10 year old dog w/ concussion.

[jillian11905]

I need some advice.  My dog was hit by a car last night.  When my neighbor brought her home she was pretty  much limp and her tounge was stick out and blood was coming from her mouth.  Once I got her in the house I laid her in the kitchen on a towel.  I tried not to move her much but she started sqirming and crying out.  Once she was on the floor I went to find an after hour vet.  While I was doing that I noticed that eventually she got up and started moving around.  She was walking into things, standing in corners and going to places of the house she normally wouldn't go.  

When I took her to the vet he said that she had some missing teeth, a concussion, brain swelling, and no activity in her right eye.  He gave her a shot to stop the swelling to the brain and another shot for some other reason.  He also gave me a creme to apply to her eye to see if she get's that vision back.  She seemed to be in less pain when we got home but she was still very disorented.  She was getting stuck behind things and walkng with no destination in mind.  Finally I figured that I couldn't go through the night getting her from behind this and that and decided to put her in my daughters play pen.  That was good because she finally laid down to rest and she wasn't just roaming and she was safe.

My biggest concern is her not eating and drinking and if she is able to use normal bodily function.  I also wonder her chances of pulling through this.  She will be 10 years old in two weeks but I see the fighter in her.  

What advice can you give me on caring for her while she is in this condition, How to feed her?  Should I give her a bath to clean her.  This just happened last night.  Also I am a single working mom with two kids.  So my hands are full.  

I am very attached to her so any feed back, motivation would be VERY helpful.

Thanks
Jillian

[jillian11905]

Thank you all for the comment.  I did initally have her examined.  I called her regular vet and told her what happened and what the emergency vet said and my vet said to watch for different symptoms and signs of pain.  

So far Lovie has come around...She is still having problems with her vision, that may or may not change...She said to follow up with her in a week for the vision follow up.  She is eating and drinking on her own.  She just have problems locating her bowl.  She is walking faster and starting to move her tail a bit.  I haven't heard her bark since the accident but she will sqeal and scream if she get stuck somewhere.  I don't know if she will ever fully recover from this but only time will tell.  The only thing that bothers me is that she manages to get stuck in places I didn't even know existed in my house.  Between the funace and the wall, behind the hot water heater, things of that nature...Things I have never had to worry about.  I have to baby/dog proof the house now...It's still a new injury so I am being very patient with her...Can't help but to feel bad, it's like taking care of a new born baby. Slowly but surely she is getting better and I will keep you all posted.

My only fear is her getting into something while I am away at work...I want to tie her up in the back yard so she can run more freely but isn't sure about it.  

Thank you all for the feedback and advise.  

[Justine Lee, D.V.M., DACVECC]

I agree - the sooner she is seen by a veterinarian, the more options to help her we have. She may need to be hospitalized to decrease the swelling in her brain. I agree with Dr. Humphries - she needs to be examined immediately (or even by an emergency vet) to check her eye reflexes, her nerve reflexes, and her overall health. Your vet can also treat her with pain medication, as I'm sure she has some soft tissue pain. Remember not to give her any OTC medication - this can be deadly to dogs!

Best of luck with her and I hope she does well at your vet!

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

I'm glad you have the weekend also, but please have her examined again and continue on with proper medical treatment.  She is not over the internal swelling and damage yet!!

[jillian11905]

Thank you so much for your input. When I got home yesterday she looked a little out of it.  I gave her water through a medicine dropper and blended come food and fed her. Once she ate and had water she got up and walked around.  I took her in the back yard and she use the bathroom ok.  Her balance is still off but I can also tell she is having trouble seeing.  I will follow up with her vet. tonight when I get off of work.  Nothing seems to be broken by her ability to walk...She doesn't limp or cry out when I touch her but I know she has one heck of a headache. She is sleepy a lot.  When I watched her this morning her coordination was much better than it was yesterday.  I agree she should be on steriods and pain medicine...

I will talk to my vet today and see what she advise me to do. But given the trauma she has been through she looks a lot better and that makes me feel a bit better.  My mom is going to go over and check on her in an hour.  I have her in a safe place but she wouldn't stay in the play pen.  I just left her in the den and moved the furniture so she couldn't get stuck.  I also think the cat is bringing her along too...I have been watching her with the dog.  Its a beautiful thing how animals know. The cat was trying to clean her and laid under her while she slept.

I am glad I have the weekend off so I can really baby and nurse her all day. I think that's going to make the most difference...She is tough.

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

What you describe sure does sound like a concussion.  And consequently one shot of steroid to slow brain swelling will not be enough.  Although the right thing at the time, this dog needs to be on steroids for several days to relieve the immediate swelling in the brain and spinal cord.  There are probably other injuries that need to be discovered and treated after such a trauma.  x-rays will be needed and anything found should be treated accordingly.  She may also need pain relief medications.  

1) PLEASE get her to your regular veterinarian in the morning for this follow up care.  
2)  You certainly care for her at home once we know everything that is going on and that proper treatment is being given.  

10 years is not old for a peek-a-poo and she deserves your very special care at this time.  

As for bathing and feeding, let's see what your veterinarian finds out.  Most likely gentle handling would be appropriate after some initial bed rest and healing.  She should eat anything that will tempt her to keep her nutrition level good also for healing.  

let us know what your veterinarian finds and how she is progressing.