JustAnswer
>
Dog
Ask A Question
|
Register
|
Login
|
Help
Dog
Ask a Dog Question, Get an Answer ASAP!
Have your own Dog question?
5 Vets and Dog Experts are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Dog Question?
Related Dog Topics:
Dog
,
May
,
Low
,
Vet
,
Back
,
Bone
,
Dogs
,
Dose
,
Life
,
Lays
Question
We went to the emergency hops with my 8 month old black lab for the second day in a row. They did blood work up and x rays. They cannot find anything wrong w her. Three days ago she was a healthy happy puppy that ran and played non stop. Now she just walks around and then stands and stares all day she seems to be in pain if I try and lift her up. SHe finally laid down today for about 1 hour and when she did her muscles twitch. like muscle spasms. She won't eat or drink. She urinated on herself at 400 am while she laid on our bedroom floor. They sent her home today with pain killer and they gave her a cortizone injection. We spent 750.00 so far and I am afraid she is dying. She looks so sad and upset. She just stares and stares at nothing and show no reaction except if you come near her she goes the other way. We are are really scared. Could it be a brain tumor? Does blood work show that? This came on SO FAST. This past weekend we had her at the beach and she was happy. ALso No vomit or diarrhea.
Submitted: 37 days and 11 hours ago.
Category: Dog
Value: $20
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More
Optional Information
Pet's Sex: Female
Pet's Age: <1
Already Tried:
We have been to the emergency hospital twice and pain killers and cortizone injection. blood work up and xrays. still no answer
Posted by
Drew
37 days and 10 hours ago.
Info Request
Hi, thanks for your question. Did the cortisone seem to result in any improvement at all?
37 days and 10 hours ago.
Reply
maybe a little. but that might be me just hoping. her behavior is what is sooo strange. the standing and staring. and how she has gone from being hyper and right by my side to so withdrawn.
Posted by
Drew
37 days and 10 hours ago.
Info Request
OK, thanks for your reply. If you stretch her neck upwards to look towards the ceiling, or far to either side so she looks towards her tail, does she react in pain?
37 days and 10 hours ago.
Reply
NO the vet did that. She did not react in pain to the vet but I also feel that she was acting very tough at the hosp. when I had touched her in her neck and she cried. But I was not stretching it back I just touched it. She has muscle spasm too when and if she lays down. She has now been standing for 4 hours straight with out laying down.
Accepted Answer
OK, thanks for your reply. Her symptoms certainly are unusual - and I'm suspicious of some sort of neurologic issue - possibly a steroid-responsive meningitis or encephalitis condition that has been reported in young labradors. The symptoms of this condition can include nonspecific pain, stiffness, hunched posture, and pain upon movement.
I would suggest making an appointment to see a Veterinary Neurologist for further testing and evaluation - I suspect a spinal tap will be needed to collect fluid from around the brain and spinal cord, to get a more conclusive diagnosis. I think this is an unusual situation, but I would advise you to not despair too much at this point, because there are more diagnostic options you can pursue and hopefully arrive at a diagnosis.
Expert:
Drew
Pos. Feedback:
100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:
10/17/2009
Veterinarian
Canine Medicine and Surgery
37 days and 8 hours ago.
Reply
I google search the steroid responsive meningitis and all the symtoms that are described are exactly what she has. poor thing. we plan to take her back to the vet in the morning. But what is treatment like for a dog with this disease? how does it effect their quality of life? I understand it would be different for every dog but i am just wondering what the treatment is like. and is it really expensive.
Accepted Answer
Thankfully, steroids are inexpensive - one of the cheaper types of drugs available. Other types of drugs used for this illness include Cyclosporine, which can be more expensive but carries fewer long term side effects, and Azathoprine, which is a chemotherapy type medicine that can cause suppression of the bone marrow as a side effect. Basically, treatment is focused on suppression of the immune system, and this can result in increased susceptibility to infections.
Remission may occur, which should be evident within a few weeks' time. If so, the dose should be tapered down over the following 6 weeks. Most dogs will need a low dose to remain under control, but each case is different, and there's not enough known about this illness to have a large frame of reference about what to expect in each case.
Expert:
Drew
Pos. Feedback:
100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:
10/17/2009
Veterinarian
Canine Medicine and Surgery
+
Read More
Related Dog Questions
Is it ok to give beer to a puppy?
OK lets try this again. We have a 2 year old female Rat Terr...
we have a 3yr Lab.Twice she has gone into a siesure or a typ...
I have a Chihuahua,2 in Jan., that is with pups and I notice...
I have a long haired Dachshund, his hair is not silky as oth...
I have a male maltese cross cavaliar 4yrs old he has what se...
Our 2 1/2 year old Havanese ate several almonds, possibly 10
i have a small yorkshire terrier, who is now 7 years old. Ab...