FCE overview - Spinal Cord Injury in Dogs. Obi’s Recovery & Physio Tips for Home

A Fibrocartilaginous embolism also known as an FCE can be thought of as a spinal cord stroke. It’s a disorder in which a blood vessel feeding the spinal cord becomes blocked by a piece of cartilage originating from an intervertebral disc. This results in a lack of blood and nutrient flow to the spinal cord, causing immediate paralysis or paresis in one or more of the dogs legs.
Dogs often sustain these injuries when exercising or with mild trauma such as a slip, twist or a fall. While some yelp at the moment of injury, most are non-painful soon thereafter. The onset of neurological signs is very sudden, with most dogs unable to walk as soon as the injury occurs.
Physiotherapy and hydrotherapy are the gold standard treatment for an FCE. In this video, I introduce you to a beautiful dog called Obi and demonstrate the rehab work we did with him at the centre to improve his hind leg use.
I hope you find it helpful!
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[@Recneps]

Hey, Our 5 year old husky is going through the exact same thing right now and we are seeing signs on the same improvement already while she is still on strict bed rest. her left leg is moving almost normally but the right leg seems to be a few days of progress behind. Watching this video has helped me better understand the injury and I just really want to say thank you for making it. Obi and Iggy (our husky) would make great friends!

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, sorry to hear about Iggy! It can be a big shock when our dogs go through these types of conditions. We often see one leg will start to regain movement before the other. Thank you for the support. Good luck in your rehab journey, we wish you and Iggy all the best. And I'm sure Obi and Iggy would make a cute couple ;)

[@Angie_Slay]

Thank you so much for the video

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Our pleasure, thanks for the support

[@janethomas482]

Great effort by Obi, his family and TDWC team to get back Obi's quality of life!

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Thank you for the support, Obi and his owners have been so dedicated through the rehabilitation process

[@Valarie834]

Our sweet baby have these symptoms. Emergency vet said he does have deep root pain.Hoping we can get her into mri tomorrow.

[@headlesschicken99]

Just back from the hospital with my dog. No rehabilitation mentioned - we were sent home with some medication and recommended rest..

[@Kissupun]

Same here but no progress 😢

[@Kissupun]

I think physio is must

[@headlesschicken99]

Luckily, he's up on his legs and is doing fine. However, the vet's approach "let's see if he gets worse, then you can come back" doesn't sit well with us..

[@headlesschicken99]

@@Kissupun How old is yours? Scan can tell if it's an injury or sth that's progressive. Our dog is just under 2 and as he was better on the morning, the hospital talked us out of the scan as with/without it they wouldn't do surgery. They would only operate if during consultation the pet is paralyzed and that will be immediately after a scan (both of which are likely to wipe his 10k cover).. Our dog's back legs were totally out of action from the afternoon through the night and the emergency vet that monitored him was quite concerned that the drugs can work OR things can really go from bad to worst. He booked us for a scan and potential surgery. But by the time we drive to the specialist hospital, our dog was looking better. So the new consultant rushed us out of her office after 15min (£400?!) with the suggestion to do nothing

[@kalaivanimathialagan]

My fur baby Chini suddenly couldn't walk due to nerve blockage.Sir/mam. Please pray for my fur baby chini for speed recovery🙏🙏🙏

[@donaldo5879]

My little 5 yr old Japanese spitz has just being diagnosed with this he's lost all bowl control & urinal & his 2 back legs have been left paralyzed....that was 2 weeks ago since then we've been doing cage rest in a cot so it's easier to lift him in & out to keep his spine straight & sensory physiotherapy with him taking him out for a very few short minutes on a double harness every few days to see if he can toilet for himself,but still no passing of urine or bowls ...but he did start walking with his left back legs but dragging & knuckling his right that was yesterday but today his both back legs were dragging 😞,is this normal on route to recovery to go backwards sometimes? As he was using the left leg really well yesterday , any help would be deeply appreciated x

[@xxTaroKid]

What happens if my dog has an exaggerated withdrawal reflex ?

[@user-yd2vx4hu1i]

My dog has the same issue but, he has zero senses in his legs and tail and he could not even pee with his control, please help me with this

[@paskalvdklooster9005]

Hi, Is it possible for cats aswell? I have a kitten who have the same issue. It started when he was almost 6 weeks ago. My vat told me there are 2 options: wait for maybe some recovery or let him sleep the rest of his life.... but i didnt give him up. Now he is 10 weeks, he can kind of walk again. He treid to run but he falls... he can eat drink and use the toilet again. It was a hard time for him, and for me as owner. Clean him everyday feed him, and the most hard thing see him strugling... I am from the netherland and i cant find anything about this dutch. Is therr any option to mail you for some information or tips?

[@sacralbutterfly]

Hello! This video is extremely helpful, and I am in the process of having my dog diagnosed. I believe he may have this issue but we still need to have the MRI conducted. Can you all tag the harness Obi has in this video? I am currently using a support sling but it only supports my dog's hind legs. I would appreciate any recommendations for a sturdier sling/harness. Thank you!

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, sorry to hear about your dog. Obi's harness is called a 'help-em-up' helpemup.com Good luck and we wish your doggy a speedy recovery

[@sacralbutterfly]

@@thedogwellnesscentre thank you all SO MUCH! I appreciate your well-wishes and so does my Hugo

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

[@user-fh4qg2bv7v]

Can you help us.we r from india.i have a Labrador with same situation

[@ivadelasse7738]

Hello, how old is Obi?. I have a 16 year old dog who had a spinal stroke on the 4 legs. He has regained a lot of mobility on his front legs, but the back ones are more difficult. He is a little fighter, he tries to get up and some times does, but then falls down. The stroke happened this last Thursday around 2am. He has had a scan and other tests. I am still torn about his recovery, specially because he is 16, but I see his will and that is what keeps me going.

[@Raquel-cq2jf]

this has happened to my 10 year old pom what have you been doing to aid in recovery? we’re going to attempt at home electroshock therapy for her muscles, looked up some rehab exercises, and walks with a sling/wheelchair roller

[@ivadelasse7738]

By the way, he has recovered fully ☀️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. After 4 days and 2 days of IV fluids, he started walking again.

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, sorry about the slow reply. great to hear your dog has fully recovered!! It can be a scary process, so very happy to hear your dog is doing well

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi Raquel, The rehab for an FCE can differ dog to dog. We see great results with a mixture of passive movements, at home physio exercises and hydrotherapy. These should be done by the guidance of a physiotherapist or vet

[@TxtorTuts]

Sir plz tell me how can I get that support belt for my dog. And actually in my case lower spinal bone is little bit dislocated from its location doctors are recommending no surgery available. So I want to know if these method can work. Plz tell even if it has chances of working only 1% i will give my best for him. And plz tell me the way or link of that belt for purchase

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, sorry to hear about your dog. The harness in this video is the 'help em up' harness. helpemup.com Sorry, we cannot giving individual advice without assessing your dog. Have a chat to you vet to see if physio/hydro is suitable for them. Thank you

[@payalroybarman9351]

I need help regarding my puppy.. is online consultation available?? Plz guide .

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, sorry for the slow reply. We currently do not do online consultations

[@pampadilla123]

did Obi had surgery before he took therapy?

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, with this particular case surgery was not appropriate as per the vets assessment

[@homeofsahiwal]

Mine puppy has same problem ...but he is not feeling any sense in legs and tail ... Can he recover ... He has facture in L 3

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Sorry to hear about your dog. We have had dogs recover from fractures but it is case by case and every dog is different in this instance. You will have to work in with your vet and a canine physio to help him regain movement and strength to his hind

[@homeofsahiwal]

@@thedogwellnesscentre sir any hospital available in India ...where stem cell therapy available ...it's really hard to find ... Can I get contect details ...it will help 😔

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

@@homeofsahiwal We are in Australia and do not work with stem cells. Sorry

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

@@homeofsahiwal We are based in Australia. I’m sorry we don’t have any contacts in India. We hope you find good help soon ☘️

[@manasanamaa3612]

Hello mam my puppy is 2months 20 days old..he was suffering with paralysis ..he is on medication now..but I didn't notice any improvement..at first he had pain when I touch the hind legs but now he don't feel any pain while touching it.. what we have to do mam

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, it is best to go back to the vet and follow their advice. There are many reasons paralysis can occur and different treatment is needed for each thanks

[@kaurdeepsandhu4348]

Hii mam please tell how can i recover my dog at home

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, the treatment will depend on the dogs injuries and condition. It would be best to talk to a vet and canine physiotherapist for an assessment

[@spiritcu]

Did he get back his ability to pee and poop? Awesome story!

[@thedogwellnesscentre]

Hi there, Obi has gained the ability to hold onto his bowl movements. although every now and then has a little accident if not taken outside quick enough