agoodfriend
New member
TLDR: He is paralyzed. It wasn’t the sedation. He had emergency surgery. 90% chance he will walk again, but he’s going to need Physical Therapy to accomplish that. If anyone knows about dog wheelchairs, please comment your advice. If anyone knows of any grants I can apply to, please comment that too. Thank you!
My dog was at the vet today, and sedated for an ultrasound around 4:30pm (it is now 10:45pm) when I picked him up at 6:30 pm- he was brought out on a stretcher- and they kind of just tipped him off- onto his back, onto the backseat. We had to get the fire department to help get him out of the car, but they only helped get him out. I dragged him on sheet a few feet into the garage. He’s been laying on the floor of the garage, on his side, now for 2 hours (now 6 hours on the garage floor). Sedation was supposedly supposed to wear off within an hour. When I try and get him up, it’s like he forgot how to use his back legs. They stick straight out and are like locked in that position, they won’t bend, or he won’t let them bend?? He can’t get them underneath himself no matter how I try and lift him to help. He weighs 120lbs. I can’t get him up. Is this normal for sedation??? Anyone know??? Should I be calling a pet ambulance to take him to emergency??? I’m so upset the vet let him come home like this!!!!!! What are your sedation/ anesthesia experiences? Ever seen anything like this??
Edit: found the invoice. butorphanol 35#
His current set up
UPDATE: Tiny improvement. I am able to get him up with towels under him holding him up, supporting most of his weight- well a lot of it anyway. Couldn’t do that last night. He only manages to go a few steps before he needs to lay down again. I got him to the grass. He flopped down and peed laying down. Dog ambulance should be here any minute. We’re going to emergency. His right back leg is better than the left. His right moves now when I tickle the back of his leg.
He drank some water too. His paw pads weirdly look pale but his gums are definitely not pale.
Him on the grass laying in the sun.
Update 2: animal ambulance picked him up. It was really hard to watch him get loaded up. Called the emergency place so they know to expect him. He’s on his way to the ER. My mom, his grandma, is following behind them in her car. I’m going to try and get a nap, get cleaned up, and head down there in a little bit. If I get stuck there a gazillion hours, I won’t be able to make it all day without some sleep. I almost took a picture to show you all the ambulance, but decided not to memorialize it.
Update 3: he’s getting a bunch of tests and X-rays. Might be sedation related, might be a nerve or a back injury. Will update when I have answers. Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for all of your help last night and this morning.
Update 4:
They aren’t sure sure but they think he had a spinal cord stroke, cartilage embolism. He is not paralyzed. He’s just really weak right now mostly on the left side. Which I think is a step up from last night. So it’s not great news, it’s bad news.. but at this minute he has a chance. I authorized an MRI, and they want to keep him til tomorrow around 6pm. I’ll have actual answers when they get results back.
Update 5: He was finally diagnosed with a ruptured disc in his neck. Thanks to 0% care credit for the next 18 months, he went directly from the MRI to surgery around 4pm yesterday. The neurologist is saying 90% +/- chance that he will walk again unassisted in the next 2-4 weeks if everything goes according to plan. He has some physical therapy ahead of him. I am staying optimistic. Apparently it happened on the right day because the neurologist is only there on Thursdays and he was able to squeeze his exam in, and then also the surgery that took about 3 hours or so. I am thankful he got a good night’s sleep seemingly pain free Wednesday night, minus me annoying him all night… albeit a slumber party in the garage at that, but home.
I’m not sure if I will ever know what happened, but I do know that it is the most F’d up thing to literally dump him in my car like that Wednesday night when they should have told me to take him to the ER immediately.
I am so proud of him for being such a good boy.
They’re definitely keeping him all day today (Friday) and Saturday. Very small possibility he will be there until Monday afternoon. I will update when I know more, and when he comes home. I might have to sell a kidney, but he deserves a chance.
Update 6: They are keeping Maximus in the hospital until Tuesday now. They said when they get him up with those sling supports to go potty, he’s not moving his back legs at all. Apparently he has limited power in his front legs too, but he is able to prop his head up. They said he can kick his back legs a little bit right now, and that’s supposedly a good sign. Somehow his urinary catheter fell out last night and he is able to go potty without it, so they’re not putting it back in. Apparently that’s a good sign too. And he’s eating.
My dog was at the vet today, and sedated for an ultrasound around 4:30pm (it is now 10:45pm) when I picked him up at 6:30 pm- he was brought out on a stretcher- and they kind of just tipped him off- onto his back, onto the backseat. We had to get the fire department to help get him out of the car, but they only helped get him out. I dragged him on sheet a few feet into the garage. He’s been laying on the floor of the garage, on his side, now for 2 hours (now 6 hours on the garage floor). Sedation was supposedly supposed to wear off within an hour. When I try and get him up, it’s like he forgot how to use his back legs. They stick straight out and are like locked in that position, they won’t bend, or he won’t let them bend?? He can’t get them underneath himself no matter how I try and lift him to help. He weighs 120lbs. I can’t get him up. Is this normal for sedation??? Anyone know??? Should I be calling a pet ambulance to take him to emergency??? I’m so upset the vet let him come home like this!!!!!! What are your sedation/ anesthesia experiences? Ever seen anything like this??
Edit: found the invoice. butorphanol 35#
His current set up
UPDATE: Tiny improvement. I am able to get him up with towels under him holding him up, supporting most of his weight- well a lot of it anyway. Couldn’t do that last night. He only manages to go a few steps before he needs to lay down again. I got him to the grass. He flopped down and peed laying down. Dog ambulance should be here any minute. We’re going to emergency. His right back leg is better than the left. His right moves now when I tickle the back of his leg.
He drank some water too. His paw pads weirdly look pale but his gums are definitely not pale.
Him on the grass laying in the sun.
Update 2: animal ambulance picked him up. It was really hard to watch him get loaded up. Called the emergency place so they know to expect him. He’s on his way to the ER. My mom, his grandma, is following behind them in her car. I’m going to try and get a nap, get cleaned up, and head down there in a little bit. If I get stuck there a gazillion hours, I won’t be able to make it all day without some sleep. I almost took a picture to show you all the ambulance, but decided not to memorialize it.
Update 3: he’s getting a bunch of tests and X-rays. Might be sedation related, might be a nerve or a back injury. Will update when I have answers. Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for all of your help last night and this morning.
Update 4:
They aren’t sure sure but they think he had a spinal cord stroke, cartilage embolism. He is not paralyzed. He’s just really weak right now mostly on the left side. Which I think is a step up from last night. So it’s not great news, it’s bad news.. but at this minute he has a chance. I authorized an MRI, and they want to keep him til tomorrow around 6pm. I’ll have actual answers when they get results back.
Update 5: He was finally diagnosed with a ruptured disc in his neck. Thanks to 0% care credit for the next 18 months, he went directly from the MRI to surgery around 4pm yesterday. The neurologist is saying 90% +/- chance that he will walk again unassisted in the next 2-4 weeks if everything goes according to plan. He has some physical therapy ahead of him. I am staying optimistic. Apparently it happened on the right day because the neurologist is only there on Thursdays and he was able to squeeze his exam in, and then also the surgery that took about 3 hours or so. I am thankful he got a good night’s sleep seemingly pain free Wednesday night, minus me annoying him all night… albeit a slumber party in the garage at that, but home.
I’m not sure if I will ever know what happened, but I do know that it is the most F’d up thing to literally dump him in my car like that Wednesday night when they should have told me to take him to the ER immediately.
I am so proud of him for being such a good boy.
They’re definitely keeping him all day today (Friday) and Saturday. Very small possibility he will be there until Monday afternoon. I will update when I know more, and when he comes home. I might have to sell a kidney, but he deserves a chance.
Update 6: They are keeping Maximus in the hospital until Tuesday now. They said when they get him up with those sling supports to go potty, he’s not moving his back legs at all. Apparently he has limited power in his front legs too, but he is able to prop his head up. They said he can kick his back legs a little bit right now, and that’s supposedly a good sign. Somehow his urinary catheter fell out last night and he is able to go potty without it, so they’re not putting it back in. Apparently that’s a good sign too. And he’s eating.
so keep an eye out for that