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She just fell over...???


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Ceana was sniffing Poke's butt before the evening walk and she just fell over. I did not see her fall (I was outside petting the kitty who cries for love at our front door since he followed us home last night), but Chris said she fell on her side and took longer than normal to get up. It was long enough for him to yell "Carrie leave that ^%$%^$ cat and get in here." After she got up she was normal. He said it looked like a mini stroke and that the immobility was in her back legs.

 

We decided to go for a potty walk instead of anything too strenuous. She is inside playing, moving as normal as her funky bunny hop is. She has been x-rayed for hip displacia, had blood work run for everything including valley fever. She still hurts, she is still on pain pills, and she still gets growly. The vet doesn't know what is wrong with her and he hasn't called us back about when the "best orthopedist" will be in the area. I am at wits end, has anyone had a dog that had all of these things or even heard of such issues?

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One shouldn't (but obviously I'm going to here...) jump to conclusions, but. Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a cancer that grows really weird blood vessels, which can rupture, causing collapse. Dogs sometimes recover from a minor bleed almost immediately. Get thee to a vet AND a board-certified radiologist who can read the ultrasound; if you ever thought looking at an x-ray is weird, u/s are even more so. X-rays may or may not show anything; get her spleen, liver and heart checked. This may sound "out there" - but HSA is sometimes called the "silent killer" - because people have no idea anything is wrong with their dog until he just collapses and bleeds out. Usually it's the spleen or heart that's affected.

 

I truly hope it's something else much simpler to diagnose, and something with a cure!

 

diane

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Ceana was sniffing Poke's butt before the evening walk and she just fell over. I did not see her fall (I was outside petting the kitty who cries for love at our front door since he followed us home last night), but Chris said she fell on her side and took longer than normal to get up. It was long enough for him to yell "Carrie leave that ^%$%^$ cat and get in here." After she got up she was normal. He said it looked like a mini stroke and that the immobility was in her back legs.

 

We decided to go for a potty walk instead of anything too strenuous. She is inside playing, moving as normal as her funky bunny hop is. She has been x-rayed for hip displacia, had blood work run for everything including valley fever. She still hurts, she is still on pain pills, and she still gets growly. The vet doesn't know what is wrong with her and he hasn't called us back about when the "best orthopedist" will be in the area. I am at wits end, has anyone had a dog that had all of these things or even heard of such issues?

 

 

My old guy, Orlando, developed spinal stenosis. His sx were much what you mentioned. Pain, odd gait, and episodes of falling over---usually when turning/changing directions, but later, at any time. Eventually (years) his hindquarters atrophied because the of the cord compression, as the muscles were no longer getting nerve impulses to make them fire. And he began to have continence issues. But, Lando was an old dog by the time this happened...he was put to sleep at 14.5.

 

How old is Ceana?

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If Chris is right and it was in her backlegs this probably wouln't be any help but have you ever had her ears looked at? I've had several dogs in my life that ended up with ear infections and it effected how they walked. I thought one of them had a stroke, he couldn't stay upright.

 

I agree with Julie, this is something I wouldn't wait on.

She's had so much trouble I'm sure your crazy trying to figure things out.

 

Keep us posted

Kristen

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Sorry to hear Ceana is still having problems again. When she stands still does she sway or anything? I thought I read somewhere that bcs can get a form of Wobblers (the thing common in dobermans). I wonder if it could be something like that... Could it be some weird kind of seizure? Maybe there is some kind of neck/back issue and compression on the spine....

 

I hope you find an answer soon

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I had a friend whose young dog's muscles would seize up when he would excersise.

He had to retire him from working. I thought he told me the vet would give him

shots of Adeqine (spelling). Apparently this dog had muscle issues similar to the

tying up issues of Quarter Horses of the Impressive line of breeding. I never found

out what the clinical name for the disorder was. This is the only dog I knew that had it.

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Ceana will be 2 on Saturday. All of her blood work came back "amazingly perfect."- per Dr. he said he was impressed with how healthly she was.... minus this whole weird pain thing. When Chris told me what happened I asked if it could have been a seizure also- he doesn't think so. There was no spasming and no repetative motion. I saw her do this (I think) once before around Christmas. She just fell over like she was drunk and got right back up. Chris should be calling the vet today... if he knows what is good for him. LOL My poor baby, I just want her to feel better and live a long happy life.

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No other simular symptoms but my old terrier acted the same way. He'd jump up on the couch and fall off like he was drunk. That's the one that ended up having an inner ear infection. I've seen another dog do the same thing.

 

Never ending huh? You'll get to the bottom of this, hopefully not the bottom of your wallet too!

 

Kristen

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I had this happen several times to my elder BC. It was vertigo. Don't be way concerned yet. I was a nut job till I got to the vet and found out it was just something in the ears. It could be something minor.

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Given the previous pain issues, I think I'd be thinking along the lines of a spinal problem rather than ear infection/vertigo. It wouldn't hurt to check out the ear connection, but I still think the best recourse would be an orthopedic specialist and a full check of the spine and rear skeletal structures.

 

J.

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I agree Julie but I thought Ceana had been checked out throughly already with nothing definitive as of yet.

 

I hate it when ya can't figure out what's going on.

 

Keep us posted.

 

K~

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We were told her hips and knees were fine, but no one has checked out her spine. The Vet wants us to see a specific orothopedic, but he hasn't gotten back to us w/ when the guy will be there to look. It almost sounds like the orothpedic will be in their office (fine with me I'll just pay for one visit.) We really like this guy, he has had BC's, so he knows first hand that limitting exercise doesn't mean we get rid of it LOL. He seems to really like our pups and is very sweet with Ceana. Poor girl peed all over him last month when he was manipulating her hips and he just soothered her and she calmed down.

 

The vet is having us watch to see if anything else changes, appetite, energy levels etc. They said she might have just been too excited. She did this right after she came out of her crate and he compared it too standing up to fast. Ceana is ridiculously excited when we get home so that makes sense. (LOL as opposed to Poke who does a quick love you, wiggles his butt & then heads for the door 'cause he has to POTTY)

 

We are driving to CO for memorial day weekend next week and I am half tempted to see if I can get her into our old vet on that Tuesday for a second opinion. I trust that woman with my dogs more than anyone else in this world, and she has been looking at Ceana since she was 8 weeks old. My poor Ceana, I just want her pain free.

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I think a second opinion is a fantastic idea, especially if it's with a vet you really trust. If you do that, be sure you take her radiographs and copies of all bloodwork and test resutls with you so your old vet will be able to review them and move forward from there (as opposed to repeating stuff that's already been done). I personally have never seen a dog fall over just from getting up too quickly, but I suppose it's possible. Still given the funny gait, the pain, etc., I'd be thinking that your current vet is taking it all a bit too lightly, at least for my taste.

 

J.

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Guest blastoff

Despite "amazingly perfect" bloodwork, has she been treated with a course of Doxycycline just in case to rule out TBDs? I don't know your dog's history so I apologize if I am asking a repeated question. I know a dog that had similar symptoms as yours that tested negative for all TBDs but responded perfectly to a month-long course of Doxy. Just because the test is negative doesn't mean the illness isn't there. I apologize if you've already tried this.

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I've actually experienced numerous occasions of sudden, inexplicable loss of balance recently. Sometimes it's just getting the "head rush" feeling, but after I've been walking around for a bit, and sometimes it's a full blackout. I'd been to several doctors and had blood tests done; one said just dismissed it as stress and diet, said I was fine otherwise. One said it might be due to an arrhythmia (you can apparently check this with an ECG/Holter monitor), and the most recent one says it might be due to a vitamin D deficiency (which required a separate blood test).

 

I guess what I want to say is, if your current vet isn't taking it too seriously, try another, and see if you can find out what specifically the blood panel tested for - there may be relevant things the standard one doesn't check. (e.g. I think the T4 level is not included in standard thyroid tests)

 

Fingers crossed for Ceana.

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She did this right after she came out of her crate and he compared it too standing up to fast. Ceana is ridiculously excited when we get home so that makes sense.

Senneca does the super-deluxe doggy greeting when I get home -- even though my wife is home all day with her. That includes running around like a mad dog, writhing, wriggling, and jumping up and down on her hind legs with her front paws extended give-me-ten style. If falling over proves to be linked to being excited because you came home, I'd still be worried.

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Ceana was sniffing Poke's butt before the evening walk and she just fell over.

 

Hmmm, maybe a change in diet would be in order for Poke :rolleyes: ...I don't mean to make light of a potentially serious incident, but this first sentence generated a pretty funny visual for me.

 

On a more encouraging note, several years ago the same thing happened to my mare. She suddenly collapsed on her back end and nearly keeled all the way over. Rushed her to the vet. EPM (a disease associated with neuro disorders due to a protozoal parasite) was suspected, ran various tests-- everything was clean.

 

I consulted with one of the neuro-vets at the equine surgical clinic in Gilbert. Since she had no lingering symptoms and she checked out on bloodwork, proprioception, reflex etc he said just chalk it up to one of life's great mysteries. She still chases cows and rides the range with her current owner 5 years later. I hope this was an isolated incident for Ceana too.

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I've actually experienced numerous occasions of sudden, inexplicable loss of balance recently. Sometimes it's just getting the "head rush" feeling, but after I've been walking around for a bit, and sometimes it's a full blackout. I'd been to several doctors and had blood tests done; one said just dismissed it as stress and diet, said I was fine otherwise. One said it might be due to an arrhythmia (you can apparently check this with an ECG/Holter monitor), and the most recent one says it might be due to a vitamin D deficiency (which required a separate blood test).

 

Don't want to hijack the thread, but Sluj, I get those same symptoms from time to time. It's been going on for years. I just feel "tippy" sometimes. (I've never blacked out... I just feel like I'm falling forward or left when I'm really not.) My mother had really bad labyrinthitis a few years ago, and she was deathly ill for a long time. I often wonder if what I get isn't a very slight version of that - some very minor inflammation of the inner ear, where the balance centers are.

 

Another friend recently mentioned getting this, too, which made me feel better. Apparently it's not the uncommon, at least in women.

 

Mary

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