Lujen Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hi all, I am have a 6 month old portuguese water dog with some problems and am wondering if anyone has seen anything similar or has any ideas. He has a constant twitch, every 1.5 seconds or so that rocks his whole body, most noticably his front legs and chest area. The severity of these fluctuates, usually worst after eating, and often almost goes away when he is sleeping. This often makes it difficult to sit or stand still, so he is usually walking or laying, and must get very annoying. I think it might also stop him from sleeping properly (maybe). This twitch was first noticed soon after we got him around 8 weeks or so, but has gotten worse. He also has very poor appetite. He has been on a prey model raw diet since birth, but i have tried him on heaps of different things, but he just doesn't want to eat much, and is very thin. He has none of the usual puppy vigour and just wants to lay down in a dark corner, cover his eyes and sleep most of the time. He can be energetic and run and play if the time calls for it, like if we go to the beach, or if he meets another dog, but not as often as most pups. He often lays down and moans and groans like he is uncomfortable/feels sick/in pain. He is from a very good breeder, and the rest of the litter is doing great. He was vaccinated at 8 and 12 weeks. He has been ill with tick paralysis twice and to try help control ticks, he was on frontline for a while. The vet has run many tests and everything shows up fine. All organs are functioning well, digestive bile enzyme activity normal, tests for various diseases have all been negative. Blood work is all normal, with slightly elevated white blood count. I have not been given the breakdown of which types of white blood cells are high yet. Breed specific diseases such as addisons and GM1 storage disease have pretty much been ruled out. His problems appear to be neurological, and the vet has been talking to neurologists, but so far nobody has a clue. Anyone experienced anything similar or can offer some advice?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) have you been to a GOOD chiropractor? that would be my suggestion.... What does his breeder say? Any clues from there? Hope a cause/fix can be found,poor little fella. Edited January 3, 2009 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Gee, poor wee pup has been through quite a bit in his short life so far. It does indeed sound like a neurological problem. I would be asking for a referral to a specialist if your vet can't give you any answers. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lujen Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Yes I have taken him to a local dog chiro who does greyhounds and other breeds, and appears to be very good. Other than a torn muscle and the occasional neck or back being out a bit, he says that everything appears healthy bone and muscle wise, other than being underweight. The twitch is new to him also. The breeder has not seen anything similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) I would be taking him to see a specalist. He sounds very much like he has some sort of epilepsy or a facial tic. Edited January 3, 2009 by puggy_puggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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