Puppy cant balance and is falling over while walking
 

I got my puppy on Thursday and he was running around playing with the other dogs barking, eating great and acting fine. I took the puppy to the vet on Friday and he got shots ( no lesto) and was found to have ear mites. The vet gave me trasaderm. After getting home the puppy was acting different. Then on Monday he was completely lethargic, falling over while walking and raising his rear legs. He does not play at all and does not seem right. Took him back to the vet yesterday and they did a sugar test and all was ok. He is now walking better today, but is still woblely. The vet said it is probably neurological problems, but said to stop the ear drops and wait a few days. The puppy is 4 months old and weighs 2.5 lbs. I dont understand how it can be a neurological problem when he was fine when he came home. Help....

I guess I would change vets....ASAP! I don't have any suggestions on what could be wrong, but I would def get another opinion right away....your puppy is depending on you!!

Good luck and Welcome to YorkieTalk!!

Some yorkies will act like that don't feel well the evening after vaccines. I wouldn't expect an reaction 3 days later though.

The sugar test was for hypoglycemia...puppy will act wobbly or walk funny when that happen...apparently that was ruled out.

From his symptoms it does sound like a neurological problem. You need to get him to a neurologist.

Have you been in contact with the breeder? Do you have a health guarantee?

I'm sorry your new puppy is sick....hoping for the best.

Please take your puppy to a DIFFERENT vet as quickly as you can.

I have never had any puppy act like that after a vaccine and it is absolutely not normal.

I just dont understand how he was fine before and now he is acting like this. We have a female that is 1 yrs now and we never had problems with her. I dont have health certificate. I got him from a household who could not take care of him. The breeder said its not his problem.

That's one of the symptoms of a liver shunt, isnt' it? I'd have him checked for that - blood work and bile acids test.

I have to agree with everyone - you need to see someone who will give you answers !! Poor baby - that is so not normal and I hope your puppy will be ok. :(

A dog that is not able to stand up is an emergency, so first I'd find a new vet.
If this happens after shots it is a serious reaction that needs treatment immediately. Since the pup is still having symptoms three days late with no treatment, it may not have been the shots (but that has to be the assumption after giving any vaccine...that the problem is a reaction...). Or it could have been the shots that damaged the liver further and caused neurologic problems if the puppy has a liver shunt and brought out the symptoms.

I would get your pup bile acid tested today if possible (make sure they send it out to a lab and don't do this test in-house) and if all is fine the pup will probably need to see a neurologist.:(

I am taking him for a blood test today. He is now falling over and just lying there. I changed his diet when I got him and I think the liver shunt symptoms are close to what he is doing. He gets worse after he eats.

Ask specifically for a Bile Acid Test...Regular bloodwork may not show a problem until the liver is quite damaged. A BAT is much more sensitive to liver function and is very important and relatively inexpensive ranging from $45-$100 depending on your area.
What food are you feeding your puppy right now?

I posted a long list of some of the symptoms in a thread from last night. Maybe do a search.

Liver problems will be the easiest to try to rule out first. If the bile acid test comes back normal, then you're probably dealing with some type of neurological problem or something that causes neurological problems.

Prayers for your puppy.

Prayer's coming for you little guy. I hope the new vet can help him.
Finger's crossed too.

Praying for your baby.

I am now in contact with the seller and trying to work things out for the puppy lemon law in FL. The treatments for the puppy are getting very expensive already.

I would take him to another vet if it was me for a second opinion.

I took him to the vet today and they are going to do the blood work tommorow after he fasts tonight. He is better today and I am getting nowhere with the seller. I am going to do everything I can for him. Hopefully he will do go though all of this.

Another problem that will cause a pup to fall over and walk funny is Atlantoaxial Instability.. This is a congenital or aquired defect in the first and second vertebra of the neck... My Babybear has this but it can show up very early in age.. So if you find that this is not Liver Shunts please let us all know.. I can help you with this Atlantoaxial Instability(AAI/AAS for short)meaning with information..
I hope and pray that this pup does not have either Liver Shunts or AAI/AAS.
The pup was acting fine up until he/she had these shots the other day??

These are the same symptoms Tina my pup had when she had a neurological problem. Steroids are the only solution to it, and are very cheap, so you need to get this pup to a knowledgeable animal hospital ASAP so that they can start him on the right solution. We had to go to a different vet with more knowledge and experience when this happened, and thankfully we were able to save and restore our pup's life. Best of luck, I hope you take the pup's condition very seriously!

My Zoey Grace had problems similar to what you are describing. They first thought she had Hydrocephalus. She couldn't stand and when she tried she would just fall over. They took x-rays of her head and neck and found out she was born with Atlantoaxial Instability. The spine didn't meet the neck. It looked like her head was detached from her spine. She had surgery and is now doing fine.
Have your vet to check for this. It gets worse as they get older.
Keep us updated on what you find out.
So sorry for the little one.

I fasted him last night and put him in his crate for a good night sleep. He woke up this morning and began to bark for us to let him out. I have not heard him bark since the first day. When I let him out he began running around and playing with the other dogs. He seems like a different dog this morning. He is still alittle clumsy but seems much better. Still going to the vet for blood tests this morning. Ill let everyone know. My vet is very good and has mentioned all of the things everyone has listed. He wants to start with the blood work for a starting point.

Good luck this morning.

Vet did a quick blood test before the BAT and his numbers are high. Waiting on the BAT test.

Prayers for your baby.

I got the results of the BAT this morning and his levels were at 288. We have an appointment with the surgeon on Monday. Ill let everyone know how he does, I guess surgery will follow.

Bless your heart. I know it's driving you crazy to see the little baby in this condition. Hang in there. Lots of prayers coming your way.

Oh honey, I am so sorry his BAT was high. Listen, he does have some sort of liver issue, whether it be a Liver Shunt or MVD - but there are lots of us, including myself with a definite MVD dog and another that may have a mild case of MVD, going though what you are right now. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. Please talk to us and ask us anything you'd like.....

We want you to know that whether it be LS or MVD, that this is NOT a death sentence for him, ok? You have caught this early and with the proper treatment, possibly surgery, proper supplements and diet that he can live a happy long life, I PROMISE YOU THAT.

...I am begging you to please DO NOT return him to that horrid seller/breeder, I am sorry to say but they don't care and they will either PTS or let him go untreated and suffer until he dies, so please do what you can for him, check into the Puppy Lemon Laws in your State and if you possibly can not care for him, please surrender him to a reputable Yorkie Rescue (they are listed in the Rescue Area Forum) and they will do what is neccessary to make him better and place him the proper home.

Please keep us posted, we will be waiting anxiously to hear more from you and your baby. :(

Wishing you and your baby the best of luck...

:( I am so sorry your puppy is this sick. Poor little guy. I hope he will be ok .Please do what is best for him and your family:aimeeyork He sounds like such a sweet Puppy too:animal-pa

Please keep us updated and ditto to everything that TLC said...Ask any questions, many of us have been through all of this...Did you join the liver shunt and mvd group? I can\'t remember if you said you did. They would be a very useful source for you at this time.