Injury to the spinal cord is not uncommon in dogs, and it usually the herniation of a disc in the back caused by an accident. The injury may not seem like much at first, with moderate pain but your dog may still be able to get around just fine. This can progress to paralysis with time or the next time your dog gets a little too playful. Think of it like yourself having a slipped or herniated disc in your back. If you ignore it and think it will go away, but continue doing your regular daily activities without resting, it may get better on its own for a while. However, it will only get worse eventually when you turn the wrong way or maybe without any obvious reason at all. If you ignore your dog’s back injury, he can end up permanently paralyzed or it can even lead to death.
A spinal cord injury can be a dislocation, compression, fracture, impact, laceration, or crushing and all of these can cause enough damage to produce paralysis. The damage depends on the type of accident or trauma so your dog’s symptoms will vary. In addition, any kind of nerve damage can be complicated so even if your dog seems okay after an accident there may be an underlying spinal cord injury hiding and getting worse with every movement. With these kinds of injuries, there can be a compressed nerve, pressure on the blood vessels, or herniated disc that will get worse with time and movement.
Paralysis due to spinal cord injury is usually the result of an automobile accident, dog bite, or gunshot wound causing spinal cord tissues to be destroyed and blood vessels to rupture. Once this happens, the connection between the brain and the spinal cord is gone, causing paralysis. Whether it is permanent or temporary depends on the severity and extent of the damage to the spinal cord as well as the treatment the dog is given. Even if the dog’s primary injury is minor, the movement afterwards can cause the damage to the spinal cord to be severe. One of the most important things in a motor vehicle accident is to make sure the dog’s back and neck is kept straight and supported to decrease any additional damage.