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my chihuaua cant walk on her back legs

Hi can anybody help me, i have a chihuahua who cant even use her back legs im  not sure whats wrong and what happened to her to get her that way. i got back from work to find her not able to stand on all fours. i dont know what to do. she still eats good and she scoots across the floor to come to me. i dont know if she broke her back or pinched nerve i cant afford the visit to the vet. can anybody give me advice on what might be wrong with my dog thank you very much.
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Avatar universal
SAME THING HAPPENED TO MY CHIHUAHUA. SHE IS ON TRAMADOL NOW AND PREDNISONE. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A LOW COSE DOG WHEEL CHAIR COMPANY?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Make one with furniture dolly.much more affordable
Avatar universal
Hi, My Chi is 8 years old and he couldn't use his legs.  They diagnosed him with Schiff-Sherrington Syndrome.  Told me he needed back surgery that it would cost $3-$4000.00 in surgery.  He had a paralysis that effected his hind legs and he would just drag is back legs.  I was scared.  My vet was closed and I had taken him to another vet.  They had him doped up on morphine and was giving him all kinds of stuff.  When I saw my dog I thought he was going to die.  I told them I was taking him home because he looked awful, the next day I took him to my vet.  Believe this because it is true.  My vet gave him a pain pill, muscle relaxer, lasix which is something to take the swelling down and something to help him poop.  He told me to keep him in a kennel for 8 weeks.  My dog got better.  After 6 weeks he started walking, he was a little wobbly.  But as each day went by he got better and stronger.  I guess you can say he had the fight to want to live.  I worked from home, changed his bedding and pads daily and nightly.  Today, it still makes me cry that he had that much will to live.  He is my miracle dog.
Helpful - 0
1832268 tn?1326816010
Hi..
By adding your question to this post, you are simply replying to the original persons post,this original post is old, and as a result, you are being unintentionally overlooked.
Please try to re-post this as a new question.  Scroll to the top of the page and click on Post a Question.
By doing so, more members will see your question, and you will receive some replies. There are many knowledgeable people here, who have dealt with slipped disks and they will be able to give you some good advice. I wish I could be of more help, but I have never had a dog with a slipped disc.
So the best advice I can give you, is to post your concerns as a New Question....
Best Wishes...Connie
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Avatar universal
Hi my chihuahua is going through the samething i got home from work frida
y to him not being able to use his lower half the vet said he may have slipped ah disk  an gave him ah shot of cortozone and gave him ah pil to take twice ah day  called prednlsolone and said that if hes not walking by monday ??its now monday and he still not walking yet can feel pressure when u push on the bottom s of his paws
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Avatar universal
Hi my dog is goin through the same incident right  ow
any information will be greatly aplpXercited right  now thanks
Helpful - 0
462827 tn?1333168952
Do you have a Veterinary Teaching School anywhere close to you? Their services are much less money than what you were quoted from your regular Vet. One of my furkids just had this surgery. The total price was $3000.00. However, they wanted 1/2 up front, whether it be cash, check, or credit card. The second half could be paid out in installments over a period of time.This at least sounds better than 6-7K total. I just wanted to let you know that this surgery can be found at a much less price. Good luck to you and your baby...I'll be sending positive vibes your way.  :)     Karla
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Sorry that didn't seem to come out thoroughly when it was posted. I'll repeat the last one:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/what_you_can_do_
if_you're_having_trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html
Helpful - 0
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Please do take a look at these two websites.
http://www.aahahelpingpets.org (financial assistance for vets fees)

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/what_you_can_do_if_you're_having_trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i just want the best for her and i feel that i cant give her that, i spend time with her to help her go potty and im taking care of two young kids as well so its alot of work to. i dont want to just get rid of her im trying to figure out how to build her a dog wheelechair. she is my little girl and i think she understands me to, i dont have enough things to sell and if i had the money i would have got the surgey done for her. but right now its just pain meds to help her be comfortable and me their to be by herside. i hope that she will be able to walk but my husband and i want to make the wheelechair to help her get around she wants to walk but i hold her to so her legs in the back dont get sores on them. and i love my dog and i wouldnt adopt her out like i dont care i would know that if their is someone out their that would love her as much as i do and would help her thats all she needs. i just hope when i get the wheelechair made she will be better. and that would make me happy to, my husband and i are going to make it sometime this week we just need to get the things we will need to make it her size.
Helpful - 0
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
It is so selfless of you to think of your dog's wellbeing before even your obvious love for her and attachment to her. And a very noble thing to consider having her adopted by someone who has the money to pay for her surgeries, and hopefully give her a happy life.

But before you do that, please do try if you can to find a way around this financial problem, so she could stay with you (?) Is there ANYTHING you could sell to raise the money? A car...laptop/DVDs/MP3 players....whatever? Is there a vet who could work out a monthly or weekly, payment plan for you? Could you apply for charitable assistance? There are charities who will pay vets fees. You may qualify. You don't know till you check it out, and please don't be shy of doing that, because there are ways to pay back later, by contributing to the charity that helped you, running fund-raising events for them....etc.   I wrote a post about that, I think in December.  Look in the archives for "Vet fees assistance for pet owners"

Even if surgery didn't happen, and your little dog became a 'dog-on-wheels' at least she would be with you, and there would be a happy ending for you all.
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Avatar universal
hi i took my chihuahua to the vet yesterday the vet examened her and she pottied everywhere, he told me that in small dogs now a days they end up injuring their backs and it could be caused by jumping, turning to fast, my other chihuahua is a male and he always plays with her. sometimes he plays to rough and i think that is what did it. but the vet told me she coould very well have slipped discs that would cause her to not beable to use her back legs.he told me the option on what they could do. the problem is i cant afford the 6,000 to 7,000 dollers for the surgey. the vet then gave her a shot to kill the pain and he told me to rub her to help her get comfortable. he also gave pain pills and steriods they are supposed to help her with her muscles so she can hopefully be able to walk again. its so hard to see my dog go through this.she is always wanting to go outside so i take her and she scoots around on the grass. me and my husband we dont know what else to do we love tinkabell she is a great dog and good with people as well as kids, it breaks my heart to see her going through this. i want to get a doggie wheelechair so she wont drag her body behind her. its just tough when my husband is layed off from work. does anybody know of anyone who would take her in and get the surgrey done she would make someone very happy. it will be hard to let her go i just think she has alot more to live for then to be suffering. thank you for your time
Helpful - 0
441382 tn?1452810569
I agree with Ginger and Peek, you MUST get your dog to a vet ASAP to be examined.

From the symptoms you have described, there is a good chance she has something called FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism).  This can happen after jumping on or off a chair or bed, or from jumping off the stairs while running around, or, the most puzzling of all, she can go to bed one night, seemingly OK, and not be able to use her hind legs when she wakes up in the morning.

The good news about FCE is that it is not fatal and beyond the loss of function that you see during the first 24 hours, it doesn't spread or get worse, however the BAD news is that it doesn't get better except in a VERY few cases.  Any loss of function is pretty much permanent, and dogs who lose the use of their hind legs have to use one of those little cart things with the wheels to get around.

What happens with FCE is essentially this - the discs have a central portion called the nucleus pulposis.  Injury or even just a congenital malformation of the disc causes the nucleus pulposis to seep out of the disc and into the arterial system where it lodges in a blood vessel and causes an obstruction.  That's called an embolism.  There are different types of embolisms, an air bubble can also cause an embolism, but this one is caused by a tiny blob of nucleus pulposis that gets lodged in a blood vessel.  The degree of paralysis (how many legs are involved) depends upon where along the spinal column the embolism happens.  

With just the rear legs involved, it IS possible for your dog to have a happy life, but you are going to have to make changes to the way you do things.  If it is, indeed, FCE that you are dealing with, she can be trained to use one of those little wheeled carts and with that she will be able to go virtually everywhere that other dogs can go.  Dogs are not like people.  They don't worry about how they look, or the fact that people will stare at them.  This is why dogs (and cats, too) do amazingly well as amputees when injury or disease makes it necessary to remove a limb.  They don't deal with the psychological ramifications of something like that the way humans do.  They learn how to do without the lost limb and they move on.  Well, with FCE, they learn how to use the cart and they move on with life, no less happy than they were before it all began.

You do, however, need to get her to a vet ASAP to get a definitive diagnosis so that you can deal with whatever it is.  It sounds to me like FCE, but it might be something else.  Only your vet can tell you for certain.  Please post back and let us know what the diagnosis is.  We will do everything we can to help you through this.  Our Dogs Community members are very good at providing moral support and at coming up with different ways to do things, and we will help wherever we can.

Ghilly
Helpful - 0
172023 tn?1334672284
Your dog must go to a veterinarian immediately.  It is your responsibility legally, as well as morally.  

You can try going to a website called Care Credit to see if you can use that to help pay the bill, borrow the money from a friend or family member, or see if the vet will help you out by taking postdated checks (some will if you have been a good client in the past).
You can also try finding a Humane Society near you.  They often have VERY low cost clinics and will work with you on payments.

The one thing you CANNOT do is to do nothing.  By law, you are required to take your suffering pet to the vet.   If you act quickly, there may be something they can do for your dog.

Best of luck, please let us know what happens!
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Ok you must find a way to get your dog to a vet as soon as possible. Can you borrow the money to do that from a friend or family member? Or do it on your credit card? (Pay back later, or if it's from friend or family you could always pay back in weekly instalments)
This is now, and something pretty dramatic has happened to your little dog for her back legs not to work at all. Try and take her to a sympathetic vet who could work out a payment plan for you perhaps?
I can't tell you what this is. She needs professional assessment.
Is she still peeing and bowel movements normal?

Get a proper diagnosis. Depending on what the vet says, your next move will be....1)a paralysis that may return normal function given time. 2) A paralysis that will not(I don't mean to 'jump the gun' here but you could look at this site about paralysed dogs, just so you might be prepared for any news the vet gives you: http://www.dogstogo.net
This site is about walking/mobility aids for dogs who are paralysed in back legs, and offers a lot of hope for a dog who still is healthy and well, and who otherwise might be put to sleep!
The only reason I'm mentioning this is in case there is bad news, and to show you some good things and some hope.

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