It had been nearly two years since my dog became paralyzed when she started to lose her voice. Our vet said there are a variety of health problems that make it hard for a dog to bark and that it was relatively common for paralyzed dogs, like Sophie, to lose their voice.
She said that most of the time, the problem is temporary and due to conditions like strained vocal cords from barking too much or coughing after a respiratory infection.
Then our veterinarian said something left me feeling, very concerned. She said there are two conditions that permanently leave dogs without their voice. These illnesses were Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy. The vet thought Sophie had one of these problems.
How my family handled a voiceless and paralyzed pup
During our first year as caretakers for Sophie, my husband and I learned that life with a paralyzed dog meant there would be constant change in our house. Sophie was suspected to have Degenerative Myelopathy, so we knew that her needs would continually change as the disease progressed.
But having a dog who couldn’t bark or whimper to communicate became our biggest challenge.
You see, Sophie was a good communicator and during the first year we relied on her to let us know what she needed. For instance, Sophie used a short, loud bark to let us know that she wanted to go outside. We would hear her call, put on her harness and help her walk to the lawn.
Our system flew out the window when Sophie stopped being able to “tell” us what she needed.
Each of Sophie’s barks was distinct, and we knew exactly what she wanted. There was a bark to let us know that she needed water and another bark to say she wanted to change positions in her bed. She even told us when it was time to head outside for a walk in her wheelchair.
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The new voiceless voice
As the paralysis moved into her torso the sounds of Sophie’s new voiceless bark came out of her mouth like a baby seal instead of the deep Shepherd bark she always had.
Her new voice was hard to decipher and hard to hear. This meant that we had to keep her close to us, at all times, so we could hear her squeaks. To do this, we placed Sophie on a large, padded crate mat and pulled her 50lb. body around the house.
It meant that every task in the house had to be done twice. First, we had to move Sophie into the room where we were going to work, then get the supplies and finally come back a second time to do the chore. So, if I needed to fold laundry, I would pull Sophie into the bedroom and then make a trip to grab the clothes from the dryer and then return to the bedroom for folding.
The same was true for setting the dinner table, washing dishes, unloading groceries and even vacuuming. I found myself calling to her all day long to let her know I would be right back.
Over time Ken and I got used to doing everything twice and we learned what the squeaks meant. Sophie even taught us a bit of sign language. When you asked if she needed water, she would stick out her tongue and lick her lips to let you know that a drink would be appreciated. Sophie was a very smart dog.
More changes
Although we never got a confirmed diagnosis for Sophie, the fact that her paralysis came on slowly, progressed from her back legs to the front and that she was relatively pain free, made our veterinarian believe she had Degenerative Myelopathy (DM).
Degenerative Myelopathy is a progressive neurologic disease that attacks the spinal cord. The disorder causes the slow breakdown of the white matter in the spine, which leads to loss of coordination, weakness of the limbs and paralysis.
Some dogs with DM experience changes to their voice, that’s due to pressing their chest and diaphragm against the floor. This happens when a dog doesn’t have enough muscle tone to sit upright.
Sophie couldn’t sit up on her own and was often found lying flat on her chest. So, our vet believed this might have contributed to her lost voice. She also continued to believe that Sophie might have Laryngeal Paralysis or Polyneuropathy. It was a confusing time.
Laryngeal Paralysis
Laryngeal paralysis happens when the nerves and muscles that control the voice box stop working the way they should. The problem can strike a dog when there’s a weakness in the larynx or a degenerative disease, perhaps DM, that affects the nerves and muscles.
The vet felt strongly that at least part of Sophie’s voice loss was due to laryngeal paralysis. The condition is common in older dogs and Sophie was probably close to 12-years-old when she stopped barking. It also causes anxiety, which Sophie suffered from after her voice changed. That compounded with the possibility of her having DM, made her a good candidate for the condition.
Treatment for Laryngeal Paralysis
- Anxiety medicine
- Physical therapy
- Light exercise
- Switching from a collar to a harness
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Polyneuropathy
This is a group of diseases that affect multiple nerves in a dog’s body. The symptoms include: weakness, muscle tremors, unsteady gait, seizures, blindness and more.
Dogs develop the disease from sources like: having a weak immune system, diabetes, hypothyroidism, cancer and others. They can even inherit the disease.
Treatment for Polyneuropathy
- Physical therapy
- Steroid medications
