What is Vertigo In Dogs And In Cats and What Are The Signs
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Duke Allen 15 years old June 2015 |
This story happened about a year ago. I had it on another site and now I have brought his story here. Everyone should at least know what this insidious disease or condition is and learn the warning signs.
I thought that my dog was having a stroke. He was fine in the early hours when my husband takes him for a walk to do his business at 4:30 in the morning. By 6:30 in the morning he was trying to get up and had trouble getting up and staying up. His left eye was twitching and his pupil was going back and forth.
I thought that my dog was having a stroke. He was fine in the early hours when my husband takes him for a walk to do his business at 4:30 in the morning. By 6:30 in the morning he was trying to get up and had trouble getting up and staying up. His left eye was twitching and his pupil was going back and forth.
I got him to go
outside because he had to pee. That was odd in itself because after he does his
business at 4:30 in the morning he usually sleeps about 4 hours after that.
Another thing that was odd was that he could not get out of the bedroom. Now, I
heard him hitting the wall and did not pay any mind to it because he usually
does that in his sleep when he is dreaming.
He has some arthritis in his back and I also
just thought that he was stiff that morning. I also thought that rubbing and
massaging the area would help him move a bit better. It did not do anything. So
he went out and pee’d. It took me about 20 minutes for me to get him in the
house. We have a ramp that goes from the driveway to the porch and it was hard
fro me to guide him to the ramp. I did manage to get him on the ramp but then
he fell over and fell of the other side of the ramp and landed up against the
half barrel that the rose bush is planted in. I could not figure out how I was
going to get him back on the ramp at that point. I thought for sure that we
were going to lose him.
Finally I got him in the house and called the
Veterinarian and ask them what the signs of a stroke are and explained to them
what Duke was doing or going through. They told me to bring him in as soon as
possible. So I called my husband at work and had to tell them that it was an
emergency and that my husband had to come home right away because of Duke. So
he came home and we took Duke to the Veterinarian. When we got there they did
some blood work and examined Duke and came out and told us that he did not have
a stroke. They told us that he had Vertigo or Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. It
happens more so in cats than in dogs. Idiopathic means that they know not what
it is from or what causes it. It is also the same as in humans. It is not transferable
from humans to cats and dogs nor is it vice versa.
There is a resemblance to a stroke but that is
a vascular problem and is very rare in dogs and cats. That is completely
different than anything dealing with the Vestibular. Vestibular pertains to the
part of the inner ear that controls balance.
Difference Between A Stroke And Vertigo
STROKE
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VERTIGO
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Unable to move certain muscles
such as head or facial
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Stumbling
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Loss of eye movement on opposite
side of brain that it has occurred
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Motion Sickness
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Looks as if they are drunk when
walking
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Eyes are moving back and forth or
up and down or even round and round rapidly
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Seizures
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Going in circles
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crossed eyes
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Tilting of the head to one side
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Twisting of head backwards or
upwards
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Difficulty controlling head and
facial muscles
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Tremors
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Dizziness and Vomiting
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body is rigid
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If paw is bent backwards the
animal will right it back.
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When paw is bend backwards it will
not straighten itself forward
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Irreversible damage
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Sudden onset that lasts between 24
to 72 hours.
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Death within a couple of weeks
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**This is why it is so
very important to call your Veterinarian and get your pet there as soon as
possible. They symptoms are so close that for owners it is hard to make a self diagnoses.
Some causes of vestibular disease are
Tumor
Middle Ear Infection
Brain Lesion
Idiopathic and or virus.
Treatments
Middle Ear is treated for up to 8 weeks with antibiotics.
Surgery may be required to drain the infection from the tympanic bullae.
Repeatedly cleaning of the ear can also cause such infection of the ear.
Tumor MRI and then surgery.
Idiopathic often just motion sickness (meclizine) medications are given.
You can purchase these in a drug store. Over the counter is the most economical
and the active ingredient is the same found in Bonine. The package says that it
is "less" drowsy. It does not say that it is "non" drowsy.
I got that wrong and yes it does make them sleepy and therefore they will not
eat or drink. Keep your pet in a quiet and dark place and let your dog sleep as
much as they want.
Natural Calming Substances
There are a few
natural calming herbs that you can use for your dog or cat that is going
through this very distressing disease/condition. The are:
Valerian, Camommile,
Hops, Passionflower, Skullcap, for older dogs.
Other drugs that can be used are: Tryptophan,
GABA can be used in overwhelmed dogs.
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Feeding and watering Duke with a Turkey Baster |
Vestibular Disease comes on quickly and it often leaves as quick as it came. Its course runs about a week with marked improvement each day.may take up to a week to heal. Though it took months for Duke to get out of this totally. This disease is the same as the one that humans get with the same causes, treatments,medications and duration. It is often more prevalent in older dogs and cats then in younger ones. In cats there has been an abundance of Idiopathic Vestibular Disease in the North Eastern United States.
Day 2 of Duke's
Vertigo
Well this morning at
4:30 he was not going to move at all. He looked just like he did yesterday. It
took all of the two of us to get him outside and then inside. Though he pee’d
before he got off the ramp and that was what he needed to do. So I laid on the
couch until he woke up, which was about 8:00. I somehow had to get a pill into
him. It was the motion sickness pill. That wasn’t too hard because he could not
move his head very far. I knew when he swallowed it by the smell on his
breath…raspberry. That is a chewable one that tastes like raspberry. That was
done and I felt that I actually accomplished something with him, even if it was
small.
I had a very difficult time getting him
outside. He worked against me all the way. Then he did what I did not want him
to do and that was fall off the deck in the same way that he did the day
before. He landed right down near that deck on the inside. I came back in the
house to take a breather and then went right back out and I did get him out of
there and into the yard. There is where I left him.
Drinking and Eating
Now I have a mountain to climb with him and
that is to get him to drink and eat. I have tricks up my sleeve with that and
thank goodness that I have lots of experience with that one. I have raised many
kinds of animals and know many tricks to get them to drink and eat. So I looked
around my house trying to find something that I could use to get some water in
him and maybe some food as well. I know how to put food in a blender and make
it almost liquid. Well I got my Turkey baster for that. It has a long enough
tube to hold water or liquefied food in it and I am able to put it in the back
of his mouth right in back of his teeth and I can squirt the water or food
right down his throat. I just got some water down there. So that is done.
Tomorrow should be way better than today, but
first let’s get through today.
Day Three
Well he drank some
water all by himself last night and even ventured outside to do his business
without falling all over the place.That was last night before we went to bed.
Today he wanted to go
outside as soon as I came out of the bedroom, which was a very good sign. He
even went outside without hurting himself or me pulling him out there. I was
pleasantly surprised that he even got off the ramp without rolling over or
losing his balance. Now he is sleeping in his most favorite spot in the whole
world...under the deck. He still did not eat his kibble though. That is not
surprising as he doesn't always eat that. I already gave him his motion
sickness pill this morning and he is a bit drowsy with that. I will get him
back him later today and then try to see if he will eat canned food right from
the can. I hope that he does.
So far so good!
Update on Duke 9
months later
It took six months for
Duke to get over his Vertigo and to begin to eat anything. We did end up making
him people food, which was NOT table scraps as most people think of it. Table
Scraps ARE bad for any pet and those cause some undesirable conditions for the
pet. Often people associate anything that is called "people food"
with something that is bad.
I made his some
Chicken and Rice and added vegetables to it and it was his soup kind of thing.
Then he didn't like things all mixed together and so I gave him his chicken a
rice in his bowl and the vegetables on another plate. I come to find out that
he just loves Rice! Silly dog. He never used to like it but now he wants some
of the rice, that I make for us, too.
He still has his bouts
with the arthritis and kicking out his leg once in a while and we have some
pain killers for that from the Vet. Those are now considered a "controlled
substance", but the good ole' FDA. Oh well, Duke doesn't get those that
often anyway.
Dogs and Cats do get
over this. It is very scary and horrible to watch and experience. It just takes lots of time and
lots of patience and lots of love...and figuring out what they will eat because
it will be different than what they liked before.
I get most of Dukes Meds and other stuff at
1800PetsMeds.
The next update on Duke is on my post http://allmyanimaltales.blogspot.com/2015/06/news-from-allens-pets-june-14-2015.html
To learn more about Duke Read DUKE'S STORY
To learn more about Duke Read DUKE'S STORY
© Debra K. Allen a.k.a
Lady Guinevere
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