Update On Jane

[Guest VelvetEars]

As you probably remember, Jane had a stroke at the end of June. One of the tests that initially came back positive was neospora, but the neurologist couldn't determine if it was positive because she was exposed as a puppy, or if she had an active infection. They sent the blood down to a lab in Alabama, I think - anyway, I'd pretty much forgotten about it until just this week - and Mizzou called today to let me know that they'd finally gotten the results back, and it was a "strong positive" - meaning she had an active infection. She was on antibiotics just in case, so hopefully it's taken care of, but I figured it was worth a mention. It's not something that's routinely checked for, but one of the symptoms is central nervous system disease --- so if you know of a grey who has a stroke or other neurological problems, it might be something worth investigating. Although it's typically only seen in puppies and small dogs, greys can get it too.

 

Here's some helpful information I found:

<B>

Neosporosis</B>

This is caused by a protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum, which is very similar to Toxoplasma gondii, and was only recognised in the U.K., the U.S.A., Sweden and Australia in 1990, although it was discovered in Norway in 1984. It can cause ataxia (loss of control of movement, leading to a staggering gait), nystagmus (involuntary jerky movements of the eyes), progressive paraplegia (paralysis of the hindlegs), encephalomyelitis (inflammation of both brain and spinal cord), and sometimes meningitis (inflammation of the meninges [the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord]). Like toxoplasmosis, puppies can be infected via the placenta in utero.

 

Signs of infection can start with an animal developing mild ataxia and knuckling over on the hind feet. The joints can become fixed in extension with loss of pain sensation and developing atrophy of the muscles of the hindquarters. The parasite encysts in tissue and can encyst in the brain and other organs leading to the neurological symptoms listed above.

 

The most common clinical sign of infection by Neospora caninum is ascending paralysis in young puppies which have been infected in utero. Pups may also exhibit difficulty in swallowing, heart failure, and muscle atrophy. Dogs of any age can be affected, giving rise to a wide variety of symptoms from nodular dermatitis to all kinds of neurological disorders.

 

The same conventional treatment as used for Toxoplasmosis has been found to work successfully in some cases of neosporosis. The main difficulty is in getting the correct diagnosis.

 

Because it also infects cattle, if you feed raw beef, you should read this article - written by a holistic vet who recommends raw feeding but doesn't want to inadvertantly expose a dog.

Edited September 19, 2007 by VelvetEars

[Guest luluaz]

Thank you for posting this info--I am now down to two healthy greys and am considering raw.

Taking the precautionary approach of freezing beef for 24 hours seems very easy and effective.

Jane is doing better??

 

Lisa

[grey14me]

wow, very interesting! so, was Jane on a raw diet? thanks so much for the info...

[Guest VelvetEars]

Jane was not on a raw diet. She has, on occasion, gotten raw ground beef for treats, though, although I don't imagine that's the source of the neospora. I have no way of knowing how long she had it --- long enough that it was a "strong positive", though. She lived on "the farm" in mid-Missouri somewhere for 3 1/2 years before being petted out (not good enough to graduate training).

 

Jane is doing as well as can be expected, I imagine. She has lingering vision problems, and most days she can't hold her urine to walk down the 1 1/2 flights of stairs to go out in the morning, but she gets around ok and eats fine, etc. Her balance/strength isn't the best all the time - she struggles to get up on my bed and the couch - but that's not a big deal. Her personality is a little different than before - not necessarily better or worse, just different. And then there was that pesky tail amputation last month, but she's recovering quite nicely from that. We are thankful for each day we have her.

Edited September 19, 2007 by VelvetEars

[grey14me]

that's right, I totally forgot about her tail incident...geez, you guys have had it rough lately

[Guest VelvetEars]

yeah, it's been a rough couple of months, but given all the other things we could be facing, and the fact that she has recovered this well, well....i'm thankful. and if it hadn't been for the tremendous emotional support from GTers, i'd have been a train wreck.

[Guest LolasMom]

Thanks for that information. Quite possibly something most vets would never think to look for.

 

Give Jane a big and know that you and she remain in my thoughts and prayers.

[silverfish]

Thanks for that - Jim was tested for neospora when he was having odd neurological symptoms. He didn't have it, and we never found out what the problem was, nor did it get worse in his lifetime .. but that's another tale.

 

Since then, I've never fed fresh raw beef. I always buy the free-flow frozen ground beef and melt it with hot water before feeding it (no, I don't keep it hanging around, I do that immediately before feeding it ).

 

I'd check with the vet though, to make sure that the antibiotic she was on is effective against neospora. I've only heard of multiple drugs being used to treat it.

[Guest VelvetEars]

She was on more than 7 weeks of Clindamycin, which is the most commonly prescribed drug for it.