gapvic Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Posted this in breeders forum but suggestion was made that this forum might be better: Hi all, I have a five week old greyhound puppy with what appears to be hydrocephalus. Her head looks like that of a chihuahua. She eats, drinks etc ok but is much quieter than the other pups. It also appears her vision is affected although she isn't blind. The pups are due at the vet next week for their vaccination so we'll have her thoroughly checked then and diagnosis confirmed. Has anyone had a pup with hydrocephalus? What was the outcome? I'm quite prepared to keep her myself as a pet as long as her quality of life is ok. She's a dear little thing. Larissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Yes, I cared for a little chi baby with hydrocephalus. Canine Neurologist explained the progression of the condition and that basically no outcome is perfect although some dogs do live with it forever depending on the severity and malformation of the skull. When they are so young (like 5wks) it's hard to tell exactly how badly they will be affected as they grow. Shunt operations aren't successful, and even in perfect cases the shunt can still block. Some dogs are so mildly affected nobody notices, these dogs, if bred from can pass it along. Signs in pups are screaming fits and uncontrolled aggression, ataxia, trouble balancing/walking, vision impairments/blindness, difficulty eating and failure to meet developmental stages etc. There is an odd set of the eyes where they aren't pointing straight ahead, more down and outwards. This gets worse if there is pressure behind the eyes or increasingly wonky skull growth. I was hugely concerned with the pain factor. However her version of the condition was not painful. Everything else though, it was too much. My girl was a beautiful little thing, I still wish she was still here but she had to be let go. It's a heartbreaking condition. I'm sorry you have signs of it. Fingers crossed it's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbear Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I took in a hydrocephalus pup as part of a litter. Poor pup became violently ill if she needed to go in the car for even the shortest trip, so travelling for any type of treatment was out. She started deteriorating at about 8 weeks and was pts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapvic Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Oh dear . So far this pup is eating ok although she is far smaller than the others and thinner. While she does not appear to be blind, her eyesight is affected. She is quieter than the others and although she will have a little play and potter around, she seems to tire quickly. Her balance (so far) is ok and does not seem affected at this point. I've never seen it before and to be honest, just thought she was a little deformed. I spoke with my manager today about her (who is a vet) and she said it sounded like hydrocephalus but it was quite unusual in a greyhound. I've made an appointment with my vet for Tuesday and am also waiting to hear back from another vet I use who is a neuro specialist. Poor little Chi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Good luck Larissa, I hope she doesn't get worse as she grows and just stays a little special. Sorry too Gillbear. It's so unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I wonder if she is quiet is it because she is in pain. I would imagine dogs can get headaches, could she have one? Can you post a photo of her compared with her siblings. I've never seen a puppy with hydrocephalus. I hope it's not a bad case and she can live a good life but the stories of other peoples experiences aren't great. Good luck with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I had one who visited my previous work - cute little chihauhau X who remained stunted and did suffer from fits. He was discovered to have a liver shunt as well. He was doing okay though when I left he was 2 years old and had a fairly good quality of life with more good days than bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I have posted in the breeders' forum, gapvic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapvic Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 I don't know Kirislin but wondered the same. When I spoke with the neuro specialist he said they don't seem to really suffer with the disorder... She seems much happier now we've taken her away from her siblings as they were starting to bully her. Appointment with the specialist is on Thursday so I guess we'll know more then. The shunt procedure is expensive but if it will keep her comfortable, we'll go ahead. If she is going to suffer, we'll let her go :-(. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Good luck girls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapvic Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Hi all, We've just got back from the specialist. He was very pleased that she is showing no neurological signs of the disorder as yet. He did an ultrasound to try to confirm diagnosis but was unable to do so as the little hole that pups have in their skulls when born has already closed over. Next step was to do an MRI but at $1000, he didn't recommend it. He advised against doing the shunt surgery as it is super expensive (about $5000) and has a failure rate of about 50%. He said that as she was bright, happy, and relatively normal, at this stage we should just sit tight and see how she progresses. He gave us a US paper to read on it and it was heartening to read that in some cases, it does resolve itself. It has given us a little hope. Our plan is to just take each day as it comes and as soon as she starts to suffer, we'll let her go. To the people who pm'd me, thank you so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapvic Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Thanks Snook, she's a dear little thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I've just seen Chi's piccies in the breeder section. It's very unfair of you Gapvic to post them there where I can't comment. Want want :love: gorgeous little micro greyhound. I'm so glad she's doing well. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Ooooh I just went and had a look, thanks Powerlegs She is gorgeous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 (edited) Just another suggestion....I had a puppy a few years ago which I suspected may have had hydrocephalus. It turned out in the end that she had a porta-hepatic shunt. She was quite behind her sister in development but didn't really show any neurological disturbances until she got to about 6 weeks and then the difference in the two puppies was very apparent and she had started to have mini-seizures when she ate. She was euthanased then, she just wasn't absorbing enough good stuff to keep her growing properly. Editing to add photos...both girls at 3 weeks of age...spot the "normal" puppy Edited May 6, 2013 by ellz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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