Doggie dust/advice please

[Puppmom]

My pup is not doing so well. He’s a 10.5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback. In the middle of the night, he seemed to lose control of his back legs. He was walking around sort of drunkenly and leaning on things and his back legs kept coming out from under him. He was real wobbly until about 8am and then it seemed just a favoring/slight dragging of his one back leg. I also noticed on this same leg he was tucking his toes under and standing that way which is very unusual.

Long story short the vet thinks he had some sort of brain event and should see a neurologist. The idea currently is that he’ll need an MRI. We actually had an appt scheduled for tomorrow to review an abdominal ultrasound that suggested inflammatory bowel disease. The vet suggested we cancel that for now and focus our energy on this current issue.

Any ideas, advice, dust?

 

[MarionC]

Sending dust. It does sound perhaps like a small stroke. if it were my pup I would make the MRI a priority. Sending more dust! Please let us know what happens next.

 

[Austina]

Sorry, no practical help to offer. I hate it when they get old, sending lots of good wishes that you get answers from the MRI and that they can help your big boy.

 

[whitewave]

Oh, I sure hope it is something odd and passing. We love our dogs so much!

 

[sarahb]

Oh goodness, sending dust to your dear fur baby!! I agree w/ @Jimmianne re MRI, best of luck with everything.

 

[lyra]

I hope it's nothing serious. Murphy had a seizure a few months ago, and the vet didn't even suggest he see a neurologist. He's 8 and small though. They just said to bring him back if he had another one, which he didn't. It was truly terrifying to watch though. Take care.

 

[telephone89]

I would also make sure to test his thyroid. Hypothyroid can cause weakness and paralysis of the hind end.

 

[AGBF]

My Newfie had an inner or middle ear problem that had him walking like a drunken sailor. It took a while to cure with a lot of antibiotics. It could, also, be something like that. I believe his hindquarters were affected. Sending dust and prayers.

Deb

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I can't give you medical advice but can give you advice on how to help him ambulate. Take a large twisted bath towel and place it under his abdomen near his hind legs and grab the edges. This will enable you to help him get up to a standing position and help keep him steady as he walks. Sending you hugs and dust.

Edited to add that I have had two dogs suffer paralysis from diseases of old age. My large dog was kind of the "drunken sailor" while my medium dog had very little function in her back legs. Both dogs lived over 2 years after they suffered paralysis and at first it was difficult but it became routine and not too difficult to adjust to their needs.

 

[pinkjewel]

Sending you lots of dust that it is nothing serious and something that can be treated. My sweet little maltese had been battling IBD for almost 2 years when she started to have similar symptoms. She was diagnosed with GME (granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis) which causes brain lesions. There are different types within this disease- some much more readily treated usually with high doses of steroids or cyclosporin. Both of these drugs are also used to treat IBD. Because of these treatments many dogs recover. Unfortunately Candy did not. Hers was a very fast progressing form of GME and she was already compromised from treatments for IBD. If your dog does end up being diagnosed with IBD I can give you a great group on Facebook to join. It's such a hard disease to manage and being on that group was the only thing that got me through that very stressful time,

 

[Calliecake]

I’m sending your baby lots and lots of dust. I’m sorry @Puppmom.

 

[Bron357]

Sending you healing hugs for both you and your precious boy.
If the prognosis is very poor, sending you bravery and courage.

 

[ecf8503]

Hi - adding my 2 cents here - I'm a veterinarian.

I would definitely take your baby to a neurologist. It could be a small stroke, but it may also be Vestibular Syndrome, a herniated disc in the neck or back, or any number of other things. Some things like herniated discs can be surgical emergencies, so definitely do not wait!

 

[GliderPoss]

I agree with @ecf8503 - take him to the vet without delay. Try to keep him immobile in case it is a spinal disc issue! My dog had the same symptoms and very fortunately with 6 weeks strict crate rest plus anti-inflammatory drugs she has recovered use of her hindquarters. Sending my best wishes

 

[Puppmom]

Thank you all for the dust and kind words! His improvement plateaued and he's still turning the one foot under - I've since learned that's called paw "knuckling". It seems like he just doesn't lift that paw high enough so, when he walks, it tucks under and the top of his paw drags along the ground. He also show signs of pain last night. He would yelp here and there for a few hours. We finally got him comfy on the one forbidden piece of furniture and he didn't move a muscle until this morning.

Pinkjewel, was there any indication that the IBD and GME were related?

Lisa, thank you for the pointers. I'm definitely concerned that his size will make it harder to keep him comfortable and moving. I really hope we get a few more years. He's seriously the best dog ever.

I'm going to call our regular vet today and just see what she thinks. The vet we saw yesterday we had never seen before. I don't doubt his competence. He seemed very thorough and concerned. I just want to talk to someone who knows Hollis. I've been researching (aka "googling") and found some information on degenerative myelopathy - the symptoms sound an awful lot like what's going on. Although I can't tell from what I've read if there's ever sudden onset with improvement - even if temporary. The paw knuckling is also a symptom of arthritis but that also doesn't seem to have sudden onset/improvement.

The neurology consult and possibly MRI are scheduled for Monday. In the meantime, I'll continue staring at my baby all day.

 

[qubitasaurus]

You sound like you really love him. I am sure he can tell this, and that it means a lot. Dogs are uncannily good at picking up on your emotions. I hope you are getting a chance just to spend some time with him, on top of all the sleuthing out what is going wrong and running arround trying to fix it. He is probably scared by all the inexplicable changes, and could use someone to crawl up with.

Lots and lots of dust to help you get to the bottom of this. I really hope he is ok.

 

[pinkjewel]

Glad for the update- I was wondering how he was doing. I don't think it sounds like GME which is hard to diagnose. In fact it can only be confirmed after a dog passes away, although there are certain markers which make it the most likely diagnosis. Candy didn't whimper and seemed generally more out of it by the time she was falling over and couldn't stand on her back legs. Your dog's symptoms seem different. Hopefully your MRI will help figure out what is going on with your baby, and you'll be able to treat it easily. And to answer your question, I've only heard of one other dog that had both GME and IBD, so not really a correlation I've found. What sort of symptoms was your dog having that they suspect IBD?

 

[Puppmom]

Qubitasaurus, thank you...we do really love him. We seriously hit the jackpot getting this goof.

Pinkjewel, IBD is suspected because he's a puker (couple times a week for months at a time) and has had periods of appetite issues and weight loss. Pepcid helped the puking and appetite so we thought maybe reflux but he recently started turning down his food often again (of course he'll still eat the trash and swipe food from the children :roll). Then his routine bloodwork showed some potential kidney abnormalities (high/rising creatnine) so we opted for an abdominal ultrasound. The kidneys looked mildly abnormal but the radiologist who performed the ultrasound noticed his intestines had significant thickening of the walls which made them think it could be IBD. We were supposed to discuss this today but that's been postponed because of this other issue.

 

[Calliecake]

Continued dust heading your way @Puppmom! I’m hoping your baby begins feeling better soon. You’re a good mom.

 

[kgizo]

I’m sorry to hear about your fur baby. It sounds like you are on the right path with the MRI and neurologist appts. If you aren’t already keeping a diary about appetite, energy level, pain, and other symptoms you may want to start so you have some history to share with the neurologist.
One of mine when to a vet neurologist a few years back and the Dr. advised me that neurology is different from most specialties in that a lot of the tests eliminate things rather than point to a definitive diagnosis. The neurologist visits were worthwhile as it helped manage her pain and seizures and I would do it all over again, but we never got a definitive diagnosis. I was glad he told us that upfront as it helped manage our expectations.

 

[Blingalingaling]

I feel for you and hope that your doggie will get better soon. I have two Cock-a-poo's who are both 11. One of them has weakened/painful hind legs that cause him to whimper and cry out now and then. Other times, he can jump and run with no difficulty. When it first started happening, I took him to a vet who specializes in orthopedics and the vet said that he had ALC problems, a hyper-extended knee issue, and would need surgery to replace a tendon under general anesthesia. But within a few days, he seemed back to normal, so we didn't proceed. It's a couple of years since then and once in a while, he drags himself around with his front paws. I panic. And then an hour later, he's walking around again on all fours.
Dust for a fast recovery. I can't stop thinking about your pup. It's so scary when they get older. <3

 

[tyty333]

Sending dust...I hope it is a temporary situation that he can recover/recoup from.

 

[foxinsox]

Dust for you and your pupper. I hope the vets can work it out soon so he’s back to normal or at least as comfortable as possible

 

[Queenie60]

Sending good thoughts your way - wishing your pup well.

 

[junebug17]

Sending lots of healing dust and good wishes to your precious doggie! I hope he is diagnosed quickly and is doing better soon. I love that you allowed him sleep on the off-limits furniture. Sending hugs to you Pupmom, it's so stressful when a furbaby isn't feeling well. Hang in there.

 

[MarionC]

Where there is life there is hope, and I along with others here are waiting to hear the diagnosis and how the issues will be managed. <3

 

[missy]

Sending you and your sweet dog bucketloads of healing dust and good thoughts. And gentle (((hugs))).

 

[kgizo]

Depending on the medical issue causing the lameness cold laser therapy might be an option. I had a dog who I had to carry in and after a short treatment was prancing around. She felt so good it was a challenge to keep her from jumping on the furniture and risk hurting herself again. (@Blingalingaling - hopefully this is an option that can put off surgery for your baby).

http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/caring-for-your-dog/laser-therapy-for-dogs.html

 

[Puppmom]

Thanks again everyone for your good thoughts. Since about midday yesterday, Hollis seems back to his usual, weird self.

We’ll take it one day at a time and see what testing shows. We’re definitely more aware - whether this is serious or not - that our time with him is limited.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thinking of you, Puppmom. Our Newfie Byron, the black one to the right in my avatar, was diagnosed with GME at the age of 6 and lived with it until he was just shy of 11 years. The knuckling was our first sign, but it quickly progressed to paralysis within days. Also, there is pain associated with it as the spinal cord is being attacked and it's painful. GME is one of those diseases that has to be diagnosed by eliminating everything else, so it took some time. It sounds like Hollis is getting slightly better, so that's encouraging. It's not fun when you're in the midst of trying to figure out what is going on. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!