Lily has hydrocephalus
 

Hi guys,

I need some help here. I am so upset and I just can't stop crying. Lily is with Dr. Tobias today at UT having a liver biopsy to confirm MVD. I thought that the MVD was the end of the world until Dr. Tobias just called to tell me that her test results from neurology came back and that she has moderate hydrocephalus. She was born with an open fontanel and I knew that hydrocephalus was likely but I had talked myself into believing that she only had mild hydrocephalus. To hear the confirmation that yes she has hydrocephalus and that it is moderate just ripped my heart out.

Who on here has had a dog with hydrocephalus? What kind of treatment were they given? How did they do long term? And I have to ask, how long did they live? I'm praying that she still has a chance for a full life but my hopes are dwindling. Right now the only clinical signs she has is shaking and lack of appetite which could be from the MVD.

Lily is my little rescue. I have done a lot of rescues and seen some sad cases and lost some dogs but Lily is just unlike any other. I've developed such a strong bond with her and I love her more than words can say. I think my days of doing rescues has come to an end. I just can't do this anymore. I can't take anymore....:cry:

I know nothing about your babys condition...but I do want to say my thougths and prayers are with you....

Oh, honey! I remember pics of Lily in the Breeder section - I can see why you are 200% in love with her. I wish I knew more information - but I just wanted to send you a hug.

Do you have any recent pics? I want to see her, be able to visualize her and send some healing energy her way! I'm thinking of you both...

My heart breaks for you. I know nothing about this condition however
I hope she'll live a normal life with meds.
YT prayer's are very strong so I am sending you mine. Please keep us posted. Be strong.

Hugs

Oh no !! I'm so sorry !!! There is some info on here if you do a search but I'm so sorry to hear this about little Lily....You poor thing - I don't know much about it other than what I've read but want to send prayers....Maybe it's not as bad as it sounds ????

So sorry about your Lily :( I really don't know anything about this but will definately keep her in my prayers.

:cry8: My heart and prayers go out to you. Please think positive and remember how happy YOU make her...No matter how long she lives, days, weeks, years..she had the BEST because of YOU.

OLD FASHION REMEDY: (but it works - chicken soup)

update and pics
 

Dr. Tobias just called and said that Lily made it through the surgery and does have MVD which we will have to treat thru diet.

As for the hydrocephalus, there is nothing that can be done. She said that she has spoken with Neurology and that Lily is just too little for a shunt to be inserted in her brain to divert the fluid and that we can't use medication to treat the hydrocephalus because of her liver. I plan on bringing her home (hopefully tomorrow), managing the MVD with her diet, and just loving her for as long as I can.

Here are some pictures from a couple of weeks ago. When I look at these pictures, its hard to believe how sick she is.

My heart is breaking for you right now...I know how much you love Lily, but these little ones are so strong!!! You have to believe that she'll live a good life. I know the MVD is manageable for sure, and as far as the hydrocephalus goes, I don't know much about it, but I do know that sometimes these little ones will surprise you. I'm praying that God gives you the strength that you need to be strong for Lily, and I'm praying that God gives Lily the strength to live a normal, wonderful life.

I also want to add that Lily as absolutely gorgeous. She looks like such a sweet baby doll :)

Oh, those pics!!! The one of her standing by her bag is just unbelievably adorable. I'm hoping for a miracle - she is SO blessed to have you!

My heart goes out to you, really it does. My dog Lucky also has MVD (diagnosed about 2 years ago) and a neurological problem that we recently discovered. We attributed his shaking fits to the MVD at first, but after changing his diet and putting him on meds for the MVD, his shaking fits returned again and progressively got worse. A few months ago it got so bad that he shook for almost 2 hours off and on and even lost control of his eyes for a few minutes. I was terrified to death that I was going to lose him. I took him to the hospital and they determined that the shaking wasn't due to the MVD (that was under control) but that it was due to a neurological problem of some sort. The doctor said he would have to preform an MRI and other invasive tests to determine exactly what the problem was but that the odds of finding out exactly what it was was very slim since Lucky was not exhibitting any symptoms that fit classical neurological problems. After hearing this, the doctor and I decided to try avoiding any invasive procedures and to start Lucky off with anticonvulsants and see if that helps his condition. He has been on the anticonvulsant for a few months now and is doing wonderfully. He has only had a few minor shaking incidents since then and his appetite is huge. He's back to his fun loving self. Sorry, i don't know much about hydrocephalus but maybe anticonvulsants can be helpful in Lily's case as well? Best of luck to you and your Lily!

OMG! that little face of hers! What an adorable little girl. My heart just breaks for you. I will keep you and Little Lily in my thoughts and prayers

Lily
 

I am so sorry to hear about Lily. I am sending along my prayers to aid in her return to good health.

She is absolutely beautiful and I especially like the picture of her looking into her bag it is so darn cute.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.


Jay

:getwell:

AMEN to that!!! Thoughts and prayers to you and Lily. I'm sure there are others on here that have had this problem with their babies. Hope you can get the help and advise you're seeking, I just don't know enough about it. Bless you for helping her, and bless her for being...

There is a girl in FL (Paula) that has a little one with hydrocephalus.
She has Paulas Pet Photography, I can't remember her email addy.
But maybe someone here knows who she is and has it.
If not I can find it and send it to you, it would be great if you could speak with her about how she has cared for him.
Our prayers and hugs for you and your precious little beautiful girl.
Deana and Leo

Best wishes to you and Lily. She is precious.

Lily is precious..... Please don't give up. My first yorkie, Laciebug had a very rare typeof hydrocephalus which is usually only diagnosised during a necropsy. The wonderful veternarians at the University Vet School didn't think she would live to use the 2 weeks worth of meds they sent her home with. She lived and love and gave herself to us for FIVE glorious years.

I would be glad to call you -- send me a pm.

http://www.paulaspetphotography.com/...20-%20Dogs.htm

this is her site. You can see his pic he is the little one with the tongue sticking out in the lil maroon chair

Deana and Leo

Back from UT
 

Thanks so much for everyone's kind words and prayers. You guys are making me cry! I just got back from UT with Lily and she is resting comfortably although she does have periods where she won't stop crying so I am trying to control her pain as best as possible without giving her so much that she vomits.

Her hydrocephalus is worse than we thought and further tests revealed that she is blind in her right eye. She may regain her vision in that eye or may become completely blind in both eyes, they just don't know. Her prognosis is "guarded" and when I asked what that meant, all they would tell me is that it is not good. I'm starting to come to terms with this and I've decided just to be thankful for every day that I get to spend with my beautiful little girl. I just pray that she remains a happy little girl and doesn't become completely blind.

They told me that I can only give her the L/D for now but so far she refuses to eat so I may have to give her some sugar water to keep her glucose level up (no nutrical become of the protein). They also gave me lactulose syrup and milk thistle.

Thanks again guys for everything. Especially those who told me their stories, it gives me some hope :)

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who sent such thoughtful PMs and update you on Lily. She finally ate! I baked the L/D in the oven and she loved it. She ate three times today and seemed excited about it. After she eats I have been giving her the lactulose in cottage cheese because she does not like the yogurt. I'm a little concerned about the cottage cheese because whenever she eats it (only about a teaspoon full) her back two legs come way off the floor until she is doing a hand stand and she almost flips head over heels (I actually have to watch her and push down on her backside to prevent her from flipping over). I'm not sure if this is another neurological symptom or just a silly quirk but she only does it with the cottage cheese. I've also given her a few cheerios as a snack which she does okay with. I was really nervous about managing the MVD but I think that I can do this after all.

Here is a pic I took of her tonight resting. She looks a little worse for wear as I have been too afraid to give her a bath just yet. I have decided to keep taping her ears. I was going to stop but it felt like I was just saying "What's the point of taping her ears when she won't be with me much longer" I'm not accepting defeat and have decided to treat her like she's going to be here another 10 year (and she really doesn't care about her ears being taped or I would have rethought my decision).

Lily you sweet little thing, be strong, be brave keep eating like a big girl. Lots of hugs to you and yours, and plenty of prayers to boot!!!

My thoughts are with you and Lily...I am with you..treat her like you will have her forever and keep your head up...every minute is precious for ALL of us and we should all live life to the fullest...even the tiniest of creatures!!

Dawn

I'm so sorry about little Lily! She is simply adorable!
My Lexxi has hydro. She was diagnosed at 1 year old, via MRI. She is 3.5 years now. Her condition was diagnosed as "severe" at that time. She is also blind from the pressure on her optic nerve. She has seizures, which is the scariest thing to witness. She also cannot have a shunt due to the severity of her hydro. Her neurologist sent her records out of state to 2 specialists who denied her the surgery.
So....with that said, she is still with us and on medication 3 times a day for the seizures (keppra and this was changed from the phenabarbital). and prednisone for the hydro every other day. Has your baby had seizures yet? Lexxi is a sweet girl but she is not living a normal doggie life. She has her own "condo" that she lives in so she does not get hurt and the other dogs leave her alone. It is big enough for her bed, peepad and food and water. She circles non stop, as one of the symptoms of hydro. She has gotten extremely difficult to groom or hold or anything - but we still feel she deserves to live and to be taken care of...
I don't know anything about MVD though?
I have a link here to a wonderful website and these people will work with you and give you info and support and other alternatives. Even though they are not DVM's, they work with at least one who will help with alternatives as well.
Let me know if you have any questions I can help with about sweet Lily. Send me a pm if you'd like and we can email or talk on the phone.
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-...rocephalus.HTM

Im so sorry, Keeping her in my prayers.

Lily looks so good in that picture :) I'm glad you're taking that approach that she's going to be with you a long time! Make sure the cottage cheese is low or nonfat. Good luck and keep us posted!!