You know who this is about...thoughts and opinions needed PLEASE

[stedmansmommy]

As you all could of very easily guessed, this is yet again about Tatum She has a vet appointment today at 5:00, but before I go I wanted to get as many opinions from YT members as possible. I am an absolute NERVOUS WRECK about this visit.

First of all, before I begin...let me just say that all of what I am about to type started out of NOWHERE. This just came out of the clear blue sky. It's the weirdest thing.

Yesterday at about 5:30 p.m., I noticed that Tatum was shaking ALOT. So I immediately went for the Nutri-Cal and she followed me into the kitchen...and when she did she was walking VERY odd. She was walking very wobbly, almost like a penguin. Her back legs seemed very shaky...and then when she got excited and tried to jump up, she would fall down. She would also fall down if she started running too fast or if she tried to shake. It's like she would lose her balance. Her back legs just seemed so unsteady and wobbly. Granted, I have wood floors everywhere except for the bedrooms (I SO regret putting those in my house now...I am just KICKING MYSELF for it!!!) so whatever the problem was with her legs, these stupid slippery wood floors just made everything 10x's worse. I felt HORRIBLE

So...I immediately gave her Nutri-Cal and Pedialyte and fed her and gave her some Metacam because I thought that she could have possibly injured her knees or something when I wasn't in the room and maybe she was in pain. For those of you who don't know, Tatum had Luxating Patella surgery on both knees at the beginning of April of this year...so almost 8 months ago. Anyway, she ate fine was alert, she pee'd and pooped and everything there was fine. No issues with any of that. The shaking stopped pretty quickly but not the weird, wobbly walking and her losing her balance and falling when she tried to jump up or run. Also I noticed that when she is on one of her beds walking around on it trying to get comfortable or whatever, she is really wobbly then too and even fell once because she was just unsteady on her back legs. It's like she is even more unsteady and wobbly when she isn't on a flat, even surface. The weird thing is though, NOW when she is just walking slow and normal, I don't really see anything weird there. Not even any limping that I notice. She may be a tad bit wobbly, but just a tiny little bit.

But back to yesterday. I called my vet right away after I gave her the Nutri-Cal, Pedialyte and pain meds, and he mentioned something about her inner ear? I don't know...sounds weird to me, but who knows with Tatum. I guess anything's possible. She had stomach problems a couple of weeks ago and was throwing up and having diarrhea, so I switched her food and since I have switched everything seems to be ok...but now we have leg (I guess??) issues. I wouldn't think that her stomach problems could have anything to do with the issues that she has now? But what do I know...I honestly am clueless. Anyway, the vet told me on the phone yesterday to also give her some Benadryl (which I did), and to watch her for the next hour or 2 and if she wasn't any better, to call him back and that I could bring her in for an emergency visit. Well, the shaking had stopped and her walking returned to normal. The only issues were again, when she got excited and tried to jump up, and when she tried to run too fast or when she was on an uneven surface (one of her soft, fleece beds). So that was yesterday.

This morning my hubby got up with her and let her go potty and he woke me up saying that she seemed much better. She was full of energy and was walking ok, but was still wobbly on her back legs when she tried to run. So, he put her back on the bed with Stedman and I. Hubby went to work and the babies and I went back to sleep. Well we only stayed asleep for about an hour when I woke up with horrible stomach pain...I know exactly what it was. I was worried sick about Tatum. I couldn't sleep. My stomach was in knots. I needed to see her walk, for myself. So we all got up and I put Tatum down (on the carpet) and she was walking ok...but then I went to the bathroom (my babies ALWAYS follow me in there) and when I was about to walk out of the bathroom to walk down the hall (which has wood floors) and walk into the living room, Tatum got excited and took out of the bathroom before me SO FAST and she fell going down the hall and kind of landed on her side and then she rolled onto her back sort of. I of course burst into tears and was shaking like you wouldn't even believe. I just CANNOT TAKE this type of stuff. Oh my God...it makes me SUCH a nervous wreck, especially when my hubby is not here to calm me down and help with Tatum. I get so nervous that I am even scared to touch her because I am afraid that I am going to hurt her or something.

But, I picked her up anyway. I forced myself to calm down because I didn't want her to know that I was upset and I didn't want to upset HER or make her nervous or scared. So I just held her and kind of rocked her gently and we just stayed that way for a while until we were both more calm. So now when I am walking through the house, I try to walk very slowly because she follows me EVERYWHERE, and I do mean EVERYWHERE (this isn't a new thing though, she has always done this)...and I just don't want her to get too excited and try to take off running and then fall again. So I try to walk calm and slowly so that she does as well while she is following me.

I am trying for the most part to keep her on the carpet. So we are just kind of keeping ourselves in the bedrooms as much as possible because they are the only ones with carpet in them. I just do NOT want her slipping and sliding and falling down on these hard floors that are throughout the rest of the house.

So anyway...that is basically what has been going on. She started shaking again a LITTLE bit (not much at all...but when I touched her I could tell her that she was shaking a tad)...that was about an hour or so ago. So I fed her and gave her some more Metacam, Benadryl and Nutri-Cal and now she seems to be just fine. She is laying down right beside my chair sleeping.

I of course have been searching online and reading things and that just made me even more scared than the bag of nerves I already was.

When I take her in today, I am going to have a Bile Acid test done, and probably some x-rays of her knees and blood work done as well.

Can anyone here think of anything else that might be good to check? Any tests that should be run? I just have no idea what this could be but I swear if it is something serious I am...I don't even know. I will just die and I'm not kidding. I can't even think of it...

Please share your thoughts and opinions on this. ANYTHING you can think of, or anything that you know of...please, please post it here. If you have thoughts or opinions on what might be causing this...PLEASE post and let me know. Also if you can think of any tests that should be done, please post that as well. This is all new to me and honestly, I don't trust many of the vets here...I don't know. Maybe it's just all in my head but I just hope that they know what they're doing.

Thank you all so much and I apologize in advance if I can't reply to each and every person individually but I am just a nervous wreck right now and I really need to keep my eye on Tatum as much as possible.

Hugs to you all and thank you so much...love you guys.

[Julz]

Oh my God, I just read this with tears in my eyes and got an accelerated heart rate. It sounds like a spinal injury to me. Maybe something pinching a nerve. I will be praying for you and little Tatum. I would ask for an x-ray. Oh geeze, I will definitely be checking back for an update on your baby.

[yorkie_mama22]

I don't have much advice to share but I wanted to let you know you will be in my prayers, I know how it feels to worry about your little baby. It is so scary when they are doing something and can't tell you if they are in pain or what is bothering them. I hope it isn't anything serious.
Good luck at the Vets, stay strong

[Breny]

Just wanted to post that I hope it is nothing serious and you guys will be in my thoughts today!

[Yorkie3]

So sorry you are having to deal with this. It is so scary when something is wrong with one of our babies. I would still have him check the inner ear. I know people and dogs are different, but when I get an inner ear infection...I have a hard time with balance and it seems my legs kind of stiffen up...not sure why. But I also get the shakes with an inner ear infection. I'll keep Tatum in my prayers that it's nothing serious.

[Darlene68]

I hope little Tatum is going to be okay, we worry so much about our little fur babies, being a nervous wreck is understandable. Hugs to Tatum! I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

[LDandPasquale]

Inner ear infection could be possible...when you have an inner ear infection, your equilibrium balance is thrown off....this could be the reason for the wobbliness. If she has an infection it could be raising her temp...maybe why she's shivering?? This is just a guess....I would definitely keep her appointment with the vet today...maybe he can put you at ease a little more. I hope Tatum gets better. I remember when she got he surgery done and was so impress with her improvement...I hope its just nothing and she gets better!!!

[YorkichonBella]

I'm praying that it isn't anything serious with Tatum! Sounds like the vet really thinks it's related to inner ear problems with giving her Benadryl. Hopefully, she's just under the weather as we all get with stuff going around. Perhaps, with her pain meds & benadryl, she is just groggy & feeling bad. Kisses little Tatum.....Bella & I send Best Wishes!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

ughhh! I just type a long response and got kicked off!

Brooke, I am so sorry that you are going this. I was saying that since she and Hot Rod had their surgeries relatively the same time maybe some of it could be due to that. Our vet said that it could possibly take up to a year before he's back to "normal". I was shocked when she had me feel how his muscle (in the operated leg) had atrophied. He still picks his leg up and he hobbles/hops a lot still. a couple of weeks ago, I think Maggie hurt him and all he wanted to do was lay still and be quiet. He yelped a couple of times when each of us picked him up wrong. With Tatum having pins, could the weather affect them and in turn she is feeling it?

I think the weather might be playing a part as well. I know that my head has been congested from sinus issues with all the rain we've been having, do you think she could be experiencing some of that? Especially since the benedryl seems to be helping!(?)

I am sorry I don't have anything else to suggest but like I said, Hot Rod is still hobbly--we have runners and area rugs on our floors so, thankfully, he hasn't wiped out on them but I could see where that would be a possibility. Hugs to you and I will keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers. Give little Tator hugs and kisses from us.

[TLC]

The pin from her LP could have migrated and is causing pain, I think she is shivering due to pain. She could be walking funny, bc maybe the LP is luxating again, or she has arthritis already set in from the LP.

Getting her BAT check is a good idea.

I hope you find answers soon and she gets better

[ARCHIE]

Brooke I'm sorry to read that little Tatum is not feeling well.
Hope you get answer's from the vet today. I hope she's not
experiencing pain but what TLC posted makes sence.
Good luck sweetie,


Hugs,

[Perrella]

Hoping Tatum is doing much better...praying for your little one.

[YorkieMom6]

You and Tatum are in our thoughts and prayers today.

((huggs))

[stedmansmommy]

Thank you all so so much for your opinions on this...I love you guys so much. Reading your replies actually made me feel better because I keep thinking that it is some awful disease...or something with her head/brain. I always think and fear the worst and I am just so worried because this came out of nowhere. At this point I pray that it is her knees...the LP or the pins or whatever...I'd much rather it be that than some disease! I am just SO worried I laid down with her and Stedman on the bed so that Tatum would just sleep instead of trying to get up, etc. and I fell asleep and had the worst dream...it was about her I am just sooo scared and nervous and I am always afraid to hear what the vet is going to tell me. I think I need a nerve pill I am so hungry but when I sit down with food I can't even eat it. I am such a wreck....I just need my baby girl to be ok

[KDSinVirginia]

so sorry, I hope it's nothing serious...please keep us posted....