Species: Dog Breed: Yorkshire terrier Age: More than 15 ye
This past Monday she had an episode where she went limp and wasn't responsive to her name or my touch. It looked like she was conscious, just not really with it. It lasted about an hour, then she got up and acted totally normal. Then Wednesday it happened again and lasted about an hour. Yesterday she started having tremors (i'm not sure that is the right word). It looks like an electrical shock starting in her neck and moving through her body. Sometimes it knocks her off her feet. She is eating and drinking normally. She isn't vomiting and doesn't have diarrhea. She has arthritis in her back hips and left rear knee. She is acting normal except for this shaking. I have been taking her on her daily walks and she is full of energy, wanting to play, walk etc.
We give her glucosamine and Proin.
We started Comfortis 2 months ago.
We took her to the vet on Wednesday. He did blood work. Her glycemic level is normal as is her kidney and liver. My vet says he doesn't know what it could be. Maybe neurological?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Dr. Marie replied:
Hi Jeri...it sounds like you and Chloe are going through some scary times. Sorry to hear that you are having these problems!
This is a tough one for me to comment on without examining Chloe, but I can give you my thoughts.
What you are describing does sound like it could be some type of a seizure. While some seizures can be caused by organ disease (i.e. kidney or liver) if the bloodwork is normal then this is not likely to be the problem. Unfortunately when we see an older animal start to have seizures we really worry aobut something like a tumor in the brain. This is really hard to diagnose without an MRI which is very expensive and not available in every area.
We can sometimes see seizure-like symptoms in dogs with heart disease. However, most dogs with heart disease will have obvious symptoms on their physical exam such as a heart murmur or an irregular rhythm.
It does sound like your vet is doing all of the same things that I would. If the episodes continue they may discuss putting her on an anti-seizure medication such as phenobarbitol or potassium bromide.
I hope she does ok.
Dr. Marie.
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Customer reply:
About a month ago our vet did find an irregular heartbeat, but didn't hear it during this visit so I didn't mention it. Hmmm... I wonder if that could be it. Is there anything I can give her until I can get her back to the vet on Monday?
Customer reply:
About a month ago our vet did find an irregular heartbeat, but didn't hear it during this visit so I didn't mention it. Hmmm... I wonder if that could be it. Is there anything I can give her until I can get her back to the vet on Monday?
Dr. Marie replied:
Interesting...sometimes heart irregularities can come and go so it may be something that wasn't discernable on the recent visit. If this were my case I may be suggesting some heart xrays or even an ultrasound which is better at diagnosing heart problems but is also more expensive.
Unfortunately there really isn't anything that I can suggest giving other than to keep her as quiet as possible until her next visit.
Hope that helps!
Dr. Marie.
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Veterinarian, Dr. Marie created this site to be able to provide quick, accurate veterinary advice online. She would love to help with your pet's problem!
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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