My dog is paralyzed from the waist down...?

Question

My dog jumped up and landed on it's spine awkwardly and now one of the discs moved and he can't move from the waist down...

The doctor said that it might not be permanent. How can I help soothe it and make the chances of it not being permanent better?

All suggestions welcome :(

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Your vet should be able to tell you the best way to help him. However, I would suggest gently massaging and moving the muscles in that area. It should be obvious what he does and does not like.

I would also give him small doses of asprin twice a day if he seems to be in any pain. You can also try heat to help soothe the muscles and stimulate blood flow.

If he does nothing but rest, the muscles will be too weak for him to even have a chance anyway. You need to make sure they're still getting blood flow. If/when a person is temporarily paralyzed, massage and physical therapy is a big part of the healing process, and the same holds true for dogs. So ask your vet specifics, but start massaging. Good luck, I hope it all works out :)

Answer 2

My dog slip her disc by jumping off my bed..She is an older dog. If it is a slip disc it is only temporary. They gave my dog pain pills but i wouldn't give them to her. I was afraid if the pain pills made her feel better she would do something and make the matters worse. Without the pain pills she wasn't going to do something that hurt her more. I just carried her allot and made sure she was comfortable at all time.. Soon the swelling went down and she was her merry self. I did keep taken her to the vet to make sure things were going good. Given her the pain pills worried me so much because i didn't want her jumping on or off the bed or what ever and doing some serious damage. A little bit of pain she might have had I felt save her life. I always felt a dog knows what they can do or what they can't do when they hurt .. Let them be the judge of their own body just like me or you.

Answer 3

The was a dog in my area that was paralyzed from the waist down, the owners got him a harness with wheels so he could still go for walks. The dog couldn't move it's back legs, so this harness kept his back legs off the ground so he could go for walks. That might help your dog, it would keep the pressure off his legs and hips so the disc can have a chance to realign itself. But talk to your vet about it.

Answer 4

Your vet is the best source of advice for this, also, do general internet searchs on canine spinal injuries and read as much as you can.
Obviously you want to keep him calm and resting, don't let him try to do things that will aggravate the area, you want it to heal. Spend as much time with him as possible, be soothing and gentle and absolutely trustworthy and supportive. He's going to be depressed, like we would, but he may not show it or may show it differently than we would so just being with him is really important.
If he can't move his back legs at all, bodily functions may be an issue. Check with your vet on anything specific you can do to help with this.
Good luck with your pooch, I'll send good thoughts to you both.

Answer 5

Follow any instructions you vet gives you and if you're not satisfied that your dog is entirely comfortable, then seek a second opinion.

I'm sorry, I really hate to add this but feel i should:

Some may not agree, but I am of the mind that if a dog does have permanent damage and is unable to walk, then it shouldn't be put in a 'wheelchair' to drag itself around by it's front legs. If by some unhappy chance that the damage is permanent, please don't reduce your dog to this undignified practise.

Answer 6

It is important that you get him to a specialty hospital for surgery immediately. For a good prognosis, you must have the surgery within 48 hours.

Good luck.

Alternatively, there are "wheel chairs" for permanently paralyzed dogs.

Answer 7

It depends on the dogs age and size. If your dog is 15lbs or more, try crushing one baby asprin in his or her food daily.
My 17lb female schnauzer was riddled with cancer. This helped relieve her suffering until she died. She lived for 17 yrs. Thats 119 in dog years. We will never forget her.
P.S. Confirm this answer with your Vet. Good luck

Answer 8

make sure your dog lies down alot and doesent get up and move around so his spine will heal mabe your vet is right

Answer 9

you can ask your vet for a pain killing medication and give that to him if he is in pain if he is not in pain then you can ask your vet for any massage therapy hope you have some luck that is what my stepom had to do for her dog nut it was perment and he was put down but if it is not permenet then you do not have to worry about it

Answer 10

Do not do anything he needs rest,you can and will make it worse by doing anything,he will move when he is ready