Toby......the immobile German Shepherd - Page 1

I am here seeking insight into what could be wrong with my GSD. I went to feed him on Wednesday morning and he was laying in the yard, unable to move anything but his neck and head. He has full movement in his face and neck, but nothing below that. I took him to the vet immediately and they were stumped, to say the least. After some x-rays it was determined that he did not appear to have any broken/fractured bones. They pinched a toe on each paw with a pair of tweezers and he DID pull his leg back. So it is obvious that he has feeling in each of his legs and he IS able to move his tail. He will NOT attempt to move his legs if you try to stand him up. As a matter of fact, he doesn't really move his legs at all. He stayed two nights at the vet's office and they gave him a shot of something (cortizone I believe). At this present time he is at home. We are doing our best to keep him comfortably laying on his side (we flip him every couple of hours and massage his side). He does his "business" on his own and we are cleaning him after each time. On Wednesday we are taking him to a different vet for a 2nd opinion. The current diagnosis is that he has one of the following: 
Botulism (no access to meat whatsoever, just dog food) 
Black Widow spiderbite (temp is in the teens, so I haven't seen any) 
Coon Hound Paralysis (or Coon Hound Syndrome)....this is unconfirmed as of this time, but this is their best guess. 

Toby is appx. 2yrs 3mos old and has had no previous health problems since WE have had him. We got him from a shelter and at that time he was about 1yr old. 
I am looking for suggestions on diagnosis from anyone who may be informed on something of this nature. Also, if you have any questions about Toby, I can answer them. 

Also, we are looking for suggestions on the best way to care for him if this turns into a long-term ordeal. Is it best to let him lay on his side all day long? Obviously we cannot be there every day to flip him, so is there a better way to care for him, or a better position for him to lay? 

PLEASE HELP!!!

I think you should take him in for an MRI  I wouldn't fool around.  Do you have a large vet facility that can do that type of service.  Seriously don't wait.  Poor thing.  Good Luck

I would check this dog for Lyme Disease.  Many dogs are striken by this tick born illness.  I've seen many that could not or would not rise.  Miraculously, after two days of treatment, they were fine.  Lyme is endemic in many parts of the US.  As you got him from a shelter, you have no idea about where this guy has been or if he could have come into contact with ticks sometime in the past.

Good Luck

 The closest place that I know of for an MRI is in Knoxville, TN.  Thats about 4 hours away.  Also, does anyone have a rough estimate for an MRI??  We aren't rich, so we don't know how we could afford an MRI if its a high-priced procedure.

Would lyme disease cause this within a 10 hour period?  As stated, he was fine on Tuesday night, then Wednesday morning (last week) he could not move anything below his neck.

He IS wagging his tail a little bit as of lastnight.  Also, if you rub his back or belly his hind legs will jump and his tail moves (don't know if this is voluntary or not).  He has really not moved his front legs on his own at all, but has seemed to move his back legs a little bit within the last couple of days.

Is there anything we can give him to help that is over-the-counter from a pet supply store (PetSmart, etc)?   He does not seem to be in any pain, and hasn't seemed to be in pain since it happened.  I'm just looking for something that we could give him that may help him along the road to recovery.

 Also, is Lyme Disease something that could be dormant and then just present itself at any given time?

Is there any chance your dog was bitten by a raccoon? Was the onset sudden or did you note the dog not feeling well prior to the time you found him not willing to stand? Was there any change, for example, in his gait prior to this?

There are other possibilities besides what you listed. However, barring an injury or some sort of acute neurological problem, the best guess is the Coon Hound paralysis or Lymes. Lymes can be tested for very quickly.

With any like condition you must be certain that the nursing care the dog receives is top notch. You are probably in for a long haul, even if the dog recovers. Perhaps as long as 3 to 4 months. So start lining up some friends to help you.

The dog should have range of motion and exercise of all its' limbs each day, multiple times. You must very carefully clean the dog to make sure it does not develop urine scalding or irritation from fecal matter. The dog must eat, however you can get that accomplished, and have plenty of water, which makes the elimination more frequent. Watching the dog carefully too for signs of respiratory depression is critical. If that happens, prognosis is not very good. There are few medications that will help these types of conditions.

I would agree however that a more definitive answer might be found with a neurological consult and possibly some sophisticated imaging techniques. If the dog begins to regain function, let us know because again there are things you may be able to do to assist recovery.

Sorry to hear this has happened. My best wishes to you and your pal.

Nismo, I lost a dog last year to paralysis and the cause was never determineded.  My boy was not yet 2, he would not eat and was wasting away so we had to have him put down.  An MRI showed nothing but since he was playing ball at the time, they ASSUMED injury.  No surgery, they put a cast on his neck to immobilize his head, just in case.  I believe the cast was no help, he had been in no pain and afterward I was sorry we left it on, seemed to make him very stressed.  He would not eliminate in the house, we had to empty his bladder manually and he hated it.  Horrible watching him suffer and waste away, he was such a good boy, we will never be the same.  I got another GSD right away, he's a year old now and we just got a puppy but it does not replace the one we lost.  They have their own place in our hearts but Link's place is still there.  When we first took him in they said the cost of an MRI and subsequent surgery would be between $2500 and $3500, three days in the hospital and no surgery ended up being $4500.  They know they have you and there's nothing you can do but try to save them.   I don't know that we could have done any more but I couldn't watch him suffer.  If your boy is eating and eliminating that's a step in the right direction, he's hanging in there.  If that were the case with us we would have tried to wait it out and see if there was any improvement.  I wish you the best, I know just how hard it is.  My husband and I would pile blankets on the floor to keep him as comfortable as possible, we massaged him, turned him every few hours and picked him up and took him outside just to smell the air, hoping he'd at least try to put weight on his legs, to no avail.  We ended up putting him on our waterbed to keep him more comfortable.  My heart goes out to you and I hope it will turn around, give him a hug from me in my boy's memory.

Cindi

At least a consult with a neurologist would not a be a bad idea.  There is some weird neuro wasting type diseases that dogs can get.

Just on a long shot, have you or your vet checked him thouroughly for a tick attached to him? I know you said it was cold but my sister lives in Massachusetts and has Lymes. She said in November, when it was freezing one day, they still had the little buggers out and hunters were complaining about them. I tick that is feeding can cause paralysis sometimes. Google tick bite paralysis. Hope he gets better for you soon, keep your chin up!

And yes ticks can cause really freaky things too..