Although we do not have Oreo’s original diagnosis, we know that she had surgery in 2019 in an attempt to repair spinal disc damage. Unfortunately, we were told that the surgery was unsuccessful, and when Oreo arrived at Emerald Ark, she was essentially paralyzed: she did not have sensation in her back legs when tested, and was unable to walk or relieve herself on her own. Through the extensive care of Emerald Ark in the fall of 2025, Oreo demonstrated deep pain response, or response to stimulation of her back paws.
The Deep Dive:
Nociception- means ‘feeling’ and is a neurological test done by vets on pets who lack motor function in one or more limbs. The purpose is to tell whether the spinal cord is sending and receiving signals from the nerves in the extremities (paws) to the brain. The test is done by squeezing a toe or part of the tail with forceps. If there is feeling in the extremities, the pet will respond by vocalizing or turning their head to see what’s causing the discomfort. If the pet does this, the deep pain response test is positive; there are signals traveling from the toe or tail to the brain and the brain is able to receive these signals which leads to an “ouch!” response. If you have a dramatic or sassy dog like mine, this might also lead to an, “OMG why!?” response. For more information on this test and how it’s done, check out Southeast Veterinary Neurology.
Unfortunately, for dogs that show a negative response to the nociception test, especially after a traumatic event or undergoing surgery to correct the lack feeling, regaining sensation can be an uphill battle. In fact, according to an article by VVS, dogs who did not regain sensation within 48 hours of its loss were unlikely to ever regain feeling in their extremities. In Oreo’s case, she did not show a deep pain response after her corrective surgery, and so her prognosis for regaining sensation was poor; her vet believed that she would never regain feeling in her back paws. The statistics were not in her favor. However, staff at Emerald Ark have been working tirelessly with Oreo, providing physical therapy and tailored nutrition since late April, 2025, and in the fall of 2025, a visit to a vet to discuss stem cell therapy showed a positive response to the nociception test.
What does this mean for Oreo? Well, that’s a hard question to answer. We think Oreo has a disc degeneration condition, and that it will continue to worsen– this kind of issue doesn’t just get better on its own, like a cold or a flu will if given time. This is one reason why many vets are conservative in their prognosis; most pets get worse over time, not better, even when we do everything right. But Oreo seems to be getting better! Where there was no deep pain response, there is now recognition of signals travelling from toe to brain. She is still unable to walk, but what was impossible six months ago because her paws weren’t communicating with her feet, is now a real hope. With the foundation of feeling in her paws, Oreo has cleared a huge hurdle– most dogs do not recover feeling so long after the initial symptoms. So, with hard work and a lot of luck, we are hopeful that Oreo will regain some of her lost mobility!
