WildatHeart Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 My friend’s German shepherd, I think he’s around 2 or 3 years old was rushed to the vet yesterday. My friend found him yesterday morning standing up but all hunched over, unable to move his back legs and hardly able to move his front. She and her partner rushed him to the vet where he started moving uncontrollably, like a seizure. The vet administered Valium and the dog calmed down. The dog was kept there for observation and let out the afternoon as he was ‘all better’. Dog is now fine. Vets first thought was snake bit but by the afternoon he suggested maybe neurological and just sent the dog home. No tests were done, nor x rays. They only administered the Valium. Does anyone have any suggestions what it may have been. The owner, including the vet, were very puzzled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 My friend’s German shepherd, I think he’s around 2 or 3 years old was rushed to the vet yesterday. My friend found him yesterday morning standing up but all hunched over, unable to move his back legs and hardly able to move his front. She and her partner rushed him to the vet where he started moving uncontrollably, like a seizure. The vet administered Valium and the dog calmed down. The dog was kept there for observation and let out the afternoon as he was ‘all better’. Dog is now fine. Vets first thought was snake bit but by the afternoon he suggested maybe neurological and just sent the dog home. No tests were done, nor x rays. They only administered the Valium. Does anyone have any suggestions what it may have been. The owner, including the vet, were very puzzled. Could be many things but I'd not rule out a disc issue. The hunching in pain and paralysis would be consistent with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildatHeart Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 If its a disc problem, how is that diagnoised? The vet sort of just fobbed it off as nothing in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxx'sBuddy Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 i had a small dog that did exactly this. turned out that she had a stomach ache and when that went away she was fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 If its a disc problem, how is that diagnoised? The vet sort of just fobbed it off as nothing in the end. X-Rays to start (to check position of vertebrae) and potentially an MRI. It's a wait and see proposition. If it happens again, I'd be wanting x-rays. If it is a disc, then avoidance of high stress activity like jumping and ball chasing are important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Strange they didn't do a blood panel. A friends boxer had a similar fit. The boxer is old but had no previous episodes. An MRI was perormed but nothing found. The owner had recently installed one of those air freshners that sprayed every half an hour or so and thinks that that may of somehow trigged the fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suezija Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Maybe should consider pancreatitis. Symptoms sound similar to an attack one of our dogs had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspectorRex Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I agree with Poodlefan- x-rays and possibly and MRI. I would want a full blood panel too If this Vet won't do the x-rays then go to another. If the Valium was given by IV then the Vet must be suspecting a seizure of some sort as this drug is often used when a dog is in what they call Status Epilectus( sp?). PM Charles Kuntz( DOL er) who is a specialist Vet and see what he thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 The symptoms sound very similar to my Cocker when he had an attack of pancreatitis. It can be quite frightening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit for a King Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 and some dogs with bloat stand as it is uncomfortable to lie and they also hunch. I would be getting a second opinion...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildatHeart Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 thanks for the replies. The dog is now fine, but i was shocked when she told me what the vet did, which was nothing another then stick it in a cage for teh day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Kuntz Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hi, Charles Kuntz here. There are a few things that come to mind, most of which were already mentioned. I main thing that would be catastrophic if undiagnosed would be bloat, characterised by distention of the abdomen with unproductive wretching- life threatening emergency. Pancreatitis is possible- they usually present with vomiting, but not always. A disc rupture in the spine is possible, but less likely- they usually do not resolve spontaneously that quickly. In this breed of dog, disc rupture is usually a chronic pain issue rather than acute paralysis (like it can be in small dogs), so it is less critical that it be immediately diagnosed. German shepherds can also get a condition related to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency where they lack digestive enzymes and can twist their intestines- resulting in acute shock and rapid detioration (not likely in this case because of the spontaneous recovery). Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is characeterised by chronic pasty light brown stools, voracious appetite and weight loss- I assume that you would have picked up on this by now. Please PM me if you have further questions. Thanks, Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now