Hydrocephalus
 

I know this forum is for Yorkies but this community seems so full of knowledge and through my journey so far has been very helpful.

I work next to a veterinary office. One day while picking up my other puppy from getting groomed I noticed the cutest little puppy so young it didnt yet have its eyes open. This puppy was brought to the vet because it was not thriving with its mother and was having a hard time staying on its stomach/getting around. The vet was not comfortable putting the puppy to sleep at the time and because of my strong relationship with the vet they asked if I would take him home and try to help the little guy thrive. Niko is a Toy Poodle.

Niko started putting on weight and growing, opened his eyes and became more aware of his surroundings. As he got older everything started to look better. However at 4 weeks old he was still having a substantial amount of issues holding his head up and maintaining balance. With a vet check he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. I am sure you understand my despair at this news after hand feeding and caring for him. All that I want is like what any mother wants, to see her baby happy and healthy.

I am writing to see if anyone has any experience with this condition and if so I would really appreciate your guidence!!!!!! Anyone have a puppy with this who survived? Any tips on how I can help him to start walking? Any nontraditional treatment options I might not know about?

It seems the first step is to have him be seen my a neurologist and have an MRI performed. From what I have researched so far this is going to be between 2,000-3,000 depending on several factors they cant verify over the phone. I have been going over as many options for financing that I can think of but have yet to come up with anything. I have applied to every organization I can find that helps with vet bills. I either do not qualify or they are not accepting new applications or I havent heard anything back in over a week.

Please help me save NIKO!!!!!

I'm confused as to why the vet gave you this puppy and what he is now offering you for his care. I would think that this vet would be offering free care to you seeing that they asked you to care for the puppy. What happened to the breeder and what exactly are they offering in regard to help. Also, if all of the above people in this puzzle are not stepping up to the plate maybe you should surrender Niko to a rescue that has the financial means to properly care for this little guy.

I should have explained better. What I really am looking for is others who may have come across this with other dogs. What did they do? What treatments worked for them (acupuncture, medications, surgery, ect)? Other treatments they know about, and options for financing I may not be aware of.

I am just looking for guidance from others who love animals as much as I do and may have ideas that I may not have thought about. Like you did with the rescue group. Although I dont think I am ready for something that extreme at this point. And the financial part is only part of the issue, I will take out a loan if I have to.

To Answer your questions:

The puppy was brought into the vet to be euthanized by the breeder who wants nothing to do with the puppy :( Niko could not stay on his belly like a puppy should and was not able to eat very well from the mother. He was 5 days old at this point and there were no signs as to what could have been wrong with the puppy. I work next to the vets office and have a close relationship with everyone at the office because of that and the fact that my other dog was very sickly in his early years.

The vet is providing help with him however she is a small practice in a small town and does not have the equipment necessary to provide the kind of permanent treatment I am looking for. She has given me prednisone and omeprazole to try and help with the symptoms. I know she has not come across this in very many instances (most of the dogs brought in are farm dogs) because she was not aware that omeprazole was used to reduce spinal fluid production which I came across doing research after his diagnosis. The closest office that could begin to provide real help is 45 min away and the closest neurologist is over 3 hr away.

I should have explained better. What I really am looking for is others who may have come across this with other dogs. What did they do? What treatments worked for them (acupuncture, medications, surgery, ect)? Other treatments they know about, and options for financing I may not be aware of.

I am just looking for guidance from others who love animals as much as I do and may have ideas that I may not have thought about. Like you did with the rescue group. Although I dont think I am ready for something that extreme at this point. And the financial part is only part of the issue, I will take out a loan if I have to.

To Answer your questions:

The puppy was brought into the vet to be euthanized by the breeder who wants nothing to do with the puppy :( Niko could not stay on his belly like a puppy should and was not able to eat very well from the mother. He was 5 days old at this point and there were no signs as to what could have been wrong with the puppy. I work next to the vets office and have a close relationship with everyone at the office because of that and the fact that my other dog was very sickly in his early years.

The vet is providing help with him however she is a small practice in a small town and does not have the equipment necessary to provide the kind of permanent treatment I am looking for. She has given me prednisone and omeprazole to try and help with the symptoms. I know she has not come across this in very many instances (most of the dogs brought in are farm dogs) because she was not aware that omeprazole was used to reduce spinal fluid production which I came across doing research after his diagnosis. The closest office that could begin to provide real help is 45 min away and the closest neurologist is over 3 hr away.

I think you know that the MRI is necessary as terrible as it might seem the best way to show you love him if you can't get it would be to surrender him to a rescue that can handle it. Do you know who the breeder is?

Puppies/dogs can & often do live long happy lives with hydrocephalus but you deff need an MRI on this pup to find out why the pup has hydrocephalus as it's not just cut & dry unfortunately. The only way to know how to treat is to find the cause as there is not just one cause. Have you tried Care Credit ? I do agree that if you can't get this pup the diagnostics & treatment then the best outcome for the pup would be a reputable rescue. I know this baby has stolen your heart so I am Praying you can get the funds you need. God Bless you for taking on this challenge. Please keep us updated on this baby & I wish you luck.

The MRI is essential for diagnosis as it will confirm the severity of the condition.


From what you are saying, I believe the condition to be congenital and so the puppy will require hospitalization subsequent to diagnosis because the way the puppy sleeps etc needs to be monitored. For example, the head will need to be turned at regular intervals to reduce/eliminate excess fluid from building up around the brain.


If the condition is mild, the prognosis is good but the condition will require lifelong monitoring, etc.


If the condition is severe, then options will need to be discussed with your vet. There is no getting around the requirement for the MRI and I would plead with the vet, who sent this puppy home with you, to do what they should have done in the first place which is to assess the puppy and keep it in their care.


Without medical intervention, this puppy has no chance for survival.


Good luck.

Here is a recent thread about Sprite.

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

hoping Ladyjane or megansmomma or others with hydro experience come along because while the support here is good and some information is very generous I'm pretty sure some of it is not accurate. I've known pups who lived good quality lives with hydro, it is not always a death sentence.


Maintenance etc., can be costly but if your not financially capable of handling the need for MRI's etc., the humane thing would be to reach out to a reputable rescue so that this pup does have a chance.

:thumbup::thumbup:

You might want to reach out to this organization in Wisconsin, they may be able to give you some solid information and guidance.


Who Are We? - Tri-State Poodle Club and Outreach, Inc.




Please keep us posted!! Sorry you had to find us this way, but glad you did!

:thumbup:

Thank you for all of the suggestions everyone. I was so hoping for a magic fix but that is just wishful thinking....

I applied for carecredit and have made an appointment with a neurologist on the 17th. While doing more research I have come to find that Niko having symptoms so young generally means he is worse off. The 17th cant come fast enough!!

I can't add anything to what you've already been told. Just wanted to let you know I was praying for your baby! Good Luck and God Bless!