Zoey Grace's vet visit

[2yorkiesformama]

Zoey went to the vet yesterday. They took more x-rays of her neck and head. The vet said the x-rays of her neck were like looking at a dead dog with a detached neck. For some reason, her spine is not meeting her neck. They still have her on prednisone, but decreasing that every 3-5 days. We are going to get her in to Metropolitian in Louisville, Ky. They will be able to decide if she needs surgery or if she is too little.
The thing is, the doctor moved her neck up,down,side to side and she didn't make a sound. She wouldn't stand up at all for the doctor, but the minute I got her home she was walking and following me around.
The vet had another vet to check the x-rays and they both agreed Zoey should not even be alive. So I hope that we can get her fixed up. She would truly be our miracle baby.
I will keep all of you updated and thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.

[Mybabe4me]

HI there Please keep this baby this baby in a crate or hold her constantly.. This is what happened to my Babybear.. What you are talking about is Atlontoaxial Instability or Subluxating. My BB was internally decapitated (neck was no attached to his spine) He became paralyzed.. Your vet is right you baby should not be alive so please as soon as you can get her into a specialist please do.. I mean ASAP.. Please go to Babybear's dogster page and please read I have a lot of information on this.. SO if you need anymore information please let me know..PM me if you would like and I will give you my email addy for more information.. Here is Babybear's webpage Dog profile for Babybear, a male Yorkshire Terrier
Please treat your baby like a china doll that can break at anytime..She is very fragile..I do not want to scare you but I have been in your shoes.. This is a congenital defect or a aquired defect.. How old is Zoey? When did you notice something wrong with her neck.

[2yorkiesformama]

Zoey is 4 months old. She was born Dec.15,2007. She weighs 1.8lbs. She doesn't have much strength in her legs to hold herself up for very long.
We first noticed her falling over and not acting right last Sunday. Took her to the vet twice that day.
The vet is to call me in the morning with an appointment for the specialists.

[2yorkiesformama]

Zoey is 4 months old and weighs 1.8 lbs. We first noticed something was wrong with her last Sunday. I got her out of her crate to go potty and noticed that when I stood her up, she would fall over.She couldn't stay up. Thought maybe her sugar levels dropped, so I gave her some jelly. That didn't help. We took her to the vet and she did an x-ray. She thought she saw something on the x-ray with her neck but wasn't 100% sure. Went to another vet (the one the breeder had taken her to) and he thought it was something to do with her head (hydrocephalus).When I took her back to the second vet, he looked at the x-rays and said it looked like her head was detached. He took his own x-rays and found them to be the same way. He is going to call me in the morning with a referral to Metropolitian Animal Clinic where they do the surgeries, which is probably going to happen unless she is too small.

[Mybabe4me]

Here is some quick information on AAI(Atlantoaxial Instability)This information came from Pet Place:Pet Care Information - Pet Information - Pet Health Information Please if you talk to your vet in the AM ask him if he believes if your Zoey has Atlantoaxial Instabilty.. Some vets do not know to look for this.. Babybear was misdiagnosed with his AAI..He was diagnosed with Livershunts and he actually had a broke neck.. IF you read Babybear's diary on his dogster page you will see exactly what I mean..
Here is some quick information for you though. I will try to check my computer before going to work tomorrow, but sometimes it is hard with everything I have to do before leaving for work..I will check back here as soon as I get home from work though..Just to see how your day went with Zoey

(informaton from Petplace.com)
Atlantoaxial instability is a condition in which the first two cervical (neck) vertebrae are not firmly attached. Normally, the atlas (the first cervical vertebra) and the axis (the second cervical vertebra) are attached by a group of ligaments. They are further stabilized by a prominence on the axis called the dens that protrudes into a hole in the atlas.

Dogs with congenital atlantoaxial instability are born without ligament support to their atlantoaxial joint, and may also be born without a dens. Trauma to the neck can also cause tearing of the ligaments or fracture of the dens, resulting in atlantoaxial instability.

Atlantoaxial instability can lead to cervical spinal cord injury, the symptoms of which include: neck pain; a drunken, staggering gait; paralysis of all four legs; or sudden death

Causes

Breeds at risk for congenital atlantoaxial instability include all toy breeds, especially Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Pekingese, toy poodles, and Yorkshire terriers. These dogs usually show signs at less than one year of age, and symptoms can occur after very mild trauma, such as jumping off furniture, which would be considered normal activity.

Any dog, young or old and of any breed, is at risk for atlantoaxial instability after a traumatic event, such as being hit by a car or being an unrestrained passenger in a car accident.

Diagnosis


Your veterinarian will ask you many questions to develop a complete history of the progression of the problem. These questions will include: what is your pet's age, was there any traumatic event, what symptoms have you noticed, how long have they been going on, what treatments have you tried and with what results?


Your veterinarian will also examine your pet completely, including a neurological examination to determine the severity of the problem as well as localize the level of the spinal cord injury.


Radiographs (X-rays) are usually taken to identify abnormal positioning of the atlantoaxial joint.

Treatment


Medical treatment. Conservative management consists of several weeks of cage rest to allow scar tissue to form, stabilizing the atlantoaxial joint. Steroids are also given for a short time to decrease inflammation of the spinal cord. A neck brace is often used to minimize movement of the neck.


Surgical treatment. There is a high rate of recurrence of symptoms with conservative management, so surgery is often recommended. Surgery is done either to stabilize the joint with pins, cement, wire, or suture, or to fuse the joint. The type of surgery performed depends on the preference of the surgeon. After surgery, the care is similar to conservative management. The prognosis depends on the severity of the neurologic signs before surgery.

Home Care

After surgery, the pet should be cage-rested and restricted from activity for about 4 to 6 weeks. Frequent re-check examinations by your surgeon are necessary to identify potential problems and correct them as soon as possible.

Dogs with this condition should not be bred, since there may be a genetic component to this condition.

[Mybabe4me]

I see no posts i am hoping this is a good thing and I did not scare you off.. I just wanted to let you know I am here if you need a someone to chat with about this problem.. I have walked in your shoes and continue to do so.. I hope that your vet was able to get you some much needed quick help..Please update when you can..

[ARCHIE]

Prayer's coming for you and your baby. I am glad your little one is not in
pain but the thought as to what is wrong with her is very frightening.
I hope the specialist can help her.

[YorkieChick1]

Wow, that is scary....I wish you nothing but the best for you and your baby.

[Patti]

Oh no I hope she is ok and you can get her fixed up ASAP.

[Mybabe4me]

I just wanted to say I was worried about Zoey all night last night and could not wait til this afternoon to come on and check to see if Zoey was okay.. I jumped on line this AM to check.. Now I am worried, but I am hoping this is good that the mom has gotten Zoey to a specailist and they are doing her surgery or trying to stablize her neck so she can grow a little bigger.. 1.8 pounds is very small,but like my vet said they do surgery on kittens,ferrets,hamsters and so on.. SO to do a surgery on a wee one is tedious work it can be done and is done daily.. I will keep little Zoey Grace in my prayers and Babybear's prayers..

[RMKC]

oooh no, poor little precious baby, i hope she will be ok !

[girdygirl]

hope all goes well.

[Mybabe4me]

I just wanted to say I will keep you both in my prayers tonight.. Please let us know something as soon as you can.. I am so worried about this baby..

[wemple2]

I hope all is well with Zoey...my prayers go out to you.

[LoveMyJake]

Poor little Zoey, I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted when you can.