What to do if my dog can't use his back legs or is paralyzed?

Oh dear! This is a very serious problem - I'm afraid she really has to see a vet right away. She may have a herniated disc in her back causing the paralysis, or some other neurologic problem affecting her spinal cord. She may be in pain, or she may have no feeling at all in her rear legs - it's impossible to say without an exam. She needs immediate treatment to have a reasonable chance of regaining function in her rear legs, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do at home that will help her. If costs are a concern, you can see if there is a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area that could help. You could also apply online for Care Credit, which is a payment plan accepted by most vet clinics: www.carecredit.com

Without seeing Browny or any diagnostic images that may have been obtained I really can't speak about the accuracy of your vet's diagnosis. There certainly are spinal issues that can result in an inability to ambulate well in the hind end. Some of these can be traumatic, infectious, or congenital in origin. If there is a spinal problem and you want to obtain a permanent fix, the best thing to do would be to speak with a specialist. Specialty facilities have the ability to perform advanced imaging such as MRIs and CT Scans to identify the exact spot where the spinal issue resides. In the event of a bony spinal issue (versus a disk issue), identifying the problem can be done with basic x-rays. Depending on what the problem is the treatment to fix it will vary considerably, from medical therapy and rest, to a surgical procedure with significant recovery time. Hope this helps.

Spinal cord infarct and slipped disc (intervertebral disc extrusion) may be most likely differentials considering the description of the signs you provided. This clinical status require and immediate check up and neurological and physical examination. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurologic condition such as a herniated disc. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and treat him accordingly. Best of luck!

I am so sorry that this has happened to Tommy. Unfortunately I cannot not say for sure if there is any chance of recovery from just X-rays. An MRI or CT really needs to be done to get the best view of the spinal cord and his intervertebral disks. Also, you may want to see if there is a veterinary surgeon who is comfortable with back surgery as this could be an option for Tommy. If not, the only other suggestion would be high doses of steroids. None of these options are guaranteed to work but they might. I hope this helps and hope that Tommy is capable of healing. Hang in there and good luck.

There are a couple of reasons that a rear leg will become paralyzed. The most common are a lack of blood supply or a lack of nerve supply. The lack of blood supply most commonly occurs because of a blood clot and is very painful, so I doubt that is what is going on with Nook. The other possibility is that the nerves that go to the leg are damaged. The most common reason this will occur without any signs of trauma or injury would be a bulging disc (which again is most commonly somewhat painful) or a condition such as a Fibrocartilaginous Embolus (which is like a stroke to the spinal cord). FCE's are non-painful, but there isn't any treatment other than time and physical therapy. Unfortunately, the only way to determine the cause is often an MRI. I'm not sure if you have a veterinary neurologist near you, but they might be able to help you with a diagnosis and treatment. If not, I would consider trying to find a veterinarian who does acupuncture or rehabilitation to help you manage and improve Nook while you are waiting to see how much he recovers. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Charlie needs to see the veterinarian today. Losing the usage of the hind legs is serious and can indicate many conditions like compression of the spinal cord, cancer or a blood clot. This can effect the ability to voluntarily urinate long term and needs to be addressed asap otherwise there can be permenant damage. The damage can occur in as little as 24 hours. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.