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Radial Nerve Paralysis in Dogs and Cats

Radial Nerve Paralysis in Dogs and Cats

Radial Nerve Paralysis

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Updated on September 26, 2024
Radial nerve paralysis is one of the most common nerve injuries in dogs and cats. Dogs or cats with radial nerve paralysis are unable to use their front leg normally and appear lame when they walk, often dragging the front paw on the ground.
Summary
Severity is mild to moderate to severe
  • Diagnosis Icon
    Requires a diagnosis by a veterinarian
  • Time to Cure
    May resolve within several weeks to months is mild cases, in severe cases function may never return
  • Treatment Icon
    May be treatable by a veterinarian orby the pet parent
  • Prevention Icon
    Avoid or prevent trauma to the radial nerve is the only known prevention
  • Spread Icon
    Transmission is not possible between animals or from animals to people
  • Lab Icon
    Diagnosis requires a physical examination and electrodiagnostic tests
VERY COMMON IN
Affects dogs and cats of all ages and breeds. More common in pets that live outdoors, are involved with a major trauma such as a vehicle accident, surgical correction of a fracture, a fall, being picked up or dangling by front legs, and in rare occasions could be caused by a tumor compressing the nerve.

Symptoms & Signs

Dogs and cats with radial nerve paralysis lose the ability to control their triceps muscle and the muscles that extend the front leg; for this reason, they won't be able to extend the elbow and lower limb. The leg will remain flexed or bent. The result is a limb that can't be placed to stand or bear weight on. The upper side of the paw often drags on the ground. Additionally, sensation to the upper-outside of the foreleg and the upper side of the paw will be decreased or absent.

Diagnosis

Radial nerve paralysis is diagnosed by history and physical examination including a comprehensive neurologic examination of the affected limb. Electrodiagnostic tests are also helpful with diagnosis. There are three levels of injury associated with nerves depending on how much of the nerve is damaged. The level of injury will help determine the prognosis. 1. **Neuropraxia**: Temporary loss of nerve functions without anatomical injury. Injuries of this nature can often return to normal. This would be like bending a wire. 2. **Axonotmesis**: Rupture of some nerve fibers within an intact protective covering. This would be like the strands of a wire breaking inside the intact coating. This type of injury happens most commonly by pinching, crushing, or prolonged pressure. The prognosis with this type of injury is guarded. It may take several weeks or months for function to return. Nerve fibers grow at a rate of 1 mm/day. If the distance between the ruptured ends is not too great and the sheath is intact providing a path for the nerve fibers to grow, then there is a chance that the nerve will re-grow and return the limb to some level of function. 3. **Neurotmesis**: Complete severance of the nerve, nerve fibers, and protective covering. This would be like cutting the wire in two. Prognosis for recovering use of the leg is grave. Any return of function is highly unlikely. The extent of injury can be determined during a veterinary examination of the affected limb. If the animal can still detect deep pain in the limb, usually demonstrated by pinching the toe and the animal retracting the limb in response to the pinch, then there is a chance that the limb function may return as this demonstrates that there are some nerve fibers still intact. If no deep pain is detected, this usually means the nerve has been completely severed. In this case, the chance of the limb returning to a functional state is very slim.

Causation

The radial nerve is the largest nerve in the front leg and is responsible for extending the elbow, wrist and toes. Additionally, this nerve provides sensation to the upper-outside surface of the front leg and upper surface of the paw. The radial nerve originates under the upper front leg from a bundle of nerves called the brachial plexus. The nerves that form the brachial plexus originate from the spinal cord in the neck region. The radial nerve travels from the brachial plexus down the underside of the upper front leg. It then crosses over the outside of the upper front leg just above the elbow. From this point, the radial nerve dives deep and branches into the muscles of the lower front leg. The radial nerve ends in the paw.

When the radial nerve is injured, paralysis of the front leg can occur. The severity of symptoms depends on the amount of damage to the radial nerve and where along the limb this nerve was injured. Trauma to the animal's leg above the elbow, where the nerve is close to the surface, is a common cause of paralysis. Additional causes of radial nerve paralysis include excessive stretching of the brachial plexus (most commonly from having the limb pulled away from the body), damage during a surgery such as a fracture repair of the leg or by a tumor on or around the brachial plexus.

Treatments

icon AT-HOME CARE
It is very important to protect the affected limb during the recovery period. With the dog or cat unable to control his front leg, there is a chance that he may injure the lower limb and especially the paw by dragging it on the ground. Confining the pet to a small restful space and or the use of a special boot, socks, or bandages may be used to prevent injury to their paws.
icon SUPPORTIVE CARE
When muscles lose their nerve connections they begin to atrophy (decrease in size), usually within five days of the injury. Physical therapy including heat, massaging, and stretching the affected leg is helpful to maintain blood flow and keep the muscles, tendons, and joints in good physical shape as the nerve regenerates. Acupuncture and laser therapy may also aid in recovery.
icon MEDICATIONS
Anti-inflammatories and analgesic medications are often prescribed to relieve inflammation and pain.
icon MEDICAL PROCEDURES
Electrodiagnostic testing
icon DEVICES
Boots, bandages, wraps to protect the affected limb.
icon SURGERY
Amputation may be necessary if the leg does not regain function and/or the animal experiences uncontrolled paresthesia. When the injured nerves begin to re-grow, the animal may experience abnormal sensations from the affected limb. This condition is called paresthesia. The abnormal sensations may lead to self-mutilation of the limb. In this case, amputation of the limb may become necessary if the behavior cannot be controlled.
icon SPECIALISTS
A general practitioner typically manages and treats cases of radial nerve paralysis. A specialist in neurology may be necessary for more complicated cases and a board-certified veterinary surgeon may be consulted for cases where amputation is indicated.

Cost Of Treatment

Cost of veterinary care varies widely for a number of reasons but may range from $300 to $3000 depending on the severity of the condition and type of treatment recommended. Amputation surgery will increase costs significantly.

Recovery

Nerve injuries are very mysterious. It can be very difficult to predict if function will ever return after injury. Therefore, it is very important to determine the extent of the injury early on. If the sheath surrounding the nerve fibers is still intact, then there is a chance that the limb function will return. In these cases, time and good nursing care are the best options.

Monitoring

The animal will need to be monitored closely during the recovery period. It is imperative to protect the animal and affected limb to prevent additional injury. Confinement and or protective equipment for the affected limb may be recommended by your veterinarian particularly if you have other animals or children at home that put your pet at higher risk for accidental injury. Periodic recheck appointments will be necessary to monitor the progression of the recovery.

Prevention

The centerpiece of prevention is avoiding any injury to the limb or radial nerve.

Questions about Radial Nerve Paralysis

My puppy had parvo virus. If I bring a fully vaccinated dog here, can it infect the new dog? Is there still a risk?

If they new dog is a year old and you are completely sure that that it is 100 percent vaccinated there is a very minimal risk that it will be infected. However, that being said, vaccines are never 100 percent effective so there is always a 0.09 percent chance that the new dog could get the virus. But you should be safe bringing the new dog home. I would make sure that the home environment has been cleaned as thoroughly as possible (this means with bleach to all surfaces) and make sure that the outdoor surfaces have been cleaned as well. Parvo can live in the environment for an annoyingly long time (up to 6 months) so it wouldn't hurt to apply a safe mixture of bleach product to your yard as well. This is probably going completely overboard, but you know how scary parvo can be!

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I have a cat that as a kitten was very ill. We got him from 7 months old. We knew he’d had cat flu prior to him coming here. He is now nearly 5 yrs old. He picks huge fights with our other cat. He keeps urinating and scratching at doors and windows around the house. We allow him to go out via the cat flap unlimited. What is happening to him

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

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Hi! My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He’s taking insulin and taking antibiotics for a Uti. It’s been 4 weeks and he wobles when he’s walking. He can’t jump up on the bed like he used to.He’s blood sugar is 250 it’s better than it used to. I don’t understand why he’s so wobbly.

Cats can develop what's called diabetic neuropathy, where their hindlegs become progressively weak. The best thing to do is try to get his diabetes under control as quickly as possible. Here is a link describing the conditon: http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Neuropathy.htm

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My senior cat has metastized cancer.17 yrs old. My vet gave her predizone1 and one half tabs a day.i wanted to know if i can just stop the meds.

Is there a reason you want to stop the prednisone? I would recommend not stopping it and if you feel it is better to stop the prednisone then I would recommend weaning off of the prednisone. I would discuss how to wean the prednisone with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.

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My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

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My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

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Disclaimer

The information contained on this page is for educational purposes only. This medication should only be given under the advice of a veterinarian who has examined your pet under the laws applicable to your state of residence.