S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Discussion related to the nervous system (spinal cord, brain, or nerves), or other odd neurological issues as they pertain to canine rehabilitation.
JuliPotter
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Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 5:35 am

S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by JuliPotter »

Penelope is a 1.5-year-old FS Boston Terrier with a history of urinary and fecal incontinence since a young age. Penelope was surrendered to Boston Terrier rescue who took her to a veterinary neurologist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Based on physical exam findings, the neurologist’s ddx was S1-S3 myelopathy, most likely spina bifida. As well, upon review of radiographs, it was noted that the dorsal spinous process of L7 is missing. After discussion with the neurologist, the rescue group decided against doing an MRI.
I adopted Penelope on May 2 and here are my observations and exam findings –
Penelope does not leak urine constantly; she leaks mainly when she gets excited and when she is resting/sleeping. The same is true for bowel control. Penelope has some rear limb weakness and decreased motor control and timing for she easily stumbles, for example, if/when she picks her right rear foot up to scratch herself. I can hear her shuffling and scuffing when she walks, though her nails are not worn unevenly. She does have a short, choppy gait in both the thoracic and pelvic limbs. She appears to have a long back (lumbar spine) and when she sits, she does not tuck her pelvic limbs up under her and she appears to internally rotate at the hips.
Upon examination, I did notice that C1 appears to be more dorsally rotated on the left side, the dorsal and lateral muscles of the neck are tight and seem underdeveloped, no obvious issues noted with side glide of C-spine, there is decreased muscle mass of the right triceps and little muscle development over each scapula. I do feel that she may be hypermobile in both the left and right shoulder/glenohumeral joint.
No reactivity noted along T-spine, ribs or L-spine, she does not seem sensitive with palpation of Iliopsoas muscle on the right or left. I do notice an indentation/space about 1.5 cm in length at the end of the L-spine, as well, there appears to be little muscle mass along the L-spine. I consistently notice that the wing of the right ilium is more cranial and more dorsally rotated, the right and left Sacrotuberous ligament feels quite tense and the left piriformis muscle feels quite tight as well. There is muscle atopy of both the quadriceps and hamstrings on the right pelvic limb. I have not noticed decreased CPs in the pelvic limbs.
Since bringing Penelope home, I have been working on several things, such as introducing her to the other dogs, getting her on a schedule; initially, I had to treat her diarrhea for she was constantly leaking fecal matter. Fortunately, her stools are solid now. I do take her out to potty on a schedule, just like a puppy, and I express her bladder and bowel and reward her with treats when she does potty. Penelope does appear to know that she is urinating for she will look around at her rear when she urinates. I have seen her lick her vulva when she is leaking a bit and she will squat, like she is marking, which I do reward, while on walks. As for the stool, she does seem to know that there is feces present in the rectum but she is not able to hold in the stool or to push it out. The stool will fall out when she is barking or gets excited.
if you don't mind, I would love your feedback on how best to help Penelope; I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, wondering where to start first! I do have access to a laser and I do plan to add laser therapy to her treatment plan, if you agree that this would be beneficial.
My goal is to help Penelope have a good quality of life for as long as possible.
Thank you in advance for your time and your thoughts and suggestions.
Juli Potter, DVM, CCRT

lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

I'm just adding this from the email that Juli sent me as well... -L.

Dear Laurie,
I sent history and exam findings for my newly adopted dog, Penelope to the Forum yesterday.
I have attached several pictures of her as well as her report from the neurologist!
I did not mention on the forum the therapies that I have been doing such as manual therapies of the pelvis/SIJ- caudal and ventral translation on the right side and cranial and dorsal translation on the left side, working on incontinence by stimulating the perianal area and doing motor control and timing as well as tapping and rubbing on her back legs, as well as traction of her lumbar spine....on the forum description, I mentioned that her back looks long, I should have said her lumbar spine is long....don't think I mentioned in my post on the forum that Penelope has upright shoulders as well.
I feel there is so much to work on- in addition to having your input, as well as input from anyone on the forum who chooses to respond, I am trying to determine where to start first and how often to do these exercises!... and then adding to her treatment plan!

I don't expect miracles, but I do know that she will benefit from rehab. I feel very frustrated that the neurologist who saw her didn't even mention rehab!!
Thank you so much, Laurie!
Juli
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lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

Okay... so this is an interesting case! And bless you and your big heart for taking on this girl Juli!

There is so much going on... and it sounds complicated, but really if we break down the components I think we can simplify a path forwards. Yes, it will be trial and error. We have no idea what your girlie will respond to or not, but that's okay.

Let's start with the continence issues:
1. what you are doing sounds good with creating a routine, with expressing the bladder, with rewarding for going potty! All good! If you are not doing so already, I might add the Q-Tip trick - When outside for a potty / poop, insert a Q-tip just barely into the rectum, wiggle it around... this should stimulate anal contractions and hopefully a poop. It might aid in awareness... or maybe it just helps with scheduling. Either way, it's something you could add and 'see' if it helps.

2. Stimulate the lumbar & sacral nerve roots in order to help with bladder / bowel function. You can do this with acupuncture, laser, or even e-stim in the area. Aim for each nerve root or a group of nerve roots.

3. Mobilize the SIJ - Dorsal glides or gapping.

4. You could do the motor control and timing exercise (3 leg stand) with tapping / poking at the perianal region - as I think you said you were. You can also do with using your estim in the region and time the 3leg stand with the estim being on.

5. And because she was put on Metronidazole for her diarrhea in the past, I'd add some probiotics to her food.

Movement issues:
1. You are on the right track with doing anything that works on awareness / coordination. Small challenges and lots of practice.

Manual therapies:
1. Based on the neurologist report and your description above, I would shy away from ventral translations at / around the caudal lumbar spine. Any transverse pressure on the dorsal spinous processes or flexion mobs would be okay. It's just that without a 'roof' over the L7 and who knows whatelse that perhaps the xray didn't pick up... a Dorsoventral glide could pinch nerve roots or spinal cord if the facet joints are not formed as they should. So, that is the only thing I would change up in that aspect.

Proprioception:
1. Give her lots of different surfaces to walk on and experience - grass, sand, pea gravel, squishy surfaces, etc, etc.

2. Backing up exercises

3. Hill work

4. Cavaletti's

5. etc... but try to make it fun and functional. No need to get crazy with balancing tasks or inflatables... just real life scenarios, and practice those.

You don't have a time limit. You don't need to worry about the owner's finances in regards to coming for therapy... so you have the freedom to dabble and try this, or that... see what's working or not, go down various paths. All good.

Keep us posted please Juli!

Cheers,

Laurie
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES

JuliPotter
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Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 5:35 am

Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by JuliPotter »

Laurie, thank you so much! Just having your support means so much!
I do have a couple of questions as well as an update on Penelope, or a few other exam findings!
Laurie, when you mentioned that it would be best to avoid ventral translations, do you mean to avoid doing this on Penelope's SIJ since this is close to the caudal lumbar spine? just in case this manual therapy might pinch the nerve roots or the spinal cord? I do understand why you would suggest avoiding DV glide at L6, L7 and L-S, thank you! Penelope continues to have an SIJ dysfunction with the right wing of the ilium being more cranial and dorsal though when I rechecked her yesterday, the differences between the left and right side do not seem to be quite as dramatic. Is it ok to continue to do a caudal translation on the right SIJ? How do you feel about the thigh thrust technique for her SIJ? You mentioned doing gapping and dorsal glides, so I can do the dorsal glide on the left SIJ and gapping on both sides but avoid the ventral glide on the right SIJ, correct?
as well, I do tend to express Penelope's bladder and colon quite a bit when I take her out, as part of her routine, I am wondering if I may be over doing this? I am concerned that I might be causing some trauma to both the bladder and colon. Her stools are formed now but I do still occasionally see frank blood in the stool and I worry that this may be from trauma! Penelope is taking a Prebiotic called OptaGest as well as a supplement from Honest Kitchen called Herbal digestive supplement, this does contain slippery elm to help protect her gut. I do feed Penelope Honest Kitchen as well as raw frozen. I do feel that the Honest Kitchen does have quite a bit of fiber in it but I was thinking that this may help to keep her stools formed. I have been considering starting her on a Vit B12 supplement for GI health for she is quite thin and I wonder if there may be any GI abnormalities. I have also been wondering if adding a supplement for bladder support might be beneficial?
I have noticed that Penelope has hiccups quite often, which I feel is unusual for an 18 month old dog; though I see this a lot in puppies, I don't tend to see it much in adults and then I read your blog from last week on diaphragm release and also noted that Penelope does have kyphosis along the lumbar spine and she does resist extension of the of the right hip and the left shoulder so I did try to do diaphragm release this week as well, after watching the video! Laurie, how often do you recommend doing this diaphragm release?
I recently watched your video on intestinal massage again and I do plan to try to do this at least once a day to see if this may make it easier for Penelope to evacuate without my help!
As well, I have noticed that Penelope will intermittently scratch at her right ear and the right side of her mouth! I have found that her right masseter muscle is bigger than the left and I did notice that her C1 does seem to be slightly rotated, more dorsal on the left side. I did check her TMJ and her lateral deviations and though she does have an underbite, the deviations do seem to be equal from side to side though I do feel that it is quite easy to do these deviations. My first thought when she started scratching at her ear and side of her muzzle was, oh no, could she have COMS as well? I noticed no obvious changes when I did an otic exam. But Penelope is quite obsessed with the ball and she will often suck and chew on toys for quite some time so I will continue to check her TMJ.
ok, I think that is it for now! I now need to write a treatment plan to help get organized! I need to work on both basic skills and rehab with Penelope! Penelope, I call her P cause I am lazy, is a lot of fun to work with!! :) and she is very sweet!
Thank you, again!!
Sincerely and with much gratitude,
Juli

lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

Hey Juli,

I must admit that I am appalled at how long it has taken me to get back to you on this! My apologies.

Okay... so let's go through each questions!

The ventral translations (DV glides) I was thinking of avoiding for the lumbar spine. You perhaps could use it on the sacrum. Sometimes what works is to brace the high side of the sacrum with the heel of your hand and then thigh thrust through the opposite leg. (i.e. if the Right side of the sacrum is high, you can thigh thrust through the left leg and brace the right side of the sacrum... see what you get. If you can imagine the area, there are lots of combinations!
The rest of your thought processing makes sense. If you can get away without needing to do a cranial glide, that's good. (However, if that is the side of pain and that's what you determine is needed... then you use it.)

As for the bowel and bladder. I don't know that you can do damage. I've not read that. I've really only read issues arising from an over full / over stretched bladder. So I'd continue on with your routine. I like that you have added supplements. Just for discussion purposes, why Vitamin B12? I watched a fascinating talk a few years ago! LOVE IT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74F22bjBmqE

Hold on... going to do a part two in half a second! L
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES

lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

Okay... I'm back.
Just had to book my son's in for their second Covid shots. The local pharmacy just emailed... and you need to grab the time slots when they come up! If it was going to take too long, I risked losing everything I had just typed in!

Okay... back to Miss P.

While a full working knowledge of supplements is beyond my knowledge base, I can't see any reason NOT to try some bladder support supplements.

'Yes!' to the intestinal massage!

I'd say why not try some grade 2 - 3 mobs for C1. See what you get. Here's an outside the box thought... Maybe try lasering the brainstem and along the sides of the neck to 1) stimulate the vagus nerve and 2) see if it changes the scratching (i.e. by way of reducing potential inflammation of the brainstem IF you think COSM could be a possibility. PS I have a little dog that this has been working VERY WELL on!!!

Okay, I think I got all of your questions!

Good luck on this round of treatments to try!

L
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES

JuliPotter
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 5:35 am

Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by JuliPotter »

Laurie, thank you so much!! You are just so wonderful! ❤
as for Vit B12/cobalamin, we typically use this in patients with inflammatory bowel disease....when doing a GI panel, we test for cobalamin deficiency to diagnose IBD, so I was just thinking along those lines when thinking Vit B 12 might be helpful for Penelope to help with GI absorption, and the B vitamins are water soluble so if the body doesn't need them, one can easily get rid of them.
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/c ... eficiency/
I am looking forward to checking out the youtube video you sent! Thank you!
and as an update, I don't know if this is just wishful thinking but it seems to me as if Miss P has been asking to go out to potty! over the past 2 weeks, she will come up to me, put her paws on my lap and bark. I will put her on my lap but she wiggles to get down so I say, do you need to go potty and she runs to the door and then sure enough, I express her bladder and there is urine!! This is such an amazing journey! and we have only just begun!!
I have noticed that Miss P does slip quite a bit in the house; this worries me...she is a crazy girl, running around and jumping, flying up and down the stairs, I do try to avoid this but she is a very active girl...I do plan to get runners for the floor and I have been thinking that maybe I could get some booties with traction from Therapaw for her back feet! Not only to provide traction for her but to help with proprioception as well.
ok, one more thing.....so I have taught "P" to give me her right paw, her left paw (front) AND....her right foot and her left foot (back) on cue!! this is so cute! I was thinking that this would be a good proprioceptive exercise!
Thank you again, Laurie! You are THE BEST!
I do hope that you are taking good care of yourself!
Juli

lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

Hey Juli,

I love the new trick ideas! Of course they will help with proprioception and body awareness! Fabulous!

In regards to slipping, do you think that Toe Grips would work? Or is she too slippy? Go back and check out Video Training 193 - Ilaria from Therapaw has a clip in there on how to customize those Pawz boots (the ones that look like balloons) so that their little feet can still 'breath' and not get all hot, moist and yeasty! Yuck! Oh, or Therapaw now has 'sandals' which are rather cute, and again allow the feet to breath if the dog is going to be in them for extended periods of time. Lots to think about!

I will check out your vitamin B link! Thank you!

Cheers,

Laurie
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES

JuliPotter
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 5:35 am

Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by JuliPotter »

Thank you Laurie,
I have watched the video before but I will watch it again and pay more attention to Ilaria's section on the Paws boots, I do have some of these, and I really want to learn more about the sandals from Therapaw that you mentioned! I did not see them on their website so I am going to give them a call this week!

I do plan to send an update on Penelope soon!

Thanks so much!!
All my best to you!
Juli

lehughes
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Re: S1-S3 myelopathy in a 1.5 year old Boston Terrier

Post by lehughes »

I saw them on a Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/TheraPaw/posts ... 0315188166

And I screen shot a picture of them too!
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