Say Some Prayers for Jewel... - Page 2

Thanks everyone...

I just got off the phone with mom. Jewel can't stand at all now and has been wetting herself. Her head is completely tilted to the left now. She did eat a teensy bit of food, and has been drinking, but her eyes are all over the place yet. The vet called for an update, and asked if she had a bowel movement yet (she hasn't) and said to keep an eye on the color/consistency of them. Mom told him they've been pretty dark the last couple of days, and he said that's not good; that's her liver. She sleeps about 20 mins at a time, then wakes up totally confused... really heartbreaking! There is so much "happy" in that old girl, it so sucks to see her like this. I hope she pulls through quickly, my poor puppy....

It's weird to go from seeing her like that, then coming home to my dog and cat and having them be so bouncy and full of life... so thankful that they are happy and healthy right now. They know something is not right and have been trying so hard to cheer me up. Cheyanne (the cat) actually broke into one of the cabinets last night, dumped the dog treats all over the place, picked one out, then came trotting into my room with one where she proceeded to drop it and eat it in front of the dog. Poor Qira is the butt of all her jokes, LMAO! I told them both that they are not allowed to get old, they have to stay young and healthy forever!

I hope this is a much better day for Jewel and all your family who love her.

Give her a few days; geriatric vestibular syndrome often resolves itself if given time.  Sending good thoughts her way.

Keith is correct--it's tough to watch, but truly the only treatment for this type of vestibular episode is time.  Not surprised that she's wetting herself, as she has all she can deal with just trying to cope with the vertigo the syndrome causes--if you can get your hands on some incontinence pads [the washable, reusable cloth ones are great if you can find those], that would be helpful for both your Mom and Jewel, since they'll pull the urine away from her and it will reduce the risk of irritating her skin. I realize it's difficult to accomplish when everyone has to go to work and/or school and can't stay home with the dog all day, but if they can manage her the same way one manages a puppy--go back to the routine of getting her outside to pee as soon as she wakes from her naps, and again right before and right after she's had something to eat, that should cut down on her urinating where she's lying. 

This condition is absolutely one of the harder things for US to handle, since we really can't do anything for them save provide supportive care and wait for the episode to abate. Hang in there, and she should come out from this no worse for the experience.  Often they will retain a slight head tilt, and their balance may remain slightly off, but generally that's the only evidence the event ever happened.

Hugs to the beautiful Golden Girl.  

Yes, give it time.  It is amazing how they recuperate.  When we had the onset with my at that time 13 year old, I thought she might have had a stroke.  It came on so suddenly but when I think back the week leading up to the event, Eischa would be looking at me strangely.  Maybe she was already feeling kind of sea sick.  Well she recovered just about fully and for a period of time she had her head cocked to one side and not just I, but those that came to visit her, had a tendency to cock their heads to the side to rectify the view.  It took her about a week until she could, with the assistance of a sling, walk.  Once she was walking again with assistance she quickly regained her ability to walk on her own.  It was amazing to see the quick recovery.  They just need rest and know that they are safe.  It did not appear to me that she was in any pain though.  Of course for the dog and owner it is very frightening.

Wishing Jewel all the best for a quick recovery.

  I am sending well wishes her way;  I did not know they could pull thru this.  That is encouraging.  Nan

I wish her quick recovery

Ibrahim

Nans, yes, nearly every dog recovers from these geriatric vestibular episodes, although some are left with some degree of permanent deficits to balance or head tilt; while about 2/3rds are back on their feet on their own and not needing any physical support to get around in about a week, it's not uncommon to see the recovery period take several weeks or more in the other 1/3rd...those tend to be dogs that are over 10 yrs of age.  Generally the trouble comes when secondary issues set in during the recovery period, such as infections resulting from urine that's retained because the dog lacks the balance & strength to fully empty the bladder, or other organs such as the liver, kidneys or heart become overtaxed from lack of food or water intake, or from fluid collection in the lungs because the dog doesn't change position often enough while lying down because of the balance issues and the physical weakness.  Sometimes the sheer amount of supportive care the dog needs is beyond what an owner can give due to work schedules and other obligations that can't be delayed or rearranged, however, and the decision to let the dog go becomes the most humane and compassionate action available under the circumstances...but that's not a very common situation.

The 'old school' treatment for these episodes was typically a course of a 'small gun' antibiotic, such as amoxicillin, along with a short course of low-dose prednisone, the thought being that if there was some inflammatory process affecting the inner ear the pred would alleviate that while the antibiotic would address anything bacterial that could be in play.  That protocol has fallen out of use for the most part, and I know there is a strong anti-prednisone sentiment present among both pet owners and a segment of the veterinary field, but I have to admit that it sure seemed to hasten the recovery for my own seniors when they had episodes.  It's possible that acupuncture could be useful in treating the problem, as it does have application in reducing inflammatory activity...

Hopefully the next update we get from Dawulf will be to tell us that Jewel is improving steadily and the nystagmus [eye movement] has stopped. Once that happens, Jewel's nausea will abate and the vertigo will subside.