Paralysis due to Spinal Cord Lesion in Dogs

Spinal injuries have many internal causes, but are most commonly caused by physical trauma. For this reason, often dogs with spinal cord lesion that could cause paralysis are experiencing extreme trauma, such as multiple organ traumas. In some cases, spinal cord lesions do not cause paralysis but do cause irregularities in movement, the most common being Schiff-Sherrington posture.

• Inability to walk or stand
• Unusual gait
• Paralysis in a specific limb or area of the body
• Total paralysis
• Numbness to pain in areas below injury
• Hyperthermia

• Internal
• Disk herniation
• Tumors
• Spinal fracture
• Hemorrhage into spinal cord
• Hemorrhage within spinal cord
• Inflammation of the spinal cord (myelitis)
• Invertebral disk disease
• External
• Physical trauma

Spinal cord injuries are extremely serious, and you need to bring your dog in for immediate medical attention should you suspect one has occurred. If your dog has suffered severe external trauma and you suspect paralysis, you must also check for life-threatening injuries and attempt to stabilize your dog before seeking veterinary attention. No matter the cause, it is important for your dog to be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Diagnosis will begin with a physical examination that may or may not involve articulating your dog’s limbs and/or observing your dog walk, depending upon his range of motion and pain.

Your dog’s medical history and the onset of your dog’s symptoms, as well as any event that may have precipitated them, will be important tools to aid your veterinarian in diagnosis. Standard laboratory tests such as a chemical blood profile, complete blood count, and urinalysis will assess your dog’s overall health in order to rule out alternative causes for your dog’s symptoms as a spinal cord lesion alone will not affect your dog’s lab results for these tests. CT and MRI scans will need to be taken in order to analyze your dog’s spinal cord and determine if a lesion is present.

Your course of treatment will depend upon the severity of your dog’s injury and the extent of paralysis. The only option for treatment is to attempt to restore spinal cord function through surgery, which, if successful, will reverse your dog’s paralysis. In cases of extreme or severe spinal cord lesions, and in instances where a dog develops myelomalcia syndrome or the softening of the spinal cord, euthanasia may be your chosen course of action.

Prognosis depends upon the extent of the neurological damage. If your dog is capable of voluntary movement and there is partial paralysis, the prognosis is good. Full recovery is possible. However, if your dog is incapable of urination or defecation and your dog did not indicate he was in pain when the injury occurred, the prognosis is guarded to poor. If your dog has undergone spinal cord surgery, monitor her closely during recovery and provide her with a quiet and calm place to rest. Limit her physical activity. All significant improvements to your dog’s condition will occur within the first 4-6 weeks. If your dog does not see improvements within this time frame, he is not likely to recover.