~Anne~ Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My boy has been experiencing vestibular symptoms. They're awful and he is stressed and so am I. I'd love to hear your experiences with this condition. Please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My 15yr old sheltie had one experience with this, I thought she had a stroke. Her recovery of 2-3mths was a lot longer than most people report but while she never returned to 100% what she was, she did have quality of life. For Kell, it was 2-3 days before she could stand at all, about a week before she was able to eat without assistance and over a mth before she was able to walk without me assisting her or panicking she was going to fall. Her biggest obstacle was stairs and lino. She kept the head tilt and was always a bit unsteady on her feet. I had to put non slip mats down over the lino as otherwise she wouldn't walk on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. How do you toilet them? I've carried him out several times but he is getting worse and can barely stand let alone wee. Besides, he isn't used to having me hold him while he wees. Being a pug, he can still eat. He is eating well but not really drinking. He drank this morning when I gave him some pet milk, as I do most mornings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Kelpies Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My old dog had a bout of vestibular and was unsteady on his feet for quite a while. I had to put down some dog mattresses outside my back door as he would go down the step and try to turn and would fall over. I had to raise his food dish as he would lose his balance when he put his head down. He never lost his appetite but spent most of his time in his bed. At first I would walk him with a towel under his stomach to help him keep his feet. He was able to walk independently within about a week but still had a head tilt for a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 To be honest in the beginning it was beyond her so I just put newspapers down and spent a lot of time bathing her bottom. I started out carrying her in and out to the toilet but it was very distressing for both of us. As she improved we did use the towel. She always had the will to eat but all the food kept falling out of her mouth so I had to hand feed her and I syringed fluid in. The first 3 days she showed very little signs of improvement and every case I read was back to normal within a week more or less. I was sure she had been misdiagnosed but she did come right. I would have to say however that she never got worse. The dog I woke up to was as bad as it got. That said I don't know how she could have been worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJack Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I have had a bout of vestibulitis myself. Very disorienting. I was constantly dizzy, the slightest movement had me spinning. I had some nausea too due mainly to the dizziness but that faded. I kept hitting walls when I walked as I couldn't do a straight line. Lasted about 2 weeks at the worst and then I came good slowly. Was a worry initially as I was imaging all sorts of nasty pathologies. It was scary enough for me, must be terrifying for a dog who can't know what is going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Thanks everyone. Cowanbree, the toilet thing problem sorted itself somewhat when he had 5 seizures last night and urinated with each one. He's an epileptic so it complicates things even more. He had a bad night with panting too but I think that is because he is so stressed. This morning he is able to walk a little but he tumbles all the time and his head tilt is pretty severe. His eyes are still flicking up and down and side to side too. He's eating well which is great although he does make a bit of a mess. 4kelpies - the towel idea was very clever. I thought of a similar thing and I have put his harness and lead on and I hold him by that. It doesn't stop him spinning though which a towel might be better for. Tigerjack, that must have been awful and scary too. The thought has crossed my mind that Monte's condition might be more too given his epilepsy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I had an elderly Tervueren develop vestibular disease. She couldn't walk without falling and required intensive nursing for about a week, maybe a little longer. I took her outside to toilet using a towel around her waist which worked well. She made a near full recovery, maybe not quite so sure on her feet afterwards but she was also pretty old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
temperamentfirst Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 My old girl had an episode and the vet gave her some meds that helped a lot with the balance problems. I am pretty sure that she was given stemetil, but check with your vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Stemetil would have been for the nausea. Do you know what drug he gave for the balance issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Yes, please tell me what the Vet gave for the balance issue! I've had it for nearly 7 months now and reckon I'm going to go crazy. Seriously considering going to my Vet as all the Specialists aren't doing one thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) I have just gone through it with a 13 year old GSD. Quite distressing to go through - particularly in the beginning. First two days (and one night) he was cared for at the vets, mostly to get the nausea and vomiting under control. He was on a drip for part of that to prevent dehydration. The important thing in the beginning was to get the nausea controlled. Once that was, he could be cared for at home. Once home he was still very unstable and needed support to walk. He was crated for the most part the first couple of days at home and walked with assistance on lead to toilet. Food for the first few days was kept very plain - steamed chicken in broth mostly - until we were happy he was keeping it down. Continued with injections of nausea meds (Cerenia) for a few days to assist. We saw little improvements each day over the next couple of weeks. Now several weeks later he is about 95% recovered. He still has the odd head tilt and still a little unstable occasionally but otherwise almost back to how he was beforehand. I would note that there are several types of vestibular disease. Idiopathic geriatric vestibular syndrome, which our boy had, is just one of them. Edited January 11, 2013 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Yes, please tell me what the Vet gave for the balance issue! I've had it for nearly 7 months now and reckon I'm going to go crazy. Seriously considering going to my Vet as all the Specialists aren't doing one thing How awful for you. I had read that humans get it too. I hope you can find some relief soon. Espinay2 - thanks. Monte has not had a lot of vomiting. In fact, he has only vomited once and that was because he drank some water to quickly I think. Maybe not though? He is eating well, just a little messier, and he is still eating his normal food. Unfortunately his epilepsy complicates it all. He had another seizure last night. I hope that was the last of them and I hope that the increase in his seizure a to its and the vestibular isn't a sign of someone more sinister. I spoke with his neurologist yesterday and she is a little concerned also. However, she said the most likely thing is that it is vestibular. He is now 11 years old so he is in the age bracket for the geriatric vestibular type. Thank you again everyone for your comments. I have experience a great manner of illnesses and conditions in dogs, particularly after having the rescue, but is one was a new experience.... and not want I am hoping to repeat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Anne if he is comfortable in a harness, you can get those ones that have a handle (that might help to stop him spinning). Like the ones Here Poor little guy (and all the other dogs), it sounds terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Did anyone's dog experience a change in their voice? Monte has always been known for squealing like a pig for food and crying very loudly. Now he can only make these strange low sounds. He sounds similar to really old dogs sound who have barked a lot where the bark becomes raspy. In some ways it is good as when he wakes at 4.30am crying for breakfast it will be less annoying to the neighbours and the rest of the household but he also sounds like someone else's dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Oh, and I have to vent.... why do dogs have find the exact blade of grass/spot on the tree to toilet and why do males persist in cocking! It takes FOREVER for him to go to the toilet and we go through this 3 - 4 times a day. Sometimes it can take up to 30minutes of aimlessly wandering back and forth. *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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