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Post #17 Maltipoo injured badly after short fall
- By The Team
- •
- 19 Aug, 2016
- •
An owner is concerned about her Maltipoo after she suffered awful injuries from a short fall
Question:
My friend had my 3 year old, 4.7 lb Maltipoo on her lap on the first stair of a flight of steps. We were out for a walk and ran into her in my apt complex and Lucy and I know her. Lucy squirmed a little so the friend opened her arms and somehow Lucy twisted and landed on her side and didn't move. I still had her on her harness leash. I knew something was wrong, picked her up carefully and realized she was seizing. She was looking at me with her little pink tongue hanging out as usual but didn't make a sound.
I thought she broke her neck. Limbs were stiff then involuntarily peed on me. I was crying hysterically. This was at 9 p.m. last Tuesday. We rushed to the ER vet about 7 mins away. Gave Mannitol for brain swelling, IV, etc. PETRAYS X-RAY says: Slightly displaced fractures involving the occipital bone and causal aspect of the parietal bone. There are multiple lucent lines within the caudal dorsal aspect of the occipital bone and the caudal aspect of the parietal bone. She received 24/7 care Tues - Thurs night. A CT scan is 2k -2500.. She has Ataxia. Vet said give a week or so of complete rest before CT scan unless she has a seizure. She was perfectly healthy. Today is Monday so it's been 6 days.
I held her harness if she got up because of the wobbliness but today started signs of aggression, biting, if I tried to touch harness. She is house trained and loopily walked to the front door several times. I passed her area so she wouldn't hit her head, so she sat at the door and I let her out and followed carefully. Around the corner comes my neighbor with his 2 larger dogs that Lucy's played with before. She takes off, just a little wobbly but didn't fall (I'm panicking) and plays a little with his 2 dogs and stands with him like she's scared of me...in the house, she jumps at the tiniest noise and seems afraid of me...but will take food and treats from my hand!!
2 issues: I'm happy seeing her make that progress even though she's still wobbly in the house and 2..Could she be mad at me for the fall? She was just coming out of a funk/trauma from a new groomer (I almost sued them because I suspected manhandling and she neck pain my vet said. I was so worried about the groomer, now this. She and I were like peas and carrots... help, I think she has PTSD or something. Sorry this is so long but I can't find anything online as specific. The head injury really worries me the most though.
Thank you, Becky
Answer:
Hi Becky,
We are so sorry to hear about this fall and the aftereffects. What a terrible experience for both of you. Clearly, you were not at fault and did all that you could to keep her safe. When she fell, you reacted correctly.
Though she has some ways to go to fully recover, we can assure you that Lucy is not upset with you. Canines, though very intelligent, would not be able to cognitively link the connections of the actions that occurred leading up to such an event and are not able to place blame in such a way. She especially would not be able to link this injury from the fall to you, since you did not directly harm her.
However, there are several things that may be at play here:
1) When dogs are in pain, it is common to become aggressive and act out-of character. With the fall itself and the resulting injuries, along with any bruising, your Maltipoo may be experiencing enough discomfort that it is affecting her this way.
You'll want the vet to gauge her level of discomfort and to then discuss possible treatment for that pain.
2) In regard to the wobbly gait that your Maltipoo has this may be due to a worsening condition with the brain... Perhaps a side effect from a concussion that is not healing or in rare cases, but possible would be a developing blood clot; though she was cleared via the CAT scan, she should be re-checked for this.
Cleared of that, you say that she was diagnosed with ataxia. This is a loss of muscle coordination that can be due to several causes, but of course in this case, it was head trauma. Ataxia can be a life-long condition. Once ataxia due to a worsening condition is ruled out, we'd suggest speaking with the vet to be referred to a canine rehabilitation service. Similar to physical therapy that us humans can receive, these sorts of specialists work with dogs to help with a variety of disorders, including ataxia.
3) You are correct that she may be experiencing a form of PTSD. This is very common with rescue dogs that endure horrifying situations. This would not explain away the wobbly gait, however. It may explain some of the aggression, but more to the point it would explain the being afraid of those dogs, noises and even sometimes of you. In essence, she is jumpy and nervous since she fell and was injured. She went through a lot, so this is not unexpected.
For this, patience and time are the keys to this resolving. Do not place her in any situations that may trigger her. In time, you can gradually reintroduce her to other dogs and such. So, for now, do please call the vet to discuss the aggression and unsteady gait. Only once those issues are diagnosed can you move on with possible rehab and some time to allow her to forget this incidence.
We are very sorry for what happened and our hearts and prayers are with you and your Maltipoo. Hopefully in time, she will be back to normal. But staying in touch with the vet and working closely with him during this recovery process will be of the utmost importance.
Love, Hugs & Maltipoo Kisses,
The PetMaltipoo Team
My friend had my 3 year old, 4.7 lb Maltipoo on her lap on the first stair of a flight of steps. We were out for a walk and ran into her in my apt complex and Lucy and I know her. Lucy squirmed a little so the friend opened her arms and somehow Lucy twisted and landed on her side and didn't move. I still had her on her harness leash. I knew something was wrong, picked her up carefully and realized she was seizing. She was looking at me with her little pink tongue hanging out as usual but didn't make a sound.
I thought she broke her neck. Limbs were stiff then involuntarily peed on me. I was crying hysterically. This was at 9 p.m. last Tuesday. We rushed to the ER vet about 7 mins away. Gave Mannitol for brain swelling, IV, etc. PETRAYS X-RAY says: Slightly displaced fractures involving the occipital bone and causal aspect of the parietal bone. There are multiple lucent lines within the caudal dorsal aspect of the occipital bone and the caudal aspect of the parietal bone. She received 24/7 care Tues - Thurs night. A CT scan is 2k -2500.. She has Ataxia. Vet said give a week or so of complete rest before CT scan unless she has a seizure. She was perfectly healthy. Today is Monday so it's been 6 days.
I held her harness if she got up because of the wobbliness but today started signs of aggression, biting, if I tried to touch harness. She is house trained and loopily walked to the front door several times. I passed her area so she wouldn't hit her head, so she sat at the door and I let her out and followed carefully. Around the corner comes my neighbor with his 2 larger dogs that Lucy's played with before. She takes off, just a little wobbly but didn't fall (I'm panicking) and plays a little with his 2 dogs and stands with him like she's scared of me...in the house, she jumps at the tiniest noise and seems afraid of me...but will take food and treats from my hand!!
2 issues: I'm happy seeing her make that progress even though she's still wobbly in the house and 2..Could she be mad at me for the fall? She was just coming out of a funk/trauma from a new groomer (I almost sued them because I suspected manhandling and she neck pain my vet said. I was so worried about the groomer, now this. She and I were like peas and carrots... help, I think she has PTSD or something. Sorry this is so long but I can't find anything online as specific. The head injury really worries me the most though.
Thank you, Becky
Answer:
Hi Becky,
We are so sorry to hear about this fall and the aftereffects. What a terrible experience for both of you. Clearly, you were not at fault and did all that you could to keep her safe. When she fell, you reacted correctly.
Though she has some ways to go to fully recover, we can assure you that Lucy is not upset with you. Canines, though very intelligent, would not be able to cognitively link the connections of the actions that occurred leading up to such an event and are not able to place blame in such a way. She especially would not be able to link this injury from the fall to you, since you did not directly harm her.
However, there are several things that may be at play here:
1) When dogs are in pain, it is common to become aggressive and act out-of character. With the fall itself and the resulting injuries, along with any bruising, your Maltipoo may be experiencing enough discomfort that it is affecting her this way.
You'll want the vet to gauge her level of discomfort and to then discuss possible treatment for that pain.
2) In regard to the wobbly gait that your Maltipoo has this may be due to a worsening condition with the brain... Perhaps a side effect from a concussion that is not healing or in rare cases, but possible would be a developing blood clot; though she was cleared via the CAT scan, she should be re-checked for this.
Cleared of that, you say that she was diagnosed with ataxia. This is a loss of muscle coordination that can be due to several causes, but of course in this case, it was head trauma. Ataxia can be a life-long condition. Once ataxia due to a worsening condition is ruled out, we'd suggest speaking with the vet to be referred to a canine rehabilitation service. Similar to physical therapy that us humans can receive, these sorts of specialists work with dogs to help with a variety of disorders, including ataxia.
3) You are correct that she may be experiencing a form of PTSD. This is very common with rescue dogs that endure horrifying situations. This would not explain away the wobbly gait, however. It may explain some of the aggression, but more to the point it would explain the being afraid of those dogs, noises and even sometimes of you. In essence, she is jumpy and nervous since she fell and was injured. She went through a lot, so this is not unexpected.
For this, patience and time are the keys to this resolving. Do not place her in any situations that may trigger her. In time, you can gradually reintroduce her to other dogs and such. So, for now, do please call the vet to discuss the aggression and unsteady gait. Only once those issues are diagnosed can you move on with possible rehab and some time to allow her to forget this incidence.
We are very sorry for what happened and our hearts and prayers are with you and your Maltipoo. Hopefully in time, she will be back to normal. But staying in touch with the vet and working closely with him during this recovery process will be of the utmost importance.
Love, Hugs & Maltipoo Kisses,
The PetMaltipoo Team
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