Possible Tick Paralysis

[jamie]

Hi everyone

Need some help with my 6.5yr old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Bosco. (please bear with me as I'm not good at typing and have hardly slept since Thursday night)

First up before I forget, he had a small tic-tac sized Mast cell tumour removed from his scrotum about 3 weeks ago and was neutered at the same time, my vet did not bring this up at yesterdays consultation, so I don't think it's related to this

I woke up Friday morning to find he had vomited his entire dinner (fed Thursday night,1 x BigDog Pet-food Turkey Barf patty + 1 x tin of Sardines in Springwater) on his bedding and the laundry floor. When I opened the back door to let him out,I noticed he was a bit wobbly on his feet, he looked drunk, but was breathing normally, I checked him over thoroughly for a tick and couldn't find any. I called in sick from work ,cleaned up the mess and rang my vet who said to remove any water/food, check him over thoroughly again and watch him for any respiratory distress and to bring him in if his condition changed in any way.

He stayed the same Friday, listless and a bit wobbly. I gave him a little water + 2 tablespoons of boiled rice and chicken on Friday night. I checked on him throughout the night, he was very quiet (normally he snores like a freight train) but other than that all was good . When I let him out on Saturday morning he was still wobbly on his feet , shortly after he went down the back of the yard and did a bright yellow vomit.

I called my vet who said to bring him in immediately. He checked him over again for a tick, including inside his mouth and ears, and found nothing. Bosco is quite lean and has a short coat, so even tiny bumps are very easy to feel on him. He checked his hydration,temperature and heart beat with everything being completely normal, Bosco was sitting on the table panting as normal and when on the ground he was eagerly walking around sniffing (although still a bit shaky on his feet)

Because Bosco was not showing any other symptoms of a tick (other than the vomiting and wobbly legs) my vet felt that it may be something else, like an upset stomach from eating something he shouldn't have. Because one of his eardrums was a little bit inflamed he gave him a cortisone injection and also an injection to stop the vomiting. I was told to keep an eye on him for any change in his breathing, to withhold food for 24hrs and monitor his water intake. I also got some Permoxin and some Cortisone. I gave him a thorough rinse through with the Permoxin when we got home and started him on the Cortisone. There was no more vomiting on Saturday (or since)

When I let him out this morning, Sunday, he is STILL wobbly on his feet, though he has definitely pepped up a little (getting up and checking his food bowl every time I walk out the door lol ) I called the vet to see if I could start giving him a little food, which he said was fine. He thinks it could be possibly be something neurological, he mentioned a few possible things (epilepsy,a brain tumour,lead poisoning,slug poisoning) He advised me to keep monitoring his breathing for any change and to limit his food and water to small amounts.

******Okay,I think that's everything up till now*******

So what should/can I do now? Has anyone seen or had a dog exhibit these symptoms? Does anyone think it could still be a tick? Can I get the tick antivenom,even if it may not be a tick?

Please, any help advise would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Jamie

**Edit**

I live across the road from a river and we sometimes get small snakes up in our yard, could a snake bite or spider bite cause this as well?

Edited October 20, 2013 by jamie

[Salukifan]

Wobbly, vomiting. It could be a vestibular issue. In a younger dog, ear infection might be a cause.

Perhaps another ear exam? BUT any advice you get on the internet is pure guess work. If you're not happy with how things are going with your current vet, it might be time for a second opinion.

[kelpiecuddles]

My animal with tick paralysis got progressively worse, didn't just stay the same. I'd be getting a second opinion too.

[jamie]

Thanks for the replies

It's not that I'm not happy with my vet, he's been excellent, he spent an hour with us on Saturday morning and spent over 15min with me on the phone on Sunday. He did mention it could be a vestibular issue,I just couldn't remember the name and didn't want to take a guess and get it wrong. One thing I don't remember him mentioning was a stroke?

Bosco seems a bit better again tonight, snoring loudly for the first time in a few days. He's handling the food and water well, with no more vomiting. Tail wagging and alert. But he is still wobbly on his feet. Like I said before almost looks drunk or dizzy, veering left to right.

I have Wednesday morning off, so will be taking him back to the Vets if there's no more improvement. I've been setting my alarm to go off every few hours to check on him through the night, if he deteriorates at all there is a 24hr pet emergency centre only 15mins away

jamie

[julesluvscavs]

Wobbly, vomiting. It could be a vestibular issue. In a younger dog, ear infection might be a cause.

thats what i was thinking too ? have seen other posts similar to these symptons before on dol, quite a few of them have been treatable.

Probably best to get an appt with a Neurosurgeon or a second opinion if its still persisting.

Hope Bosco starts feeling better soon,poor thing

Edited October 20, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs

[Jed]

Just an aside - he can't be given the tick venene unless there is clear evidence of a tick - will make him very sick. Doesn't sound like a tick to me, but could be vestibular. Usually with vestibular, their eyes move rapidly from side to side, but not always and not often in mild cases.

I am sorry he is unwell, and hope he improves soon

[jamie]

Just an aside - he can't be given the tick venene unless there is clear evidence of a tick - will make him very sick. Doesn't sound like a tick to me, but could be vestibular. Usually with vestibular, their eyes move rapidly from side to side, but not always and not often in mild cases.

I am sorry he is unwell, and hope he improves soon

Thanks for that, I wasn't sure if it could be given just as an insurance policy, my vet is pretty confident that it is not a tick as his breathing is still normal and his walking is slowly improving each day. Today he back to acting almost completely normal (personality wise I mean) Alert, tail wagging, following me around the backyard etc. He is definitely still wobbly on his feet, but much better than Friday/Saturday

The last couple of days he has only been getting some cooked chicken thigh and boiled rice ,do you guys think returning to his typical raw diet would be safe now?

Thanks again

Jamie