# Help! My golden boy is paralyzed in his hind legs



## amy22

I am so very sorry that Whisky isnt doing well. Its so hard when they get old. I have no advice...just a hug for you and a pet for Whisky 

Glad you found us here....welcome.


----------



## outabout

Thank you Amy22! It is so incredibly hard to see. Whisky is my first dog, I have never faced this before. I kept telling myself that he's had 12 blissful years thats all that matter. I know that I will pull through eventually. Bur right now, its heart breaking.


----------



## lucysmum

I am so sorry Whiskey is not doing well. It is heartbreaking to watch them go downhill. 

All I can say is love him up and just spoil him rotten. 

Hugs to you and Whiskey


----------



## Sweet Girl

May, I'm so sorry. My eyes teared up as I read about your dear Whiskey. 

The hardest thing is seeing them in pain and appealing to you for help, when you can't do anything to make the pain go away.

I hope the vets can figure out what's wrong and if there's a way to help.


----------



## Karen2

Oh May, glad your here, Not glad about Whisky.
There are a few things out there to help...
a gal that lives North of me has a site with some help items.
You can maybe fashion some temporary things looking at her items she has.
Canine Kids Mall
You and Whisky are in my prayers.


----------



## Oaklys Dad

Welcome to the forum. So sorry you had to find us under these circumstances. It is hard to watch our pups age and suffer. I hope the vet is able to give you more time with your sweet Whiskey.


----------



## C's Mom

I don't have experience in this but I did want to send my support to you and Whiskey.


----------



## The Trio

If you are in Denver (not to far from me) you are close to the best hospital around. CSU
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences - Colorado State University
These people will help you and can get you the best answers you could ask for. I trust them a lot. I hope this helps and I hope Whiskey gets better soon. If you can afford it and the doctors say it is ok then why not.


----------



## Dallas Gold

I think the Laura's advice is good to see a specialist. They may be able to give you some options. If you do go, please ask about whether a stem cell transplant might help Whisky. My vet does these transplants and recently relayed to me a story about a 14 year old German Shepherd about to be put down for the same symptoms you described. She did an intravenous stem cell transplant, after getting permission from the company to do it this way instead of the usual manner, because this dog would not tolerate sedation, and she said the improvement was dramatic. He started running around again and at 14.5 years tore a cruciate chasing a squirrel. They went back in and did another IV stem cell and the dog is doing well and happy at over 15 years. She was blown away by how it helped for the types of symptoms you describe. 

Another possibility--is it possible Whisky contracted a tick borne disease? Some of them present with lameness. If you haven't done a specific tick born disease blood panel it might be something to consider. 

My heart goes out to you dealing with this. It's so hard. HUGS...


----------



## outabout

Thank you everyone for you support and kindness.

I have ordered a rear-end support harness for Whiskey, it should arrive soon. I have thought about the wheel cart, but not sure if his front legs are strong enough, will ask my vet Monday.

Trio, Dallas, Thanks so much for the advise. I live 30 miles south of Denver, I will call CSU first thing in the morning. I haven't heard about the stem cell transfer on dogs, but I will inquire. At this point, money is no object. I will do anything to get my sweet boy's legs back. 

I had a complete blood work done on him 2 months ago, not sure if tick born disease was included, will look into it.

Right now I am headed to the Pet store to get some diapers and best treats I can find.


----------



## ggdenny

I'm sorry to read that Whisky is having so much trouble. I echo all the great advice already given here, only will add that if Whisky is otherwise healthy than getting him some for back leg mobility is certainly worth investigating. Through the years here on the forum and in my own neighborhood I've seen doggies with rear support, braces, and even an awesome set of wheels (see this thread about Toby: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-senior-center/95250-tobys-new-chariot.html). Also, quite a few doggie parents have bought their elderly friends a wagon to be carried around in - and their dogs loved it.

Stay strong, welcome to the forum and let us know how things are going. Any pictures of your cutie?


----------



## paula bedard

I am sorry Whiskey is going thru this. The help possible from the University sounds promising. You might consider running another test for a tick borne illness, to be certain. Lyme especially, can have a high false negative. I tested negative when I had Lyme.

I hope the harness helps keep him mobile and comfortable.


----------



## hotel4dogs

I'm so sorry to hear about Whiskey. It sounds more like a disk problem than like DM, hopefully your vet can help you out.
If it is a disk, a round of prednisone might do wonders for him. It will reduce the inflammation and take the pressure off the spinal cord.
What has helped my Toby more than anything else (we can't do pred. with him due to other health issues) has been an excellent acupuncture vet. Last June we were ready to send him to the rainbow bridge because of his back end problems. Now here we are 10 months later, and he still has a decent quality of life. He needs help to get up, and has a lot of incontinence issues these days, but is still happy and eating. He loves his new wheelchair.
If you go the acupuncture route, be sure the person you select is also a DVM.
Best wishes to you and your precious boy. I hope you are able to get him some relief and spend more quality time with him.


----------



## Karen519

*Outandabout*

Outandabout

My heart goes goes to you and Whiskey. Between to good suggestions here and your vet I am sure you will come up with a solution for Whiskey.

God Bless him and you!!


----------



## Dallas Gold

Regarding the stem cell transplant. I went back and looked at the literature on the web by the company my veterinarian was certified through. I know the vet mentioned this dog had severe arthritis but don't remember if he was actually diagnosed with DM or other neurological disease. She mentioned she had a long discussion with the owner because she did not think the dog was a good candidate for the therapy given his back paws were curling inward, which I always assumed was neurologically related and the fact they needed to do it intravenously instead of through the typical way. The link I'll put at the end of the post states that DM and/or degenerative disc disease may not respond as well to the stem cell, but it isn't a disqualifier at least. Here are the links:
Dog Arthritis | Hip Dysplasia | Arthritis | Canine | Stem Cells | Elbow | Joints | Feline | Tendons | Ligaments
http://www.vet-stem.com/images/ownerchecklist.pdf


----------



## lgnutah

Your description of your dog holding his paw up to you, pleading for you to "make it better" broke my heart. I am so sorry, but hope your vet has some positive answers.


----------



## GoldenCamper

It certainly sounds like you are getting him the best care and looking at all the possibilities. There might be a possibility of spondylosis but maybe x-rays have already ruled that out? I know how disconcerting it is to see them like this and my heart goes out to you. My boy was the same age when he finally decided to show me his arthritis, the large bone spurs in his elbows certainly didn't grow overnight, he hid it well. I got him a wagon towards the end so he could join me once again on our long walks and he loved it. I wish you well with your boy.


----------



## Penny & Maggie's Mom

You've gotten some excellent advice. Certainly working through the vet school is what I was going to recommend. Please keep us posted... I'll be sending good wishes and prayers for Whiskey adn you.


----------



## Finn's Fan

May, my angel Cody (golden) died presumably from DM. There is a Yahoo group for owners of dogs with DM (Sorry, my copy and paste isn't working or I'd give you the web address). Sign up there, as they're full of good, helpful info. Just so you know, you can't get a definitive diagnosis of DM except upon necropsy, but a good neurologist can certainly make an educated guess. DM doesn not usually have pain associated with it, so if you think Whisky is in pain, it likely is NOT DM. If it is a disc issue, the sooner you get him to an orthopedic vet, the better. Sometimes, but not always, if the injury goes on for too long, the prospect of restoring mobility goes away. I have experience with this as well, as my current boy Finn had a busted disc (courtesy of being bashed wit h something strong and heavy by a former owner), which we had repaired. I will send you a personal message with my e-mail address in case you would like to pick my brain about potential vets to see or any other thing.


----------



## outabout

Thanks everyone again. Thanks ggDenny for asking me being strong. I try to be very upbeat in front of Whisky, I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive and who has a shoulder for me cry over. 

Thanks Dallas for all the research and the link. It does seem that neurological disorders don't have very favorable outcome, but I think that I will bring this up to the vet.

Hotel4dogs: I saw your post of your Toby, i am so glad that he is doing well. I am curious what makes you say it is more like disc rather than DM? If I had to choose one, I would certainly choose disc, which still offers some hope. I am trying to grasp on any straw, so anything you can elaborate would be very helpful.

Whisky has started acupuncture sessions with a DVM last Monday, and is scheduled to go again tomorrow (Monday). Apparently the 1st session didn't help because he deteriorated fast over the last week. But this vet is highly recommended and has done wonders to other dog, I will keep acupuncture sessions going. By the way, the vet graduated from CSU, so maybe she can shed some lights on the vet programs there.

I have seen Toby and his cart, he is adorable! If Whisky's front legs don't deteriorate fast, I will consider a wheel chair. I want to try out the harness to see how strong his front legs are. 

I like the wagon idea, my husband said that we have a tractor and a cart, we can haul Whisky around. So we loaded him up this afternoon and drove around our wooded property parameters, I wanted Whisky to see the tall Ponderosa forest he used to roam around one more time. It looked like that the bumpy ride may have be too scary for him to enjoy. 

I will try to post a couple pictures below.

Flying dogs: Whisky and Spoon (spoon is a black lab mix)


----------



## outabout

Sorry, didn't realize that images are so big. If you have trouble opening the page, I will see if I can reduce the size.


----------



## Oaklys Dad

Whiskey is a gorgeous boy. I hope you are able to give him some more time. He will be in our thoughts.


----------



## Dallas Gold

You have two very gorgeous dogs! I hope you get some answers soon. Someone posted above about spondylitis/spondylosis--and that might also be a possibility. Seeing Whisky in the field just makes me wonder if perhaps it is a tick borne disease that is causing lameness, hind quarter issues.
I'm glad Whisky is getting acupuncture. We were always forewarned with our dogs that it takes some time to see results. With both dogs we've done it with we took them every 3rd day for a couple of weeks, then stretched it to weekly, then twice a month, then monthly. We saw results almost immediately though and were very pleasantly surprised at how well the dogs responded to it. One caution--if Whisky is prescribed any sort of steroid, most acupuncture vets will want to stop with acupuncture until the steroid is out of the dog's system because it's counter effective. 

Keep us posted and I'm praying you get a good plan of action for Whisky.


----------



## outabout

Thank you Finn's Fan. I read you post in the "Degenerative Myelopathy" thread. I am so sorry to hear about you Cody, may he be forever happy in Doggy Heaven.

There is a DNA test for DM that will definitively negatively diagnose that it is not DM if one of the alleles on the gene is normal, but it can't definitively positively diagnose it is DM even when both are mutated. Here's the link: Degenerative Myelopathy - disease basics

I am hoping that Whisky's result will be negative, which would pave the way for other diagnoses, perhaps more likely to be correct. Yes, I realize that time is essence here if it is indeed operable. I am kicking myself for focusing just on arthritis, I just realized the neurological aspect of it 2 days ago, confirmed by his paralysis yesterday. None of the vets he has seen even remotely suspected this either.


----------



## hotel4dogs

Very handsome!
I have seen a couple of german shepherd dogs with DM and it is an insidous, painfree disease. Typically it starts with one, or sometime both, back leg(s) collapsing, but the dog drags them happily around anyway. The incontinence normally comes well into the disease. 
The reason it sounds more like disk to me is the sudden onset, the co-existence of the incontinence with the paralysis. 
Let us know what the vet says!


----------



## Debles

I am so sorry Whiskey is having such problems. I am praying CSU can help him. Let us know!


----------



## GoldensGirl

I'm so sorry that you and your gorgeous boy are going through this. 

Here's a thread full of information about devices that people have found helpful in caring for dogs who have become disabled: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...breed-standard/92648-assistive-devices-2.html. Maybe something there will help you and Whiskey.

With hugs and prayers,
Lucy


----------



## goldencontriever3

I am so sorry you and Whiskey are going through this. We will keep you both in our thoughts and prayers.


----------



## Colorwolf

Like many others i have no experience on DM. I have many dogs to old age before and i know how that feels. I feel for you and Whisky. I would say spoil him good and let him know that he's the best loved dog in the world. 
Time does heal most things.


----------



## FlyingQuizini

I'm so sorry to hear about Whisky. While you're looking into a specialist, it might be a really good idea to see the regular vet. Some short-term, high-dose steroids might be helpful to reduce inflammation and hopefully make him a bit more comfortable while you decide on the best next step.


----------



## PrincessDi

Keeping you in our prayers that you are able to get him up and around again. So sorry that he's going through this. If he is a candidate for the stem cell, please let us know how this works for him.


----------



## outabout

I like to thank everyone again for your compassion and advice. 

It's been an exhausting day for me both physically and emotionally. At the end of the day, I am hopeful that there can be some help for Whisky. i will find out more next week and keep you informed.

I want to think that Whisky is one of the luckiest dogs in the world. He has had a very spoiled life, roamed the mountains and forests, swam in lakes and ponds, traveled all over the places, and has an excellent doggie company Spoon all his life. He has given me so much joy in life more than I can ever describe. Thank you Whisky! I will make your remaining life as comfortable as I can.


----------



## Blondie

Thank you for coming here and for sharing your story. It's amazing when you ask for help, tips and ideas, what a community can come up with. Many good ideas and resources available it sounds like that can help you make golden days ahead with and for your Whiskey. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.


----------



## outabout

Thanks everyone!

I have posted an update, http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-senior-center/95923-update-whisky


----------



## Jige

I rescued a golden cross on christmas eve he was having trouble walking I thought he had been hit by a car. I knew the owners but they said they were going to just shoot him. I brought him home I named him "45". I took him to a vet that didnt know what was wrong suggested I take him elsewhere. I did it came up he had Lymes adn Annaplasmosis. I had him medication for 50days total. My boy didnt get better but I was told that he had the lymes for so long it was affecting organs. I just had to have him put down on tuesday. 

Have you had Whiskey tested for lymes?


----------

