Poorly Whippet - Advice Please

[DebWal64]

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Hi I am new to this forum so hope I am doing everything right ! We recently went away for a couple of days and left our 18 month old male whippet STAN with the in-laws. Whilst we were away he had some sort of accident - all is very vague - but he seems to have fallen/twisted and they thought he had knocked himself out. They took him to their local vet because he couldn't seem to be able to get up. The vet has done X rays and spoken to a neurologist and they seem to think that there is a very small sign of a disc compression in his spine/neck. His back end is fine with normal reflexes but he is still (3 days later) unable to move his front paws. The reflexes in his front are depressed but he does have pain sensation in front paws. The vet thinks / hopes the problem might be shock / inflammation and we are bringing him home today with a course of non steriodal anti-inflams. for complete rest and some physio. The other problem is that he is unwilling to wee and they have had to express his bladder, but again that could be shock. We are all very upset (particularly our 11 yr old daughter who was there when it happened) and no one seems to be able to tell us what the prognosis is for recovery. I am not sure whether I ought to be quite optimistic or prepare for the worst. If any other whippet owners have had similar experiences I would very much welcome their thoughts and advice. Thanks.

 

[~elizabeth~]

Hi, no personal experience of this but you might be interested to look at these recent threads:

Help! Neck/disc problem!

Jasmine has had surgery

Goodluck :luck:

 

[jean.dunbar]

A friend's Whippet damaged herself while racing. I can't remember all the treatment details but I do know that regular visits to the hydro therapy pool, initially 2-3 times a week, played a major part in her recovery. The people at the pool seemed to be very knowledable and were able to discuss the injury and treatment with my friend.

Good luck and I hope your dog shows signs of improvement soon. :luck:

 

[Janimal]

No advice sorry but just want to Welcome you to K9 and wish Stan - the very best of Luck and do hope he recovers fully. :luck: :luck:

 

[DebWal64]

Hi

I really appreciate your kindness. When we got Stan home yesterday he was very wobbly, not moving much, eating & drinking very little and still not weeing. His ability to stand up was practically nil. He had a reasonable night and seemed to be moving a little better this morning, esp on the front paws. However, we were not happy with him and took him to our own vet for an assessment. They hospitalised him straight away and have popped him a catheter in, put him on a drip for fluids (he was badly dehydrated) and started a course of steroids. The vet has rung me this afternoon to say he is much brighter and alert and trying to sit up. They are keeping him in over the weekend. If his mobility hasn't significantly improved by Monday he will have a myleogram to establish the exact nature of his injury and if he needs an op or just plenty of TLC. We have all got our fingers crossed. He is such a super adorable dog and we miss him very much. The vet says he is a perfect patient and so easy to handle. Typical Whippet !

 

[bangor]

Hi
I really appreciate your kindness.  When we got Stan home yesterday he was very wobbly, not moving much, eating & drinking very little and still not weeing.  His ability to stand up was practically nil.  He had a reasonable night and seemed to be moving a little better this morning, esp on the front paws.  However, we were not happy with him and took him to our own vet for an assessment.  They hospitalised him straight away and have popped him a catheter in, put him on a drip for fluids (he was badly dehydrated) and started a course of steroids.  The vet has rung me this afternoon to say he is much brighter and alert and trying to sit up.  They are keeping him in over the weekend.  If his mobility hasn't significantly improved by Monday he will have a myleogram to establish the exact nature of his injury and if he needs an op or just plenty of TLC.  We have all got our fingers crossed.  He is such a super adorable dog and we miss him very much.  The vet says he is a perfect patient and so easy to handle.  Typical Whippet !

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[bangor]

Hi

There is a man called Ted Woodacre who lives near Haydock. He is also called the Boneman. An expert in this field. I dont know his number or address. Met him when he came to Greyhound track. He had a look at one of my greys who was not performing as we know he can. Within seconds of touching dog he was able to tell a disc had been slipped. He put it back in. This whole process lasted about 2 minutes. The dog walked away looking as he used to look. He will be trialed again next week. Giving time to make sure there is no inflammation (advice from Ted). I can already tell after only a few days the dog is feeling better. He also looked at another dog of mine. I knew she had torn her monkey muscle when it happeded but i never said to Ted, again within seconds he know whathad happened as was even able to tell how long ago it had happened. This guy is amazing and to top it all he along charged £5.00 per dog. Im sure if you knew anyone from that area they could find him. Hope this helps.

 

[Wolfy]

Hi

Last May there were acouple of whippies who suffered spinal disc injuries. One of them,my dog Rocket, had to have a disc removed and was paralysed from the waist down for two months and thereafter improved but will never be his former self but has a good quality of life.

I relate this as it was at the severe end of the spinal injury spectrum and from what has happened to your Stan and I would guess that he has a very good chance of complete recovery especially as he has sensation in his front paws (my dog din't regain partial sensation in his rear legs for many months).

One of the other posts mentioned hydrotherapy and we found this and sessions on a water treadmill to be really helpful but I would be surprised if you had to resort to this treatment. However if you live in the Cheshire area I can get the contact names for these places.

Give Stan a hug and I hope he recovers real soon

 

[Vicky]

Hi
There is a man called Ted Woodacre who lives near Haydock. He is also called the Boneman.  An expert in this field.  I dont know his number or address.  Met him when he came to Greyhound track. He had a look at one of my greys who was not performing as we know he can.  Within seconds of touching dog he was able to tell a disc had been slipped.  He put it back in.  This whole process lasted about 2 minutes.  The dog walked away looking as he used to look.  He will be trialed again next week.  Giving time to make sure there is no inflammation (advice from Ted).  I can already tell after only a few days the dog is feeling better.  He also looked at another dog of mine.  I knew she had torn her monkey muscle when it happeded but i never said to Ted, again within seconds he know whathad happened as was even able to tell how long ago it had happened.  This guy is amazing and to top it all he along charged £5.00 per dog.  Im sure if you knew anyone from that area they could find him.  Hope this helps.

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Same bloke? Ken Woodacre

 

[wild whippies]

Must admit I used to take my healthy dogs to Ken woodacre but when I did have an injured dog with an inflammed disc (sciatic pain as well) his treatment did not resolve her problem and slightly exascerbated her pain. On Vicky's reccommendation, I took her to a specialist greyhound vet where she was given a course of steroids and where it was discovered the problem had arisen from her altering her posture following a muscle tear. I strongly advise you stick with qualified, knowledgable people when your dog is ill. Also the vet usually has to sign a document agreeing to hydrotherapy treatment which I think is a responsible thing to do by reputable places.

 

[DebWal64]

Hi. We got our Stan back home again on Monday. He spent all weekend at the vets with fluids and steroids. By Monday he could more or less walk, but very wobbly (bit like a drunken old man ). By today (friday) he is a great deal improved. His walking is still very slow and he can't do steps etc, but he is much better balanced. His front paws are not quite right and he is still knuckling over and his right leg sticks out awkwardly but he is so much better than he was, esp. now he is eating and drinking again. He is still on the steroids and we have to take him back to the vets for a check up tonight. Our vets (Donaldsons and Partners) have been absolutely brilliant. Worth every penny.

 

[Windsdream]

Ken Woodacre, saw him once with Kai never ever would i see him again didn't do my boy any good what so ever.

Can't be sure but could have made the matter worse

 

[June Jonigk]

We saw Ken Woodacre once too, but didn't think much of his treatment. We have a friend who used to swear by him though.

I think with any spinal injury you need to know that the person is properly trained, and qualified to treat animals. It would be so easy to do peranent damage if he didn't know what he was doing.

Good luck with Stan - I'm sure he'll continue to improve :luck:

 

[Cornish]

Oh dear poor Stan

I am sorry that I can not help with any advice but just wanted to say hello and welcome to K9 )

Lots of cuddles and get well wishes to Stan xxx

 

[nigel22205]

Last August I was playing frisbee with Pudding. Has running hard and lost footing on some roots and his back legs completely collapsed on him. I thought I had paralyzed him and was devastated. The hospital did x-rays and detected slight separation of vertebrae (sp) indicating slipped disc. We had him on steroids and some other meds (pain killers). It took a few days but eventually he regained movement. I realise you have front legs issues - and it may be completely unrelated but thought I'd share. Best wishes Nigel