Idiopathic Vestibular Disease or “old dog vestibular disease”

Good news, the vet said he's doing much better.
She said that the tilting and drooling that still remains at one side is much diminished and I shouldn't expect it to completely vanish. I discussed everything I found out here with your help, she agreed that he should keep taking his Th-4 and said that 5% chance of relapse in his removed ear is indeed a possibility but for the moment she didn't think an MRI was due. She will see him a month later for reevaluation.

I know this is possibly not over and I'm keeping in mind the probability that complications may have been momentarily alleviated to pop back in at any time, yet for the moment he's still a happy, playfull pup with voracious appetite that enjoys life.

Thanks for walking with me through this Keit, you made it a much smoother trek! :hug:
 
Good to hear, Eva. I guess, hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and take what comes. I'm hoping for the best for you two, as well. Thanks for the update.
 
My dog Sara was fine yesterday, long walk, healthy appetite and then she threw up last night and this morning was having trouble walking. I took her to my vet early this afternoon. He said it's either vestibular disease, inner ear infection or tumour. She's on anti-nausea medication and am starting her on antibiotics tonight. He took some blood and I will get the results back tomorrow.

She's only 10 and almost died 2 years ago from immune mediated thrombocytopenia. Each day with her is a gift.

She has the eye movement which would indicate either vestibular disease or tumour. The cost of an MRI is $3,000 where I live, which I do not have, so we are taking the wait and see approach. Best scenario, there is an inner ear infection. One thing that concerns me is the mention in the literature in this thread that tumours can cause pain when opening the mouth. She sometimes has some-I don't know what to call it, like rapid jaw movements when she opens her mouth or licks her chops.

I found her in a ditch when she was a year old, pregnant, the day of the Tsunami in Indonesia, almost dead from hypothermia. She had been abused and she showed me how they guy who abused her just dumped her from his pick up truck and left her to die. So she's not had a good start in life. Also being a cocker/cairn terrier mix, she seems to have inherited the worst of both worlds (except the beautiful silky ears). The thrombocytopenia is apparently common in cockers and a couple of other breeds, and cairns are known for their inability to assimilate nutrients. She's always had digestive issues as well.

My heart goes out to you Eva, and I'm glad I found this thread. The first step is the blood work tomorrow, and then seeing if she recovers in the 10-14 days. If not, it's most likely cancerous.

Thank DCM I have an excellent vet, and am hoping for the best but also doing my best to prepare for the worst.
 
Hi Bluefyre,

Sara is a cute puppy and very lucky she found you. I wish the cause of her symptoms is bening and easy to heal. Hang in there :hug2:
 
Eva said:
Hi Bluefyre,

Sara is a cute puppy and very lucky she found you. I wish the cause of her symptoms is bening and easy to heal. Hang in there :hug2:
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Same here for me. Although Sara did not have a good start in life, as you horribly describe, she ended up with someone to care for her all these years since. :hug:
 
Thank you for all of your kind words. It means so much to me!

She insisted on a wee walk and we just got back. She's still stumbling but her nose is still working overtime. She seems to be maintaining, which is a good sign since the vet said it could get worse before it gets better.

A friend is sending her Reiki energy and I think that is helping immensely.

The vet just called with the lab results after I started my post. The lab work is good except for a small elevation in a liver enzyme, which is common in older dogs. No sign of cancer in the blood work.

I was remembering last night how I found her in the ditch and after I had calmed down enough to bespeak her telepathically and she showed me what had been done, the beatings and being pushed out of the truck with a foot, like yesterday's garbage, I asked her how she knew where to come. She told me the horses told her to come to me and I would take care of her. I lived in the country and found it much easier to hear than in the electronic soup I live in now. I used to talk to the horses who lived in the pasture next to my house. Animals are just amazing. What a barren life it would be without them.
 
My rescued Boxer, went through this in September. It was quite scary and now I am writing a story for a magazine about this condition. Would any be interested in sharing their experiences with Vestibular Old Dog with my readers? Please email me at _xxxx@hotmail.com
 
dasko said:
My rescued Boxer, went through this in September. It was quite scary and now I am writing a story for a magazine about this condition. Would any be interested in sharing their experiences with Vestibular Old Dog with my readers? Please email me at xxxxx@hotmail.com
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Hi Dasko and welcome,

Seeing as this is your first post on the forum, we would appreciate it if you would post a brief intro about yourself in the Newbies section, telling us how you found this forum, how long you've been reading it and/or the SOTT page, whether or not you've read any of Laura's books yet, etc. There are some introductions posted you can reference to get an idea.

For reasons of personal privacy, your personal email will be removed from your post. Welcome again and we look forward to your participation here. :)
 
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