Jessie Has Vestibular Syndrome

[kirsty79]

Hi Everyone,

Have had a horrific and scary morning today. We found my old girl Jessie this morning in a pool of her own vomit and faeces unable to move, legs rigid like planks of wood, head tilted to one side, jaw slack. My first thought, oh my god she has had a stroke. I have never been so petrified in all my life. We rushed her to the emergency vets and she has been diagnosed with vestibular syndrome. They are keeping her in to give her fluids, injections for nausea and to try and make her comfortable as she cannot move at all (only lift her head and that’s it), but have explained the recovery (if she does recover) is like asking how long a piece of string is – basically unknown, as is the reason as to why this happens. I’m absolutely freaking out – she is my first oldie so I have never experienced the illnesses or deterioration of an senior dog. I have been a blubbering mess all morning . Can anyone tell me about their experiences with this and what I should be preparing for or perhaps expect??

Thanks, Kirsty

Edited February 4, 2011 by kirsty79

[Guest RANDCMOORE31]

st have been enormously frightening for you (and Jessie). I haven't experienced it myself - but this link indicates that it might not be enduring

http://www.suite101.com/content/what-is-ca...syndrome-a51752

[harley]

I don't have any personnal experience with this but just wanted to wish Jessie a speedy recovery. It must have been awful to find her like that.

[_PL_]

She has a condition that lots of dogs recover from, you just need to nurse her through it and listen to your vet. May take a month or so but keep her comfortable, provide small regular nutritious meals and make sure she keeps drinking.

You can set her up in a small space like a puppy pen, put some washable absorbent material underneath like vetbed/drybed (or puppy pads in an emergency) and roll up towels to use as 'props' if you want to try to get her comfy and keep her in the right spot. And don't freak out :D she needs you to be calm.

[lucknow]

agree with Powerlegs, terribly frightening condition but most affected animals make a full recovery. Nursing is the key, so taking care of hygiene, encouraging food and water etc. Nausea seems to be major issue, unsurprising when your world has been literally turned upside down(!) medication to control that and assistance feeding may be necessary the first few days eg sloppy food via syringe hopefully progressing to hand feeding soft chucks as symptoms subside, etc.

[RuralPug]

God it is terrifying isn't it?

Most apparently recover fairly quickly (few weeks) and it's like nothing happened. When it's new it can be hard for them to eat or drink so the most important thing is to keep them hydrated, I nursed my old girl at home but every case is different. Try feeding them in elevated bowls and hand feed if necessary at first.

Keep her confined so she doesn't try to wander and stumble everywhere, keep up the the meds and report back to the vet any changes etc.

One warning though my girl actually was well on her way to a complete recovery at about the 10 day mark when she had a really bad reaction to the steriods used in treatment and nearly died. She did pull through that eventually and we changed to an NSAID course, but weird things had happened and neuro damage had set in, so she had a permanent head tilt for her remaining years.

[feistylady]

Wishing you and Jessie well

[cowanbree]

What you have written could be Kells story. She wasn't given any medication as the vet said nothing but time will fix it. She did recover although somewhat slower than what most people have reported. It took her about 3mths to be back to a relatively normal life. She always retained a slight head tilt and was a little unsteady on lino and going down stairs but otherwise was fine. Lived on for another 2yrs and died of something unrelated.

It is horrible to watch but with careful management she will be fine.

[kirsty79]

Thank you for all your kind words.

Had a phone call from the vets, no improvement, she still can't stand or move bar her head.

They are going to try hand feeding a little food and water, see what her response is.

The waiting is horrible, and I hate that I can't be with her to give her a cuddle.

[White Shepherd mom]

kirsty, I have no knowledge of this condition. I just wanted to send my best wishes for Jessie's complete recovery so that she can get many more cuddles.

big hugs, :D

[Weibritty]

So sorry to hear about your lovely dog Jessie, kirsty79. I went through a similar experience last year with my old girl. It was quite distressing seeing her go through this. She spent 3 days on an IV drip because she couldn't stand or eat either. I know it's easy to say but don't panic too much yet, as it may take your dog a few days to get her balance back and the medication start to take full effect. My girl made a steady recovery and by about 3 weeks was pretty much back to herself apart from a now permanent head tilt and she has some balance issues. She did have a mild relapse about 4 months later, but for now is doing well for a 14 year old dog. :D to you and Jessie.

[Diva]

I can recall a few threads about vestibular syndrome in the health forum which you may find if you do a search.

One of mine had a bout of it, she took a few months to recover but she lived on for another fair while in good shape.

It's scary to watch but they mostly seem to recover with nursing.

The trickiest bit was getting a largish dog out to toilet when she couldn't walk by herself for some weeks, a towel under the tummy helped so she could do some of the work herself and I could steady her as she went.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Diva

[4Kelpies]

Try here http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?act=...=6&t=214472 I don't know how to do links.

It is so scary to see your dog like this. I was sure that Ruff had had a stroke. He had a head tilt for some time and I still keep his food bowl elevated as his front feet still tend to slide apart, but apart from that he has recovered fully. I hope Jessie will be feeling better soon.

[Malamum]

We had it happen to our girl who is only 7. It was very scary as we had no idea what was wrong with her.

She tried to go out the dog door as per usual and then fell of the ledge (that is outside our laundry). She then kept trying to walk and kept falling over. It was like she was drunk. Then we couldn't get her to calm down as she kept trying to walk and would panic when she couldn't keep her balance. The OH basically had to pin her down and then carry her to the car. I don't know how I would have coped if I'd been on my own as she is too heavy for me to carry.

Anyway, the vet kept her all day for observation and it had pretty much cleared up by the time we bought her home that night. Our vet said it may reoccur or she may never experience it again. This was at least a year ago and she's had no inkling of it again.

[toofarnorth]

Hi Kirsty,

My old girl had 2 attacks of vestibular, and like you I thought she had a stroke. Our first one happened at 3am, I awoke to a commotion in the bedroom and the poor girl was on the ground, and she had also pooped herself but no vomitting. Thanks goodness the vet arrived pretty quickly as I was saying my goodbyes to her, I really thought she would have to be PTS. But the vet diagnosed vestibular and said that there was a good chance that she would make a reasonable recovery. This was hard to believe given the state that she was in.

But over the next couple of weeks, she probably regained about 80% mobility, the majority of which was gained within the first 5 or so days.

Its a scary thing to see happen, and she was always a little shaky on her feet after that episode. She had another episode a few months later, but it wasnt nearly as severe as the first one, and thankfully I knew just to keep her calm.

I wish your girl well...bear in mind that she might be too scared now to move much at all, especially being at a strange place (the vets). Is she staying at the vets tonight or coming home to you? Was she eating? My old girl was eating small amounts within about 8 hours of her attack, which gave me some reassurance.

[Missymoo]

Oh man, How scary, Im so sorry, hugs and warm wishes for a recovery quickly!

[rubiton]

My parents dog a golden retriever - they found him outside and he wouldnt get up. Would try and give up. Eventually moved to the car and to the vet and he was diagnosed with the same thing - the eyes darting back and forth were aparently a key symptom. Given medication he was kept at thevets over easter and came home later that week with a head tilt. Recovered but always had a bit of a head tilt and lived maybe 3 more years til he was 17.

[sumosmum]

So sorry that Jessie is unwell. My old girl Daisy had this, and like you I thought she had a stroke and would need to be PTS. She was 16yo at the time.

She was still eating, but had lost her balance and had the head tilt. She recovered quickly though. She was much better within 4 days, and back to normal about 2 weeks later.

I had cried for ages thinking she was leaving me.

I hope Jessie makes a swift and full recovery. Hang in there, it is awful, but if she is well in most other ways, she should be fine. My old girl had heart failure since she was 10yo, and had her eye previously removed because of Glaucoma but she still managed to recover and live longer. She died at 17yo due heart problems and just old age. Hugs to you and Jessie.

[Kaffy Magee]

I know of a breeder who had a pup in a litter with this. She was a gorgeous little thing, smaller than the others, couldnt move as well and had the head tilt happening. But she had the injections and made a full recovery. I know it would have been horrible to find her like that but dont lose hope.

[Rebanne]

My nearly 11 year old greyhound has not long had this but it was very mild, much like malamum described. He was basically fine by the end of the day but I have noticed that his gait is still not quite right, very minor but it's there.