Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE) is also known as a ‘spinal stroke’ in dogs, there is a blockage in the blood vessel supplying the spinal cord and the flow of blood is prevented or reduced to that part of the spinal cord.
FCE can come on suddenly and the physical signs can include
paralysis in the back legs being unable to stand and walk properly-dragging the
back legs, weakness and being wobbly on the legs. Swift veterinary attention is
needed and a physical examination is carried out. One of our dogs had a sudden
collapse in the garden one morning and we were refereed by our vets to a
specialist centre and hospital; we left our veterinary clinic and drove to the hospital on the same day.
We walked Troops into the reception with a
sling around his abdomen, he was alert and calm but unable to stand on his rear
legs, haematology, biochemistry, physical and neurological examinations
followed and we stayed with him for the initial investigations until he was
hospitalised later that day.
IV Fluid therapy, a catheter, anaesthesia and a MRI scan
followed, he was under the care of a lovely group of veterinarians and nurses,
before being diagnosed by a specialist in veterinary neurology; based on the
imaging-FCE. Troops stayed hospitalised for several days and received daily
multiple sessions of physiotherapy and making some improvement becoming
paraparetic but not ambulatory.
Meanwhile at home, we were able to organise a new safe and
comfy area, we cut down the legs on a single sized child bed and inserted a
memory foam mattress on top, this was ideal, covered with a waterproof
protector, incontinence pads, extra large strong sling to support the back end
when standing and walking and a padded
harness to support the body – with a carry handle on top, there are a number of
options on the market and you really need to do your research to find the best
one for your dog, paying attention to size, comfort, and strength.
Eventually he came home and we followed on with daily physiotherapy sessions, prescription medications, lots of well researched dietary support and supplements, extra mental stimulation (stuffed kongs, safe dental chews, hiding food games, scent stimulation) as there was now less physical activity each day and then we introduced some hydro-therapy sessions in the mornings each week. Eventually we went on to construct our own dog-friendly pool in the garden for summer time use by all the dogs, some fun on a hot day as well as exercise and physical therapy.
There was a urinary incontinence and we found
absorbent bed pads which absorb the urine and remain dry on top, these need to
be positioned well especially at night, and warm soothing washes are ideal, we
had some gentle skin cleansing foam wash which was handy for times when out and
about, we kept to a regular daily routine-out first thing in the morning into
the garden on the sling, last trip at night etc and Troops began to regain bladder
control which was a great step forward, he couldn’t cock his leg, although he
did try a few times, so he dipped down a little and had a pee, re-establishing
a routine and becoming stronger over several months.
Slowly walking along short distances with the carry sling and one person behind to carry the weight and one in front in case we had off leash dogs running head into us.
We couldn’t get that far,
Troops was very strong on his front end, but also a very big dog so there was a
lot of weight to hold on the sling, it was difficult, also his back paws could
drag on the ground and this was an issue, we tried several different types of boots
and that helped – a pavement will graze the paws very quickly so you have to
prevent this, we then researched online and measured up to order a set of ‘dog
wheels’: In our situation these took some sessions to adjust to, large dog v need to run and turn corners on a penny!
