TangerineDream Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 (edited) No idea what happened tonight...came home about 7.10 drove into garage, opened door, Tango rushed past as usual, round the car, as usual, round the run while I picked up, as usual, out into the backyard carrying a bowl in his mouth off into the dark, as usual..... Can back sortly after, rushed around, rushed out (nothing unusual) and didn't come straight back...nothing unusual.....when he did, he had froth along one side of his mouth and face, no colour in his gums at all or his tongue, was hyperactive and lacked co-ordination...tail still wagging, still hyperactive... Wiped froth from face, checked refill, no colourm no refill that i could see, rang emergency vet (local) and while waiting, Tango's colour started to come back slowly, although he still couldn't get onto the couch. I went and got changed and he was then able to jump on and off the bed and sort of stagger around me in an approximation of what he normally does, kept improving...put him in the car to keep him quiet, turned all the lights on, went and checked the yard with a torch. Found where he had eaten grass and vomited (nothing nasty) twice, no signs that he'd run into anything, no magic mushrooms (1 toadstool hadn't been touched), no signs that he'd leapt off the embankment and fallen....... Finally got hold of vet who said that hard to diagnose over the phone, if a young dog then either a seizure or a snake (8°C?????? outside) and to watch him. By this time I'd done knuckle over tests (although he was knuckling a bit when he moved, he passed the test ok), torch in the eyes (pupils contracting, but slower than usual), he was somewhat unco-ordinated but it was improving, no swellings anywhere, no apparent bites anywhere, whites under the eyes bloodshot. thoughts.... - European wasp (he's foamed before when he's snapped at one) - white tailed spider (but he's not paralysed like Cadence was) - went to jump up onto the embankment and missed and knocked himself badly - snake (although we are now 2 hours down the track and he doesn't seem to have regressed and is not agitated, sleeping under the desk as usual - seizure - no flaming idea........ On the vets advice I've given him 1/3 of his tea which he ate normally, then went hunting for more, hasn't even considered throwing up.... 2.5 hours later, he's demanding I feed him my toast, has full colour back, drool reflex is functioning, isn't unco-ordinated any more, but seems rather tired. One thing I have always noticed since he was a baby is that occasionally he will not pick up one of his back feet quite enough and I'll hear it scrape across the carpet, but I've never seen him do it, just heard it.... any idea / hint / thoughts? for a still worried mother....(please) Edited July 8, 2007 by TangerineDream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 TangerineDream ...... I could be oh so wrong, but this is sounding like seizure activity to me. But please - it might well be something more simple and I'd hate to be the one who has caused undue concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 Erny, I'm hoping that's what it was...and that he never has another one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Poor Tango, and poor you! Hopefully it wont ever happen again, I'm glad he's OK ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I hope Tango is doing ok and sleeping well. That would have been frightening . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 My only two thoughts were poison and seizure. How's Tango today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 He slept well last night after he settled down. Took him to work and then to the vets - he did a full blood screen which picked that only 1 liver enzyme was elevated but not much. Either he's picked something up (but only a small bit) or he's had a seizure and the vet wants him monitored for the next 4 days, so he's in a crate with the guys in dispatch atm......he also has to have a diet with no dry food or procesed food for 4 days to bring his liver back to normal so that if it is a seizure and he does have another we can start to treat it. If you didn't know him as well as I do, you wouldn't have picked that there was anything wrong this morning......even the vet was hard pressed to find any signs of abnormality - but they all adored him, said that he was the best behaved entire male GSP they'd ever met - were astounded when he held his front leg up to have blood taken and they all wanted to take him home They want to see him again...but only because they think he's gorgeous!! ;) The vet is hoping that he'll never have another seizure if that's what it was or that I never have that particular toxin in the yard ever again... so, the upshot of all of this is...we don't know yet but it was one or the other.......and Tango's happy and fine with it all..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 How old is Tango? (Just asking as often the liver enzyme ALP can be elevated due to bone growth or remodelling, and is a reasonably common finding in pups and young dogs.) I have seen a 6mth old dog recently, with a very similar presentation - a bright and alert dog, deathly white mucus membranes, signs of ataxia, had been observed vomiting then collapse in the last half and hour. The rest of her physical examination (including packed cell volume and clotting times) was normal. I treated it as an anaphylactoid reaction (steroids and antihistamines) and she recovered rapidly. The owners had been present with her in the backyard for the 2 hours prior so gross intoxication and snake bite were highly unlikely, but she did have a history of eating various insects. The type of reaction you're describing may well be a sting or bite of some sort (but does not rule out other causes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 Tango's 20 months and he stopped taking up calcium at 17 months. Interesting thought though.....he's stopped growing upwards but is now starting to bulk out. I thought of Polaramine but not right at the beginning...stupid me! Took him for a walk about an hour ago and even I wouldn't have picked that he had experienced what he experienced last night....everything is back to 'normal' again.....he's back asleep in dispatch with the guys (who enjoy his company, even when he's asleep ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Glad to hear he is doing okay today. How scary for you though, I would have been panicking, thats for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 hmm....................... you mentioned insect bites...the froth/foam was only on one side of his face and I know that the same happened with foam when he grabbed one at Christmas..that time I stuck a Polaramine down his throat and thet seemed to stop it...would a Euro wasp sting that he reacted to in an anaphylactic way ie: pale gums, disorientation possibly raise his enzyme level? (clutching at straws here but hate not having a definitive answer....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Glad to hear he is doing ok TD! Cant wait to give him a big cuddle at the next show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazz Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 So glad to hear Tango is ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 (edited) 24 hours later, he's back to his old self, rolling around and launching off the couch, offering you pieces of shadecloth during dinner he's just ploughed through an enormous meal of chicken mince, rice, pasta, oatmeal and vegetables designed to give his liver a rest and get the enzyme levels back to normal, and for mate to ask what smelt so wonderful that was for tea......was last heard wandering off into the night muttering "but dogs aren't vegetarians" :p should be at Euroa if I can hold the weight on him...although he may be a bit 'light on' after 4 days of this...and only 40% of normal food yesterday but he 'has' to come to work for the next few days just to make sure that everything is ok and I **KNOW** he'll hate not being locked away in his run but being forced to socialise, walk at lunchtime, talk to people all day :D AND A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.......I was beside myself with worry and I think I'm only just coming back to earth now, and everyone here has helped me keep my sanity. Thanks guys!!!!! :D Edited May 10, 2007 by TangerineDream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working Dog Lover Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Got any cane toads down your way, tangerine dream? It's a possibility.. Audrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Glad to hear the big fella is feeling much better Hopefully you will be able to figure out what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Got any cane toads down your way, tangerine dream? It's a possibility..Audrey Not down here yet....I hear they're on their way though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TangerineDream Posted May 12, 2007 Author Share Posted May 12, 2007 72 hours on and all's well...... he loves his vegies - which is a good thing because he's on a low fat diet for another couple of days, and has 'hated' having to come to work with me.....everyone at work thinks it would be a good idea if he was under their scrutiny for at least another week something tells me that he won't complain.......he likes it under my desk at work, it's bigger then the one at home. Having coffee and lemon tart down the main street in Woodend this afternoon and Tango was being very good sitting quietly next to me till the cafe owner came out and gave him his own ice cream cone (happened last time I had coffee there too!!!!!) - so today was a 'lower than usual' fat diet day Looking at him you wouldn't think anything had ever happened to him....... ;) Don't think I'll get to the show tomorrow in Euroa......have a retaining wall we need to finish before the rains start....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChEeKy_AnGeL Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Oh TD, just saw this topic - what a worry for you - but glad to hear that he is doing better. Give him a big hug from mum and me and a sloppy lick from Buck his bouncing friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 I'm glad he is okay, how scary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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