A whole range of back diseases also bring neurological problems at the same time. Common conditions closely associated with neurological problems typically include herniated discs, cauda equina compression syndrome, spondylosis or spinal cord infarction – to name a few. A disease that does not have a neurological cause but results in neurological symptoms is Degenerative Myelopathy.
This is how neurological problems show up in dogs
They often show themselves through very typical signs, such as the classic paw dragging, but also coordination problems. In addition, the musculature becomes weaker and weaker. Affected dogs stumble more often, do not stand really stable anymore, in males the leg lift does not work so well and also everyday movements are avoided. This can include things like walking up and down stairs.
What can be done to promote nerve conduction?
Of course, this makes us helpless as dog owners. But in many cases, there are many ways to restore nerve conduction. This includes exercise training, stimulating massages, passive movement , as well as measures such as stroking out the spaces between the toes. I like to suggest this as a homework exercise to dog owners with dogs with neurological problems because it’s very simple, not really error prone, and extremely effective. All the more I am surprised that so few people still know it. Neurological problems in dogs
Stimulus settings ensure that nerve impulses arrive again
If we want to promote nerve conduction in our dogs, we must use natural stimuli, because in neurological problems, nerve conduction is disturbed. This leads to the fact that the “message” is no longer transmitted to the muscles and toes. As a consequence, dogs lose stability, their muscles deteriorate and movements become increasingly difficult. In the last consequence it can result in paralysis of the dog. Neurological problems in dogs
The good news: as long as there is still a depth sensitivity, we have a good chance to improve the condition significantly (of course, please don’t take this as a “diagnosis” or promise!). So as long as the dog still has “feeling” in his paws – meaning a little bit of the message that the nerves are sending is still arriving in the periphery, we can reinforce this. We can encourage this again by starting to stimulate at the other end, that is, at the toes, signaling to the brain that there is something there. This is how we encourage referral and connection.
Here’s how to stroke out the spaces between your toes:
You don’t have to be afraid – it works quite simply. If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know that I especially like things that are simple and have a big impact. This exercise is definitely one of them!
To do this, you simply go into the spaces between the toes of the hind paws with your fingers several times a day and gently massage and stroke them out. In addition, you can also lightly “tug” at the hairs in the spaces between the toes and the webbed feet – only gently, of course. This stimulates and promotes nerve conduction very effectively. If your dog is ticklish, make sure you don’t touch the toes too “gently”.
“Constant drop wears the stone” neurological problems in dogs
Of course, you won’t experience a miracle after stroking out the spaces between your toes once. But if you continuously stroke and massage the spaces between the dog’s paws, preferably several times a day, you will achieve – especially in combination with other measures – a significant improvement.
All the love, your Tina
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