Jack Tar Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Afternoon All, Im looking for some help with my 2.5 year old Maltese Shih Tzu. There has been something wrong with him for about a month now, though initially the symptoms were extremely minor. You'd have to really know him to recognise that something was wrong. We took to a vet 2 weeks ago who checked him out and said he was fine. He got better initially but has deteriorated even further since. We took him to another vet last week and he was hospitalised and put on a drip for 2 days. All his vitals are normal, he has not vomitted or had diarrhoea either. After 2 days in hospital the vet sent us off to a specialist who also could not find the sauce of the problem. He is now home with us but is very weak and sore. His symptoms include; Depression Lack of appetite Slow gait Can now longer jump or climb stairs Mild shaking or tremors lethargic Some urinary incontenance The only thing that he likes to do is go for walks, though he is certainly not going as fast as he once did. When inside he just lays under chairs and desks. His appetite comes and goes but is will go a day or so with out anything, he does want to eat grass when walking. Is there anyone who has had these dogs been through anything similar? I have studied everything I can on the net and am yet to rule out Meningitis (Though he has no fever), White Dog shaker syndrome or IVD. Any thoughts would be appreciated as my family and I are shattered watching him like this and not knowing whats going on or how to help him. Please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Hi Jack and welcome to DOL. You haven't mentioned if the vet took blood for analysis. If you haven't it's probably something you should look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavendergirl Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Poor little fellow - that must be very worrying for you. Did the vets do a thorough blood screening to rule out Diabetes, Cushings etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Did any of the vets check his back or his legs? Has he had an x-ray or an ultrasound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 It sounds a bit like cushings but without a full blood screening it's impossible to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 To me that sounds like a dog with back pain. Did they x-ray his spine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Poor little fella. So am of no help to you accept to send him some healing thoughts from us. Hope you can get to the cause of his problems very soon & he is back to his normal happy self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla1 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Poor boy. I agree with others re spinal xrays as it could be back pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 What was the specialist a specialist of ? has he had ..some spinal xrays, and blood tests ? - poor little fella..he sounds very very uncomfortable and unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Tar Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Thank you all for replying. He has had 3 examinations now, each one more thorough than the last. The specialist gave him a very thorough physical exam and found no issues with his legs or back. There has been some signs of neck pain but not consistently. He had a blood test, but the tests came back completely normal. He's had an Ultra sound, but again no problems. He's also had a urine test, but Im still waiting for the results. (due today) The next step if urine shows nothing is either a spinal tap or trialling medications in the hope of finding an answer. Problem is its killing us seeing him in this state. Again, thanks for your reply's and concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Get them to check for an autoimmune disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Take him to a chiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Take him to a chiro Don't take him to a chiro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla1 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Thank you all for replying. He has had 3 examinations now, each one more thorough than the last. The specialist gave him a very thorough physical exam and found no issues with his legs or back. There has been some signs of neck pain but not consistently. He had a blood test, but the tests came back completely normal. He's had an Ultra sound, but again no problems. He's also had a urine test, but Im still waiting for the results. (due today) The next step if urine shows nothing is either a spinal tap or trialling medications in the hope of finding an answer. Problem is its killing us seeing him in this state. Again, thanks for your reply's and concerns. Does the specialist that examined him specialise in spinal issues? Some vets are better than others in diagnosing spinal problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Have they done xray of neck and spine? Also would rule out both renal failure/bladder and kidney stones if the dog has some urination issues. Hope you get some results quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Hiding under chairs and the like seems that he's making sure he doesn't get bumped around... I'd be looking for xrays of neck and spine - all the way along... just to rule out any issues there. The symptoms you describe come across like a dog that is in a lot of pain. Have the vets tried any pain relief/anti inflammatories meds to see if he perks up? T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Tar Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Have they done xray of neck and spine? Also would rule out both renal failure/bladder and kidney stones if the dog has some urination issues. Hope you get some results quickly. Thanks for that, As i said Im waiting on results of the urine exam. Ive been reading up on it today and a Urinary tract infection meets most of the symptoms so almost hoping thats the issue. My understanding is that stones would have been picked up in the Ultrasound, but I still think the fact that he has stomach tenseness keep the kidneys in the picture as a source. The Vet (specialist) did a thorough examination of the neck and back as well as all limbs. He did consider an X-ray but the lack of reaction from the dog lead him to believe the X-ray would not tell us much. I think its something I'll have to explore though. Thanks again everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 It sounds awful... What part of him was the ultrasound of? The 'specialist'...what is his specialty? What were they testing for in his blood tests..anything specific? I can understand how worried you are ..not knowing is just awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 (edited) Shih tzu's are one of the breeds with a high incidence of Renal Dysplasia - could be worth investigating Edited October 11, 2012 by frufru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Stomach tenseness may also be seen in back problems ..as they try & hold still .. incontinence, hiding from pain ..just about everything you have written could also apply to a disk problem or something .. Not saying it is ..but it could be. a UTI is not the first thing which came to mind when I saw the symptoms ..was his temperature normal at the vets? 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