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Old November 25th, 2007, 05:09 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
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Some causes of rear leg paralysis I am searching for you:



CANINE DEGENERATIVE DISK & SPINE DISEASE

Most dogs with degenerative disk disease are 2-7 years old. It is just a spontaneous event that may be controlled by genetic factors. Certain breeds, notably the Dachshund, Poodle, Pekinese, Lhaso Apso, and Cocker Spaniel have a high incidence of disk disease. Other breeds, such as the German Shepherd and Doberman Pinscher, also have disk disease but with a lower incidence. Many breeds never have degenerative disk disease.


How is a disk rupture diagnosed?



A presumptive diagnosis of disk disease is made based on the dog's history of neck or back pain, incoordination when walking, or paralysis when there is no history of trauma. The physical examination will indicate that the problem originates from the spinal cord, giving further evidence to disk disease. Another important factor is the breed. If the dog is one of the high incidence breeds, the diagnosis is even more likely.



In some cases, plain radiographs (x-rays) may assist the diagnosis, but they may also be normal since neither the disk nor the spinal cord are visible. If the diagnosis is in doubt or if surgery is to be performed, a myelogram may be done. This procedures involves injecting a special dye around the spinal cord while the dog is under anesthetic. When radiographs are taken, the dye will be seen outlining the spinal cord. A break in the dye column means that there is pressure on the spinal cord.


Vaccine reaction/ vaccinosis:
Rabies/Canine Distemper: ... naso-ocular discharge, ataxia paralysis and pneumonia often reported in particular in live vaccines.



Degenerative Myelopathy
It results in a loss of coordination of the hind legs, which progresses to weakness and then to paralysis of the hindquarters

Sometimes one side is more noticeably uncoordinated than the other. The disease can either wax and wane episodically or progress steadily. It usually takes a few months to a year after onset for a dog to become unable to walk.


Hydrocephalus and encephalitis
Water build up on the brain or surrounding tissue inflamation of the brain



Intervertebral Disk Disease (Herniations of the Disk)

When the spinal cord is compressed by this disk material, the dog or cat experiences signs ranging from mild back or neck pain to paralysis, loss of sensation, and loss of bladder and bowel control

Intervertebral disk herniations are most common in the long, low chondrodystrophic breeds (e.g., dachshund, basset hound, beagle, Cocker spaniel, Shih Tzu, Lhasa apso, Pekingese, and corgi). It is a genetic predisposition due to the animal’s conformation. These low-slung dogs tend to get the bulging extrusions. Large breed dogs are more typically affected with protrusions. The degeneration weakens the disk, allowing it to herniate. However, disk herniations can also be caused by physical trauma (an accident, such as being hit by a car), or the onset of a disease (such as cancer).

Grading of Clinical Signs and Diagnosis

A neurological examination allows the severity of clinical signs to be graded as follows:

Grade 5: normal
Grade 4: ambulatory, but mildly paraparetic (weak/wobbly)
Grade 3: markedly paraparetic (weak/wobbly), but is able to get up on his/her own
Grade 2: severely paraparetic (weak/wobbly); good voluntary motion still present in hindlimbs, but cannot get up without assistance
Grade 1: slight voluntary limb motion present
Grade 0: paraplegic (no voluntary motion present). This grade is further subdivided as to whether or not deep pain sensation is present.





You can search more here;

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...?P=C&C=189&S=1
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