Intermittant paralysis

[Blackdawgs]

On Tuesday morning, my almost 13 year old pitbull had several episodes of intermittant paralysis of her rear legs. After eating breakfast and returning from an uneventful 0,8 mile walk, I noticed that she was dragging her hind legs across a carpetted room. She spontaneously recovered but looked a bit wobbly. About 10 minutes later, she had a second episode at which time i called my vet to see if I should bring her there or take her directly to the vet school. We wound up at my regular vets office and she walked in of her own accord. While waiting, she started jerking her hind legs up and kicking them backwards like a horse. While being examined, she starting loosing control of her hind legs again;.The vet noticed a very significant propioceptive deficit in rear at which point she left the room to call the vet school. Two phone calls later to the neurology resident, the dog had recovered again, so we decided to take blood and wait to take her to the school on Wednesday for a neuro appt rather than go thru the ER that morning (unless something else happened). The dog seemed OK, albeit tired the remainder of the day on Tuesday and when I checked the proprioceptive deficit in back, it was not nearly as pronounced as it had been in the vets office.

 

The results of her very expensive cbc/blood chem and urinalyisis were within normal ranges.

 

Late Wednesday morning, the dog walked into the vet school normally (for a 13 yr old dog).. She had jumped into a chair while the vet student was taking the history and when I placed her on the floor, she begin kicking her hind legs out again and starting loosing control of her back end. They took her in the back for about 20 minutes and I guess started examining her. i demanded that they bring the dog back into the room and examine her in front of me. The dog had another major episode that seemed to be precipated by the resident merely checking a relex on the bottom of her rear foot.

 

The attending (20-30 years of experience) said that he had never seen anything quite like this in a dog and he "would love to work her up". We took xrays of her back and there was a narrowing at T12-13 and a lot of arthritic yuck at the L-S junction (and spondyosis and hip dysplasia). They suspect a "lesion" on her spine and suggested that she could be having periods of hyperesthesia (pain, pins and needles, etc) either secondary to this "lesion" or her "episodes" could be completely unrelated.

 

In 2011, her rehab vet tentatively diagnosed her with L-S stenosis based on pelvic xrays and clinical presention and that is certainly a differential here (along with a herniated disc in her mid back). Everyone is really confused by the waxing and waning of the paralyis and 'spasticity" as the neuroligist called it. If these symproms were being caused by a disc, compresion, tumor, infection, one would not expect this to be episodic.

 

The dog has not had an "episode" since Wednesday. I've been keeping her quiet and trying very hard to let her control her own movement. The dog is very stoic and i suspect is painful, although she wants to go for walks and rides in the car. She is on metacam and gabapentin and is being treated for a skin infection secondary to her usual allergies.

 

Any ideas? I am obviously very hestitant to subject an almost 13 year dog to an MRI and potential surgery (if there is something that is even operable), although she is a "young" 13.

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[Shetlander]

I wish I had something helpful to offer but this is completely outside my realm of experience. What is involved with her going thru a MRI? Will that determine whether there is a lesion or other condition for sure? The only thing I know about spinal surgery is it is often a dicey proposition. How is she doing today?

[Blackdawgs]

In addition to the expense, the MRI is performed under general anesthesia, so it is not without risk. They said that since the dog is already knocked out, they want to do all the tests at once. The MRI could show a bad disc, a tumor, maybe an abcess, a demylenating condirion, I don't know.

 

i don't think that it makes sense to do an MRI unless one was willing to take the next step to surgery, if indicated.

 

Anyway, the dog has not had any more "episodes" since Wednesday at the vet school. Last evening and this morning she seemed brighter and stronger than earlier in the week. There is heat in her back, which as far as I can tell, corresponds to the suspicious area at T12-13, So I think (hope) that it was a wierd presentation of an acute disc that will resolve with conservative treatment. The MRI is off the table (for now).

[juliepoudrier]

For me, if I wasn't planning on surgery, and I'd be very hesitant to have back surgery on an older dog (anecdotally I've just seen too many bad outcomes), I wouldn't bother with the expense of an MRI. My decision-making on stuff like this is generally based on whether the diagnostic procedure would change the treatment plan or change the prognosis. If the MRI could be used to determine that surgery is necessary, but you wouldn't have the surgery done anyway, then it may not be worth the expense/risk.

 

J.

[Gideon's girl]

I'm imagining the spasmodic nature of this has to do with pressure on a nerve that she is aggravating by her movement, i.e. jumpimg on the chair, being lifted on and off an exam table, etc. It's really hard to tell with a stoic dog, how much pain something causes or even the exact moment that something exacerbated her condition. I wouldn't let her jump, climb stairs, play rough, etc.

[GentleLake]

I agree with Julie. Unless the MRI could reveal something else that you're willing to treat, I wouldn't be inclined to do it.

[B Point]

Have to agree regarding the MRI as I just did one last week. Sorry you are going through this.