Moving head side to side, tongue curled
 

My 6 yr old yorkie is moving his head side to side continuously. At times he acts like hes panting but his tongue curls upward. When I put him down he will go in circles. He doesnt seem to be in any pain, could he have had a stroke? He has not had any infections or been previously ill. His eyes are not moving back and forth, just his head, like he's tracking something close to his face like a fly, etc. I also have 2 other dogs and a cat who are acting normal. Though now is is doing circles around the bed, under and out and he isnt having trouble balancing at all.

please call your vet. it could be anything. my brutis got smacked by a cat at the kennel where i got my miss fergie. showed no signs of injury til next morning, he had gotten hit in the eye, hollered when you touched the side of his head, or if he tried to shake his head. please let me know how he is doing.

I would definitely be worried about this behavior and think you need to consult a vet. One of my Yorkie's tongue does curl when he pants like when riding in the car before he settles down. I found this on stages of a seizure - if you look under the "aura" stage it sounds like what you are describing.

Stages of a Seizure
There are 4 basic stages to a seizure: 1) the prodome, 2) the aura or preictus, 3) the ictus or seizure stage, and 4) the postictus.
1) The prodome may precede the actual seizure by hours or days. It is characterized by a change in mood or behavior. Human epileptics experience mood changes, headaches, insomnia or feelings about the impending seizure. It is not known whether animals experience a prodome except for any behavioral changes observed by their owners.

2) The aura signals the start of the seizure. Signs include restlessness, nervousness, whining, trembling, salivation, affection, wandering, hiding, hysterical running, and apprehension.

3) The ictus is the actual seizure, characterized by sudden increase in tone of all muscle groups. The ictus is either tonic or tonic-clonic, generally lasting from 1-3 minutes.

4) The postictus may be the only sign of epilepsy the owner sees, particularly since many seizures occur at night or early in the morning. For minutes to days after the seizure, the dog may be confused, disoriented, restless, or unresponsive, or may wander or suffer from transient blindness. At this stage the animal is conscious but not functional. (Shell, Understanding; Kay; Oliver, Seizures).

What can you do when your dog seizures? Note the time to determine how long the seizure lasts. Keep the dog as quiet as possible. Loud or sharp noises may prolong the seizure or make it worse. Other dogs should be removed from the area, as they may disturb or attack the seizuring dog. Should you attempt to comfort the animal? Opinions on this vary. My own dog is comforted by my presence and looks for me as he returns to consciousness. I make a point of calmly maintaining physical and voice contact with him throughout the seizure and during recovery.

How is your baby today?

There was a cat at a kennel where I got my himilayan that ran in circles like that and the breeder said it had a neurological disorder. The cat had taken a fall

i have seen dogs act this way when they have ear mites. have him vet checked and let us know please what is going on.

Mites could be a possibility. Look in the ears for a dark crumbly substance. With close inspection you can see the little white mites in the material. You can clean the ear with mineral oil on a cotton ball, but this is only until you can get into a vet.

I hope your little one is doing better. I agree with the others get him to a vet asap! Good luck and keep us posted....he sure is a cutie pie.:hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands: :hands:

there was a yorkie at my work about a month ago with the same symptoms...it sounds neurologic just like that one was..she went for an MRI, i would see your vet and maybe be referred to a neurologist

Checking for an update on Bailey - how is he doing?

AWW. I can't offer any help but I hope your little feels better soon.

With head injuries or neurological disorders, they will walk in a tight circle. Hugs to your baby.

my yorkie/pom "little girl" (looks like yorkie) has always curled her tongue when panting but you pups sounds like it is having more things going on then just that, so yes take em to the vet ...good luck i hope he/she will be okay!!!

pet
 

When dogs pant and curl their tongues they are in distress of some sort..it can be the heat, anxiety, stress or pain..please have the vet check him over..the circling can be a sign of pain or serious problems. Dogs do not yelp in pain unless they have a broken bone or something like that..it could be his teeth..an abcess.

Follow up on my boo bear
 

Thank you everyone for your concern and replys.:animal36 Let me tell you first off that he is just fine and back to normal. We still are not sure what happened to him. His behavior continued through the night. The next morning all was back to normal and has been since that Sunday. All of his tests came back normal and he shows no ill effects or has had any more of what I call an "episode". I'm thinking he was having some sort of nervous spaz attack.

Shortly after I posted my concern I went ahead and took boobear to the only after hours emergency center in my area. They took him in right away while my son and I waited anxiously. After what seemed like forever the doctor spoke with me briefly, she didnt know what could be wrong with him, she was assumming he had gotten into something that made him sick. Aside from the fact that I had been home with him all day, boo isnt one to nosey around, he is content napping on pillows or playing with Sophie (my 15 yr old poodle). I know for a fact he did not "get into something".

After the doctor left me the nurse came in with 2 pages of tests they wanted to run with the total being $800. Keep in mind these were just the tests, the price didnt include any treatment. I tell her that no way can I pay the $800 today, I simply didnt have it. She just looked at me, then said, "you do know your dog is critical dont you?" Up to this point I had remained calm but still very concerned for his health. The doctor who I just spoke with did not mention or express any critical concerns, just that he maybe got into something. She certainly didnt tell me that if i didnt admit him he could die!
So now of course im in tears, she left for a moment then returned and said they could do fewer tests and the new price will be $237. Ok, I said, I can pay that today, and I assummed they would run the tests I could afford.
But they kept telling me this price is only for tests and no treatment. Im like fine, do the tests, get in there, hes critical! She left and returned again with another lower price of $189 again with a reminder this is just for test and no treatment. Basically they were telling me I need to pay the $800 and admit him or take him home. So I got my boobear and with mixed emotions we headed home. It was early evening and a pretty bad storm had just moved through. In my head I was arguing with myself over the fact that he could die before we got home, because of the moment of what started as a relaxing sunday afternoon, I didnt have $800 on me. In my gut I felt he would be ok and made a wish for him on the rainbow. Sounds silly, I was hoping and praying, not knowing what else I could do for him.

:mad: Looking back on this experience, the more I think about the emergency vet the more it upsets me. I feel like they play your emotions knowing that if your there then you would do anything to help your pet. They hit you with unbelievable charges and if you cant pay it they tell you your pet could die and make you sign a release then send you on your way.

Thanks again for your concerns.

That is horrible how the vet treated the situation. i have an emergency vet near me that did a similar thing....and like you i waited it out. my emergency vet back home isnt like this....but occasionally you will run into ones that arent very considerate of our emotions. i am sorry you had to go through that ...and i am very happy everything worked out. you will be in my prayers....

i had a simalar experience at the emergancy vet hospital with my lasa. she had taken a fall and i rushed her in and they took x-rays and told me she needed hip replacement surgery. she was only maybe a year old. but she didn't break her hip but they wanted to replace it. of course i had been crying all the way there and while i was there. but my sweet madeline was acting like herself maybe a little sore and stressed from everything but she was okay . i told them that i could not afford the surgery. which i didn't feel that she needed since she was walking around and nothing was broken...they wanted me to get pet credit or take out a loan. i told them that it wasn't possible for me to make a decission like that without my husband.(but if i really thought she needed it i would have done it in a heartbeat) it is very sad that they try to take advantage of you while your in such grief. just to let you know madeline is seven years old and has never had a problem with her hip or anything else. i am glad to hear that you baby is better and you are also..:)

annette and louie:aimeeyork

So glad boo is better
 

I am so glad Boo is better. I also want to welcome you to YT. :) I hope Boo Is all better soon And keep us posted. Did you take him to you regular vet To have them look him over also?

When he was walking in circles was he close to the walls and like a dog on a mission...would he stop when you called him or just acted like you where not there???? The reason I ask this is you might want to get his bile acid tested....:(

I've seen some similar posts about emergency room visits. The last one was the dog had pyometra (uterus infection) and was full of pus that was being discharged. The emergency vet advised immediate spay, hysterectomy at an outrageous price. The owner decided she didn't want to have it done because it was a valuable breeder. I, personally, would have, but the point I am getting at is that the emergency vet basically did nothing since she refused. They could have at least given her a shot of oxytocin since her cervix was still open (had recently given birth) to expel a good portion of the bacteria and given her an injection of antibiotics then she could have seen her regular vet in the morning for a spay at 1/4 of the cost, but they still gave her a bill for the visit and did nothing!!!??? The dog was okay, but it very well could have turned out differently.

I'm glad Boobear seems normal now. I would still have a blood work up done just to see if anything shows up though.

You know what....
 

I am having a real problem with this thread about the Emergency Vets......all the posts are in agreement......it seems like these Vets are not eithical at all......what is the deal......don't they have the same code of eithics that a General Vet does? Don't they sign the same placque on the wall to take care of an animal with diligence and care?

This really makes me furious......to take advantage and refuse treatment, or play on someone's sympathy in order to get a bigger charge?????? Sounds like an attorney that runs after car wrecks.....(sorry attorneys out there).

What is the solution? Education....be very educated on the ails of your Yorkie, so that He/She doesnt try the above tactics.


What a shame......it really disgusts me.....:thumbdown

Well, least I have one emergency trip I can now laugh at, but it was 20 years ago.

My young female cat, suddenly started walking really low to the ground, and crying. My older sister was over, she said "you need to take that cat to the vet, something is hurting her bad, she's in pain"! Well, TC continuted this even when company left, so I took her to the emergency clinic, with my Visa card that only had like 500 dollar limit at that time. I was just getting established in life back then, and was having a tough time making ends meet.

We'd had cats all our lives, but they were all male cats. Seems Mom would never let us keep a female.

I think this was 1986. Later it got, the more pain she looked like she was in, I looked up the one emergency vet, and off we went. They saw me and TC immediately. They checked her out good, and told me my cat was "In Heat", charged me $100 bucks and sent me home!!

My older sister and I still laugh about that one! I paid 100 bucks to find out my cat was in heat! My big sis got a cat last year, and it was female. When it came in heat, I told her "you need to take that cat to the vet, somethings wrong with it"! We both laughed.

When I had her spayed several weeks later, the total bill was like 65 bucks back then! Cost more to find out she was in heat, than to spay her! LOL

Emergency clinics can be good or bad, but glad to know I'm not the only one that feels they got ripped off. But 20 years later, I can now laugh at my trip, and call it "experience".

BooBear
 

I meant to mention in my follow up post that I did take him to the vet the next day. They checked him out good, test, bloodwork, etc. Everything came back normal.
It has been 7 days since his episode and he is still normal showing no signs of any effects of last week.
I dont know if I will every know what was wrong with him. Im still thinking it could have been a nervous thing. I have 2 other dogs and a cat, a 15 yr old poodle (Sophie) who pretty much stays under the bed (they get along great) and my newest additions of an 10 mth old akita mix (bailey) and 9 mth old cat (Remy), these two try to get boobear to play and he just isnt interested. Bailey and Remy play great and kinda rough, and it makes him nervous. So maybe he just had enough, I dont know. I will continue as usual to watch him close and keep everyone updated.
Thanks again for showing support, it really helps and lets me know Im not alone.

It is sad, the way they take advantage of a peson in distress. It isn't only vets. I had a dentist do the same thing. I had lost the filling out of a tooth, and the tooth was bad anyway. I went to a dentist, that would get me in immediately. he charged me $90 to tell me that I would need to go to an oral surgeon. they sent me there. He charged me $209, just to pull a tooth that he said was loose anyway. No oral surgery no ansthetic except novocain, just pulled the tooth.

Years before that My son had a baby tooth that had not come out, and they said the permanent tooth was lying sideways in the gum. they wanted to put some sort of apparatus on it that would connect to the tooth that was lying down, blah blah blah. I told them I couldn't afford that and asked couldn't they just pull it and then see what happens. Oh no they couldn't do that blah blah blah. they had me in tears before I left. Made me feel like a bad mother because I couldn't afford to do that.

Within a year, the baby tooth fell out and the permanent tooth came in just fine.

In my opinion the medical profession can be just as unethical as car repairmen.

Sorry that last post was off track. It just make me furious how they can put a person in tears and not feel bad about it.

I once a had a puppy who did something similiar. Buster was a norfolk terrier. He had low blood sugar. If it happens again try some nutra-cal or sugar water. If it is low blood sugar and you don't do anything about it, it can cause blindness and even death. I sure hope your baby is okay. Our puppy who had low blood sugar and an intestinal problem died. He wasn't absorbing his food. It was a lot of heartache and a high vet bill to help him and he still didn't make it even after IV's and an over night stay. They said because he was so small he just couldn't fight it. Please watch your little guy closely.

First let me say how happy I am that BooBear is back to normal. I don't want to scare you but I do want to make you aware. As many people here know my yorkie, Pepper, has a neurological illness called Cerebellar Abiotrophy. It affects his nervous system, meaning he can't walk, sit, stand, eat, drink, pee etc. without falling over.He also has seizures and vomits almost everyday. He is like this about 65% of the time now. It started out that these spells would last a few minutes and would only hit once or twice a week. Now its everyday and lasts for hours. One of the symptoms is that head movement you mentioned. My hubby and I discribe it as "doing a Katherine Hepburn" sounds terrible but does give you an idea what it looks like. The thing about CA is that ALL tests come back normal. The only way to know for absolute sure that a pup has it is by autopsy or brain biopsy. So the vets make an educated guess based on a process of elimination. Like I said, I don't want to scare you but I do want you to be aware! This illness is genetic...the females are the carriers, the males get the illness. When I got Pepper at 4 months of age the vets told me he wouldn't make it a year...he is now 2 1/2 years old. There is no cure for it and it is getting worse. When his life gets to be more of a burden to him then a joy I will have to let him go...but for now he is a very happy, very spoiled yorkie! It took me a year and a half to find a vet who would treat him for normal stuff...the rest just acted like it was a waste of their precious time or they wanted to re-run very expensive tests that they knew had already been done at least twice. I guess there are people like that in every profession and I am so sorry that you had to deal with one while you were scared for your poor baby! As I said, I am so glad booBear is feeling better!

Guess this sort of stuff happens everywhere. I rescued a 15-year-old Yorkie a few years ago who had been dumped at the animal shelter. Supposedly, the owner had called and said she had been spayed. Well, three weeks later we had an emergency hysterectomy at a cost of $365.00. I decided to call the same vet later (not giving my name) to find out how much it was to spay they quoted me less than $100.00. When I confronted the vet when I took her back for a check-up she cited risk as the reason it was so much more. I made it very clear to her that "risk" costs absolutely nothing and that it was the dog taking the risk, not her. I never went back to that clinic. Guess I'm in the wrong profession. But then, I'm the kind that would take chicken and vegetables as payment. SOOOO GLAD Boo is better. Keep an eye on him and we'll all pray it's not going to happen again.:D