Does Benjies problem sound familiar?

Question
I have a 12-year old Spaniel mix with a serious problem. Two days ago he ran into the house and whimpered and rubbed his whole body on the livingroom floor and against the walls. He then proceeded to go to the bathroom and lie under the table which is very unusual since he never really went in there. He seemed to want to lie curled up instead of just on his side as if he was less in pain that way. Since then he's kept to himself and hasn't been out to urinate of defecate. Tonight however he can't use his legs at all. He keeps his eyes closed and when he sits up his head slowly falls back and he seems to be extremely weak. He doesn't whimper though so we have no idea if he's in pain. We tried to give him water and food but to no avail. There seems to be nothing wrong with his breathing nor his eyes. Other than being deaf he has had no other problems in his life whatsoever and has always been a healthy dog. Could it be tick-fever or might he have gotten hurt two days ago to suddenly have him need serious attention? Could a car have maybe hit him or even a person? Unfortunately we can't do anything until tomorrow morning as it's in the middle of the night and the vet is not available. I do hope you have a slight idea as to what's wrong and that it can be treated because he is a beloved animal child. Thank you!

Answer
There are so many causes of things of this nature that it is really impossible to even guess what it could be.
Yes, he could've gotten hit. Yes he could have been bitten by something, but for tick paralysis they need to be covered in ticks- like 20 or more.

Are there snakes he could have been bitten by? I live in California so the only venomous snake we have is the rattlesnake.

he could have even had a stroke, or a cerebral bleed.

There is no telling what this could be. I can't even tell you if he will even make it until tomorrow. Are there no emergency vets around you? Usually if you call your regular vet at night their number will give you an emergency number to call.

I really urge you to get him some care tonight if you can. If not, try to get some water down him, even if it's a quarter of a cup ever half hour. That will keep him from getting dehydrated.

Use a turkey baster with just a little in it and dribble it into the spot where you pull out his cheek. Have someone else hold up his head and then you dribble the water into the little cup it makes. He will feel it and if he can, he will swallow.

That is about all I can help you with. You really need to talk to or see a local vet there.

Good luck and please let me know how he does.