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Expert: - 5/5/2011


Question
hi,
i rescued a 2 yr old cocker spaniel(solid black)couple of years ago. i have had no problems with him in the past 2 yrs with feeding or grooming or training. On this sunday, a guest accidentely tripped over my dog and he started limping the same day. Since monday evening he has not been able to walk and is dragging himself by his paws. i did call the vet and he said it was rear end paralysis and recommended 2 injections per day of monocef, neurokind. But he seemed unable to explain why it happeded or prognosis. i would be grateful if you could shed some light on this condition.
his paws are working fine but he cant seem to lift or sustain weight on his tail region.
please help

Answer
This is a pretty serious injury and this dog needs some vet care right away. The sooner you get some steroids into this dog the better his chances of walking again are.

However, how do you know that his back isn't broken from this person tripping over him? Have you had his back xrayed? Does he have a ruptured disc?

There are many types of paralysis but after an injury like you are describing this is not always the type that a dog gets better from. As I said, he needs to be xrayed and have IVs started or oral meds of steroids, etc. He may need surgery as well.

His back could be broken or if he ruptured a disc and it is pressing on the spinal cord, this dog's chances of walking again are pretty slim.

Please get him into your vets and get him looked at there. The longer you wait his chances of healing and walking keep going down..

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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