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FCE - Dog stroke in spine



KahlĂșa is our 15 year old dog that we adopted from the Humane Society when she was four. She joined our family and has been with us for eleven years so far. This morning we found her laying on the carpet in the dining room and was unable to get up and go outside. After letting her rest for a few hours, I gave her some bread to eat and she got up. She was wobbly so I scooped her up and took her outside to go to the bathroom. She managed to remain standing for a few minutes, but was back down quickly. Her back legs did not want to support her even though she was trying to walk. By this point, she had begin to cry so I called the vet and they said to bring her in for an evaluation.

My kids and I tearfully wrapped her up in a blanket and drove to the vet. It seemed as if we were sitting in the waiting room forever. The vet told me that her heart, eye function, and lungs were great - also taking into consideration her age of 15! The problem seemed to be FCE - firocartilanginous embolism: which is most easily described as a stroke within the spinal column. While this is an unusual condition, it is more common in large breed dogs. (For more detailed info, see excerpt below.)

So now we are playing a waiting game. We brought her home and she was prescribed steroids to reduce swelling in the spine and increase her mobility. She has a 50/50 chance of regaining her mobility. While I know this illness in my dog is not as serious as other situations in the world, she does matter to me. So please pray for her recovery and our wisdom in the next few days.
Thanks,
Lamont and her crew



Spinal cord fibrocartilaginous embolization is caused by a small fragment of intervertebral disc material entering the spinal cord’s vascular system via the tissues attached to the intervertebral disc (see illustration below). Embolization is the sudden blocking of an artery by a clot of foreign material (an embolus). The tiny fragment of intervertebral disc material (embolus) results in varying degrees of damage depending on the portion of the cord supplied by the embolized blood vessel. Thus, the clinical signs are variable.

Fibrocartilaginous embolization of the spinal cord is the functional equivalent of a stroke to the spinal cord rather than to the brain. The events are acute, nonprogressive, and occur without any prior signs or warnings. Because emboli can occur in any portion of the cord, clinical signs can involve the rear limbs, all four limbs, one side of the body, or only one limb. The syndrome is not painful but can result in paralysis. After the initial spinal cord shock subsides, one side of the body frequently remains worse or is slower to show improvement.

In general, if deep pain perception is intact to the paralyzed limb(s), recovery will begin in two to three weeks with most clinical function restored by four months. In most cases, once the diagnosis and degree of clinical damage is ascertained, an accurate prognosis can be made.


Information from Southern California Vet. Referral Group

Comments

Tara Lamont said…
We are sad to inform you that our dog Kaluah passed away Thurday evening. Thank you for your prayers and support during this time.
Anonymous said…
Im sorry for your loss, our pup Abby which is a sheltie, who turns 4 on dec 17, has been diagnosed with the same condition. We love her just as if she was our own kid, just as you probably loved yours. She is still in the hospital for observation as we speak.
Ravenslove said…
My Babygirl Lupina was running and playing on Wednesday and laying down on Thursday. Friday she was diagnosed with FCE. I don't think she is going to make it.

I am sorry to hear about your girl. It's so hard.
Tara Lamont said…
Thank you for your kind words - it seems impossible that it has been almost a year since Kaluah passed. I will be thinking of you and your pup Lupina during this difficult time.
Anonymous said…
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. My dog had a stroke this morning. Every time she is laid on the ground she tries to turn herself upside down and her eyes roll back. Shes currently resting in the vets but we've been given a 50/50 chance of survival. I feel your pain.
Ron said…
My dog, Ukke, is an 11 year old lab mix who was fine until 2 days ago when he developed paresis in all 4 limbs. He is being worked up now at UC Davis, but FCE stroke is the most likely diagnosis.

It is so painful to watch this happen to him. I hope he knows I love him and won't abandon him.
TriciaR said…
I am very sorry for your loss. My dads 6 yr old Boxer, Junebug, had a FCE 4 days ago. Her back left leg is weak and her back right leg is completely paralyzed. She is doing well. I get to watch her for the weekend because has to leave town. They have her on progesterone and a stomach pill. She is determined to stand and we have to remind her constantly that she must stay lying down or sitting. I really hope she pulls through but at this point the vet says we wont know for a few weeks.
Please keep us in your prayers. And I will keep all you others with sick furbabies in mine. I am sure Kahlua is running in the sun through the green fields of doggy heaven waiting for you.
Jerry and Peggy said…
Our "Big White" Golden retriever who weighs 95 lbs. had an FCE one month ago tomorrow. He was perfectly fine one day and then the next day we woke finding him in a heap on the floor unable to move. His right eye had even sunken far back in the socket. We took him to our vet who referred us to s speciality hospital. He stayed in the hospital for 5 nights and became very depressed. He picked up after we brought him home and loaded him with company and TLC. His left front and back legs seem to be working well but he will not put weight on them or even attempt to walk. His right front is almost non responsive. He goes to water therapy 3 times a week and to our vets for physical therapy three times a week. We also work with him at home. We never knew about this horrible stroke called an FCE. We designed a sling for him and its working out great for transportation. He manages to wait to go potty till we take him ouside and lay him on the grass. His spirit is amazing now. We hope he will eventually walk. Our prayers are with all of you who are going through this nasty ordeal with your "buddies"j. J@P in San Diego North County.
Anonymous said…
Just a quick few words of encourgement if it helps any.My dog max has had this happen to him twice now and though not fully recovered is leading a very active and happy life.The first time this happened poor max lost all feeling and use of anything from the waist down,the vet couldnt identify what the problem was and just prescribed steroids and cage rest.I built a box with a hole in the front so he could watch what was going on and had to 'express' his bladder a few times a day...this certainly looked very odd to the neighbours as I had to take him to the front lawn to do this...after a month he showed some movement in his tail and legs and had recovered some bladder controll provided I held his back end up with a towel slung under him....I took a few months and short walks..getting longer each time..up and down the drive..along the road a bit etc untill he was able to go for quite long walks...he was fine for about 18 months then it happened again...This time I gave him cage rest and thought maybe if I got him a dog wheelchair this might help rather than leaving him on his own when I took the other dog out...best thing I did was to get the chair..it took him a while to get used to it and build up his front legs but after a while his back legs showed a little movement which steadely got greater with time.After a while I took his back legs out of the stirrups so they would touch the ground and as he got better bit by bit lowered the chair so he could put weight on his legs...it was a slow process but he hasnt needed the chair for nearly two years now and though he cant walk as well as other dogs he is happy following on form miles on end and sniffing stuff as he goes....the chair can lead to some funnys too as he could get up quite a turn of speed in it but not turn corners very well so i was constantly haveing to pick him up off his back with his legs flaying in the air and the wheels still spinning..didnt seem to bother him as he was always straight off again ...swimming was the other problem as the tyres would float in deep water and again he would have to be rescued.
If you much loved dog is suffering from this condition all I can say is give them lots of love and be pateient ....I hope this may help or at least give someone hope when they think there isnt any...oh by the way,I got the chair from ebay so didnt have to pay too much
Unknown said…
Hello my precious sparky 11 years suffered the same thing on November 8 at 9.20 pm took to vet on November 9 2014 my son carried him in could not stand I decided to put him down to end his suffering to see him crying in pain broke my heart he was so loving and always by my side I miss him so much
Tara Lamont said…
Donna,
So sorry for your loss.
Lamont
Unknown said…
Thank you so much I miss him its been twenty four hours since left this world
Anonymous said…
I came home from work one night and my 10 year old Doberman cannot walk I took him to the emergency clinic and was diagnosed with FCE I brought him home for the weekend hoping you would get better but he couldn't even stand up I had no choice but to put him down it actually broke my heart now I'm wrecked with guilt wondering maybe he might have got better and better shared me there's nothing else I could have done
Anonymous said…
I'm so sorry for your loss of your loyal companion my heart knows exactly what your going through I had to put beloved Sparky down November 6 due to same condition he was 11 a sieberan husky he was fine up until 9.30 pm Nov 5th when he screamed in pain to get up we thought he twisted his front paw we carried him to couch and I stayed with him till am my son come it was the last of all sparkys strength to drag himself to greet him as we prepared for the vet it was sad to see him suffer We stayed until his heart stopped beating crying and softly petting him telling him we loved him I knew nothing about fce my vet said happens suddenly a stroke
Unknown said…
My puppy goldador had his second attack yesterday. He had his first attack last september and he got better after two weeks then there are times when he cannot walk properly but lately he has been jumping and playing actively until yesterday he screamed again and fell down and now he's lying again. I'm worried about him will he still recover? but he can still slightly get up to eat and wag his tail. I can't bring him again to a vet its too expensive. :(
Unknown said…
A lot of vets are not very educated on fce. They do get better some faster than others. We are on day five and Luke is actually walking around now it's a miracle.
Anonymous said…
On December 26, our mixed breed lab was playing in the backyard when she let out a yelp and her hind legs were instantly paralyzed. We rushed her to the vet, they gave her steroids and a CT scan which didn’t show any skeletal damage. The vet said it was likely FCE she was in the hospital for three nights and came home still unable to move her hind legs or tail. We have been doing physical rehab at home taking her legs through the full range of movement three times a day, and massaging her toes a lot, one week after she came home she started to get a little movement in her right leg and her tail, her left leg was still totally limp. Gradually she was able to start moving her left leg somewhat but was still dragging her toes. We see improvement every day as we walk her and take her through rehab, it’s been very hard on us because we love her so much. But each time we see improvement, it makes us smile inside. I can already tell the rehab is paying off and she’s going to be fine! I wish everyone as much luck as we have had. Hang in there people love 💕

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