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My perfectly healthy 13 yo boxer just out of nowhere his back legs fall out from under him and he can’t stand or walk. He doesn’t seem bothered when you touch his back or legs and then stared vomiting
Hello
My name is Parham Parsa, I found your page on youtube and have read your blog, and for once I saw someone that is actually talking about blocked cats and is raising awareness to this issue and I wanted to thank you for it.
My cat Mercury (4.5 years old, 18lbs) is currently in the hospital for another urinary blockage and I genuinely don’t know what to do, this is his third visit, first time he got blocked was about a year and half ago and he was on the death’s door, his blood work was extremely elevated, he was lethargic and in visible pain. His regular vet unblocked him and transferred him to a vet hospital for further care, this visit cost me about $5K, and after that he was put on a strict urinary diet. Second time was 3 months ago where we noticed him being in pain and struggling once again and we took him to an ER vet and he was unblocked again, despite my persistence of leaving the his urinary catheter in, they took everything out, and send him home that very night, thankfully he remained unblocked until last night. His vet told me that since he is keep getting blocked he should just get the PU surgery and all but refuse to see him, so I took him to the Metropolitan vet hospital and their estimate for getting him unblocked and doing the PU surgery was 7-8 thousand dollars which is wildly out of reach for me at the moment. After reading your blog I have decided that if I find a second job I can afford to have him unblocked and kept in the hospital for observation for a night or two but I don’t know what I can do after that. If you have any suggestion regarding an affordable PU surgery or any other suggestion I am all ears. I’m really sorry for the long email, and looking forward to hearing back from you.
I just got off the phone with his vet at Metropolitan and after they took some X-Rays they saw some large stones in his bladder which they suspect could be the reason for his repeated blockages, and recommended a cystotomy and they said that the balance would stay at 7-8 thousand dollars. As of now my plan still remains to have him unblocked and watched for couple of days but I don’t know what I should do next.
PS.. I have attached a couple of pictures of him to this post. He is genuinely the sweetest and the friendliest cat I have ever met and the idea of me having to say goodbye to him just because I can’t pay for his treatment is is something I cannot imagine.
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. So many of these cats have a similar situation and it leaves their families with such a huge dilemma about what to do and how to afford all that might lie ahead.
My advice at this point would also be to do the PU surgery and to remove the stones. If you are close to us I would be happy to see him and see if there is anyway we can help. Please call the clinic and leave your number. I will call you back.
Dr Magnifico
Thank you, Dr Magnifico, I will definitely call the office first thing in the morning. And again I want to thank you for bringing awareness to this problem. Your articles about the blocked cat were such a huge help for me in dealing with this issue.
I have a 15 year old cat. a year ago I started to change his wet food to Fancy Feast Senior. I quickly saw that he was losing weight and then started having some leg/balance issues. I immediately took him off that food and put him back on Fancy Feast. Since he also has “throw-up” issues occasionally, I also started using Wellness Core for digestive issues. He eats 1/2 can of each for breakfast and also for dinner. He likes them both and eats them well. My concern is that he still seems too thin. Is there a better choice? Should he have something with more protein?
Hello,
I strongly recommend that your cat be seen by a veterinarian and have blood work done. I am concerned about hyperthyroidism (among a few other diseases) that older cats are prone to.
I have a 14 year old Yorkie who has been off since Saturday afternoon. She hasn’t eaten much but is still drinking and urinating. She is extremely wobbly and not able to keep her balance, as her back legs keep giving out from under her. I took her to the ER yesterday evening and they mentioned she had a bulging disc. They did prescribe some medication and recommended 2 weeks of rest (no playing, going up and down the stairs, or jumping off the couch). My biggest concern aside from her inability to walk is her continued lack of appetite. She has hardly eaten since Saturday and no matter what I try to feed her, she is not interested. Any recommendations?
hello,
i am never sure if this is hyporexia (decreased appetite) due to pain, or stress, or something else. Some of the pain medications cause sedation, and this can affect appetite. For these medications I advise feeding before the medication. Further if the pet cant walk well due to pain I worry about difficulty passing stool, or urinating as it hurts to stand and posture.
I have a lot of information on this on my blog kmdvm.blogspot.com search IVDD. Also my YouTube channel and ask your vet for an appetite stimulant.
Also check to make sure enough water is in the food to help avoid the feces getting hard as they sit in the colon.
For this disease it is imperative to have a good relationship with your primary vet and to have help getting through the first few days, and weeks.
good luck
Hi there
My 5 year old cat Max has been diagnosed with a broken back. His back is broken in the middle of the spine.
The vet said she can’t believe he is walking and she does not know how to treat him so she has sent his x-rays to a specialist for opinion.
Max is home with me an he is still walking and just a little wobbly.
He’s always had a bit of a wobble when he walks so I don’t think this issue is new.
Just hoping someone can help me with what I can be doing for him now?
Also if surgery is an option, is it necessary? Is it the only option?
Really no idea what to do.
Thanks in advance.
X
Wow! What a shock this must have been. I am no vet, but I vaguely remember reading something about allowing animals to heal with rest and limited movement. But I don’t think that was with the spine- I believe it was a kitten with a broken leg actually. Have you discussed what you should be doing with your vet? I know that you said they have advised you to a specialist, but was there any instruction that you were sent home with? I think if it were me, having seen my cat walking around etc… finding out that it had a broken back would completely floor me. Hopefully one of the DVMs will see this post and have more insight. I hope everything works out well for your cat. Please keep us posted????????
Thanks Sarah.
Yes it was totally a shock.
All they said is you can take him home keep him inside to limit his movement and they will call me when the specialist has responded. She also said that they are so surprised that he is walking.
He’s only ever been to the vet for vaccs and he had a tummy upset when he was younger and that’s it.
I’ve only moved to this area recently so I’m trusting this vet knows what they are doing.
I have also contacted the vet that he went to originally when he was younger and they said they will provide a second opinion once I get the specialist report back and copies of x-rays.
He is just acting so so normal. Eating, drinking, cuddling, he is walking and definitely not at all as wobbly as what he was two days ago.
Anyways, thank you so much for responding and I will keep on posting with updates. x
Hello,
I have seen multiple cats with broken backs. It is important to do a through assessment of then and understand their ability to urinate and defecate and restrict activity so they cannot further injure themselves. I recommend cage rest unless supervised. They also need to be spayed if they aren’t already.
My biggest concerns are bladder and colon issues. Whether that be incontinence or retention. Also they can get pressure sores if not walking directly on their foot pads. Surgery is an option if the surgeon seems it to be helpful but most clients cannot afford it, or the surgery is too risky to do based on the amount of spine damage.
Thank you.
Specialist and vet that has seen him say surgery is an option which will be major and very risky. They say it is an old injury and he may have had it for years and is one tough cat and has just coped and compensated and has had a flare up.
I’ve decided not to go down the surgery line.
I’ve been keeping him in doors and restricted his movement and he is walking a lot better.
He’s eating, toileting, groovy, and drinking.
I taught him how to walk on a lead when he was a kitten so I take him out in the garden a couple of times a day.
X
Hi
My 4 y old cat had pyometraand hystrectomy and ovarian removal done 40 days ago . After the surgery, I noticed that she became less active and cannot jump as she used to do before.
Before she was used to jump easily and directly to get on the bed but now she climbs onto an adjacent arm chair and then walks to the bed Also before she was able to scratch her ear by her leg , but now she is not able to do that.
She’s trying but can’t raise her leg to her ear.
Is it possible that her legs become weaker as a complication of the surgery?
Is it normal for a cat to be less active for this long time after a pyometra surgery ?
What should I do to help her regain her normal movement ?
I really appreciate what you are doing , many thanks.
I think you really need to contact your vet that did the surgery about this.
Hi, We are in dire need of a second opinion as our German Shepherd is in Emergency now and we are waiting for the neurologist to call us back again. About 6 days ago our pup jumped out of the car and yelped. She seemed to start walking a little weird and we kept our eye on her. The next day she started having weakness in her back legs and swaying a little. A couple days later it was a little harder for her to get up from sitting. The vet thought she had pain from her stomach as she had diarrhea and she did blood work and an xray of her abdomen and middle of spine. Because when the vet watched her walk and did pain tests and mobility, she seems fine with no pain. By the 4th day she started to really have a hard time getting up and she had a little dragging in the back feet. 5th day, she had a hard time time squatting to go to the bathroom and was losing balance. Her front left leg started to show weakness and we took her straight to emergency.
The neurologist still has not done an MRI because she said that our pup was just laying there like a log and not being supper responsive. Which makes her think it could be a brain issue. I am waiting for er phone call now but I will be asking her to just do the MRI of the spine and the brain to have a better understanding. Our dog was fully responsive when we took her to emergency 12 hours ago so I am wondering if she is completely sad because we have never left her anywhere.
Please help! This is urgent.
Thank you.
I’m so sorry about your dog! I have to ask- I am assuming your car was not moving when the dog jumped out? And are you and your vet sure that her situation right now is actually related to that incident? I’m just trying to clarify- sorry. I am hoping that you get some more definitive answers today from your vet.
Hi Sarah, No, the car wasn’t moving. She yelped a couple times coming down the sofa also, She is still at vet and is getting an MRI today and spinal fluid tap. The vet mentioned meningitis also. I am just frustrated that we had to wait 2 days for an MRI, especially if it is Meningitis and needs to be treated ASAP. I went to see her yesterday and she was excited to see me but can’t stand up or really lift her head up.
Oh my goodness. I truly feel for you. I hope that something shows in the MRI so that you can start the road to recovery and that she is ok ???????? If you fe up to it, please keep us posted.
We got the results back from MRI and spinal fluid and she has meningitis/encephalitis . They immediately put her on broad spectrum antibiotics and steroids. Today they got back the spinal fluid results and it showed no bacterial cause so they took her off all antibiotics and started an immediate 24 infusion of Cytostar, an auto suppressive medication. We now wait for another 18 hours to see how she is responding.
Thinking of you – I hope things go well????????????
I have a question about our 13 yo dog who likely has a bulging disc. He is a mutt (probably part Border Collie, part Shepherd). Soon after a small slip on our stairs, he had lameness in his one back leg; this went away after one day, he limped for a few days after, and he quickly recovered from those things. Though he was walking fine fairly quickly, he showed stiffness, showed hesitation going up stairs unless we gave him a treat (we have only stairs to the outside), and his tail was down and only wagged from the tip of it. We had him quickly on an anti-inflammatory (Novox) and a pain med (started on Gabapentin but had to discontinue). He was fine on a walk; we went on short walks and he always craved for much more than we allowed. We prevented jumping, aerobic exercise, stopped him from using stairs by having a ramp to the outside, etc. We continued the Novox. His symptoms continued, then got better, and then seemed to regress when he started showing signs of pain (panting even when lying down and even when it was cool outside and some anxiety); the pain thing was probably because of taking him off Gabapentin. We took him to the Neurology Dept at a local, large vet hospital and a physical exam indicated that he “likely” has a bulging disc. When they inspected his back, he showed signs of pain and anxiety and his back legs bent and his rear went down. We don’t think we want to do surgery due to his age. He has not had an MRI as the regular vet and my husband and I thought that the treatment would be the same if we did not do surgery — treatment being restricting movement, continuing anti-inflammatory and pain meds, and looking into possible physical rehab. A switch to the pain med Amantidine helps a lot and the panting and anxiety are gone. He now continues to crave longer walks and, at the rare times we forget to block off the couch, he will try to jump up on it. We have been continuing to restricting movement but we just don’t know what to do about activity restrictions and have not had a lot of advice from neurology. He has always craved movement and exercise and when we take him around the block his stiffness seems to go away a bit and he seems energized and maybe even more comfortable. He has always craved a lot of exercise and movement. His spirits are lowered a lot if we keep in him in a small space — it almost seems like he wants to move around. He is eating and drinking, can do #2 (though he struggles some if doing it a long time). If allowed to do some movement, he is mostly happy and getting around with walking. Questions are: Should we restrict his movement altogether despite all this? Should he we do no walks at all? Is it bad if he is free to walk around the first floor or should he stay only in a very small area? I feel we are so confused as to what to do and how to know how to prevent regression. We’d love the input of any veterinarians or other owners with the same experience!
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. I think that I have to defer these questions to your vet. My inkling is to say strict cage rest except for short walks outside on flat grassy ground. My concern is that he will keep exacerbating the injury if you don’t. I have lots of information on my blog and YouTube channel under IVDD please go there for advice and case based examples. Best of luck
Thank you so much for your reply! Do some dogs who have been restricted with movement get to the point that they “recover” or is this always a progressive situation? We don’t know if, after the 4 weeks of restricting him, if he will can to return to walks or anything if he is showing that he improved enough. Do you have thoughts on this? Also, is there anything we can do for him at home (like light massage or heat on the back)? Thank you so very much! You are so very helpful! 🙂 -Catherine
Could repeated flinching/seizure-like behavior be associated with eyesight?
Here is a compilation video: https://vimeo.com/434151259
Our 10-year-old toy poodle has begun flinching (for lack of a better word) repeatedly on walks. We’ve been to the vet, but due to an enlarged heart with a leaky valve he wants her to see her cardiologist to ensure it isn’t heart-related. We are trying to get an appointment but the pandemic is making wait times in the weeks and we’re concerned in the meantime about how dangerous waiting could be.
Based on our experience, the flinches rarely happen at home, happen much more frequently in bright sunlight on walks, especially facing the sun. They also occur much more frequently when leaving a shadow into the sun or leaving the sun into a shadow. Her vet has noticed early signs of cataracts and we’ve noticed her eyes getting cloudy. She’s also begun walking into things occasionally.
We’re hoping these are eye-sight related rather than seizures or neurological issues, but are unsure of next steps while waiting appointments with specialists.
Thanks.
Hello,
This is a tough question to answer based on the information given. The optic nerve which services the eyes is connected to the brain so yes they can influence each other. But I am also worried about pain. I think it’s imperative to see a neurologist. Or try to get a second opinion from another vet. I also think that bloodwork and xrays are a good place to start. You can also ask to see an ophthalmologist. Please keep calling and please seek help from a vet locally. I hope this helps. Let me know what happens. Good luck.
Hello!
my cat chunk has been recently having issues with his front paws for the past 2 months. It’s off and on and when I touch his paws he doesn’t wince or cry. He still uses the scratching pad with no issue, but he’s limping and he can no longer jump up on the bed as easily. I’m afraid he may have arthritis. What is a good supplement or something we can get to help him with his joints so he’s strong again! He’s not an elderly cat, I guess you could call him middle aged. Thank you! He’s about 15 lbs
I think I’d start with a vet check. Medicating without diagnosis can be dangerous, and it’s possible he has an injury you can’t see.
Hello,
The answer to why this might be happening lies in an examination with your veterinarian. I worry about heart disease in boxers. I also worry about hemoabdomen. Gum color, abdominal palpitation, heart and lungs need to listened to and an orthopedic and neurological examination are needed. This has the potential of being an emergency.
Thank you I am at the emergency vet now as he started seizing as well.