Introduction: Lilly’s Journey

In late August 2023, I was discussing with a vet, a stray dog had been brought into their practice. They were paralysed from T12 (middle of their spine), they had movement of their front limbs but were dragging their hindlimbs, and the mechanism of injury was unknown. She was also needing assistance to empty her bladder via expression and was not aware of when she was emptying her bowels. She did have something called deep pain, which means there were still some signals getting to her paws. As some of you may know, that afternoon in August I went to assess her at the vets. I agreed with the vet that she had rehab potential and brought her home; she is our little Lilly.

The Initial Assessment

Now not all neurological cases follow the same pattern, and it can be a very unpredictable recovery process. Some dogs may not improve from injury, others may regain some function but still have symptoms, and others return to a function where, if you did not know them, you would not realise they ever had an issue. The timeline of improvement is hard to suggest as every dog is different. This blog is to give some hope and further information into the process of rehabilitation to those with neurological/paralysed dogs.

Challenges of Being a Stray

When Lilly was taken to the vets, she was a stray. They checked her microchip, but there were no registered details (Please check your details are registered to your dog’s chip and that they are up to date!). It had been 10 days, and no one had come forward for her from her description. This limited her options. She could not be sent to a referral centre for an opinion on surgery as there was no one to pay for this, and she could not be insured for it as it was now an existing condition. She could have been put to sleep. However, as we offered her a home, we went for the option of managing her conservatively with my input as a Physiotherapist. We were aware she may not improve but were happy to have her and get her wheels if needed.

Conservative Management: A New Home for Lilly

In the first two weeks, we were lucky enough to have access to a radiofrequency Indiba machine. Lilly had four sessions of this before she decided she did not tolerate it anymore. This is an option for treatment but not essential.

Physiotherapy Interventions: Lilly’s Rehab Plan

• Radiofrequency Therapy
  She had red light laser therapy regularly, massage, and sensory stimulation daily to get signals to her limbs. Intermittently, we used kinesiology tape on her hindlimbs to help with her proprioceptive feedback. We also completed a tailored home exercise programme targeting her symptoms.

• Tailored Home Exercises
  We initially started with posture correction, basic movement patterns, then moved onto regaining walking patterns. Her exercises progressed in difficulty as her function and mobility progressed.

Early Progress: First Steps to Independence

With Lilly, we first noticed improvements within the first week. Her mood improved within the first few days as she was quite depressed when we got her. She started to get some movement in her hindlimbs within the first week and then took her first step at day 10. It took her a few more days to take multiple steps/walk a short distance.

We worked out that due to Lilly being a Jack Russell Terrier, she had a high drive, and shaking a fluffy toy on the floor got her excited. This gave her muscles the tone they needed to get moving more independently. It is important to note here that being guided by a Physiotherapy professional is very important to prevent further injury.

Adapting Tools for Mobility

• Using Prams, Harnesses, and Paw Protection
  We introduced a pram and rear harness to Lilly on day two. This meant we could take her to the park with our other dog and allow her to have some more mental stimulation without tiring her too much. The rear harness provided her with support to allow her to have some freedom of movement within the park. We always keep an eye on her paws and nails, introducing booties or Pawz to protect them when needed.

• Holiday Adventures with a Neurological Dog
  At week two, we went on holiday and were taking more hike-like walks. We were lucky Lilly is small and light enough to be in a crate-like backpack where she could lie down and come with us.