A five-year-old, yellow Lab presented to us on a Friday because he wasn't his normal happy, energetic self. He had vague signs of lethargy and being a bit stumbly. We diagnosed him with Anaplasmosis, a disease caused by a bite from a deer tick. He did like to enjoy an area of tall grass. We prescribed an antibiotic, and I told the owner "he should be a lot better in a couple of days."
The following Monday, I was flabbergasted when Gretchen told me that the Lab couldn't walk. He was completely paralyzed. I prescribed carprofen, subcutaneous fluids, and general nursing care. After a bit of reading, I concluded that he had developed polyradiculopathy, also known as "coon dog paralysis" due to it happening sometimes after a racoon bite. His immune system was attacking his nerves. Thankfully, I was able to assure his owner that he would begin to get better in 5-10 days. His owner continued to provide nursing care for days, carrying his 80-pound dog up three flights of stairs to his flat. He said, "It's what I signed up for."
Eight days later, the Lab was able to take a few steps on his own. Now, a couple of weeks later, he is doing stairs and back to his normal self. His owner deserves an award for being optimistic and hard-working.
This case also highlights the increasing prevalence of Anaplasma and deer ticks in suburbia and the need for vet-recommended tick prevention for most dogs. Simparica is great, and Seresto collars are affordable and over-the-counter (can be found in our lobby). Frontline doesn't cut it. My Labradoodle had been on it before I owned her, and she had Lyme disease from deer ticks. I had to do a couple hundred dollars worth of testing to know that she wouldn't get Lyme kidney failure.
My Labradoodle and my Lab patient are both well and happy today, which is something to be thankful for. I am thankful for the wonders of modern medicine and the large body of literature that helped us know that the handsome Labrador would fully recover. Sometimes nature and medicine is very complex, and the unpredicted, like paralysis, happens. Great recoveries can happen too.
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