Paralysis Due to Anesthesia

[Bogangles]

My dog had dental surgery a month ago and not completely recovered yet which has not been my experience with my other greys. When she came out of the clinic her hind end was very weak. I have never seen a dog come out of surgery like she did.

Last night she barely move and is basically paralyzed. Has anyone experienced this with anesthesia?

Any help would be appreciated. Will take her to a vet this morning. I am worried they messed up during surgery.

This is frightening.

Thank you for any input.

[FiveRoooooers]

My girl just had her dental last week. She was under for quite some time, far longer than any of my other greys during their procs, and while she did resume eating it took her about 3.5-4 days to feel more like herself. A month for your pup? She should be seen ASAP!

[kudzu]

Definitely get your pup to vet ASAP. I hope you see improvement. 
 

While I’ve not had your exact experience, I did have a dog who would have weakness as a side effect of anesthesia of any sort. He had a slowly progressive polyneuropathy, a lower motor neuron disease. Anesthesia adversely effected his condition. While he was slow to recover his strength after anesthesia, he usually did recover, though not completely every time. Later in life he would recover to a point, but to some degree, anesthesia would permanently set him back. Illness has the same effect. 
 

I’m thinking of something else though. Something like spinal arthritis can cause pain & weakness. This could be exacerbated by something like a long medical procedure, perhaps the position held during a dental? That’s just speculation. If your dog recovered most of the way from anesthesia but later went downhill again, it may be from a pre-existing disease. The dental may seem like the trigger but perhaps was just the last straw on an already fragile situation. Perhaps it was just the tipping point?
 

Hopefully your vet can get you some answers & effective treatment.

[greysmom]

IMO, not due to issues with anesthesia.

I did have a dog experience something similar, and a tech acquaintance (not from the treating clinic) told me that it can happen during a dental when they flip the dog over to clean the other side of the mouth.  If they don't support the dog properly - especially for larger/taller dogs - they can twist the spine incorrectly and cause either a disc injury or nerve impingement.

I would ask them to do a complete spinal xray series to check for any issues.  Lazer therapy and/or acupuncture, along with a tolerated nsaid might help.  

Good luck.

Edited May 3, 2023 by greysmom

[MP_the4pack]

It happened to my 15 year old. I  attributed it to maybe being on her back at some time and her age.

[Bogangles]

On 5/3/2023 at 8:12 AM, FiveRoooooers said:

My girl just had her dental last week. She was under for quite some time, far longer than any of my other greys during their procs, and while she did resume eating it took her about 3.5-4 days to feel more like herself. A month for your pup? She should be seen ASAP!

Thank you everyone for your replies -- very helpful. Saw the vet -- he said her teeth are healed. There were quite a few stitches which took a while to come out.

On 5/3/2023 at 10:05 AM, kudzu said:

Definitely get your pup to vet ASAP. I hope you see improvement. 
 

While I’ve not had your exact experience, I did have a dog who would have weakness as a side effect of anesthesia of any sort. He had a slowly progressive polyneuropathy, a lower motor neuron disease. Anesthesia adversely effected his condition. While he was slow to recover his strength after anesthesia, he usually did recover, though not completely every time. Later in life he would recover to a point, but to some degree, anesthesia would permanently set him back. Illness has the same effect. 
 

I’m thinking of something else though. Something like spinal arthritis can cause pain & weakness. This could be exacerbated by something like a long medical procedure, perhaps the position held during a dental? That’s just speculation. If your dog recovered most of the way from anesthesia but later went downhill again, it may be from a pre-existing disease. The dental may seem like the trigger but perhaps was just the last straw on an already fragile situation. Perhaps it was just the tipping point?
 

Hopefully your vet can get you some answers & effective treatment.

 

22 hours ago, greysmom said:

IMO, not due to issues with anesthesia.

I did have a dog experience something similar, and a tech acquaintance (not from the treating clinic) told me that it can happen during a dental when they flip the dog over to clean the other side of the mouth.  If they don't support the dog properly - especially for larger/taller dogs - they can twist the spine incorrectly and cause either a disc injury or nerve impingement.

I would ask them to do a complete spinal xray series to check for any issues.  Lazer therapy and/or acupuncture, along with a tolerated nsaid might help.  

Good luck.

Thank you Kudzu. So sorry to hear what your boy went through. I think what you said makes sense: " The dental may seem like the trigger but perhaps was just the last straw on an already fragile situation. Perhaps it was just the tipping point?"

Greysmom -- thank you as well. I have heard that dogs can be hurt if not handled properly when flipping them over incorrectly. This is probably why she came out of surgery in that condition. Of course, I could not say anything to that effect! The vet suggested she had IVDD/herniated disc in the lower neck or even wobblers. I agree she should have xrays but will use a different vet closer to where we live. I don't think they have to be greysavvy vet for this? Also am considering lazer and acupuncture.

It was a very scary experience but she is improving slowly but won't be running for a while! She also ate today thankfully.

Thank you all so much for responding.
 

[Bogangles]

15 hours ago, MP_the4pack said:

It happened to my 15 year old. I  attributed it to maybe being on her back at some time and her age.

My last girl was 15. Fourteen with her last dental but they messed up the anesthesia (board certified vet). It is so hard to go through this with them.

Thank you for your input. 

[greysmom]

1 hour ago, Bogangles said:

Greysmom -- thank you as well. I have heard that dogs can be hurt if not handled properly when flipping them over incorrectly. This is probably why she came out of surgery in that condition. Of course, I could not say anything to that effect! The vet suggested she had IVDD/herniated disc in the lower neck or even wobblers. I agree she should have xrays but will use a different vet closer to where we live. I don't think they have to be greysavvy vet for this? Also am considering lazer and acupuncture.

Shouldn't have to be, but they should be read by a certified xray tech not the vet, especially if you're not familiar with the vet.  Your dog shouldn't need to be sedated for a spinal series either.

[Bogangles]

Thanks so much for your advice. It is very valuable.