my dog lost mobility over her back end could this be caused by a tic?

Question

she is still at the vet and cant move her back end, shes 8 years old and it happened so fast. she we playing and running around with my family and I in the back yard in the morning and by 6 o'clock that evening she was having such a hard time walking about 16 hours after that she had no mobility over her back end at all. we took her to the vet and they took blood tests and Xrays, everything look perfect and normal. theres a scan that costs $2000 that I dont have that could see whats wrong, but is it possible that she could just have a tic... can they immobilize my dog this much?

i live in BC Canada... she is still at the vet and cant move her back end, shes 8 years old and it happened so fast. she we playing and running around with my family and I in the back yard in the morning and by 6 o'clock that evening she was having such a hard time walking about 16 hours after that she had no mobility over her back end at all. we took her to the vet and they took blood tests and Xrays, everything look perfect and normal. theres a scan that costs $2000 that I dont have that could see whats wrong, but is it possible that she could just have a tic... can they immobilize my dog this much?

Answer 1

Tick paralysis can happen in areas that this is of concern.. Although they generally do show other symptoms, fever etc.. ask them specifically about it,, and if they can possibly treat for it too Just in case..Not every area has this infectious diease,, may be it would be extremly rare in your area..

baised on the history,, age.. Back/Disc issues present this way,, and This is very common in older dogs,, double the chances if she is she a long backed dog? beagle? more prone..

A scan of her spinal cord will show if she has a disk issue,, unfortunaly plain x-rays do not always show a compressed ruptured disk and unfortunaly a scan is expensive,, her blood work is noremal.. again another sign of a disk issue..
The truth is there is somtimes surgery to fix it..again expensive,, so If you cannot afford the surgery needed to fix it,, let alone the scan then doing the scan would be just to confirm the problem.. The problem is, as a vet you hate to say your dog has this you think,, may or may not get better.. so you do have to offer options to the client,, not that you HAVE to go with every opton,, but it is somthing you do have to offer,,,

Sympotomatc treatment does sometimes work,, supportive care IV drugs, making sure the dog can empty the bladder, eat drink.. this is a option to see how she responds..she may or may not depending on how severe pressure there is on the spine..

good luck,,

Amanda

Answer 2

Hey can you provide us with other symptoms?? You know what, it might be a stroke..
When she had trouble walking about was she very unco-ordinated?? (stumbling everywhere--if so this is a sign that she is dizzy) Is her head tilted to a certain side? Is she dizzy? These are all symptoms of a stroke.
My 13 year old dog had one, it wasnt major and she got out of it but then half a year later she had another one. She was active as usual in the morning then in the evening she tried to get up for dinner and could barely move, only able to walk a tiny bit then soon after lost all mobility in her back (paralasis). Strokes can just come like that, so quickly and unexpectedly, like in a humans. We waited afew days (as that's how long it took her to come out of the other one) but there was no difference so for the sake of not letting her suffer we put her down.
I hope your dog doesnt suffer a similar fate, you'll probably notice her to become quite her old self even if she doesnt gain her mobility back.
A way of the vet checking for sure if it is a stroke is if they do a brain scan however that costs quite abit. Assess your options -- if worst comes to worst and she doesnt get her back moving again, there is some physio therapy you can do, once again costs alot and you'll have to be very patient and consistant, not to mention it will stress you and your dog out very much. I hope it doesnt have to come to that though and i really hope your dog gets better.

Answer 3

More likely a slipped disc. Take to vet ASAP. ***READ YOUR UPDATE***& "Jennifer A's answer below***~: I agree. Take to a 2nd vet OR a "board certified specialist" and for a MYLOGRAM or 2nd opinion. It is costly though. I had a mylogram done on a dog and it cost $2000 (CANADIAN$), sadly it was inconclusive though. I had a dear Puggy with paralysis,.. hemivertabrae and other conditions could have been possible when a slipped disc was ruled out. It was a very horribly time. I hope the cause is found and not permanent nor too severe. Good luck.

Answer 4

Usually it takes 5 to 7 days after a tick starts feeding to show signs of weakness and in coordination in the hind legs. (Generally it takes more than one tick simultaneously feeding). Has she lost mobility in her front legs as well, or having trouble chewing or breathing? It seems like the vet would have checked for ticks right off? And yes they can immobilize dogs rapidly. It's too bad that treatment is so expensive... I hope everything turns out ok.

Answer 5

Where are you? In Australia we have a paralysis tic that will do this to your pets, it will kill them quickly. The cheapest way to find out is to go over every inch of your dog with a fine tooth comb until you find the tic. Look in the ears, inside of the legs. The warmest parts of your dog first, then you must go over the entire body of your dog to find it.

Answer 6

If you live in New York City, take your dog to
The Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital
424 East 92nd Street
New York, New York
aspca.org

Answer 7

I believe a tick can do that however a blood test should have shown the toxins in the bloodstream.
What kind of dog is she??

Answer 8

Yes, a tick can cause that to happen.