11/05 Update - Belle’s Caretaker, Hollie, has learned that she is pregnant. Hollie, overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring of rboth Belle and the new baby, is looking ofr someone who would like to adopt Belle. Read the Full story

Hi, I am so glad I found this site today. On Saturday April 16th my 2yr old female St.Bernard Belle was playing with one of our other dogs, yelped, and all of a sudden fell limp without use of one of her back legs. We immediately called her Vet. and he said if she wasn’t feeling any real pain, she probably sprained it. So he advised us to put her where she could rest. My husband and I did so and when we came home discovered both of her back legs paralyzed. This was at 10pm on Saturday night and thank god we were able to get a hold of one of the other Vets in town and she was willing to meet us immediately. Belle is experiencing no deep pain and needs help expressing her urine, ect…and still has no use of legs. After X-Rays and evaluating her symptoms, the Dr. is diagnosing her with FCE. From what I’ve read, the prognosis is not very good and I could use some words of wisdom and encouragement. We are hoping to take Belle home on Tuesday with instructions of bedrest and patience. From what I have read, it says that if there are no signs of improvement with in 21-30days, chances are slim that she will recover. I am looking for anyone who can give me some info and feedback. I am absolutely going out of my mind worrying about Belle and her future. I do not want to even consider euthanasia at this point and have never dealt with caring for a handicapped dog. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Posted By: Judy Date: Monday, 18 April 2005, at 6:25 p.m.

In Response To: Dogs FCE (Hollie LaFavor)

There are several FCE patients here and you will find a variety of timetables for recovery. From my experience my dog’s chart was marked poor prognosis-discuss euthanasia w/owners. For me that was not an option even though she was 12 and weighed 90 lbs making it hard for me to express her. 85% of dogs make a recovery and the 15% includes some owners that gave up. Crate rest is not needed there is a post here somewhere and I checked with my vet when my dog went down. Of course you want to protect against skin injuries and getting into difficult areas if she drags. My dog didn’t show deep pain response until (I think) day 5. Learn how to express VERY important to completly empty the bladder. Keep the spirits up - don’t show your worry –really important. Start standing her up with a sling. Use a rolled towel under the belly. You can also express this way. I did because of my dog’s size. Time varies but I’d say even the slightest improvement in 3 weeks is a very good sign. Check back here often and search for other FCE’s. An FCE isn’t like other spinal injuries. By the way my Alice is still with me and chasing rabbits-she is normal except she can’t scratch with her left leg-that’s what dog mom’s are for. Good luck!!

Re: Dogs FCE

Posted By: Shaz Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 4:05 a.m.

In Response To: Dogs FCE (Hollie LaFavor)

Jasper had his accident, very similar to what you describe happened to yours, approx 9 weeks ago. He is now up on all four paws, but very weak from lack of muscle usage. He still knuckles with one paw, but he is making slow progress every day. He now goes to hydrotherapy once a weak, to help build his strength up. All cases are different, but the first sign of any recovery we observed in Jasper was around four/five days of his accident. He was asleep, and both his back legs started to ‘run’, as if he was chasing rabbits in his sleep. The next sign was when he wagged his tail, just the once, when my husband came in from work. This was after about a week. From then on, he progressed in tiny little stages each week. He was incontinent for around 2 weeks (LOTS of washing) and keeping him clean was very important. Also, make sure you turn your dog regularly if he can’t do it himself, to make sure he doesn’t get pressure sores. Our vet was very negative, and kept giving the worst case scenario. Our specialist (who we were referred to by our vet when the accident first happened) was great. He did say that if there was no improvement within three weeks, that we should consider having Jasper put to sleep, but I know from others who have posted messages here that their dogs can take much longer than that to show signs of recovery, but it CAN happen. A lot depends on you, and how you can cope with the situation. Even though Jasper has done really well and is still progressing, the stress of looking after him has been hard. Once you get a routine going the better you’ll feel - but it IS hard work and at times you’ll be tired, stressed and frustrated. BUT, the rewards, when they come, make it all worth while I hope things go well for you and your dog makes a good recovery

Re: Dogs FCE

Posted By: critters Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 5:46 a.m.

In Response To: Dogs FCE (Hollie LaFavor)

Your pupper can recover for quite some time; jdf, whose Roxy had an FCE at about age 11, showed improvement for well over a year (I wish I could link to his original posts, but they seem to be gone). nursing/expressing links: http://dmroster.tripod.com/bladderbowel.html http://www.k9carts.com/nursingcare.htm http://www.handicappedpets.com/cgi-bin/msg/webbbsconfig.pl?read=10708

(may be some duplication) http://www.nfneurology.com/careofrecoveringneurological.htm

Re: Dogs FCE LINK

Posted By: critters Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 6:05 a.m.

In Response To: Re: Dogs FCE (critters)

Well, the explosion and fire are over and lights still on–the duplication note is for Carol’s previous HP posts, which may duplicate these. HP also has an expressing page, which I can’t find the link for. I’m sure Carol can get it if it’s not in her previous post. http://www.rushmore.com/~dds/InformationalBladder.htm If incontinence is a problem, you’d do well to shave the butt and use a barrier spray, such as Cavilon , now widely available as first aid spray http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/nexcare/nosting.jhtml . This keeps poop/pee off the skin and may help prevent odors. Diapers may be used as well.

I’d limit dragging around because it’s so easy to tear skin up. Do you know about walking aids? If not, try the “harnesses” button to the left of the bb.

http://www.rushmore.com/~dds/InformationalBladder.htm

Posted By: Lesley Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 11:37 a.m.

In Response To: Dogs FCE (Hollie LaFavor)

All I can tell you is that it takes time to tell if your dog will recover, partially or fully. My 90# lab had an FCE 7/2004, began attempts at walking in 10/2004, and last week walked a mile with me, falling down sometimes but still, a mile is a mile! Swimming is the best therapy if possible. I also attribute her recovery to CP7, you can find the website and research it for yourself. As soon as I began giving her this liquid CP7, she began to improve. It does become frustrating because they are so dependent on you until she can walk, but she will learn to drag herself to get to where she needs to go. If incontinence is a problem, you will need to diaper her to avoid accidents in the house. I still help my dog uriniate when I am home to make sure her bladder is emptied. Research all available websites to learn what you can, but your dog’s love for you will help you get through this. Best of luck with her recovery!

Re: Dogs FCE

Posted By: rebeka Date: Saturday, 23 April 2005, at 11:35 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Dogs FCE (Lesley)

hi- i also have a dog that had a FCE 2 days ago, she is now home with us but fortunately the vet who gace her the dye test/MRI says she has a good chance of recovery, so it was not as severe as it could have been. she has use of her one hind leg now but the other one still drags & she still falls down, and the getting her to go to the bathroom thing is challenging. anyway– i wanted to ask you, what was that CP7 product you mentioned? i tried to look it up ion the web but couldn’t find it. i’ll give her anything i can and do whatever it takes to help her recover. it’s so hard to see her being so depressed and confused, since she doesn’t understand what’s going on. thanks- rebeka

Therapy ideas (long msg!)

Posted By: Annie Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 2:56 p.m.

In Response To: Dogs FCE (Hollie LaFavor)

Hi Hollie. I am so sorry to hear that you baby Belle had an FCE. My husband and I know first hand what you are going through as our dog Bailey had an FCE on 2/8/04. Like your dog, Bailey had total paralysis in the rear, no bladder or bowel control and no deep pain sensation. The prognosis was “guarded”. We were told she could recover but be patient as recovery could be very slow and sporadic, think 2-week increments for a tiny improvement like a tail twitch. We were given exercises to do at home with her, sling walking instructions and we were told that we couldn’t hurt her, just had to keep her from falling off of furniture or down steps. According to our vet, FCE dogs don’t need crate rest. What does help is massage, physical therapy (we checked into taking her to a therapist but saw improvement at home with our own PT), lots of love, and of course nursing care. You’ve gotten some great advice on that already. Most important is to keep her spirits up, play with her, and try to make things seem as “normal” as possible and keep loving her like crazy. Don’t let Belle see you upset, share those feelings between your husband and yourself. She’ll sense fear and distress. It’s not easy and it was a heartbreaking experience but Bailey is almost totally like she was before! Poops still fall out of her sometimes as she doesn’t always know that she has to go and she has a somewhat “floppy” behind. But she runs, plays, uses the steps. Watching all of the tiny improvements was so exciting!

The physical therapy that we used at home on Bailey consisted of 2 range of motion exercises, massage and what we called “tickle toes”. My husband and I usually did it together as able. She would lay on her back on a cushion with her head in his lap with her rear legs towards me. First we would do “bicycles”. I would take her left hind leg and move it in a full circle as if she was bicycling. I would do 25 then switch to the other leg. Then we would do “ins & outs” where I would let her hips open with her legs wide and gently move her legs in and out with my hands. We would do 25. Massage would be next. I would massage one leg at a time. This is very important for muscle tone and blood circulation. Plus it feels good. I would wrap up “therapy” with “tickle toes”. Dogs hate to have their toes tickled and this exercise really tells you how their reflexes and strength is improving. Take one foot at a time and tickle in between the pads. You can tickle pretty vigorously. You won’t hurt anything. At first Bailey didn’t move at all but as she improved she would kick pretty hard. Then I started giving those kicks some gentle resistance with my hand. Of course we would top it all of with lots of “good girl’s” and a treat. We also bought her some new toys that were easier for her to play with which I think helped her confidence and spirits. She now plays with all of her toys. The vet approved all of this activity. We tried to do the therapy twice a day. But if you only have time for once a day, it will still help. You can do all these exercises with your dog lying on her side also. Any type of activity will help the muscle tone improve. It takes time though so don’t watch for improvements on a daily basis. It takes so much encouragement from us to make sure our pets keep trying. To see a couple of pictures of Bailey you can do a search by posted by Annie and change the time frame to go back to at least 2/8/04. The one dated 2/13/05 has the link. For more information you can search by topic of FCE. We wish you all the best. Keep in touch with any questions and let us know how Belle is doing. Annie, Bob and Bailey

Posted By: Hollie Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2005, at 4:24 p.m.

In Response To: Therapy ideas (long msg!) (Annie)

Annie, Thank you so much for the information on the at home PT and the much needed support. Everyones information is very encouraging. Tim and I love Belle soooo much and want her to be ok and are frustrated with the whole situation. We get to bring her home tonight!! How long did it take before you saw some/total improvement with Bailey? I will definitely keep in touch and let you know how we are doing. Thanks again. Hollie

Posted By: sheri Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2005, at 3:21 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Therapy ideas (long msg!) (Hollie)

Pete had an accident almost 2 years ago and is still improving. It took pete 15 months to regain any feeling. He now uses 4 legs in his wheels, stands to eat and is even trying to walk (stiff leg try). Never give up hope just give lots of love. It has been a long 2 years but worth it.

Posted By: Annie Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2005, at 3:36 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Therapy ideas (long msg!) (Hollie)

Hi Hollie, I bet Belle was happy to get home last night! All of your love is the best thing for her. When we brought Bailey home it was wonderful to have her with us but it was very scary, too. We love her so much it was so hard to see her like this. You will get into a routine so everything will get easier. I think it was 2 weeks before we saw any type of improvement. I kept a journal and I will check it later and let you know if it was different. Best wishes to all of you!

Help Needed: carts/sores Posted By: Hollie Date: Thursday, 8 September 2005, at 6:16 p.m.

I am looking into getting a wheelchair for my St. Bernard Belle she has no use of back legs. Which chair would be better for a larger breed like Belle. I don’t know if the pelvic support would work very well for her. Also what works best on a nasty sore from dragging. We put up our softside pool for rehab & she was doing great, moving her back left leg while knuckling over and post on it (because the water was shallow she was able to stand). This started a small sore that has now become much larger. The tissue is granulated in one spot & I’ve been using Wonder Kote for horses which has helped, but it’s not healing like I would like it to. Any suggestions to both questions would be awesome. Thanks, Hollie

Vet Wrap? LINK

Posted By: Dianne Date: Thursday, 8 September 2005, at 7:19 p.m.

In Response To: Help Needed: carts/sores (Hollie)

Hollie, Have you wrapped the area that is abraded with Vet Wrap? Link below. Petsmart carried this the last time I visited. I have not had the problems with wound care, but perhaps I would also use some Cavilon spray on the area before wrapping with vet wrap. Dianne

Re: Help Needed: carts/sores LINK

Posted By: Murphy’s Dad Date: Friday, 9 September 2005, at 12:55 p.m.

In Response To: Help Needed: carts/sores (Hollie)

When Murphy went down due to paralysis, he got bad bed sores while in the hospital. Our vet recommended Silver Sulfa Diazine (SDD). Its used on burn victims as an antibiotic and aids in skin granulation. Keep in mind, Murphy’s sore took about 6 months to finally close. As for the cart, I recommend Doggon Wheels. They are light, sturdy, and reliable. The saddle is adjustable and can double as a sling. Murphy’s cart is 5 years old and I have only had to replace the tires. (He wore them out.)

Good Luck. http://murphysworld.jaisp.com/

Re: Help Needed: carts/sores

Posted By: Joanne Date: Friday, 9 September 2005, at 2:52 p.m.

In Response To: Help Needed: carts/sores (Hollie)

My 80 lb mixed Dane/Lab Simon, has an Eddie’s wheels cart. it’s working really well, and is very sturdy. could use a little more padding around his groin area, because after 2 months in it, he gets a little red from rubbing and most of the hair in that area is now gone. Whatever cart you get- be sure to measure your dog REALLY well- you may want to take your dog to a rehab center that has a hoist/sling, so she can be measured properly. i can see how terrible it could be in the dog if the cart fits improperly. Better yet, go to Eddie’s wheels (mid-western Massachusets) and have them measure him themselves. We had a similar issue- he got a bad abscess on his butt, directly after disc surgery- he was pooping and peeing out of control, and cleaning up after him was a nightmare and he got a terrible infection in a hard to treat area. I’ve tried a bunch of things- from Vetro-Biotic, to a great Calendula/tea tree/aloe/vit e ointment that I got from the Animal Wellness Center in Chadds Ford, PA (Dr. Rose Di Leva) that worked better than anything else. Whatever you do- most importantly, keep it CLEAN- I use a diluted solution of Chlorhexadine solution (get from your vet) in a spray bottle, and I constantly spray his butt and groin area, wiping it w/a soft huggies wipe or wet paper towel. I also use Gold bond antibacterial powder once he’s dry, to keep groin area dry and less chafed. Most of these things were given to me by various vets during Simon’s recovery. Simon constantly tried to move around, and drags his butt allover my apartment- I found that keepiing him calm is key, so he doesn’t keep sitting up/down, and moving around from room to room. Try giving a valerian based calming formula- it will give her a chance to heal better w/o total sedation. I use something called Shizandra Dreams. I also put nylon tarps down all over my rugs, to provide a grippable but cleanable surface, that won’t rub him as raw as carpet fibers.

Good luck- it is a lot of work and you really need to be very vigilant- infection can happen overnight. Joanne

Help Needed: I’m pregnant & trying to live “normal” life w/Belle Posted By: Hollie Date: Wednesday, 16 November 2005, at 12:37 p.m.

Update on Belle & her FCE: It’s been a couple months since she got her Doggon wheels & she absoulutely loves being able to go for walks now.(I’ll try to attach a picture) We’ve over come a couple sores on her leg & a major UTI since my last post.I just found out that I’m pregnant with my first child & I’m really nervous about how I’ll be able to maintain me & Belle’s daily routines.My husband Tim & I work fulltime & I go to school too & I feel bad when I don’t get to spend alot of time w/Belle, even though she doesn’t seem to mind much. I guess I’m looking for advice on how everyone elses daily routines work & what you do to help you & your down dog live ‘Normal’ lives? Now that I’ve mastered expressing,I think we could try to bring her in the house from her room in the garage at night for a couple hours. How do the rest of you manage/make it work with your down dog in the house? Any advice would be extremely helpful to me & Tim, since he will have to help me more as my pregnancy gets further along. Thank to everyone for you past & future posts, I don’t know what I would have done had I not found the great people at handicappedpets.com. Hope every one is well! Thanks, Hollie LaFavor

Re: Help Needed: FCE care while I’m pregnant & general advice

Posted By: Anita Date: Wednesday, 16 November 2005, at 6:21 p.m.

In Response To: Help Needed: FCE care while I’m pregnant & general advice (Hollie)

Holly, Hopefully by the time the baby comes taking care of Belle will be like second nature to you. It will be something that you schedule time for every day with out thinking. The baby will take a lot of your time but you will manage. It will be like having two babies but you will already be use to one. Just make sure that your husband know what to do and is comfortable with it all and you will be fine. As for Belle coming in the house, I don’t see why not. It probably is better for her that she is closer to you anyway. Just buy puddle pads for her and she should be just fine. I get mine at Sam’s Club and for a large box it is $22.00. I cut them in half and express my girl on it and they work fine. Enjoy being pregnant and it will all work out, I am sure. You have come this far already.

Anita

Posted By: Hollie Date: Thursday, 17 November 2005, at 11:45 a.m.

In Response To: Great Photo! PIC (Mark Robinson)

Mark, Thanks for the help getting Belle’s photo posted. I think it’s awesome that you would like to do a story on Belle & have no problem with that. She has been down since April 2005 & this experience has completely changed my outlook on life. I would love to share the story of our journey together! Thanks again, I really appreciate the opportunity & everyones help at handicappedpets.com.

Hollie

See Also: FCE Link

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