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Luke And The Neurologist


Guest FireHorse

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Guest FireHorse

Luke and I went to the neurologist this morning. She did the most comprehensive physical exam I've ever seen! Mostly reflexive type things; she touched his eyeballs, pulled his whiskers, pinched his toes, tapped his knees, and then stuck her finger down his throat and gagged him. He was such a good boy-certainly a LOT more tolerant than I would have been! She also knuckled under each foot, picked up his back end and walked his front (and vice versa), hoisted one side while pushing him to the other, then went out to the parking lot for a quick trot.

 

The upshot: well, we don't quite know. His reflexes are present, and mostly good, but his back end doesn't react or recover quite as fast as she thinks it should. He's just a touch slow to un-knuckle his back feet, to catch his balance in the back when tipped, etc. There are three basic choices-a stroke, a brain tumor, or something else, like a TBD. She doesn't feel, at this point, like either a stroke or a brain tumor is particularly likely, so Luke donated about a gallon of blood for a tick panel, plus a few other things. The results will be back in 3-4 weeks. (We opted not to do an MRI, mostly because the results wouldn't change either the treatment, or the eventual outcome.)

 

In the meantime, it's pretty much business as usual. :dogcookie :dogcookie :catscat:kiss2:lol:

Edited by FireHorse
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Guest Energy11

Luke and I went to the neurologist this morning. She did of the most comprehensive physical exam I've ever seen! Mostly reflexive type things; she touched his eyeballs, pulled his whiskers, pinched his toes, tapped his knees, and then stuck her finger down his throat and gagged him. He was such a good boy-certainly a LOT more tolerant than I would have been! She also knuckled under each foot, picked up his back end and walked his front (and vice versa), hoisted one side while pushing him to the other, then went out to the parking lot for a quick trot.

 

The upshot: well, we don't quite know. His reflexes are present, and mostly good, but his back end doesn't react or recover quite as fast as she thinks it should. He's just a touch slow to un-knuckle his back feet, to catch his balance in the back when tipped, etc. There are three basic choices-a stroke, a brain tumor, or something else, like a TBD. She doesn't feel, at this point, like either a stroke or a brain tumor is particularly likely, so Luke donated about a gallon of blood for a tick panel, plus a few other things. The results will be back in 3-4 weeks. (We opted not to do an MRI, mostly because the results wouldn't change either the treatment, or the eventual outcome.)

 

In the meantime, it's pretty much business as usual. dogcookie.gifdogcookie.gifcatscat.gifkiss1.giflaugh.gif

I also opted not to do an MRI. Curfew has the same possibilities, except for a TBD. He was already screened for all forms of them, and he was my ONLY negative one! I hope things improve for you and Luke, and you get to the bottom of all of this! Sending love and prayers!

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If they do a PCR/culture, that part can take a couple weeks. Some of these critters don't grow very fast.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest Energy11

No TBD experience at all, however I'm wondering as well as to why so long to get the results back.

 

 

When all of mine were tick-tested, it took about a week to get the results back with Protatek Reference Labs, out of Arizona. Protatek Reference Laboratory

574 East Alamo Street, Suite 90

Chandler, AZ 85225

Telephone: 480.545.8499

Fax: 480.545.8409

 

Your vet can draw the blood, spin it, and you, or he/she can send it to Protatek.

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Guest bluefawn

When Penny was in so much pain a month ago, I also opted not to go for the MRI the first visit, for the same reason. I know the tick panel takes about a week, but I see that Luke obviously had blood drawn for other testing as well. I hope you will have an answer soon. Sending hugs and prayers!

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Guest FireHorse

why so long getting the tick results back

 

Initial results will be back in a week or so, but any PCRs, if necessary, will take awhile. Also, they're checking for neosporum, toxoplasmosis, and cryptococcus-those are the one ones that are going to take awhile. The results will come in over the next 3-4 weeks, and they all should be in by the end of that timeframe.

 

About the only thing ruled out at this point is idiopathic epilepsy; the symptomology just doesn't fit. The question, of course, is, if it's a TBD that's caused neural damage, will the damage reverse itself after we treat the TBD? The answer is, dunno. Maybe, but mostly we'll have to just wait and see. He's considerably better than he was last weekend, but he still has some odd behaviors that look to be permanent.

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Guest Energy11

why so long getting the tick results back

 

Initial results will be back in a week or so, but any PCRs, if necessary, will take awhile. Also, they're checking for neosporum, toxoplasmosis, and cryptococcus-those are the one ones that are going to take awhile. The results will come in over the next 3-4 weeks, and they all should be in by the end of that timeframe.

 

About the only thing ruled out at this point is idiopathic epilepsy; the symptomology just doesn't fit. The question, of course, is, if it's a TBD that's caused neural damage, will the damage reverse itself after we treat the TBD? The answer is, dunno. Maybe, but mostly we'll have to just wait and see. He's considerably better than he was last weekend, but he still has some odd behaviors that look to be permanent.

Good idea, getting all the TBDs, PCRs, and other testing done. Four of my five had low positive titers for Babesia. I had PCRs done for all, and they came back negative. Curfew is the ONLY one having no positive titers for TBDs, but he is the one with the "episodes!" He too, has "odd behaviors," since his huge initial "episode," in Sept 2008, and subsequent smaller ones (four total) since. He will lie there and wimper, whine, etc. during the night, until WE figure out what is wrong. He is also more aggressive with touching him, nail cutting, etc. and wasn't before.

 

Hoping you do get to the bottom of this. We haven't, and may never.

 

At least you are ruling everything out! Sending love and prayers!

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Guest FireHorse

The results are in and everything came back negative. No TBDs, and none of the other oddballs she was looking for either.

 

Best guess, at this point, is that, for whatever reason, the seizure just took a lot out of him, and in ways that it took awhile for him to get over. And he is mostly back to normal-he was out playing hard yesterday, and isn't nearly as clingy, etc.

 

Mostly, this just looks to be something we have to watch out for with any future seizures.

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