caring for a handicap dog

A few weeks ago My lil pup started having trouble jumping up on the couch and getting in and out of the van, over a matter of 2 days she lost the ability to even get up and walk, her hind legs just went wobbly and she couldn't get up.I took her to my vet and they referred us to the UGA vet school hospital in Athens, They ran a ton of test and couldn't find exactly what was causing it, She went downhill fast and couldn't even lift her head off the pillow on Tuesday and was just laying there panting with her tongue out. I didn't think she was gonna make it but she started to recover some by Wednesday afternoon. well she now can lift her self up on her front legs and is looking like her old happy self but she still can stand or use her back legs. They said theres not much more they can do and want to send her home tomorrow . They want me to get her into physical therapy and continue her medications. so it looks like I'm gonna have to care for a handicap dog, Anyone got any tips for taking care of a handicap Pup?

Did they check her ears,,,, we thought ours had a stroke,,,, turned out to be an ear infection,,,, same symptoms as yours,,,,

You get used to it and they have good days and bad. We just lost ours after 3-4 years of carrying him around and Up stairs.
If you can get a hold on what problem is, It might improve some over time. Ours have bad joints in front and couldn't walk,just Wobbled around, so not much to do other than joint pills and pain medicine.

We took it until the quality went down hill. They can be happy dogs and not be very mobile.

they ran 4k worth of test and checked everything they could think of, after x-rays , mri, spinal tap, thyroid and multiple blood test nothing really showed up. No infections, muscle problems, spinal problems, no parasites, no cancers, nothing! . the Neurologist said they were not sure what was causing it. They even called in a neurological specialist from charolette who was in town and he couldn't figure it out. The gave her heavy doses of steroids and antibiotics and she started getting better

bilgerat said:

they ran 4k worth of test and checked everything they could think of, after x-rays , mri, spinal tap, thyroid and multiple blood test nothing really showed up. No infections, muscle problems, spinal problems, no parasites, no cancers, nothing! . the Neurologist said they were not sure what was causing it. They even called in a neurological specialist from charolette who was in town and he couldn't figure it out. The gave her heavy doses of steroids and antibiotics and she started getting better

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Wow,,,, ours lost all balance,,,, head tilted to the side, I thought she had a stroke, she couldn't walk, legs splayed apart,,,, finally got better after a few weeks,,,, sure hope yours gets better,,,,

Did they rule out tick borne diseases, like Lyme?

I had a walker hound with similar symptoms. He began to show improvement and after several weeks was OK.

Research tick paralysis and look very carefully for one especially in odd places where it might not be obvious. This condition is unusual but it is real and could be your dog's problem.

When I was kid we had a neighbor that had a Dachshund that was paralyzed in the rear legs. They had a small contraption that cradled the dogs rear section with wheels and that dachshund rolled around in the neighborhood pulling itself with its front legs for years.

I asked about tick paralisis and they ruled that out, they said she thought she had a infection in her spinal fluid or brain and that caused it, ive got her home now and her hind legs moves but she can use them to stand, her front legs are weak but she can hold her self up for a few in a sitting position, Ive got 6 meds to give her every day and I hope they help. only time will tell.

Google coonhound paralysis. It will not show up in bloodwork. Your dog doesnt have to be bitten by a coon to get it. It can have any contact with raccoon salavia such as eating from the same scrap pile. Hope this helps.

I hope your dog will recover soon.

Check and see if he has a tick near his tail hole. Had a beagle get like that and get told us to check there. Sure enough. Pulled the tick off and dog was fine in an hour or so.

Our dog had similar symptons.If you picked him up and put his feet under him he could walk but his legs were straight like he was walking on stilts.Carried to a vet on a Thursday and he said he had kidney infection and gave antibiotics.Saturday morning he couldn't even hold his head up on his own,so we carried him to another vet and he said tick born disease and prescribed doxycyclene,Saturday afternoon after one dose he was able to get up on his own..