dachshund paralysis back legs 2 weeks no better

Wife is taking him to vet again tomorrow to see about maybe starting steroids before we opt for getting him the operation. She is having a MIR. Since back problems can cause pain and paralysis, you will need to treat your Dachshunds back problems as soon as you can. You can dissolve the medications in the broth and give to him. Thank you for the help. Don't let go until he licks his lips (that's how you know he's swallowed). Crate your dog immediately. If your dachshund has back trauma that is too severe for surgery, or has an inoperable spinal tumor, you may have to consider euthanizing him. If all of a sudden, your dog starts shaking and seems unable to walk or is paralyzed then chances are that your dog has some kind of spinal issue. This is a rare genetic disease but if you leave it untreated, it can cause your dog to have arthritis. I am calling again tomorrow to his vet. Other treatments that your dog might need include: Almost all back injuries are caused by IVDD and there is no real way that you can prevent a Dachshund from getting IVDD. This happens when the kneecap, or the patella, is misaligned or becomes displaced. Different dogs react differently to this and if you notice that your dog is dragging its back legs or is showing any sign of paralysis or extreme pain, this is an emergency, and you need to drive to the vet or the emergency room immediately. Other problems can be paralysis, bone deformities, stressed joints, bowlegged syndrome, Antebrachial growth deformity, Elbow dysplasia, Luxating Patella, IVDD, or even just an injury. They go in and remove the debris that is pushing on the spine, giving your dog a much better chance at recovery. This dye would make it easier to see the spinal cord on an x-ray. To avoid disc problems in your dachshund, prevent him from doing certain activities: going up and down stairs, jumping onto or off furniture, playing tug of war, engaging in rough play with other pets. Many vets are not knowledgeable about IVDD so if you are seeing signs and symptoms of IVDD and you are not satisfied with your vets knowledge of this disease, find another vet to take your Dachshund to. Chicken and rice or scrambled eggs are good. Steroids could cause your dachshund to gain weight, among other problems (e.g., weakened bones, liver problems). Read more about our Affiliate Disclosure. Your vet will discuss all surgical options with you and let you know if your dachshund would be able to handle the surgery. If your dog is overweight, youll need to reduce its food intake or eliminate dog treats, since excess weight puts more pressure on its back. If your dachshund has spinal trauma, immediate surgery may help; however, the trauma (and other injuries) may be too severe for your dachshund to withstand surgery. And yes, the longer you wait for surgery the less affective it is. Then around noon, he lost all movement in his rear legs. Your vet should be able to show you how to express his bladder. She is a graduate of Ashford University where she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in sociology. It has taken Daisy almost a year to recover completely but she is pretty much back to her good old self again. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. I tried putting it in a piece of chicken, but he smells the pill and won't take it. Research source We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Please, if this is even remotely an option do it. It has definitely already improved our pup's quality of life. Use Glucosamine or Chondroitin for cartilage health. Copyright 2022. Go back to your vet ASAP, seriously consider the surgery. Many dogs can have up to 5 or more slipped disks. Last Updated: March 29, 2019 As for getting him to take the pills, Grab the top of his muzzle and pry his mouth open. I've been taking him outside and pressing his tummy and some pee comes out that way too. The vet also recommended putting her on a glucosamine supplement as well - Curaflex 2. Bobbie Terry lives in a small rural town in Southern Oklahoma USA. This issue that many Dachshund dogs have is elbow dysplasia. Dachworld.com. Once your dog is diagnosed with IVDD and undergoes treatment and is healed, chances are that it can go back to its normal, active life. This can help you to find the best equipment for your dog before or after surgery. This deformity will cause the dog to have stress in the joints because their walk will be uneven, and it can lead to severe leg problems. His bladder can become distended and even rupture. Both times, we took her to the vet, got her medicine, and kept her on cage restriction/taking it easy until we could tell she felt better. By using our site, you agree to our. If your dog is walking with a limp or you notice strange movement, it is important to take them to the vet right away. They cleaned up the debris from her previous injuries and completely repaired the one that was currently causing her so much pain. Give it a week or so and see what you think then. Here's a little back story, she showed minor signs (lethargy, couldn't move well, uncomfortable if you'd touch her back) of a slipped disk twice in the span of about a year. Holding the head back after giving the pill will promote swallowing. Your vet will let you know if your dachshunds specific back problem will require confinement. This can mean that something happened to your dog such as being hit by a car, falling down the stairs, falling off furniture, falling when jumping, getting kicked or stepped on, etc. Gave him some anti inflammatory meds. Additionally, if your dog has intervertebral disc disease, you may have to confine it to a crate for a period of time to allow its spine to heal. Not crossbreeding with leg or back problems. My parents 10+ year old mini doxie just went through this using the exact same treatment. Make sure you continue to talk to her and interact with her during her confinement period. What is a Possible Diagnosis of the Legs Not Working? Lower back trauma can cause spinal damage. If she is not crate trained, try to keep her as still and quiet as possible in her normal sleeping area. She works from home as a writer, dachshund breeder, parenting skills instructor, and business manager of two additional businesses. You can probably put pill in his food, but I've found pill gun to be the best thing to deliver the capsule. If you cannot get to the vet because of the time or because you are calling out of normal business hours, call the emergency vet clinic and see someone as soon as you can. She shares her home with her youngest 2 children, 3 miniature long-haired Dachshunds, and 1 large blue Great Dane. What Kind of Life Does a Dachshund Have After IVDD? Look and locate which leg does not seem to be working normally. X But because it just started, I'd give the drugs time to work before doing anything drastic. ", tomorrow, and the article has made me better prepared for what the outcome could be. One big problem that the Dachshund breed faces is disk herniation or disk budges between the vertebrae and the spinal column. These tense muscles may start having spasms. Was helping a little. Of course, allowing your dog to be active is taking a risk but being active can also help to give your dog a more muscular and flexible back. So it's very hard to get these pills in his stomach. Seems to have stiffness in the legs, especially the hind legs. Hey, so I'm currently going through this with my small toy poodle. Please post your story on there. [1] For more tips from our Veterinary co-author, like how to spot back problems in your Dachshund, read on! If your dog was injured or has suffered a back injury, this could be the problem but if your dog is between the ages of 4 and 8 years of age and was not injured, chances are this back injury is caused by IVDD. Even with surgery she was given a less than 10% chance to walk. The best thing to know is how to protect your dogs back if it has IVDD such as: Strict crate rest means that you are stopping your dog from moving as much as you can. Or should I get a dropper and squeeze it into his mouth? Surgery is sometimes necessary to fix this disorder in Dachshund dogs. If the front legs are affected, this can mean that the slipped disk is located in the neck area. When you look at your Dachshunds legs and they seem to be affected, this can mean that your dog has had a slipped or herniated disk in the vertebrae. It goes down to 5% chances of recovery if you wait for 24 hours to get surgery or treatment. I went with the 2nd option. I'm in tears on Christmas :( I slept on the ground next to his crate last night. The problem with IVDD is that if your dog gets it once, chances are it will get it again. One problem with IVDD is it is often misdiagnosing because of other problems and is often diagnosed as a problem with the stomach, muscle spasms, arthritis, or more. All Rights Reserved. Signs, Causes and How to Prevent. But he's eating a little bit of his wet canned food and I'm adding a little water in it to make it wet, but he's only eating the food directly from my hand. Research source This has just become a problem in the last week. I don't know what I would've done without this site when my Lola went down. I carried him the rest of the way and he went outside. Examples of medical therapy are pain reduction, cage confinement, weight management, and antibiotics. Advised on laser treatments. (Disc surgery). There are circumstances when they can be delivered directly into the affected region. Guess you're looking at surgery. They said the 2 options are surgery for $4500, or steroid shot/steroid pills/pain pills/muscle relaxers. Anyone who owns a dog knows that the dog is a mans best friend and becomes part of your forever family. This is when the elbows are not formed correctly. This means you will not let your dog walk around much and you will give them their water and food inside of the crate. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and riding her classic cruiser-style motorcycles. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. This article has been viewed 123,947 times. Baby powder can help too. Spinal trauma or a spinal tumor may make walking difficult or impossible for your dachshund. Try your best to keep them from moving around while you call the vet. "I arrived home today with my doggy unable to use her back legs. Going through a similar situation with our 6yo mini dapple. You can buy the pilling gun at a pet store or on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mikki-Pill-Gun/dp/B00076HUB4/keywords=pill+gun. I'll be following this thread, What else can they do? What should I do? They inspected him and said it's IVDD (slipped/hurt disc in his back). Exercise your dog regularly to keep its muscles strong. What would cause your Dachshunds legs to stop working? I talked to my vet about problems with the cat not taking pills and what they suggested was to buy empty gelatin capsules and fill them with pills and make them take the pills that way. Taking your dog out of strict crate rest early can result in a flare-up and pain in your dog. For myelography, your vet would anesthetize your dachshund and inject a dye into his spine. IVDD is an Intervariable disk disease that happens when a disc slips or is herniated and forces into the spinal canal that causes things such as incoordination, muscle spasms, pain and can even lead to paralysis. He wont drink a broth+water mix at all. A very common and urgent side effect due to nerve damage is the inability to urinate. Cage rest is the most important thing you can do if you aren't going to do surgery. Consider eliminating all treats from your dachshunds diet, especially store-bought dog treats. It started a month ago with him not wanting to jump at all. They think it's a disc issue. First Stage: Pain in the neck or back without any signs of any neurological disorders. To treat back problems in your Dachshund, start by taking your dog to the vet to get a proper diagnosis and the best course of treatment. "All of it helped. Your Dachshund is Shaking and Suddenly Cannot Walk, Whats wrong? Drunken rear or a rear that is not under the dogs control. Dachshund will get IVDD over other breeds of dogs, 8-Week-Old Dachshund: Growing and Exploring Their Surroundings, Top 7 Reputable Dachshund Breeders in Mississippi (MS), Top 4 Best Dachshund Breeders in Idaho (ID), Top 6 Best Dachshund Breeders in Maine (ME), How to Identify if Your Dachshund is Purebred. Even though the Dachshund legs are curved, you can tell if your dogs legs are pointing at a strange angle. Think there's some chance it's only a pinched nerve and he'll be fully better with just the steroids? I feel your pain. There are different diagnoses that can be given when your dogs back legs are not working such as an acute injury. This should be done for 8 weeks minimum. Sometimes operating on your Dachshund can fix more than one problem area but it doesnt mean that your dog will not have a reoccurrence. The Head is lower when in a standing position. Is that enough water? Or bad signs? Since he's barely eating or drinking anything. Third Stage: The dog can move its legs but is not able to stand or walk. Ask the vet about injecting anti-inflammatory drugs. She's a miracle and can drunkenly walk sometimes but I still regret not going to the university immediately like my gut told me to. If you have already crate trained your dachshund, then her confinement shouldnt be too difficult to manage. Being confined to the cage or crate could be very lonely for your dachshund. Can be used for dogs from 2 to 180 pounds. There are 5 stages of IVDD injuries including: IVDD can be treated depending on how severe it is, and it can be helped with home cures, vet cures, or even sometimes pain relief. Not walking straight or walking impaired. When this isnt treated, it can cause the blood supply to lessen and more inflammation in the spine often leading to complete paralysis. Does Your Dachshund Have Eye Problems? Harness collars can prevent damage to your dachshunds spine. This is a pretty clean/quick method if you have good rapport with your dog and don't think he/she will bite you. Also consulted a surgeon last week and got a recommendation/price on surgery. Good luck. Small enough to store and to transport when you go somewhere. This video is helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yHgItqGmo. Hold his much shut and blow on his nose. We had a tough decision but researched and learned the surgery (hema-something. Imaging studies can help your vet determine if trauma or other diseases are causing the back problems. It is more likely, up to 12 times more likely, that your Dachshund will get IVDD over other breeds of dogs. Do you own a Dachshund dog, and you dont understand what is going on with its legs? This syndrome is treated by surgery or by surgery or casting and if your dogs back legs look strange, take them to the vet right away. If your vet suspects a spinal infection, they would take a sample of fluid from your dachshunds spine and have it analyzed to identify the culprit organism. He wouldn't even eat peanut butter from my fingers, his favorite. X Spotting and paying attention to any changes in your dogs walk or behaves are the easiest ways to tell if something is wrong with your dogs legs, but here are some other signs that something might be wrong with your dogs legs: You only have a few hours to get surgery on your Dachshunds ruptured disk in order to have a success rate in the surgery. If you think surgery is an option for you time is key. I ended up buying these on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Gelatin-Capsules-Size--1000/dp/B000ACUJRW/keywords=gelatin+capsules, I'm guessing since you have a Dachshund it might be a little larger than a cat, so you may have to buy a different size pill I think I ended up buying size 4 or 3 and it worked great for me and the cat. She would've probably had a full recovery if I had. Yesterday morning he could still walk a bit but very wobbly. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yHgItqGmo, http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Gelatin-Capsules-Size--1000/dp/B000ACUJRW/keywords=gelatin+capsules, http://www.amazon.com/Mikki-Pill-Gun/dp/B00076HUB4/keywords=pill+gun. :( Worst Christmas ever Hey. Does it seem like your dogs back legs are not working or is your Dachshund shaking, wobbly, weak, dragging, or does your dog seem to be in a lot of pain? This article will help you to know what you should do if your Dachshund is experiencing back leg pain or if your dogs back legs are not working correctly. Sadly these dogs are extremely prone to this condition and the cost to do the surgery is hard if you don't have insurance. As your dog begins to heal, it will be able to start rehab with a supervised person. I went to vet last Tuesday, got my dog a. Your vet will likely prescribe medical therapy, with medications such as anti-inflammatories or antibiotics, for you to administer. Do not let your dog go up and down the stairs. Antebrachial growth deformity happens in Dachshunds and happens when the dogs front legs grow larger than the back legs. I added 5mg Pepcid and he was able to eat a small sized dinner tonight including 1/6th of an apple and some of his regular food. Wheelchairs are great for dogs that are diagnosed with the following illnesses or injuries: There are wheelchairs that are able to help support the back legs or wheelchairs that can support all four of the legs if your dog is having trouble with them. STill a fairly young dog. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. I'd like to say give him whatever you can to get him to eat, but the last thing he needs on top of this is pancreatitis. Cage confinement may not be necessary for all back problems. Your email address will not be published. The legs are not able to hold the dogs weight. Minimal movement for weeks is an absolute must. Try to stick to blander food. Fourth Stage: The dog is not able to move its legs completely and is in partial paralysis but can feel when its toes are pinched. Here are some signs and symptoms of IVDD. The bone that is affected in Bowlegged Syndrome is the distal tibia and this is when the bone turns in towards the body. Not using stairs or jumping on furniture or in cars. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Dachworld.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. He doesn't seem to be better. This post also provides all possible Dachshunds back legs problems: symptoms, causes, treatments, and prevention. % of people told us that this article helped them. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Treat-Back-Problems-in-Dachshunds-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Treat-Back-Problems-in-Dachshunds-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Treat-Back-Problems-in-Dachshunds-Step-1.jpg\/aid7649672-v4-728px-Treat-Back-Problems-in-Dachshunds-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"