FCE-Spinal stroke

[Sammy Mommy]

I'm so sorry that you and your pup are going thru this. I have no advise to offer, only my prayers.

[linz06]

I am just seeing this now, thanks ladyjane for the PM!

I am so happy to hear you are bringing Cobi home and will be working to rehabilitate him. It is great news that he has regained deep pain sensation! My yorkie had a ruptured disc and we did surgery but she has not regained deep pain or any function in her back legs or bladder. But we love her just the same! She is no longer in any pain and is the same dog she has always been. No matter what happens or how far along Cobi gets in his recovery, remember he will always be the same dog on the inside Animals are amazing in the way they don't let these kinds of things get to them. So what if they can't walk, they will still do everything they did before! They never sit around thinking about the things they used to be able to do, they just figure out new ways to do things and enjoy every moment!

Has the vet given you a hands on demonstration on expressing? It can be frustrating at first but it does become pretty easy and goes pretty quickly when you get the hang of it. I'm sure you've already been told, but emptying the bladder completely is very important because leftover urine can build bacteria quickly in the bladder and an infection doesn't take long to spiral out of control. It might be helpful to practise expressing with the vet and have the vet try after you're done to make sure you got it all out. We still do checks like that every once in awhile with our vet.

If Kobi has been given instructions for crate rest or limited movement, I just wanted to share something that helped us a lot: a pet stroller! Layla was on crate rest during the spring and it really helped us out moving her from place to place and even taking her for walks and getting her mind engaged. We even took her out golfing while she was on crate rest

Layla had 8 weeks of crate rest (which we upped to 10 weeks to be on the safe side) and then we went ahead and ordered a cart (we chose Eddie's Wheels and are very happy with it!).

If you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask. I don't know a lot about the condition causing his paralysis, but I do know a lot about caring for a paralyzed dog. I applaud you for keeping a level head and trying to stay positive! You are a great mommy!

Good luck to you and Cobi and we really hope he has a great recovery.

[Lizzie07]

You might want to get a consult with a neurologist, to be on the safe side. I hope Cobi makes a full recovery. Your taking him to the ER vet was probably the wisest thing you could have done.

[Cobi-G]

Cobi is home! Got some very good and shocking news this morning. It appears Cobi has already gained feeling in his left leg and bent it earlier and tried to push his rear up with it. And once i got home he was licking the leg which ive researched as a sign of tingling when feeling returns. Also moved tail a little. The tech cleaned up a puddle of pee so we were told to hold off on expressing fore a few hours to see if he will go on his own. My biggest concern is ensuring that its FCE since the treatments are different if its a disc problem. Physical therapy should start soon if its FCE, but if its a disc problem physical therapy will cause more damage. FCE will not get worse after 24 hours. Onlly way to know for sure is have a MRI done. The decision was based on a myelogram and a nerologist and radiologist who determined there was no serious compression or disc problem, just a slight area that was swollen which they believed to be the area which caused the FCE. Dr. Edwards at South Paws which is a Surgical Specialist in south Louisiana said there was no need for the MRI and he seems confident its an FCE since the myelogram ruled out disc problems and the signs of one leg being stronger than other, along with the opinions from the neurologist and radiogist which reviewed it. Should i take the experts word, or go ahead with the MRI? Its about 3 hours away and Cobi seems frustrated with all the running around we have done lately.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Cobi-G

Cobi is home! Got some very good and shocking news this morning. It appears Cobi has already gained feeling in his left leg and bent it earlier and tried to push his rear up with it. And once i got home he was licking the leg which ive researched as a sign of tingling when feeling returns. Also moved tail a little. The tech cleaned up a puddle of pee so we were told to hold off on expressing fore a few hours to see if he will go on his own. My biggest concern is ensuring that its FCE since the treatments are different if its a disc problem. Physical therapy should start soon if its FCE, but if its a disc problem physical therapy will cause more damage. FCE will not get worse after 24 hours. Onlly way to know for sure is have a MRI done. The decision was based on a myelogram and a nerologist and radiologist who determined there was no serious compression or disc problem, just a slight area that was swollen which they believed to be the area which caused the FCE. Dr. Edwards at South Paws which is a Surgical Specialist in south Louisiana said there was no need for the MRI and he seems confident its an FCE since the myelogram ruled out disc problems and the signs of one leg being stronger than other, along with the opinions from the neurologist and radiogist which reviewed it. Should i take the experts word, or go ahead with the MRI? Its about 3 hours away and Cobi seems frustrated with all the running around we have done lately.

When one of my pups had disc surgery, both an MRI and myelogram were done prior to surgery to make sure that it was disc involvement. I am a bit confused about them doing only a myelogram and giving you a diagnosis; but saying it is not definitive without an MRI? Am I reading that correctly? I would think that a myelogram would show FCE alone, but if a board certified surgeon suggested MRI, I would certainly go ahead with it.
If they are suggesting MRI, I would definitely go ahead with it...this is serious stuff you are dealing with.

[AllDogBoots]

I would definitely get the MRI. Is this LSU you are referring to?

[linz06]

If they suggest an MRI you might want to go ahead. Layla had just a myelogram and it clearly showed spinal cord compression from a ruptured disc. We saw it ourselves after her surgery. Is the MRI to determine if it is FCE for sure?

[Cobi-G]

Yes it would be at LSU, but with the holidays they said it wouldnt be until next week sometime. Not exactly sure of a number i can use to contact them, South Paws said they would refer us to them first thin gnext week. Unless anybody knows of someone else here on the coast that can do an MRI over the weekend?

[Cobi-G]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

When one of my pups had disc surgery, both an MRI and myelogram were done prior to surgery to make sure that it was disc involvement. I am a bit confused about them doing only a myelogram and giving you a diagnosis; but saying it is not definitive without an MRI? Am I reading that correctly? I would think that a myelogram would show FCE alone, but if a board certified surgeon suggested MRI, I would certainly go ahead with it.
If they are suggesting MRI, I would definitely go ahead with it...this is serious stuff you are dealing with.

A myelgram would not show an FCE, they diagnosed Cobi after ruling out the possibilty of compression and disc rupture which would clearly show up once the dye is injected for myelogram. FCE's are still being studied and from my understanding its diagnosed by symptoms and ruling out others. Its possible that an MRI may not even show the problem for sure but its the only other test left. But we do want the MRI done, we just dont know where to have it done.

[AllDogBoots]

Originally Posted by Cobi-G

Yes it would be at LSU, but with the holidays they said it wouldnt be until next week sometime. Not exactly sure of a number i can use to contact them, South Paws said they would refer us to them first thin gnext week. Unless anybody knows of someone else here on the coast that can do an MRI over the weekend?

I had a very positive experience at LSU when I had to take Max for neurological testing. My vet called to refer me. I then had to call LSU to make the appointment. The appointment was for about 5 days after the date I called. I asked for an earlier appointment and they said my vet had to call and say it was an emergency. The appointment was next day.

Are you just looking for a phone number for LSU Veterinary School?

[ladyjane]

I am quite sure they do them on holidays and weekends when it is an emergency!

[B_and_Bs_Mom]

I don't know much about FCE, but I do know about AAI (Atlanto-Axial Instability) as I have a female born with it, had surgery, and is healthy and happy today.

One of the signs of AAI is the coming and going of feeling in their back legs first as pressure is put on the nerves and they lose the feeling. AAI is typically found through a digital x-ray or an MRI. Because AAI wasn't very common (or not easily found) many vets are not familiar with it. It is something that you should consider too.

We also have a support group for AAI, if you are interested, please pm me!

I so hope you find the problem and are able to get a diagnosis and treatment quickly. I know how hard it is when something is wrong with your babies!

[ladyjane]

oh here we go again

the lurkers are diagnosing yet again

OP: I strongly suggest you listen to your vet specialist...hopefully you are going to LSU. They do know all of the neurological conditions AND symptoms.

My guess is that they are on target since your pup did suffer a major fall prior to all of this.

[Cobi-G]

Cobi is home! He of course still is not moving his back legs. He is dribbling peepee when he walks and we are having to express his bladder to get all of the urine out. Its such a sad situation. He is in good spirits but its hurting us so much to see him like this! He is usually extremely active...now he is confined to a small pin and kennel. He has never even used a kennel! He usually sleeps with us on his very own pillow. So tonight is going to be a huge challenge for us as far as the sleeping arrangements. We are still not 100% comfortable with the diagnosis,I plan on calling his primary vet on monday to bring him in for further assessment and also request a referral MRI. Im glad hes home but its just not the same. We plan on doing all we can do for our little man...we are keeping positive

[B_and_Bs_Mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

oh here we go again

the lurkers are diagnosing yet again

OP: I strongly suggest you listen to your vet specialist...hopefully you are going to LSU. They do know all of the neurological conditions AND symptoms.

My guess is that they are on target since your pup did suffer a major fall prior to all of this.

Thank you for supporting people lurk versus post.

Don't think I was trying to diagnose anything, was just sharing my experience. I went through four vet specialists before she was properly diagnosed. (In case, you are not aware Babybear jumped off Val's lap when his ordeal began.)

OP I agree you need to listen to your vet, you can also learn from other's experiences as well.