Sick 2 Year Old- Can't Walk

[dwerten]

here is a friend and i just saw her this weekend and totally forgot her dog had gme as well years ago i just read through her story

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...ephalitis.html

this is the group she was on and the group i am on now - they are amazing and very nice so you can even email on there what is going on and they can help you as well to maybe rule this out or not

NewGMEDogs : NewGMEDogs

Interesting as read through SUSHI story too as you can google yorkietalk only at bottom of screen and type in GME or disc rupture or whatever you want and see similar stories on here

Did your dog have vaccinations within the last two months?

[linz06]

This is exactly as Layla was before she went down completely. I have done TONS of research in the past three weeks, and I'd urge you to put your baby on 100% strict crate rest, and maybe get another opinion from another vet. It sounds to me exactly like a slipped disc. They usually will not show up on x-ray and will only show up on an MRI or Myelogram. With an X-ray you may be able to see a SLIGHT compression between two vertebrae but nothing else would look abnormal and it would probably take a specialist to notice anything.

Your dog might be feeling better for now, but if it is a slipped disc and he continues to walk and move his back, he could force it to rupture and hurt himself more. It could become irrepairable.

If he is okay now, a vet will probably give him a steroid or non steroidal anti-inflammatory. He would need to be on strict crate rest for at least 8 weeks, meaning no walking, no anything... you would even have to carry him out to pee. But not letting him move his back is key to recovery without surgery.

Please get another opinion. I hope that your baby doesn't go down like mine. Layla can not walk and has no feeling past her front legs. It came on suddenly, and I didn't get her into a specialist soon enough after seeing symptoms that you are describing with your dog. If I could only go back I would change it all.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by linz06

This is exactly as Layla was before she went down completely. I have done TONS of research in the past three weeks, and I'd urge you to put your baby on 100% strict crate rest, and maybe get another opinion from another vet. It sounds to me exactly like a slipped disc. They usually will not show up on x-ray and will only show up on an MRI or Myelogram. With an X-ray you may be able to see a SLIGHT compression between two vertebrae but nothing else would look abnormal and it would probably take a specialist to notice anything.

Your dog might be feeling better for now, but if it is a slipped disc and he continues to walk and move his back, he could force it to rupture and hurt himself more. It could become irrepairable.

If he is okay now, a vet will probably give him a steroid or non steroidal anti-inflammatory. He would need to be on strict crate rest for at least 8 weeks, meaning no walking, no anything... you would even have to carry him out to pee. But not letting him move his back is key to recovery without surgery.

Please get another opinion. I hope that your baby doesn't go down like mine. Layla can not walk and has no feeling past her front legs. It came on suddenly, and I didn't get her into a specialist soon enough after seeing symptoms that you are describing with your dog. If I could only go back I would change it all.

thanks for posting this as i posted your thread as thought of your baby.

I just thought since they did not see it on xray then it might be neurological and since it was all 4 legs it may be more neurological but you just never know so getting to a specialty hospital with a neurologist and orthopedic is always best so everyone can work together to get this baby back on all 4's in no time

[HarrisFamily]

Thanks for all the information, tomorrow morning the rest of the blood tests will be back and he will get some more things ruled out. He's on crate rest now at the vet's office, so I'll find out tomorrow what all he's been treated with that might show improvement and we will look into finding a neurologist.

Thanks,

Whitney

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by HarrisFamily

Thanks for all the information, tomorrow morning the rest of the blood tests will be back and he will get some more things ruled out. He's on crate rest now at the vet's office, so I'll find out tomorrow what all he's been treated with that might show improvement and we will look into finding a neurologist.

Thanks,

Whitney

ok we will be praying for your baby and hope all goes well

[linz06]

Originally Posted by dwerten

thanks for posting this as i posted your thread as thought of your baby.

I just thought since they did not see it on xray then it might be neurological and since it was all 4 legs it may be more neurological but you just never know so getting to a specialty hospital with a neurologist and orthopedic is always best so everyone can work together to get this baby back on all 4's in no time

A slipped disc in the neck would end up affecting all 4 legs, so that's a good possibility. The "drunk walk" is a big indicator of a neurological/spinal issue. Dogs are great at masking their pain, and they will go on as if nothing is wrong. If this is a spinal injury or the start of a spinal injury, there will likely be some swelling of the spinal cord and it is important to get that swelling down.

I had no idea before this happened to us, but there doesn't have to be any sort of trauma for a back injury like this. Some dogs are just predisposed to it, and it will happen sooner or later.

[linz06]

Originally Posted by HarrisFamily

Thanks for all the information, tomorrow morning the rest of the blood tests will be back and he will get some more things ruled out. He's on crate rest now at the vet's office, so I'll find out tomorrow what all he's been treated with that might show improvement and we will look into finding a neurologist.

Thanks,

Whitney

Great! I hope they can figure out what's wrong!

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by linz06

A slipped disc in the neck would end up affecting all 4 legs, so that's a good possibility. The "drunk walk" is a big indicator of a neurological/spinal issue. Dogs are great at masking their pain, and they will go on as if nothing is wrong. If this is a spinal injury or the start of a spinal injury, there will likely be some swelling of the spinal cord and it is important to get that swelling down.

I had no idea before this happened to us, but there doesn't have to be any sort of trauma for a back injury like this. Some dogs are just predisposed to it, and it will happen sooner or later.

how about the eyes being dilated as that tells me something more going on like the dog might have had a seizure or something affecting the eyes.

i just learned in a first aid class this weekend we need to be checking our dogs eyes regularly to check their health by taking our finger and moving back and forth and check the dilation as well as those are signs of neurological conditions if dilated

[linz06]

Please let us know how your little guy is doing and what the vet has found out from bloodwork

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by linz06

Please let us know how your little guy is doing and what the vet has found out from bloodwork

glad you posted as am curiuos as well. I hope this little one is ok

[HarrisFamily]

Sorry for not posting sooner, I wasn't near the computer and my phone wouldn't pull up yorkietalk.

The bloodwork showed low calcium, low thyroid, high white blood cells and some other things slightly off. We've got him on antibiotics and calcium pills and are going to do another blood panel in a week. Right now the vet is thinking it was possibly a combination of all of those, and he's not thinking neurological.

I've got him crated just in case it is slipped disk, and because he's still stumbling and I don't want him to hurt himself, but the vet didn't think that was what it was. But he didn't get steriod shots, so that wouldn't have been a reason for improvement.

Thanks for all the good thoughts.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by HarrisFamily

Sorry for not posting sooner, I wasn't near the computer and my phone wouldn't pull up yorkietalk.

The bloodwork showed low calcium, low thyroid, high white blood cells and some other things slightly off. We've got him on antibiotics and calcium pills and are going to do another blood panel in a week. Right now the vet is thinking it was possibly a combination of all of those, and he's not thinking neurological.

I've got him crated just in case it is slipped disk, and because he's still stumbling and I don't want him to hurt himself, but the vet didn't think that was what it was. But he didn't get steriod shots, so that wouldn't have been a reason for improvement.

Thanks for all the good thoughts.

ok if you are comfortable with this but high white blood cell count is a sign of infection and GME can be an infection in the spinal cord. I just have to say i would have my dog looked at by a neurologist in a case like this for a second opinion. If it happens to be neurological the sooner the better. If not neurological at least you ruled it out with a specialist. JMHO

I have not dealt with low calcium but i do have a dog that is hypothyroid and her thyroid t4free was .38 and she is on meds for low thyroid now and she was never paralyzed

[dwerten]

did they rule out tick disease by blood work? I have read some dogs can get paralyzed from ticks as well

[roseslevi]

Originally Posted by dwerten

did they rule out tick disease by blood work? I have read some dogs can get paralyzed from ticks as well

Levi lost control of whole hind end with Lymes disease...couldn't even urinate without falling over....which was indeed diagnosed with blood annalysis.