My dog was hit by a car

[Machiavelly94]

Hello!
My dog was hit by a car and he was found by a neighbour last Friday . He isn't able to move his back feet but he can move his tail. He eats, poop, everything except moving his legs. Since Saturday I give him 0.2mg of dexamethasone every day. I'm in med school and I don't know the anatomy of the dog and how he response to drugs and what I can do more for him. What can I do more? Will he be able to move his legs again? Thank you!

[critters]

Dex is a steroid, and I'd certainly keep up with that. Some people recommend a stomach protector with steroids, although my monsters have never had a big problem with stomach upset with them. Can he pee by himself? Many can't at such an early stage. If he starts feeling pins and needles or other paresthesias as his spinal cord recovers, meds like gabapentin can help a lot, and be watchful of this. Some critters have done damage biting themselves because of paresthesias. Urinary meds are also possible if necessary. In my experience, some are better for spastic bladders, and others are better for hypotonic ones. For now, keeping him peeing and clean are important, and be sure to turn him if he can't do it himself to help prevent skin breakdown. Dragging himself around is also likely to damage his skin unless it is protected. Nobody can say whether he'll walk again, but critters usually do well regardless. They seldom worry about what they can't do and simply find a way to do it! A cart (wheelchair) is possible if he doesn't regain the ability to walk well.

[critters]

PS--Yes, I used the big medical words since you're in med school. If anybody needs a translation, ask.

[Machiavelly94]

He can pee and his pee is normal. He moves a lot in the yard on the grass and he keeps acting like he doesn't have anything except the unmoving legs. If I see he starts biting himself I will give him the gabapentin. Unfortunately I can't keep him from moving. He has 9 years and he grew up walking free in the village with the mountain and forest at 200m near the house. I have tried to keep him in the yard but I didn't succeed even with his broken legs and putting him in the leash for the first time at this age he will very probably hang himself. Thank you very much for the help!

[FYI]

dexamethasone.pdf

(126.94 KiB) Downloaded 65 times

[CarolC]

I agree about something to protect his stomach while on steriods. Famotidine (Pepcid AC) is one option.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/I ... _used.html

Crate rest for spinal cord injury is perferred treatment. It allows swelling to go down in the injured area, and prevents making the injury worse. It helps function return quicker.

Perhaps a small fence to keep him in? When dragging around freely, the friction of grass and dirt will create an open sore on his hip or leg. This can attract flies that lay eggs in the wound. They grow into maggots, burrowing inside the flesh. It is called fly strike or myiasis. You may not notice it immediately, and it can be fatal.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8702

If you do not have flies where you live, the sore can still develop a bacterial infection. Sores from dragging are very common. But the main reason for crating is to help the spine heal as well and as quickly as possible.

[Machiavelly94]

The yard has a 1.7m fence and he still manage to get out I will try to lock him in the shed (4square meters) when I'm not home and hope he will get used with it. Thank you very much!

[Machiavelly94]

I forgot to ask... How many days I'm allowed to do the dexamethasone?

[CarolC]

I'm sorry...I doubt if anyone here will know the answer either. You'd need to check with a veterinarian. There are some veterinarians registered on the forum here, but as far as I know they are not currently active, so no one who is currently active is qualified to answer. I am not a vet, but as far as I know steroids cannot be stopped outright, they have to be tapered off gradually over a period of time. The tapering schedule is something else a vet would know.