Brachial Nerve Paralysis

[charade539]

I just adopted a dog with what I have been told is "brachial nerve paralysis" in her right front leg.  The leg is there, just held against her chest and seems useless.

My question is: Is there any sort of therapy that might help her get some strength back into that leg?  

[charade539]

Actually, the rescue she was at took her to three different vets, and they said she would do better if we didn't amputate the leg.  She uses it a little for balance, and I'm fairly sure there is still feeling in it.  (A nice gentleman gave her leg a gentle massage, which she seemed to enjoy) She doesn't drag it, but holds it against her chest.  She's very aware of her damaged leg, and protects it from getting hit or scraped.  

I plan to ask a local vet about our options, but I wanted to hear from more than one source so I go in educated.

[Ghilly]

In radial nerve paralysis, it depends on where along the nerve the damage is and how severe the damage is when it comes to what the prognosis is.  Since the leg seems useless, my guess would be that there is also damage to the brachial plexus, which is the center of the nerve network.

What you have to be careful of in cases like this is that when there is a lack of sensation, the animal will sometimes mutilate itself, either intentionally or unintentionally, by biting, licking and chewing at the affected paw or limb.  If the paw drags when she walks, it can become abraded and infected, which is made even worse by the fact that she can't feel that any damage is even being done.

She needs to be evaluated by a veterinarian.  Normally, if, by a certain amount of time no improvement is seen, or no sensation has returned, normally the dog is better off with the limb amputated.  They won't miss the leg because they haven't been able to use it anyway, so they have already learned to motor around on three legs, and in fact, most of the time they do REALLY well in cases like these because it's like having a huge burden removed.  She will no longer have this useless leg in the way.  But that is all down the road after the vet examines her and decides what the best route to take will be.

Please keep us up to date with her progress!

Ghilly