My dog fell from a moving car. Although there were no fractures, apparently the nerve that makes one of his front legs work is damaged. Our veterinarian told me that we have to give him time to see if he can regain his normal limb function. Is there a way to repair my dog's nerve damage?

Presently, there is no way to repair damaged nerves.

We are not sure which nerves were damaged, but this can be a big problem in dogs that experience a traumatic injury.

The degree of nerve damage and the amount of connective tissue that remains around the nerve will dictate how much the nerve will regenerate, if at all. If the nerve is completely severed, then the chances of it regenerating are poor.

Talk to your veterinarian about physical therapy such as swimming, limb manipulation, and massage to help decrease or slow down the muscle atrophy and tendon shortening, or contracture, which occurs with nerve injury and disuse of the limb.

You need to watch for self-mutilation, where your dog may begin to chew at his injured leg; this may occur weeks to months after injury. Abnormal sensation or lack of sensation causes this behavior. If your dog begins to chew on the injured leg, take him to your veterinarian immediately, as this can lead to complications such as severe infection.

If your dog is not able to move his leg or use it after two to three months, then your veterinarian may talk to you about removing the leg.

Unfortunately, there is no way to repair nerve damage or speed up the regeneration of the damaged nerves at this time. Physical therapy is often helpful, but there is no surgical or medical treatment for dogs to repair damaged nerves yet.

The prognosis for your dog depends on the degree of nerve damage that exists and how many nerves are affected. Give your dog some time as your veterinarian instructed and protect the leg from any trauma or self-mutilation. Keep your veterinarian well informed about your dog's progress and be patient.

05/02/02