A seven-year-old, male castrated, large mixed breed dog was referred to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals for acute, non-progressive paraplegia. On presentation, the patient was non-ambulatory with no voluntary motor in the pelvic limbs, non-painful on spinal palpation, and urinary incontinent with severe urine scald in his inguinal region. The patient's history of physical activity at the onset of signs, neurologic exam findings, and MRI features were consistent with a fibrocmiilaginous embolism or traumatic intervertebral disc extrusion. Though a definitive diagnosis could not be made for the patient's T3-L3 myelopathy, the treatment plan involved physiotherapy and nursing care for management of the primary problems -paraplegia and upper motor neuron bladder. This case study highlights the concepts behind physical therapy in the down dog, giving consideration to neuronal plasticity in spinal cord injury patients and the pathologic changes in musculoskeletal tissues during disuse.