my mums 2 year old jack russell dog suddenly cant use his back legs. Vet says may be a stroke!?

Question

He hasn't injured himself, nothing broken. Happened out of the blue. One back leg totally dragging on floor and the other he can use a little bit. Vet says to keep him quiet (he is very quiet since it happened anyway...not himself at all) and took blood tests and will see him again monday. He looks very sad and is not eating much. Anyone got any advice or had a similar experience please???

we have got a crate for him and he seems happy to rest in it. vet said if no change by monday then x-rays and a scan.....

nice to hear that dogs can recover and it may not be the end for him, thanks

Answer 1

Hi lerbo,
Vet could well be right - but then again he/she could well be wrong. On a serious health problem like this I would always take the dog to another vet for a second opinion. It could be somehing else that can be treated easily so why not, at least, go for a second opinion - humans do it all the time.

Answer 2

To be honest, I don't know what all is available in the UK. I also know that not every dog that does well on one kind of food will do well on another. I work in a petstore and usually recommend people check the ingredients labels. The first ingredient should always be meat. Be it Chicken, Lamb, Venison, Salmon, or something else. It doesn't matter. Stay away for vague meat referrences like meat and bone meal or meat by-product. If you can't know for sure what type of meat it is, chances are, the company is using the cheapest meat they can find. Meal is dried meat and bone mixture. There are different levels of protein quality of the meal since the majority of it is the remnant after the breasts were cut from the chicken or the steaks from the cow. I know Timberwolf Organics use meals with high protein content and low ash (which comes from the bones). You want to stay away from foods with a lot of corn, wheat, and soy in their top ingredients. Also, keep an eye out for foods that split grains (i.e. lists multiple same grain products). Personally, I'm not a big fan of by-products, but that's a whole big debate. By-products are parts of an animal that are not generally eaten by humans. I personally am not against eating hearts and livers (great for protein), but I worry about kidneys, intestines, and other organs considering the functions they play in the body. Stay away from artificial preservatives (BHT, BHA, ethyoxiquin). Find a food that uses mixed tocopherols. I saw a food earlier that had lard as it's 2nd or 3rd ingredient. Is that much lard healthy for us? We are not that different from our dogs and cats. Fruits and veggies in food is good (or just add the left over veggies your kids didn't eat at dinner to your dogs bowl, that's what I do). Be aware that too much protein or fat can be problems for older animals (imo 7 for a JRT isn't old, it's middle aged). Have an organ screen done at your vet at least every other year (every year is better) to just monitor the function levels of your dog's organs. Glucostamine, Condroitin (sp), and L-Carnitine are great supplements (usually already in high quality foods). The Glucostamine and Chondroitin help with keeping the cartiledge supple for a JRT's happy jumping. L-Carnitine helps keep from putting on too much weight. Hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

Exactly the same thing happened to my young German Shepherd. He was fine when we went to bed - woke in the night o find his back end totally paralysed but no obvious injury. We took him straight to a vet (I actually feared I would lose him) and like you the vet advised rest etc. I brought a crate for him as he wouldn't rest completely and day by day he got slightly better. Now I have my beautiful boy as good as new - the only lasting thing is that sometimes his legs at the back bunny hop when he runs fast but other than that he's great. The vet said it may have been a piece of cartilage in his spine popped out slightly and the rest stopped it being damaged further and allowed it to get better. I hope you have the same outcome - good luck xxxxx

Answer 4

Yeah, this happened to our dear old German Pointer, but he was nearly fourteen years old when it happened. He had gone upstairs to bed, but collapsed when he reached the bedroom. I sat up with him all night, and the next morning, when there was no change, we carried him downstairs, and just kept him quiet and comfortable all day. Then suddenly, late in the afternoon, he jumped off the sofa, shook himself, and went into the kitchen to eat up all of his food!! Although he seemed to make a complete recovery.....he had actually forgotten his name, and no longer recognised simple words!!. Other than that, he went on to live for a while longer.
Your Moms dog is still young enough to get over it and make a complete recovery. Just do as the vet says, and keep him quiet and comfortable for as long as is necessary. He'll eat and drink etc as soon as he's ready.

Answer 5

2 years old is awefully young for a stroke. My late dog had to be put down for a stroke, she was 13. She actually had her back completely paralyzed and couldn't walk at all, kinda the same situation you're in with your dog but i highly doubt it's a stroke.
Check for more signs. The dog's head is usually tilted to one side with a stroke, and also they are very dizzy, but as your dog doesnt walk at the moment it's hard to tell. If they're dizzy they're usually really unco, basically imagine a drunk dog and that's what a dog with a stroke walks like.
If you look at his eyes you'll be able to tell if he's dizzy.
If it is a stroke he can certainly bounce back. My late dog of who i was talking about above had a stroke afew months before the one which killed her. To be honest she was in such a bad way i thought she was going to die. For afew days she was out of it, not much movement at all and no eating really but one day she just was alot happier as she wasnt dizzy anymore and her head slowly twisted back into place. As your dog is young and if it is a stroke there will probably be more of a chance of him coming back out of it because of his age. -- a stroke is certainly not always a death sentence, hope this isnt too severe.
Hopefully the test results provide you with some answers and this is not something too major.
Good Luck

Answer 6

Sounds like there're problems with the motor function of the back legs . Most likely a problem in the spine . Sometimes in cats you can get ischaemic (lack of blood flow) to a blood vessel , but the legs would be cold and out of use. Jack Russells are very active breed , and it won't be unusual for them to jump and twisted themselves causing a trapped nerve or a slip disc .The best action is to ask your vet to refer you to a vet who specialised in orthopedics.

Answer 7

Kinda young for a stroke IMHO but a pinched nerve is possible. Dachshunds are very prone to injuring their spine/backs by just jumping off the couch. I would go to another vet, def an x-ray is called for and possible an ultrasound or a contrast dye injection.

Answer 8

I'm not sure this is acceptable for a dog that's off its back legs - did the vet not give him any steroid shots? What did the blood tests say? Did the vet talk about xraying the dog?

Chalice

Answer 9

The same thing happened to one of my dogs. The vet said that he suffered from stroke. Unfortunately, at that time she was very fond of table foods, mostly rich in fats. What happened was I was giving her a bath then she just ran off and then all of a sudden she was sprawled in the dirt and she couldn't move her hind legs. She became timid after that which was very new since she was very active. Dogs can get heart attack also just like us. What kind of foods do you feed to her? Did she get complete vaccines like heartworm, etc. If it was stroke, it is very unlikely that she will get well. She will most probably won't be able to use her hind legs anymore. I suggest you just give her the best care you give her.

Answer 10

Could be, and more likely is, a spinal injury. I messed my own back up bad enough to be in traction in the hospital for two weeks just throwing a ball for my dog a few years ago. Left leg from the hip down was paralyzed. I'd have an orthopedic vet check out his back. Could have pinched a nerve doing something as simple as scratching his butt.