Guest guest Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Hello everyone. I have a puzzling case. Gagnian is an 8mth old Jack Russel who jumped from the 1st floor balcony of the owner's appartment and fractured a thorasic vertibra. As his owner abandoned him, the Stray community paid for his operation which went really good according to the surgeon. The dog was then taken for hospitality to a kennel and was presented to me yesterday with the following clinical signs: - Swollen knees, - Extended hind limbs - knees bent BACKWARDS - inability to flex knee joint - Inability to stand for more than a few seconds - Tail movement - Muscle atrophy in both hind limbs I have started UWTML, physio roll, massage, LASER etc.. In my mind, due to this dog's ortho issues on top of his neuro deficiences, there is no ability for him to bear weight on the knees and form a functional walking pattern. I will suggest a cart and adoption for him. Has anyone had a similar case out there? Am I missing something? Thanks, Natalia Kontogeorgou, DVM, CCRP My Pet Care 31 Hroon Polytexneiou str. Chalandri 15231 Athens, Greece www.mypetcare.gr info@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 Can you send pictures or radiographs? I think I have an idea of exactly what you are talking about but pictures would be greatly appreciated. , VMD, CCRP candidate Veterinary Orthopedic Sports Medicine Group ________________________________________ From: VetRehab [VetRehab ] On Behalf Of [cnkonto@...] Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 6:54 AM To: VetRehab Subject: Puppy Gagnian Hello everyone. I have a puzzling case. Gagnian is an 8mth old Jack Russel who jumped from the 1st floor balcony of the owner's appartment and fractured a thorasic vertibra. As his owner abandoned him, the Stray community paid for his operation which went really good according to the surgeon. The dog was then taken for hospitality to a kennel and was presented to me yesterday with the following clinical signs: - Swollen knees, - Extended hind limbs - knees bent BACKWARDS - inability to flex knee joint - Inability to stand for more than a few seconds - Tail movement - Muscle atrophy in both hind limbs I have started UWTML, physio roll, massage, LASER etc.. In my mind, due to this dog's ortho issues on top of his neuro deficiences, there is no ability for him to bear weight on the knees and form a functional walking pattern. I will suggest a cart and adoption for him. Has anyone had a similar case out there? Am I missing something? Thanks, Natalia Kontogeorgou, DVM, CCRP My Pet Care 31 Hroon Polytexneiou str. Chalandri 15231 Athens, Greece www.mypetcare.gr info@...<mailto:info%40mypetcare.gr> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 I agree with Rick entirely on that one. This little kid is a T3-L3 with what looks to be subsequent contracture of the hindlimbs. I'm guessing when you palpate him you will have patella alta. How do the muscle bellies actually feel? I currently have a lab like this who was treated for neospora as a puppy. That little guy is about 9 months old now but uses his hindlimbs as stilts. We are fitting him for little orthotics to provide a weight bearing surface and prevent crossing over. The only other question I have is how is this little guys hip range of motion. , VMD, CCRP candidate Veterinary Orthopedic Sports Medicine Group ________________________________________ From: VetRehab [VetRehab ] On Behalf Of Rick Wall, DVM [drwall@...] Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 12:23 PM To: VetRehab Subject: Re: Puppy Gagnian , Your description and pictures suggest a spinal cord injury w/ T3-L3 neuroanatomical localization, that would probably coincide w/ the traumatic thoracic vertebrae fracture. Upper motor presentation. Any trouble urinating? Rick Wall, DVM Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Diplomate, American Academy of Pain Management Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist Center for Veterinary Pain Management and Rehabilitation The Woodlands, TX www.vetrehabcenter.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Hello All, Interesting case. I think this sentence from Jeanine is a very key sentence: " When you say " inability to flex stifles " , do you mean actively, or do you mean with attempted passive range of motion, like a contracture, or do you mean lack of active flexion and increased tone at rear legs? " If the dog appears to have hypertonia and hyperextension due to purely UMN disease then with sedation or anesthesia you should passively be able to flex the stifles, maybe not normally if he does have muscle contraction, but more than in the awake dog. If you cannot passively flex with sedation or anesthesia, I would be worried about mechanical limitation due to trauma to growth plates of either the distal femur or proximal tibia or both resulting in growth deformity. Another important piece of information for me would be at what age did the injury occur and how much potential was there left in the distal femoral and proximal tibial growth plates? History and Radiographs of the knees and hocks would be a great help in ruling that out. As to my first sentence, I would love to hear from any neurologist on this list to explain better whether I am correct or not. Additionally, I have always found that with hypertonia from UMN disease, I could typically get a withdrawal refl ex with stifle flexion as a component if there was no mechanical component. Is there anyone's opinion on this? Mark B. Parchman, DVM, DACVS, CVA, CCRT Bend Veterinary Specialists Bend, Oregon Puppy Gagnian > To: VetRehab > Received: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 11:54 AM > > > > > Hello everyone. I have a puzzling case. Gagnian is an 8mth old Jack > Russel who jumped from the 1st floor balcony of the owner's > appartment and fractured a thorasic vertibra. As his owner > abandoned him, the Stray community paid for his operation which > went really good according to the surgeon. The dog was then taken > for hospitality to a kennel and was presented to me yesterday with > the following clinical signs: > > - Swollen knees, > - Extended hind limbs - knees bent BACKWARDS > - inability to flex knee joint > - Inability to stand for more than a few seconds > - Tail movement > - Muscle atrophy in both hind limbs > > I have started UWTML, physio roll, massage, LASER etc.. In my mind, > due to this dog's ortho issues on top of his neuro deficiences, > there is no ability for him to bear weight on the knees and form a > functional walking pattern. I will suggest a cart and adoption for > him. Has anyone had a similar case out there? Am I missing > something? > > Thanks, > Natalia Kontogeorgou, > DVM, CCRP > > My Pet Care > 31 Hroon Polytexneiou str. > Chalandri 15231 > Athens, Greece > www.mypetcare.gr > info@... > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Hello to all, thanks for all your great ideas and questions. I had to dig a little to find out what really happened to this dog. Here is the complete story: Gagnian now and 8mth old puppy at age 4 mths jumped from the 2nd floor and landed on the ground. The vet that originally saw him thought that he had broken his legs so he casted them for 4 weeks!!! After removal of the casts Gagnian was left with his broken back untreated and two quad contracted legs. His owner abandoned him and the Stray society adopted and paid for his decompression surgery. 3 mths later he is brought to me for rehab. There is no deep pain perception, there is tail movement. There is movement of his legs, mostly involuntary movements. The urethral sphincter is spastic, I have to releave his bladder 4 times a day. His hind legs DO NOT BEND (left bends up to 40o and the right 26o). As a consequence the legs remain extended. I have done a lot of work with him to achieve some bending of the knees, by strapping them separately with therabands and making him stand. All this work is gone since when he sits, is placed in the cart or is just lying down, sine his legs jerk involuntarily and his knees remain locked. Any ideas on how to deal with this? > > > > > > > > Subject: Puppy Gagnian > > To: VetRehab > > Received: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 11:54 AM > > > > > > > > > > Hello everyone. I have a puzzling case. Gagnian is an 8mth old Jack > > Russel who jumped from the 1st floor balcony of the owner's > > appartment and fractured a thorasic vertibra. As his owner > > abandoned him, the Stray community paid for his operation which > > went really good according to the surgeon. The dog was then taken > > for hospitality to a kennel and was presented to me yesterday with > > the following clinical signs: > > > > - Swollen knees, > > - Extended hind limbs - knees bent BACKWARDS > > - inability to flex knee joint > > - Inability to stand for more than a few seconds > > - Tail movement > > - Muscle atrophy in both hind limbs > > > > I have started UWTML, physio roll, massage, LASER etc.. In my mind, > > due to this dog's ortho issues on top of his neuro deficiences, > > there is no ability for him to bear weight on the knees and form a > > functional walking pattern. I will suggest a cart and adoption for > > him. Has anyone had a similar case out there? Am I missing > > something? > > > > Thanks, > > Natalia Kontogeorgou, > > DVM, CCRP > > > > My Pet Care > > 31 Hroon Polytexneiou str. > > Chalandri 15231 > > Athens, Greece > > www.mypetcare.gr > > info@... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Posted some videos on youtube so that you can get an idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Gagnian sleeping. You have to see this....he is sleeping, yet you still see the tail and legs firing away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.