far_kenell_73 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Just wondering if any has seen this before. I just had to rush Dex our 18 month golden retriever to the vet. This has never happened before he was sitting there and then suddenly started bobbing his head, like the dogs on the back window of a car. It was defiantly more a bobble/wobble than like a shaking tremor. His whole body then started bobbing and he got very scared and wet himself. The vet seems to think it could be a virus/poising or epilepsy. Anyway I just had a look at lots of videos online and can't find one video of a dog with epilepsy that is shaking the same way Dex was. Basically Dex was shaking his head like somebody would to say yes to a question. He is still at the vet on a drip and antibiotics. Just wondering can anyone shed some insight and have they seen this before. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Yep our almost 11 year old Cavalier has been having them now for a while and weird trances. First the vets put it down to her body was having some sort of overload of toxins causing her liver to shut down and perhaps causing these other symptoms to happen. It started not long after we started a new flea treatment on her. The vets still dont know what is causing it, even tho her liver is ok now. Nothing was working to calm her episodes so I bought her some rufus and coco anxiety aid. weeks later I would say its helped her about 90 percent to how she had been :) The vet has said it could be neurological, but at her age, I don't want to put her through any extra stress with more tests than shes had already. Her head tremors usually only last a few seconds, and when shes having her mini type trances, they only last a few seconds as well. So far they never gotten out of hand, and usually if i pat her gently at the time, its enough to snap her out of them. With hers her head bobs up and down like shes going to go into a deep sleep but then she always snapped out of them. I was very scared about them when I first noticed her having them. I do believe its the beginning of the end for her, and ive have been told its not that uncommon in older dogs and in Cavs. Just reread your first post and your dog is still very young. Hope he will be ok and they can get to the bottom of it, or help make him more comfortable if its going be an ongoing problem. Edited April 29, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantis Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Kenny's mum had tremors & we thought it might be epilepsy. Nothing showed up in all the tests she had, the Vet asked what we fed her. At the time she was having raw chicken mince from the pet shop. The Vet suggested we stop feeding her chicken mince, because that could be causing the problem. Sure enough two weeks later she was fine & we never had any more tremors from her. I'm wondering if it's all the hormones etc., they pump into chooks now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Wow, I've never heard the chicken mince one Mantis? I guess there is also the possibility it was coincidental? Far_kennel_73 - epilepsy is what is diagnosed when there are no known cause for the seizures. Seizures can be caused through many things including toxins and disease. It does sound like it might be seizure activity from what you describe. Can I ask why he is on a drip and antibiotics though? Did he have a temperature or something to indicate a possible infection? Was he dehydrated? It seems like the vet is not thinking epilepsy at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash1 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I have a heart disease (atrial fibrilation) that causes my heart to beat erratically and often way too fast. Before it was diagnosed and medicated, I was having "fits" kind of like what you have described. I would semi-blackout for a few moments (vision/hearing completely black out but not totally fall to the ground) and when I "came too" I would find myself kind of rocking/bobbing my head like you have described. I have no idea whatsoever if dogs can also suffer this condition, but when I read your post I thought it might be worth mentioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Sorry we have a couple of epileptics in care. They do ok on medication but it's very worrying when it first begins. Did you look up focal seizure or idiopathic head bob seizure? **Be careful with google though, it doesn't do much except make you worry more. :) Maybe wait until he is stable and the vet has had a good look at everything. Anne, would antibiotics be to rule out a bacterial infection like encephalitis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Sorry we have a couple of epileptics in care. They do ok on medication but it's very worrying when it first begins. Did you look up focal seizure or idiopathic head bob seizure? **Be careful with google though, it doesn't do much except make you worry more. :) Maybe wait until he is stable and the vet has had a good look at everything. Anne, would antibiotics be to rule out a bacterial infection like encephalitis? But would encephalitis cause seizures? I have no idea. If so, it's not epilepsy but encephalitis and the seizures would be only one of the symptoms of the illness. The dog is within the age range for onset of epilepsy but for the vet to be administering antibiotics and fluids I'd think he thinks there is so sing behind the seizure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 not sure. I have a dear friend whose dog had a collection of things happening, main one being seizures and at first they were worried it was encephalitis. Turned out she stabilised and is only needing phenomav now. In the end she is doing fine on the meds but it was still a bit of a mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Ill get those bottles of phenomav to you soon too. I didn't bring them up with me this week but will next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Ill get those bottles of phenomav to you soon too. I didn't bring them up with me this week but will next week. :D It'll be nice to catch up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I'm wondering if it's all the hormones etc., they pump into chooks now. They don't use hormones these days .... By regulation, no hormones (or steroids) are administered to meat chickens under any circumstance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantis Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I'm wondering if it's all the hormones etc., they pump into chooks now. They don't use hormones these days .... By regulation, no hormones (or steroids) are administered to meat chickens under any circumstance. Actually, I should have said it was about 15 years ago, plus it was animal grade mince, which I wouldn't buy now. Still only feed chicken frames or wings though, it really stressed me out watching such a strong healthy dog suddenly get tremors. I'd rather be sure than sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
far_kenell_73 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for all the replies, I forgot to mention that he did have a temperature which I guess is why he went on the drip. My first though was epilepsy but the vet seemed to think it was something else. Im not sure if they where just trying to be optimistic though. The Vet also hadn't seen a dog with the same sort of BOB and sway which confused them a little bit. I haven't heard from the vet yet but hopefully can pick him up at 10am and find out some more. Thanks for all your help, if anyone else has more advice I would love to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 No advice. I just wanted to wish and Dex all the best and hopefully he will soon be home and well again. To see a dog having seizures (I have three who have them from time to time ) can be very very scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
far_kenell_73 Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Just an update, Dex is home and all good. The vet still isnt sure what happened but tends to think it was more a case of toxin/poisin rather than epilepsy. But I guess we won't really know so fingers cross it doesnt happen again as it was pretty scary. Thanks for all the tips and well wishers. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Glad to hear he is ok now. My girl had a seizure on Friday night, it went on for a few minutes, but she was throwing her head back rather than bobbing it up and down. She was also trying to stand, but had no control of her legs and was falling down. It's horrible to see. The vet seems to think hers was a hypoxic seizure, as she was asleep when it happened (so she'd stopped breathing). What I did learn is that seizures aren't uncommon and vets will often struggle to find the reason for them. My vet compared it to a computer rebooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Just an update, Dex is home and all good. The vet still isnt sure what happened but tends to think it was more a case of toxin/poisin rather than epilepsy. But I guess we won't really know so fingers cross it doesnt happen again as it was pretty scary. Thanks for all the tips and well wishers. Mike Yes thats what they suspected with Renae initially.. (toxin overload) Fingers crossed it was just a one off for Dex and it doesn't happen again. Glad to hear he is home and all good :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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