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09-08-2010, 09:48 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: falls church, va, usa
Posts: 4
| 2 yr old Yorkie sudden illness... can anybody help? I'm a groomer and one of my clients has this adorable little 2 1/2 year old yorkie that 2 weeks ago started having a bad problem. Dobby (the dog) one day seemed to lose her sense of direction. when I saw her the other day her mom described how while on the floor, Dobby will keep spinning around in circles until she becomes dizzy enough and falls down however it seems like she doesnt realize that shes not going where she wants, like she thinks she going straight when shes not. First thing i thought of was some kind of inner ear problem, but her mom said the vets have checked her ears. She said the vet thinks something is wrong with her kidney, but if it is, wouldn't it have been an acute onset? Anyone have any suggestions we're all very worried about dobby... she's such a sweet young dog that i really love to work with... I really appreciate any and all help that anyone can give... |
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09-08-2010, 10:17 PM | #2 |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
| This behavior sounds neurological. I'd have a neurologist look at her, asap. Did the vet run any bloodwork? If the liver enzymes aren't way off, I'd skip doing a BAT (Bile Acid Test for liver function) and go straight to a neurologist. They'll probably want a spinal tap and an MRI. Please get her there quickly....
__________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity Last edited by kjc; 09-08-2010 at 10:18 PM. |
09-08-2010, 10:24 PM | #3 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: falls church, va, usa
Posts: 4
| From what I understand they did bloodwork and thats why the vet suspects kidney problems and have her on low-protein diet... and there was something off, I dont quite remember what she said was off though... I know she's taken her to two different vets but neither of them have taken her as far as an mri or a neurologist as of yet... |
09-08-2010, 10:57 PM | #4 |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
| If the diet isn't helping and she's not on any medications, and she's still circling and being weird, no improvement.... she could just ask her vet for a neuro referral, or an internal medicine specialist referral. She would be wise to take her to a specialist as the regular vets can only do so much... where a specialist will have more experience in dealing with problems associated with specific breeds. If it is limited to a kidney problem, I would think further workup and supportive care would be necessary to improve recovery time. As in being admitted to the hospital and put on IV fluids and meds. Also the case with toxins, they need to be flushed from the system. If her BUN is elevated, that can come from dehydration, as her behavior would keep her from getting to her water bowl enough to stay properly hydrated, making the kidney involvement a secondary problem.
__________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity |
09-08-2010, 11:04 PM | #5 |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
| If you could get the abnormal bloodwork results from the owner and post them here that would be helpful.
__________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity |
09-09-2010, 07:14 PM | #6 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| What were the kidney levels? If they are way out of range and the vet suspects kidneys, then she needs to see a nephrologist. Otherwise, she needs to be bile acids tested. If that is normal (or in the process of getting results), the owner should take pup to an internal medicine specialist and/or a neurologist. it's not something that can wait.
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 |
09-09-2010, 07:56 PM | #7 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,450
| I am assuming that the vet saw something in the lab work that made him think it is a kidney issue. If it were my dog, I would go to an internal medicine specialist for starters.
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09-09-2010, 08:39 PM | #8 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Abbotsford, BC
Posts: 2,060
| Check out this possibility. Suggest it to your vet Necrotising encephalitis in the Yorkshire terrier: a case report and literature review - Kuwamura - 2006 - Journal of Small Animal Practice - Wiley Online Library |
09-10-2010, 10:08 PM | #9 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: falls church, va, usa
Posts: 4
| I spoke to Dobby's mom today And she said that her bile acid test came back elevated and they suspect liver. I'm not quite sure if I'd remembered wrong by previously stating the possibility of kidney problems but actually meaning liver... Dobby's mom also said that she hasn't gotten any worse but hasn't improved at all either... |
09-10-2010, 11:30 PM | #10 |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
| The behavior you described is not one usually associated with liver disease, including Liver Shunt. The difference is with LS, toxins get to the brain in the blood. Her symptoms indicate pressure building in the brain (or around it) and as it increases, her symptoms may multiply and become worse. There are medications that can stop this from happening, but she needs to be diagnosed as to exactly why the fluid is building up, as there are different conditions that can cause this to occur, and different meds and dosages for each condition. At this point, this dog needs to be seen by a neurologist ASAP. AAI, GME, NE, Chiari, and Syringomyelia all cause swelling in the skull and can present with the symptoms described. These conditions can also throw off a BAT result. The owner will be wasting her money persuing treatment for the liver, as it will never resolve until the brain swelling is dealt with. She could very well spend thousands of dollars on liver testing and treatment that will have no effect on improving the health of her dog. Many vets don't realize that something else is going on. They are at the point where they have found an abnormal result, and because 36% of Yorkies have LS, they truly think they are on the correct path. The aboved mentioned diseases are not as thoroughly documented, may be considered 'rare', bc in the past, there was no treatment for them and many dogs were PTS. As vet medicine has advanced, they now can treat these diseases, but this is done by neurologists. Dr. Sission in MA has developed the most current, successful protocol for treatment. He does phone consultations. One last thing: If this dog's symptoms were from LS, her condition would be Hepatic Encephalopathy (a complication of LS). The treatment for HE is Lactulose, 2-5 cc (depending on weight) given every hour until blowout diarrhea is acheived, then back to a maintrnance dose given twice daily with a low protein meal. This is done to help get the toxins (which cause this condition) out of the body as rapidly as possible. Improvement (lessening to disappearance of symptoms) will occur within 24 hours of initiating Lactulose therapy. Lactulose has absolutely no effect whatsoever on spinal fluid that is accumulating in the brain, which is the basic cause of symptoms in dogs with AAI, GME, NE, Chiari, and Syringomyelia. One other clue would be... has this dog been vaccinated in the past 1-2 months? If the answer is yes.. then most likely would be GME, as a recent finding indicates the vaccines can trigger this disease.
__________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity |
09-11-2010, 06:30 AM | #11 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Abbotsford, BC
Posts: 2,060
| I would be hard pressed to know of a sick dog that would not produce a high bile acid test. I won't let a vet do that on a sick dog. If I suspected LS or other liver issues I would take a different road with figuring out what is wrong. BA test is also very sensitive to error. If the blood sample is collected and/or handled incorrectly, it will not give a correct reading. |
09-11-2010, 06:32 AM | #12 | |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Abbotsford, BC
Posts: 2,060
| Quote:
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09-12-2010, 08:27 PM | #13 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: falls church, va, usa
Posts: 4
| I visited Dobby today and it seems that her condition is slowly deteriorating. She is going to the internal medicine specialist tomorrow. She has been on Amoxicillin and Lactulose and shown no improvement. It almost seems like shes in a permanent muscle spasm, when she was sleeping she had her head turned tightly to the right side and her body didnt seem to relax much. At the beginning she was able to eat and drink and go bathroom where she's supposed to but now she isn't... And as someone mentioned before, she had had shots a week almost to the day prior to the symptoms beginning, both the DHPP and Bordatella, and apparently this was her first time to have the Bordatella done too, if that matters... Thanks for everyones help! We're all hoping for her to be diagnosed tomorrow but in case she isnt, please continue to send any help you can, we REALLY are very grateful for everything! |
09-13-2010, 12:38 AM | #14 | |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Idaho
Posts: 4,544
| Quote:
From what you say here I would say GME, possibly Chiari. I would get this baby to a Neuro ASAP. The liver can act like the thyroid in the sense that when you are sick or have any other problem it can throw off the tests, but when the original problem is fixed the liver or thyroid will fix itself. It is very likely that's what's going on here. Also the DHPP and Bordatella should not have been given at the same time. Last edited by lillymae; 09-13-2010 at 12:40 AM. | |
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