Neurological Dog Disorder
I am looking for anyone’s advice on a hard decision that I am going to have to make. This morning when I woke up, I noticed that my dog kept loosing his balance on his left side. He would fall over for no reason, was unable to make it down the stairs, his general behavior was unusual for him, and his appetite seemed to be lessened. I rushed him to the vet, because I was concerned that he had a stroke during the night. The Vet advised me that it was not a stroke; the Vet said he is suffering from a Neurological Dog Disorder. The vet indicated that there isn’t much that he can do, and that I need to take some time to consider the quality of life for my dog (which is a polite way of saying that I need to consider putting him down). The Vet indicated that he might show brief periods of improvement, however overall he will more then likely become depressed over time, and may show greater loss of mobility of a longer period.
My dog will be 15 years old this May. I have had him for a little less then half my life. I also have a three-year-old little girl who loves this dog probably more then I do.
Does anyone know anything about Neurological Dog Disorders and can you suggest what the right thing to do is?
My dog will be 15 years old this May. I have had him for a little less then half my life. I also have a three-year-old little girl who loves this dog probably more then I do.
Does anyone know anything about Neurological Dog Disorders and can you suggest what the right thing to do is?
Comments
my last dog had epilepsy his whole life. one day he had such a bad seizure that he was seizing for hours every 5 minutes or so. he suffered a stroke and went blind as well. the vet couldn't stop the seizures and i really didn't want him to suffer. they could have kept him over night and worked on him, but we ended up putting him down. it was really upsetting because he was doing just fine right up until that horrible seizure.
personally, i just can't stand to watch animals suffer. if the vet is suggesting you put him down then it's probably for the best - they love animals and they'll usually suggest many ways of keeping them alive if it's a viable option. my vet is so nice and she was so upset about suggesting to put my dog down, but it was probably the right thing to do. your dog had a good 15 years and that's pretty long for a dog.
My daughter was around 6-7, and the three of us cried all the way to, and from, the vet clinic. I am tearing up now, just thinking about her. It was the right thing to do, though, and I have no regrets about not allowing her condition to worsen beyond what it had.
In the end, you will have to decide what is best for your friend, and make your decision based on that. Good luck.
Tough decision. I think you know the answer as much as your friend does.
Sorry, Greg. Not what you wanted to hear.
See bolded . . .
I am truly sorry, but now it's up to you to get him through this, with the same loyalty and love he has shown you. I feel awful just typing this, but I believe it to be true . . . :-[
All the best Greg, it's gonna be a tough, agonizing decision, but he's had a good long life. Spoil him rotten (steak and ice cream!) as long as you can, spend every possible second at his side and then of course be there when it's his time.
JohnnieH
IF IT SHOULD BE
If it should be that I grow weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.
You will be sad, I understand.
Don't let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day, more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.
We've had so many happy years.
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
The time has come -- please let me go.
Take me where my need they'll tend,
And please stay with me till the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.
Please do not grieve -- it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years;
Don't let your heart hold back its tears
goddamnitgregnowyoudoneit
<Rest In Peace, Stormy. You were the BEST FRIEND I ever had>
What type/breed of dog is this?
Hold your dog's head still and look directly at your dog's eyes for several seconds without allowing him to turn his head -- instead of staying still when his head is not moving are they moving back and forth or up and down? If so, he has nystagmus and this can be a sign of Geriatric Vestibular Disease which is self-limiting.
Let me know what you see and we can go from there.
Also, up until the time that he began losing his balance were there any other signs of illness? Loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, increased thirst or urination? Is there a history of any other illnesses? Is he on any medications for other conditions?
This is not necessarily something he needs to be put to sleep over, he may be back to normal shorty depending on what is actually going on with him.
Thanks for the input. This is why i posted this on here, i was hoping that someone would be able to offer me more info so that i could make a better educated decision. I may not be relaying the information right. Vestibular sounds like a word the vet used. Once the vet said time to consider quality of life, a lot of what he said after that was probably not getting processed properly. I believe he refered to his condition as Neurological Vestibular Disorder. I will do the head/eye test tonight when i get home.
There has been no signs of other illness. For the last couple of years he has had Arthritis in his hind legs, so usually he shows weakness in his legs when the arthritis is bothering him, but never a total loss of balance. He is on no medications, and up until this morning when we noticed everything going on, his appetite, thirst, energy levels were all normal.
the symptoms that we noticed this morning were.
- complete loss of balance (falling over) always seemed to be his left side that was giving out.
-head shaking.
-lowered playfullness level. (not his normal energetic self)
-confusion ( when we let him out to pee seemed to be confused, wondered around in circles.
-while trying to poop, kept loosing balance and falling over.
-lowered apettite.
He is a mix of lab/spaniel
We've been using this vet for the past 5 years, but in all fairness i've never had an issue of health with my dog other then the arthritis in his legs. Basically all this vet has been asked to do is regular check ups and needles, so i can't vouch either way for the quality of the vet.
The vestibular system is the system that controls balance. If you have ever had vertigo or labyrinthitis you will know that basically the room will be spinning if you move your head in certain directions. There are basically two components of the vestibular system -- one relating to the inner ear which can be considered the peripheral system (outside of the brain or central nervous system) and one inside the brain itself. Most commonly in an old dog that has not shown any other signs of disease (arthritis is not considered a disease as it relates to these signs) the problem would be outside of the brain and this would generally be called Geriatric (old dog) or Idiopathic (sudden onset with no defined cause) Vestibular Disease (GVD because I don't want to type that out every time).
GVD has a sudden onset. Your dog is completely normal at one point in time and then has imbalance the next second. All of the clinical signs are related to imbalance. He will feel nauseaus and will therefore be inappetent or vomiting. The intensity of signs at onset can vary from mild imbalance to a dog literally rolling over and over to one side when placed on the ground. In general, the intensity of the signs at onset is the worst that they will get. Most cases where the dog can still walk will resolve within a few days to a week. After that time the dog will be back to normal (older dogs may have a slight head tilt that persists afterwards). Treatment involves supportive care -- if your dog is not eating or is vomiting then he should be placed on IV fluids to maintain his hydration while he is recovering. If he is doing well enough to be treated at home then he is usually just placed on anti-nausea medication (antiemetic) such as Cerenia or Gravol. You may have to carry your dog out to go to the bathroom, etc. if you decide to treat at home.
This condition can reoccur.
All of this being said, the only way to differentiate between peripheral (GVD) and central vestibular disease (brain tumour, stroke, etc.) is to have advanced imaging (MRI) done which most people do not pursue because if a dog does not improve with time it is fairly certain there is a more serious intracranial/central disease present.
I'll keep this open while I'm home or you can PM me with any other questions once you have a look at your dog. Do not rush to have him put to sleep based on what you are describing.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the 3rd possible cause is a middle or inner ear infection, but I assume that your vet easily ruled-out an ear infection by examining his ears
There are some bad vets out there and, unfortunately, I see many of their cases having worked emergency/critical care for the past 10 years.
GTA,
Thank you so much for your input. I truly can not thank you enough.
No problem. Of course, I have not seen your dog so your vet may have seen something that I cannot. What I described above is the most common thing that occurs.
I understand, but with your input i won't accidentally rush to the wrong decision.