anyone know about Cauda equina syndrome? - Page 1

Pedigree Database

Premium classified

This is a placeholder text
Group text

Premium classified

This is a placeholder text
Group text

Premium classified

This is a placeholder text
Group text

Premium classified

This is a placeholder text
Group text

by oso on 30 December 2004 - 20:12

I am very concerned about my male. He mated on the 24th, everything was apparently normal, he seemed OK on the 25th. The next day we tried to repeat the mating, but he seemed to have problems or pain when he put the weight on his back feet and couldn't mount. He is still suffering, he walks a few steps then sits down, he can't jump into the car, doesn't want to eat much (very unusual for him). When he stands he shifts his weight from one back foot to the other and he walks with his back hunched. He seems generally miserable. My vet says it most likely cauda equina syndrome caused by a trauma to the vertebrae in the region of the croup, probably when he mated and this has resulted in inflammation of the nerves. he is on strong antiinflammatories, vitamin E and rest, but if he doesn't recover in around 10 days the vet says further tests will be necessary. He doesn't seem to have any problem urinating or defecating. Anyone experienced anything similar? This came on very suddenly, he has always been very healthy and active. He is 3 1/2 years old.

by lioness9918 on 30 December 2004 - 22:12

have him stand naturally & one at a time, turn his back feet over, so that he is standing on the tops of his toes. each foot should be lifted by your dog into its upright position immediately. any delays mean that the nerve signals are not getting through the way they are suppose to; try this with his front feet one at a time as well, same thing, for comparision sake. cauda equina is usually caused by the narrowing of the spinal column towards the tail region (lumbar vertebrae), which pinches the nerves inside the spinal column. it can cause paralysis & incontinence & a whole bunch of pain. did your vet take x-rays of his spine? i wouldn't even try to see if he would jump into the car, or anything else for that matter. in addition, i would think that your vet would want him on strict rest for longer than 10 days, prolly closer to 6 weeks, so get comfortable. is he on a steriod for inflammation? anything for pain? even if it is cauda equina & does progress even with the anti-inflammatories, etc., some vets do a surgical correction.

by wolf1 on 30 December 2004 - 22:12

Saw this first well over 20 years ago. Xray of pelvis hip could help diagnosis. When was dog last checked for dysplasia or arthritis....both can start at any age. May also have old injury, long forgotten, to legs, hips, joints, or soft tissues that has been re-activated. Not likely in foot, but really should be checked as dog will sit willingly. If full pelvic and hip structure Xray- cannot shield genitals so then should not breed this dog for 4-6 weeks from radiation concerns. Just like people. Current medications preclude breeding activity even if mobility improves. If for some reason imperative to breed, try acupuncture, instead of medication. This is done for valuable horses with success. Soft tissues injury possible. If inner thigh ligaments are tightened or tender dog may have overstretched in extension position of leg while mating, vet says more likely if female was tall as male or taller, not standing still, or male feet slipped. Male may have also sprained tendons in feet or legs if tied for long time whether female restless or still. Will dog allow leg to be drawn to stretch backward in line with body as if running? Try in lying position, not standing, unless you are a vet? (and go GENTLY) Cauda equina in animals, even humans, more often show problems with elimination, and do not want to sit. Double Check with another vet. Ask one with a large animal practice too.... ask re acupuncture too. Racing stable vet will likely be well aware of same. Contact your nearest veterinary university as they would likely have lots of information to guide you, even if too far away to see the dog. They can also guide vets from a distance, if the vet is willing.

by wolf1 on 30 December 2004 - 22:12

Well said Lioness! No jumping or strenuous stuff at all while under investigation, healing, or treatment - and longer for sure. Would also avoid stairs, and icy conditions. Many reliable techniques available to check if nerve or muscle or bony injury involved,or combination, or to define priority of contributing factors, helps direct focus of treatment and planning. Need to find out the true diagnosis, and also find out re genetic transmissabliity of cauda equina before doing any more breeding. Will need to inform purchasers of pups from this breeding of potential prob and what to watch for, if this is defined as transmissable. Can still be greatly loved pets. Not a bad life for any dog! What dog would chose a show crate over masters bed and fireplace? What a way to find a problem! So sorry for you and the dog. Wishing you the very best of luck in resolving this.

by Louise M. Penery on 30 December 2004 - 23:12

Cauda equina=horse's tail. Hence, it's most characteristic symptom is a "dead" tail. Lifting the dead tail (during grooming, for instance) often elicits a painful response. Whereas degenerative myelopathy causes dragging/wear of the rear toenails (and does not appear to cause pain), cauda equina may create severe hindquarter ataxia and an uncoordinated rear gait (hind limbs appear to be held together with rubber bands). I had case of cauda equina in American lines 25 years ago. In Sieger Show videos, as an older dog, Yago Wildsteiger Land gaits with a dead tail.

by oso on 31 December 2004 - 00:12

Thank you all for your responses. So far he has not had any X-ray or other diagnostic examination, so cauda equina is not a definitive diagnosis. I think the vet first wanted to see if there was any improvement with the antiinflammatory treatment, yes its steroid - prednisone, which I know also suppresses the immmune system. He did say that if it doesn't resolve it would be necessary to do x-rays and another type of x-ray that shows the nerve tissue, and that surgery might be necessary but hopefully not. The dog only started the treatment last night, but I don't see any improvement at all yet. He does not have any painkillers, just prednisone. Will try some of the tests you mention, but he is not incontinent and he does sit down, He does not want to go up stairs and we are now keeping him as immobile as possible, which is easy as he doesn't want to move much. re the mating, the female is not as tall as him, but she was quite restless and even once lay down during the mating, we got her up quickly, but we had wondered if this may have had anything to do with it..... I really hope this resolves quickly and that it isn't anything hereditary...once again, many thanks.

NikkiF

by NikkiF on 31 December 2004 - 01:12

Hi there - I had this problem with a bitch. Weeks of rest and anti-inflammatories only produced a masking of the pain as when it was stoppped the pain returned. Before going down the line of xrays we visited a Chiropractor who very quickly diagnosed a groin injury and with several treatments she recovered perfectly. This of course would not have shown on any xray. Hope this is of some help as it really does sound like some muscle injury.

by Olddog on 31 December 2004 - 02:12

Hi OSO, Just a few minor remarks. Can't but help wonder if your vet wasn't somewhat impetuous in jumping to equina syndrome conclusion. Did he carefully massage lumbar region or do palpation test to establish location of pain? The conclusion it resulted from mating also sounds a bit thin! Who's to say it's not result of something entirely different - tissue or other infection of lumbar muscle area or other trauma thereto perhaps, or beginning of discospondylitis (direct spinal infection that requires early attention) - masking with prednisone (apart from side-effects produced by this class of drug), at this point doesn't seem to me like a satisfactory answer. Good luck.

by Quest Farms on 31 December 2004 - 03:12

The only way to diagonos true CA is an MRI. Prednisone can help swelling and pain but will compromise your dogs immune system and if crytococcus is in your area, they will be affected by it on these drugs. Then you have a whole other problem. There is an exercise that helps to relieve pain and pressure on the affected area. You hold the dogs hind end up in the air in front of the hind legs then with your other arm, stretch the back legs out behind and up to stretch the spine. Be careful to not over stretch the limit the dog has and do not force it. I use this exercise on my old dogs as well and they appreciate the stretch.

by wolf1 on 31 December 2004 - 05:12

Chiropractic assessment and treatment is an excellent approach. Has worked extremely well for us in past to treat and resolve several problems... and avoided all med use!





 


Contact information  Disclaimer  Privacy Statement  Copyright Information  Terms of Service  Cookie policy  ↑ Back to top