Coonhound Paralysis

This blog talks about our experience when Goya (our 150lb English Mastiff) came down with coonhound paralysis (also called acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis).

Friday, August 11, 2006

Note to pinenut77 and your dog Mo

I just saw your comment on an earlier post (I can't figure out how to get this blog to notify me when a new post comes in).

I am so sorry that Mo is afflicted, but glad you can carry her outside. Goya also always had control over elimination, it's just harder because we couldn't carry a 150-lb dog.

I realize that Goay's saga is extreme. His age, size, and weight has exaggerated everything, especially the time course of the disease, the nursing requirements and his recuperation. I am worried that what we have helped him through will actually discourage people rather than help, so please remember that much of the time recovery from this disease is a matter of weeks, not months. (See the post with the link to "another dog's story".)

If you want to talk or correspond, we would be happy to do that. Just leave contact information in one of the comments and we'll get back in touch.

Good luck,
Bonnie

posted by Bonnie @ 8/11/2006 09:07:00 AM  

2 Comments:

  • At Mon Jun 04, 09:55:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I JUST LEARNED ABOUT COONHOUND DISEASE PARALYSIS ON TV. I WENT TO THE INTERNET AND SAW YOUR WEBSITE. TWO YEARS AGO, OUR 10 YEAR OLD COLLIE NAMED SIMBA WAS EATING FROM HIS FOOD DISH, WHEN I NOTICED HIS HIND LEGS SUDDENLY WOBBLE AND THEN HE COLLAPSED. MY HUSBAND AND I RAISED HIS HIND LEGS UP AND HE COULD STAND ON THEM. A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, I TOOK HIM OUTSIDE AND NOTICED HE WAS "GUARDED" IN THE WAY HE WALKED. HE HAD TROUBLE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE SHORT STEPS ON THE DECK. LATER THAT NIGHT, HE COULDN'T HARDLY MOVE HIS HIND LEGS AT ALL. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE JOINT DISEASE PAIN SO I STARTED HIM ON PREDNISONE THAT NIGHT. I TOOK HIM TO OUR VET THE NEXT MORNING. SHE SAID I WAS DOING EVERYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE AND IF HE GOT WORSE TO BRING HIM BACK. HE HAD A HARD TIME WALKING BACK TO THE CAR. I HAD TO LIFT HIS REAR INTO THE CAR. HE HAD CONTROL OVER HIS FRONT LIMBS, JUST NOT VERY WELL CONTROL OF HIS HIND LEGS. I TOOK HIM TO WORK WITH ME THAT DAY AND HE LAYED ON THE MAT NEXT TO MY DESK WITH HIS BLANKET. HE WOULDN'T GET UP LIKE HE USUALLY DOES. THAT EVENING, HE LOST TOTAL USE OF HIS HIND LEGS AND HE COULDN'T URINATE OUTSIDE. THE NEXT DAY, I MADE HIM COMFORTABLE IN OUR ENCLOSED GARAGE AND MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO WORK. I PADDED TOWELS IN BETWEEN SIMBA'S LEGS IN CASE HE HAD TO URINATE. WE FELT GUILTY FOR LEAVING HIM BUT NEITHER OF US COULD MISS WORK. I DID CONTACT ANOTHER VET THAT DAY AND SHE AGREED TO MEET US AFTER WORK. MY HUSBAND AND I MET AT THE HOUSE AND LIFTED SIMBA INTO OUR VEHICLE. HE STILL COULDN'T MOVE HIS HIND LEGS. THE 2ND VET RAN SOME TESTS ON SIMBA AND SAID HE WAS SUFFERING BECAUSE HE COULDN'T BE A DOG. HE TRIED TO PULL HIMSELF UP BUT HIS HIND LEGS WOULDN'T BUDGE. THIS IS A DOG THAT ALWAYS PRANCED LIKE A PUPPY WITH PRETTY WHITE PAWS.
    SHE SAID HE HAD PERMANENT NERVE DAMAGE AND COULDN'T TELL US WHAT CAUSED IT. SHE OFFERED TO DO TESTS AND SURGERY BUT SAID HE MAY BECOME TOTALLY PARALYZED AFTERWARD OR MAY BE IN THE SAME CONDITION. HER SUGGESTION WAS TO PUT HIM DOWN. WE DID THAT AND IT WAS SO PAINFUL. LOOKING BACK, WE HAD NO WHERE TO TURN FOR FURTHER INFO. WE LIVE IN A RURAL AREA. IS THIS DISEASE BECOMING MORE COMMON? DOES IT SOUND LIKE THIS DISEASE IS WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR COLLIE?

     

  • At Mon Jun 04, 11:03:00 PM EDT, Blogger Bonnie said…

    I am so sorry to hear about your collie. I'm sure it was bewildering and painful.

    We can't really second-guess what Simba had, especially because those symptoms are common to several diseases (see Gary's post on March 28, 2006). But it does sound like the progression of weakness that Goya had.

    I don't know if coonhound paralysis is getting more common -- as far as I know there isn't anything like the CDC for tracking dog diseases.

    What TV show did you see that mentioned it? I'd love to see it if it shown again.

    Thanks, Bonnie

     

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