NeylasMom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) I hope it's okay that I'm posting for help here. Tasha belongs to the mother of one of my closest friends, Dave. She's a (maybe) border collie mix who was Neyla's best buddy, is Zuri's favorite hiking companion and who I care about as much as my own dogs. About a week ago she had a seizure. Mary (her owner) and Dave took her to the vet, where they did blood work, which came back normal. The vet recommended they just wait and see if she had another. In the meantime, I was immediately doing my annoying unsolicited advice thing and recommended that they get a full thyroid panel with MSU and pick up some rectal valium in case she had multiple seizures. The vet did add on a free T4 and TSH in addition to the regular T4 when he sent the blood out to Antech. T4 was 1.3 (1.0-4.0), free T4 was 18 (8-40) and TSH was 0.12 (0-0.60). She does not have any obvious symptoms of hypothyroidism outside of the seizures (if anything they report her being very hungry lately and acting more puppyish). So that brings us to yesterday when Dave called to let me know that Tasha had had 4 seizures that morning. The vet had not sent Mary home with any valium so she had no way of stopping them. They took her into the ER vet, where she had yet another seizure. The vet gave valium and started (I believe IV) phenobarbital. He also said he had some suspicion that she had had a stroke b/c he wasn't quite sure but thought one side of her face looked a little droopy. I asked if they were giving aspirin and Dave didn't know. They decided to leave her overnight and went home. Mary got a call later that afternoon that Tasha had another seizure and that they had a lot of difficulty getting it under control. And that brings us to today. Tasha was supposed to be seen by the neuro (she's at a specialty facility) first thing this morning and Mary had already decided that if they recommend an MRI, which we suspect they will, she is going to do it. But the place where she is doesn't have the MRI machine so Tash will need to be moved to get that done. The only other relevant piece of information I have is that in November of 2009, she had this weird eye issue. I can't remember the name of it right now, when Dave tells me I will update the post, but her right eye was mostly closed, almost as if she had had a stroke, but she hadn't. The issue is generally benign and goes away on its own (maybe she had to have eye drops or a medication as well) although it can be caused by a brain tumor. The eye issue did resolve in the appropriate time frame, but of course the biggest fear here is that she does have a tumor. ETA: The eye issue was Horner's syndrome. Anyway, at this point they're waiting to hear from the neuro, but in the meantime, I wanted to post and see if there's anything else they should be asking for and in general just ask for some good thoughts for Tash. Edited January 25, 2011 by NeylasMom Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Wow! I hate to say this, but it does sound like it maybe a brain tumor, based on ruling out everything else. Rectal Valium IS SOOO necessary, as you know. I am sure they will start the dog on Phenobarb and probably Pred (*in case it is a brain tumor for the swelling), and go from there. In THIS case, both meds would be appropriate. I hope things work out for this dog. We sure do understand this type of thing! Sending love, hugs and prayers, their way! Dee and The Five Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Lots of good thoughts and prayers Tash. You didn't mention how old she is. The older she is the more likely it is a brain tumor and just not your run of the mill epilepsy, especially if there is no other medical cause found. I'm assuming her blood sugar levels are within normal limits. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Thank you Dee. Lots of good thoughts and prayers Tash. You didn't mention how old she is. The older she is the more likely it is a brain tumor and just not your run of the mill epilepsy, especially if there is no other medical cause found. I'm assuming her blood sugar levels are within normal limits. Thank you. She's 11. She's a medium sized mixed breed. Glucose was 130, high end of normal is 138. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The age, I'm sad to say, leans towards a tumor, which I'm sure is what the vet suspects which is why the next step would be an MRI. We opted not to have the MRI with Emmy because she had so many symptoms consistent with a tumor. She had loss of sight, loss of smell, was unable to chew anything. I'll keep her in my prayers. Please let us know what they find. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Overview of causes and treatment of canine seizures http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Resources.html Here are some good links to information about seizures. Poor Piper has had two this week after a 5 1/2 month respite. I'm sending all good wishes for Tasha and her worried humans. --Lucy Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) A little update: they couldn't get her scheduled for an MRI until tomorrow so she will likely come home for the night and be taken to the other facility for the MRI in the morning. In the meantime, x-rays have revealed an enlarged spleen. Any thoughts on what this could mean? They are going to do an ultrasound to look further. Lucy, thanks for those links. Edited January 24, 2011 by NeylasMom Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The only experience I have with an enlarged spleen was cancer. I know someone here on GT recently had their dogs spleen taken out and it turned out not to be cancer if I remember right. I don't remember who it was though. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 The only experience I have with an enlarged spleen was cancer. I know someone here on GT recently had their dogs spleen taken out and it turned out not to be cancer if I remember right. I don't remember who it was though. Me too. Are you thinking of Princess? I don't think they ever officially diagnosed her. Her biopsies were all negative, but she was in liver failure and passed away soon after. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greypuppyluv Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 If she's part Border Collie, I know they have a higher incidence of epilepsy than other breeds, but 11 is pretty old for onset. My recommendation would be for them to join the EPIL-K9 list on this website (it's from the second link Lucy provided) since there are people on the list who may be able to help answer their questions. The listowners have run the list for years and have seen pretty much anything and everything and might be able to give Tasha's mom some insight. Quote Paula & her pups--Paneer (WW Outlook Ladd), Kira & Rhett (the whippets)Forever in my heart...Tinsel (Born's Bounder - 11/9/90-12/18/01), Piper, Chevy, Keno, Zuma, Little One, Phaelin & WinnieGreyhound Adoption Center ~ So Cal rep for Whippet Rescue And Placement For beautiful beaded collars, check out my Facebook page: The Swanky Hound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The only experience I have with an enlarged spleen was cancer. I know someone here on GT recently had their dogs spleen taken out and it turned out not to be cancer if I remember right. I don't remember who it was though. Me too. Are you thinking of Princess? I don't think they ever officially diagnosed her. Her biopsies were all negative, but she was in liver failure and passed away soon after. I don't think it was Princess, but I could be wrong. I'm getting too old and can't remember things I read like I used to be able too. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Abdominal u/s revealed nodules in her abdominal cavity. I don't remember details, not on the liver, but on the spleen and elsewhere I think. At this point, the vet feels it is likely hemangio that has metastisized to the brain, but they are going to do the MRI tomorrow to confirm. I visited with them for a bit (she's home for the night) and she was woozy and having trouble with her back legs, but overall seems to be doing well. Definitely hungry after that crappy ER food. So at this point, I'll take a GT miracle please, k? Thanks! Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Oh man. Sending more prayers. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Oh dear, how I wish the new was more encouraging for Tasha. --Lucy Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greypuppyluv Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'll be keeping her in my thoughts. Quote Paula & her pups--Paneer (WW Outlook Ladd), Kira & Rhett (the whippets)Forever in my heart...Tinsel (Born's Bounder - 11/9/90-12/18/01), Piper, Chevy, Keno, Zuma, Little One, Phaelin & WinnieGreyhound Adoption Center ~ So Cal rep for Whippet Rescue And Placement For beautiful beaded collars, check out my Facebook page: The Swanky Hound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothianjavert Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Keeping her in my thoughts! Quote In vino veritasRachael with Rook, missing Sully, Sebau, and Diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zombrie Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 She will be in my thoughts as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml529 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Jen I'm so sorry to hear the news. Quote Melanie and Eric with Leminim and Eieio and silly kitty Elsa.See you again someday, my sweet Payton (Flying Payton May 9, 2000-March 18, 2012) Missing my sweet JJ, world's sweetest cat (April 1997-November 30, 2015)Stealing food in heaven, my darling Minnie (2006-April 21, 2016) Reunited with her favorite person in heaven, my Dad, Satin the skittish kitty (2002-May 7, 2016) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'm sorry Jen. I lost my first girl to hemangio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carronstar Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Many prayers for Tasha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Whoever would have thought a brain tumor would be good news, right? Based on the neuro's first look at the MRI results, Tash has a meningioma. The seizures are being caused by the swelling around the tumor, so they are going to start her on pred to help with that. They're waiting for the full report from the radiologist, which they should have tomorrow so they can discuss treatment options further. There is still the issue of the spleen and they may end up removing that. I don't know much more than that, except that I am really relieved she does not have hemangio. From what I've read, meningiomas are slow growing and do not tend to metastasize, which is promising. If anyone has any experience with them, please share! Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 If I had to guess, this is what Emmy had. They grow so slowly that symptoms are often over looked, which in hind sight is what I think happened with Emmy. It was her personality that changed first, but we put that off as age related, then her appetite came and went, and I think she was losing her sight long before we were ever aware of it. In hind sight I wish we had put all the pieces together but we didn't because of her age, even though the end result would have been the same. I'm so glad it wasn't hemangio in Tasha's case. Praying they get some more time with their sweetie. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TashasBrother Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I was just going to read this thread and let NeylasMom give updates, but the support moved me so I wanted to log in and say thanks everyone for the well wishes. It feels weird to be elated about a meningioma, but we're relishing the possibility of months rather than days/weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 There is an odd sense of relief in finding out exactly what you are dealing with. It is then that you can actively evaluate options and make decisions--a far far better position to be in than the wondering and uncertainty. Prayers and good wishes for you and Tasha. --Lucy Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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