My dog is paralyzed in the back legs. Should I use a cast or plaster?

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.

Without knowing the exact diagnosis and why she is not able to walk now , it would be very dangerous to recommend physiotherapy. If you have not done so yet, Lucy needs to be seen by a veterinarian and the cause of the paralysis needs to be found, whether it is a fracture or pinched or damaged nerves or a slipped disk caused by the accident. This exam by your vet will also determine if there is any hope at all for your dog to be able to regain movement in his hind legs. Physical therapy can actually damage your dog more, if there are certain nerves or fractures involved.

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

I am afraid this depends very much on the nature of the condition which has caused the loss of use of Chunks legs - spinal injury, disk disease, pelvic injury and broken bones or muscle weakness can all contribute and the treatment can be very different for each. A full physical exam and possible xrays would be required in order to determine what has happened and possible treatment

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Pablosita and including a photo. A veterinary visit is recommended in an attempt to determine spinal trauma vs. soft tissue trauma. Both conditions have a better prognosis is treated early. Calcium deficiencies can lead to weaker both more sensitive to trauma. Besides anti-inflammtories, acupuncture and other alternative medicine modalities could be beneficial. Good luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could potentially be due to trauma, infectious or neurological. If you are able to, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do without know for sure what this could be. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. You could take him in your house and make sure he is cage rested in case this is an injury and see how he does with cage rest.