is doing much better! He has been steadily improving, and can now walk around to pee by himself!! I didn't call Ohio state,, however, I did call back and talk with my vet more after you all brought up the stroke issue. He agreed with you that is does get misdiagnosed often. He advised to give the asprin (as the pred was not an option due to rimadyl) and that might be why Rascal has be improving so fast! So.... Rascal still has some knuckling and dragging of mostly his left back leg now. yesterday at this time he couldn't walk at all,, or even stand up with out tipping over.! He looks for help to get himself up from a nap, and to do the 3 small steps getting outside.. I am keeping my fingers, toes and everything crossed that he continues to improve. I don't know if this really was FCE, but it was scary!!!! Thanks! Quote lorinda, mom to the ever revolving door of Foster greyhounds Always in my heart: Teala (LC Sweet Dream) , Pepton, Darbee-Do (Hey Barb) , Rascal (Abitta Rascal), Power (Beyond the Power), and the miracle boy LAZER (2/21/14), Spirit (Bitter Almonds) 8/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 PLEASE CALL OHIO STATE! This just happened to Dylan 3 months ago. My vet administered aspirin immediately and he recovered 100%. Our vets are mistaking strokes for FCE. Dylan woke up one morning, couldn't walk, knuckling on the right side, circling to the right when he could stand. The aspirin was administered within 2 hours of the stroke and within days he was back to normal. He was dragging his right legs (front and back) for 5 days, but after that there was NO deficit. He is on 1/2 of 81mg aspirin a day and is back to his happy ol' self. If you PM me, I will call you and talk to you directly. I'm passionate about making our vets aware of strokes. They learned in vet school that dogs don't have strokes, which is completely wrong..... I just sent you a PM just in case you did not see this. Was it baby aspirin the vet administered and do you recall the mg initially? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trevdog Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Sending lots of prayers he keeps improving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 please keep us updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meakah Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Koda was diagnosed with FCE just before Christmas in 2005. She was 100% within about 6-8 weeks and was walking on her own within about 1-2 weeks....wobbly....but walking nonetheless. Feel free to PM me and I can fill you in with the details. I did a search on GT here but it appears it has been cleaned off. Too bad. I really wish GT didn't clean out their Health section because there is such valuable information that is tossed to never been retrieved again. Quick note: I did NOT treat with Prednisone. I have more of a holistic vet and so we went a holistic route. I treated her with a herbal joint supplement....Metacam (pain killer because her other side was getting really sore from compensating for the paralyzed side.....she had paralysis of both left front and left rear leg)......and acupuncture treatments every 3 days for 2 weeks. HUUUUGE improvements after each acupuncture treatment. And she started showing major signs of improvement within about 48 hours (not walking but definitely could stand leaning against a wall for a short bit and would every now and again 'try' to use a left limb). It is terrifying I know....but there are many good success stories so be strong and stay positive. PM me for more details. I would be more than happy to give you more details. It was such a nightmare for me at the time and I seriously was sooo upset thinking I was going to have to PTS my 5 year old girl who was 'just' starting to come out of her shell. But....she is all good...and is a happy 100% sound girl now! PS. I wouldn't bother with the MRI personally....it is a big chunk of change for the rare chance it will show you something that is 'treatable'. FCE is diagnosed through a matter of elimination so I suppose an MRI would show if it was a stroke....or a tumor.....but often doesn't show anything. How old is your pup? The classic FCE time is around 4-6 years old.... I see a lot mentioning Prednisone. There is actually a debate about treating FCE with Prednisone. It 'used' to be the common method of treatment but that is changing. Dr. Feeman on here (haven't seen him in a while...does he still sigh on once in a while?) was one that talked about the controversy and backed my decision of NOT going the prednisone route. The decision is ultimately up to you but my vet said acupuncture OR Pred....not both as they interfere with one another. And she said she has had much better luck over the years with treating with acupuncture instead of Pred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meakah Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Just read your update....that is fantastic! Like I mentioned earlier....Koda showed major improvements within 48 hours and that is a really good sign! Like someone mentioned....the most damage does occur in the first 24 hours so don't worry about that now....you are over the hump. But now it becomes a wait and see game to see how much he will recover. Fingers crossed that it is a 100%. Koda was walking on her own quite well after 2-3 weeks but would still knuckle over on that left hind leg every now and again for another 2-3 weeks after that. The vet didn't think that would likely fix itself but it did! As to how it happened....I let her out for a last pee before bed....she was out a few mins no more cuz it was winter and cold. When I let her in she sort of dragged her back leg up the step....weird....but she seemed normal. Then when I was wiping her feet at the back door like I always do she started to lose her balance when i had the front leg up. So I placed it down for her to regain her balance and she placed it down knuckled over and proceeded to slowly fall right over. There she was laying on the floor with her two left limbs stiff as boards and looking terribly frightened. My cat walked by her head and she watched him go by so I knew she could still see and was still 'there' but she could not stand. It was awful. So sudden and frightening. Edited August 25, 2009 by meakah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meakah Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 How is your boy doing? I have been thinking about him.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fastdogs Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Talk to your vet about doing hydrotherapy. That may help to speed recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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