Ever have this hound medical prob ?

[Happy Jack]

Fri morning my 5 1/2 yo beagle would hesitate getting off the couch. By noon he was slow going up stairs. At 4 pm I said lets go get the mail ( he usually runs all the way down the drive ) he walked 5 ft onto the deck and laid down. His hind legs started quivering and it moved up to his shoulders. Now I'm concerned. I was going to take him to the vet but since I broke ribs on Wed theres no way I could load him in the truck. The wife got home at 5 and took him. After the x-ray the vet started checking body parts, when he turned the neck one way the dog yelped. The vet said probably inflamed vertibre which is common in hounds. Probably because they always have their nose to the ground. He got pain pills and anti inflamitory drugs. By Sat afternoon he was his old self. Only wish I would heal as fast.

[john warren]

weird.... glad he's ok though

[Selectiveharvest]

The same thing happened to my beagle(5 yr/female, spayed) last spring. It progressed a little slower than you described, but otherwise the same. First moving slow like she was in pain, I figured she'd twisted her back leg somehow. I though time would heal, but over the next few days, she moved slower and slower until she couldn't get up and come to my command. We took her to the vet and they talked about a common disc disease in hounds called Coon Hound Paralysis(inflammed vertabrae in lower back). The vet scared the heII out of me by stating the last beagle that came in for same was sent home on a Saturday w/ anti-inflammatories, and returned fully paralyzied on Monday to be euthanized. Thank the Lord that the 10 day supply of anti-inflams and 30 days of limited activity did the trick. My vet claims this will probably recur, but hopefully will continue to be treatable. Give her/him some good rest and hopefully both our hound will be raring to hunt soon.

[hyperformance1]

Not sure of the vets name. But he is near Grand Rapids that does chiropactics's on Dog's. Had a friend take one of his hounds there and said it really helped.

[Linda G.]

This could be a very chronic problem for your dog, take it easy on him.

He's not cured...the anti-inflammatory is probably prednisone, which is a steroid and commonly prescribed for dogs with spine issues. It does NOT cure the dog, it just makes him feel better. If you push him when he's still injured, he can and will injure himself worse...lay him up and rest him for several weeks. Then start him off easy, but only after he's no longer on the pred...again, it blocks symptoms. I've seen very similar issues in a lot of other dogs, and pushing him too hard, no matter how good he feels, could result in permanent damage.

[Happy Jack]

Thanks for the info. Linda, he's taking Robaxin/Methocarbamol. I will be talking to the vet myself asap. My wife didn't say anything about restrictions but we are both laid up for awhile. Just the thought of him not being able to run bunnys, bummer for both of us.

[SPH]

Coonhound paralysis is suspected to be associated with an overstimulation of a dog's immune system, which may be secondary to contact with a raccoon (and especially raccoon saliva) or another stimulating agent such as a vaccination, a viral respiratory infection, or a viral or bacterial gastrointestinal infection.

CHP is a virus passed on the through the siliva of a raccoon. This is not just for hounds but can happen to any breed who comes in close contact with a raccoon.

[Happy Jack]

I talked to the vet today, he is pretty confident the inflamation was the result of some slight injury. He based this on symptoms and the quick reaction to the meds. He said as long as the dog is doing well there is no reason to limit activity. He doesn't expect any recurrence. Sigh of relief and hope he's right.

[SPH]

I have a friend who's GSP died in February. His symtoms included unstable back legs, loss of balance and loss of energy. His appetite was fine but he just did not want to get up and when he did he was wobbly. The vet told him it was a side effect of surgery and anesthetics from a recent surgery. The dog passed away within 4 weeks of seeing the vet and it was determined by that he died from CHP.

I have a Deutscher Jagd Terrier who contracted the same thing about 3 years ago and I did not know anything about CHP. He ended up pulling through but has not been the same since. If your dog has had any contact with wild animals be sure and keep an eye on him.

Just thought I would pass on the the information because it gets missed by the vets to!!!

[hyperformance1]

There is also a thing going around in some hounds this year called blasto. It's a fungal pneumonia. It runs the hounds down pretty quickly. And meds do not work really help. Then in a few weeks they die. It's a bad deal.

[snowman11]

A good veterinarian will not blindly prescribe a steroid with an unknown diagnosis. Pain alone when dealing with spinal issues is not a diagnosis...lyme disease, rocky mountain fever, lepto, etc...can all present in similar ways, and giving an immunosupressant to a dog that is trying to fight disease is not exactly a great idea.

I went (and am going) through the same thing with my beagle, only in the end, we did prescribe steroids. He has steroid responsive meningitis...a further diagnosis which is nothing more than an empirical diagnosis...the true medical diagnosis is determined by the details surrounding his death.

The fact that your dog responded quickly to the robaxin is, like your vet said, a good indication that it was simply a musculo skeletal issue. Regardless though, I would let your dog take it easy for a while...which it sounds like you are likely doing if you have broken ribs :) Hope you feel better soon!

CHP can affect any dog, regardless of racoon contact. Analysis of cerebral spinal fluid is necessary, in order to diagnose CHP. Treatment is similar to any autoimmune disorder, give em steroids, cross your fingers, nurse and wait. When steroids are used, it's likely the dog won't die of the disease, but instead something that the steroids cause, like Cushings.