Day 9: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

Today has shown more improvement. Sully has regained almost all control in his face and nose, and now only has slight difficulty swallowing dry dog food. His bark is still unusually low and raspy, but I have read that an altered bark can sometimes be a lasting side effect. I am so glad that this pet owner's nightmare is almost over.

Day 8: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

Sully's appetite is steadily increasing, so I have been able to cut back somewhat on the high calorie paste. He is drinking enough now that fluids may only be needed periodically. He has regained the majority of muscle control in the upper part of his face and ears, but no movement in his lips or nose. He is still quite sluggish but overall all in a much better disposition.

Day 7: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

    Sully is showing so much improvement today. He has some blinking function in both eyes, his ears can twitch somewhat, and he barked. His bark is low and raspy, but I was still very excited to hear it. With no increased function of his lips, I will still be giving him fluids. The increase in energy now that he can eat some soft foods is amazing. I can make his normal kibbles soft with the corn syrup mixture I cited in an earlier post, or with a dog food "gravy". I am going to take him for a walk around the park. He deserves it.
Dog Food Gravy

Day 6: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

     SULLY ATE SCRAMBLED EGGS LAST NIGHT! His appetite was spurred by the coaxing of a milk-bone, and finally he ate a few servings of scrambled eggs from my hand. This is a big step forward.
     On our last walk he finally defecated, nearly six full days after the onset of the paralysis. I am giving him more scrambled eggs today, and small amounts of Beneful chewies soaked in water. He is going to the water bowl regularly now, and I am going to reduce his IV fluids to 300 CCs a day, pending him not showing the signs of dehydration.
     While putting eyedrops in his eyes, his upper eyelid began to move. I am really excited about this.
     He seems more at ease, and slept through the afternoon in my bed. I hope things continue to improve.
How to check your dog for dehydration

Day 5: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

     Sully seems somewhat better today. I offer him praise for every small thing he acomplishes, because it is apparent that his mood and will power will have great impact on his ability to make it through this ordeal.
     He has improved his ability to lap water, with slow deliberate licks. I will still have to give him IV fluids twice a day, because he can't get enough down on his own. I put a milkbone treat in front of him, and while he ultimately turned away from it, I saw his nose twitch for a split second when he moved in to sniff it.
     I am now putting eye drops in his eyes every two hours, as they have become irritated from not being able to blink. He lays in one spot most of the time, and no longer seeks to lay in a room I'm in.
     Overall, he seems more affected by depression that physical deterioration. No matter how long it takes, I won't give up on him.
Eye Drops

Day 4: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

Sully seems to feel slightly better. The IV fluids seemed to help out a lot. He is on a diet entirely made up of the high calorie past. I am taking him on slow walks around the block, but he is becoming increasingly weak and dejected. When I came home today from a short errand, he was lying in the corner and wouldn't get up.
     He is not wagging his tail anymore, and stumbles a little when he walks. I am going to give him 300 CCs of fluid through the IV, and 2 1/2 tea spoons of the high calorie paste (He weighs 68 lbs). He still urinates, but has not defecated since the onset of the paralysis. The vet says this should not cause alarm as of yet, due to the extremely limited size of his diet.
     When he does get short periods of sleep, I can see his whiskers twitching occasionally. I take this as a sign that his body is fighting the paralysis. You have to look for small rays of hope.
How to give a dog IV fluids

Day 3: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

Sully has stopped vomiting regularly, but still cannot eat or drink without gagging. His appetite is virtually gone, and he refuses food. The vet has advised mixing PET milk, corn syrup, egg, and water to create a makeshift liquid food. I froze the mixture into very small ice cubes which he can choke down a few at a time. I also purchased a high calorie vitamin supplement paste from Petsmart. I can rub a few drops at a time onto his tongue and hold his mouth closed while he swallows it.
     His lower eyelids droop heavily and he cannot blink, making it hard for him to fall asleep. He tossed anxiously all of last night, and is increasingly wobbly and sluggish while walking today. I have started covering his face with a handkerchief blindfold so that he can rest while lying down.
     Despite licking or swallowing ice cubes, Sully's inability to lap water and constant drooling has dramatically cut down on his ability to take in and retain fluids. I have a roll of paper towels in every room to wipe up his drool. He is showing signs of dehydration. A friend of my mother who was a vet-tech is coming by to show me how to administer IV fluids.
     Even though he feels terrible, Sully still bolts upright whenever someone knocks on the door. But he has lost the ability to bark.
High Calorie Vitamin Paste for dogs

Day 2: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

     Sully gagged and vomited for the entirety of last night. Having not slept, we are both exhausted. Seeing him in so much discomfort was extremely upsetting, and I have begun to consider the possibility of being forced to put him to sleep. I know that he doesn't deserve to suffer like this for several months, and I don't want to be one of those selfish people who refuse to acknowledge when it is time to let a dog go peacefully.
     I think that his vomitting is mostly being caused by the harsh nature of the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications, and considering that the majority of Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Paralysis cases documented online site that the disease is unimpeded by medications, I have decided to stop giving Sully the medication.
    Sully can no longer swallow dry dog food. Upon the recommendation of the vet, I have tried hand feeding him small pieces of boiled chicken breast. For every three pieces he swallows, he gags up two. I know he feels terrible and I am very disheartened.
     He still wags his tail every time I enter the room. 

Day 1: Coonhound Paralysis / Facial Nerve Paralysis

     Sully can no longer keep his lips closed, causing him to produce excess amounts of saliva. He gags on the saliva constantly. He can no longer eat from his food bowl and is experiencing great difficulty lapping water.
     I am trying to comfort him by letting him slowly lick ice cubes, and hand feeding him kibbles of dog food. I have given him the anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic medications offered by the vet, but this has caused him to heave and show signs of nausea.
     The information online states that dogs may see recovery in 4-6 weeks, but in some isolated cases recovery may take 4 months or more. I am trying to prepare myself for that possibility.
Owner who experienced a long battle against Coonhound Paralysis

   

Discovering Coonhound Paralysis / Canine Facial Paralysis

My best friend is a 8 yr old boxer/lab mix named Sullivan. I have had several dogs over the years, but Sully is different. I came to own him when he was almost 2 years old, as his then-owner decided to go on tour with a band. He had no training other than being house broken, but his unbelievable loyalty made "training" him so easy. Within a few weeks he already knew a series of "tricks", would walk beside me without a leash, and could be 'free-fed' (doesn't over eat despite the food bowl always being full). He even got along with my cat.
     Sully has recently been diagnosed with a rare acute idiopathic disease that has resulted in the full paralysis of his facial muscles. Due to the relative lack of information surrounding diseases of this nature in dogs, his condition could be caused by one of two ailments: Coonhound Paralysis Disease or Canine Facial Nerve Paralysis. These diseases cause partial or full paralysis of the face, and in the case of Coonhound Paralysis, two or all of the dog's legs. Occasionally, severe cases will lead to the dog experiencing respiratory failure.
     In Sully's case, paralysis of the face was caused by his killing of a raccoon. This was his second contact with a raccoon, as is often a common precursor to the onset of this type of paralysis. The initial fight with the raccoon left Sully with scratches to the face, and a paw swollen from a raccoon bite. The vet prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, and Sully's immediate injuries showed rapid improvement. Seven days after the initial contact with the raccoon, I noticed Sully drooling somewhat after drinking from his water bowl. It seemed like nothing too unusual at first, but within 4-5 hours his face was completely paralyzed.
     I took him to the vet, who admitted to never having seen this condition and consulted a veterinary book to narrow down to a possible diagnosis. Her book was outdated (2005 version), and she told me that the outlook was bad, that Sully would likely never recover, and it was quite possible that the paralysis would rapidly spread to his legs or even his respiratory system (which would require him being put on a ventilator to survive). In an admitted shot-in-the dark, she prescribed Baytril and Previcox, hoping that the paralysis could be caused by subsurface inflammation affecting the nervous system.
     Needless to say I was heartbroken. I was shocked that a perfectly healthy dog could be taken down in a matter of days by a disease no one has ever heard of. I took Sully home, and got online to search for answers. I found that I was not alone in fighting this horrible disease. And thankfully, the vast majority of owners had successfully seen their dogs through a tedious recovery process.
     I will include links to information on these diseases, and detail my daily struggle to save Sully.
Coonhound Paralysis Info          Facial Nerve Paralysis