Muscle Spasm Or Seizure?

[kayla1]

My older girl Kayla (about 13 yrs) was diagnosed with a disc-related spinal problem last year. She's been on dexamethasone since then which has helped relieve the pain, and she's been pretty good. However during this time she has become weaker in the hind legs, and has had some slight loss of balance (where she catches herself so doesn't actually fall, always to the right).

Earlier this week she had an episode where her legs became weaker and she was very unsteady, leaning to her right. After speaking to the vet chiro, I increased the methasone dosage to daily. Last night I ended up at the vet because she had another episode - became unsteady, fell over, couldn't get up, not sure if her legs were struggling or if it was involuntary movement, some loss of bladder control, eyes wide and pupils dilated - lasted less than a minute I guess and then she got up but was unsteady and weak on her hind legs.

The vet I saw last night thought muscle spasm rather than seizure, and prescribed tramadol. Though she didn't show pain when the vet checked her spine. Reflexes good in her left hind leg but slower in her right leg. Last night after that, she had an episode where she got up off the floor kicking out her right hind leg.

My poor girl, she seems to have really aged lately, and her behaviour is changing too. The chiro vet that has been treating her is not back until Monday, and I'll speak to him then, but in the meantime I thought someone may have experience with this. Thanks.

[espinay2]

Any head tilt/possible nausea? If so investigate ideopathic geriatric vestibular syndrome and discuss it with your vet if it sounds like what she is doing.

[kayla1]

Thanks for the reply espinay2. No head tilt or vomiting. Though when it happens she paces and pants, and was lip-licking a lot last night. I'll ask the vet about it just in case, thanks for the suggestion.

[~Anne~]

Heart failure/issues causing issues with oxygen levels to the brain? That would explain the weakness, partial collapse and and unsteadiness perhaps.

[kayla1]

Thanks Anne. Actually my other older dog Coco has occasional episodes of fainting which is possibly heart related, but the way he falls is different. Coco wobbles and/or falls flat on his side quickly and then gets up straight away, whereas Kayla seems different, more like she is struggling to stand with her legs if that makes sense. She doesn't have any heart issues that I know of, but I'll check with the vet anyway just in case there is something not right, thanks for the suggestion.