Hubcitypam Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Last night when I got home her left back leg kept slipping out from under her. This morning I woke up to the sound of her scraping the floor trying to get up. She was down and couldn't get up. Rushed her to vet and she is there for the night. He said that he had no idea what it was but he wanted to get some fluids and steroids in her and send the blood out as that was better than in house and we were there early enough it'll come back this afternoon. In the room at the vet her back legs were shaking so bad it was like one of those old magic fingers beds. Her temp was 103, but he said that was from the shaking. I don't know enough to know exactly what he said, but it was that she still had muscle tone or something. He said the odd thing was if he could get her to stand square the shaking would stop, but if she favored one side at all she went off. He could also stop the shaking with pressure on the inside of her thighs. Ideas? Edited September 11, 2011 by Hubcitypam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytbookert Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 oh no! I have no ideas but I'm sending good thoughts your way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 sounds like something might be out of whack in her lower spine, hope the tests give you some answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carronstar Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 No ideas, no advice, just prayers and good thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BrianRke Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Oh no, I hope she is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Check her urine- if she has proteinuria she may have thrown a clot-- treatment is low dose aspirin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Pinched nerve? Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onrushpam Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Pam, We just had one with similar symptoms. Turned out to be Babesia! Her platelets were 0 (yes, that is correct, 0). She's here at our house. It's taken some time for her to come around. She needs her 2nd Immizol shot this week (actually, it's overdue). And, she completely quit eating... for about 5 days. Then, about 3 days post Immizol injection, she bounced out of it and started eating like a fiend. It took another week or so for her back end to stabilize. From now on, I will always look at/for TBD first, other stuff later, especially in dogs that seem healthy and then suddenly "crash". We've just had WAY too many of them this year, with all sorts of symptoms. Quote Pam GPA-Tallahassee/Southeastern Greyhound Adoption "Fate is unalterable only in the sense that given a cause, a certain result must follow, but no cause is inevitable in itself, and man can shape his world if he does not resign himself to ignorance." Pearl S. Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 No word from the vet. I thought he'd call when the blood came back. He told me that he had a meeting tonight but would stop in around 10 or so on his way home to check on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Vet called. Said she is way better and I can pick her up late this afternnoon -- he wants to leave her on fluids all day. Her bloodwork was almost perfect -- especially for a 10.5 year old. He said only blip was her T4 was .4 which he thinks is just a tad low even for a grey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Glad to hear she's better. Are they thinking stroke or pinched nerve or something? Keep us posted! I wouldn't worry about the T4 if she doesn't have any hypothyroid symptoms. Doesn't T4 fluctuate a lot? Free T4 and TSH are better indicators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Tick panel came back clear today. She is still slipping that one back leg on the hardwood when she gets excited, but other than that seems fine. Waiting for the pred pee fest to be over now we are tapering down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 (edited) As stated the tick panel was clear (with some of the lowest numbers I've ever seen). In 24 hours on Thursday - Friday she peeded 3 dinner plate size pees on my waterproof matress protector, then both dog beds and the couch. He said to come get Proin. On the ride over she started shaking and panting again. We went in and I had him look at her again and he said that it seemed worse that the other day as she was throwing most of her weight on the right rear. It is the left that keeps slipping out from under her. Then the shakes start and her temp gets high. He kept her again from Noon yesterday until noon today. He said she was still panting but seemed to be a bit better. She came home with Proin and Methocarbomol. Dr Josh, our OSU grad doc tried to call Dr. Couto for a phone consult, but he is in London. He talked to the Drs. third year resident assistant and she said maybe it was LS, but having been through that, this is not what it is.. Dr. Joe, in true Okie Manner (her graduated from another OSU vet school -- Oklahoma State) said he doesn't think her brain is talking to her back legs (especially the left one) exactly right and Dr. Josh agrees, as do I. Ideas? Edited September 11, 2011 by Hubcitypam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 (edited) Are they sure it's not a clot? If it's a clot proin should not be given now-- DES might be a better option. Did you check her urine for protein?? Edited to add - that if it is a clot it makes sense that she appears worse when her blood pressure is elevated. Just a thought. Edited September 11, 2011 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sirsmom Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 One of the discs in the neck of all things caused our Sir's leg to shake and go out from under him. Sending best wished for a quick recovery for your girlie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Are they sure it's not a clot? If it's a clot proin should not be given now-- DES might be a better option. Did you check her urine for protein?? Edited to add - that if it is a clot it makes sense that she appears worse when her blood pressure is elevated. Just a thought. That was my thought, too -- clot or a stroke, in which case you wouldn't want to give Proin and probably not DES either. Hoping you can get to the bottom of things. Quote 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 IllinoisWe 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 DES will not raise the blood pressure like Proin does-- that was the reasoning behind my thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 DES is supposed to be safer than Proin because it doesn't affect BP in the same way. In rare cases it can affect bone marrow. I would hold off on both though (might need a lot of pee pads in the meantime) until you get to the source of the peeing and shaking. Have they checked her BP? It sounds like throwing clots to me too. I would start low dose aspirin ASAP (unless she has a bleeding issue). Even if it's not clots, I don't think the aspirin would hurt or affect anything. Chase gets 1/4 tablet of baby aspirin (81 mg) per day. Did they do a urinalysis? ~Lindsay~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) We did a tick panel from Protatek, urinalysis and full bloodwork from Idexx as opposed to in house. All negative. Here is what one of the vets e-mailed me tonight -- As for your girl, I unfortunately do not know everything about her because I was not at the clinic when she came in. However, I will go over a couple of things with you. It is definitely not a clot. After being at Ohio State and seeing more greyhound patients than all the other veterinary schools put together (due to Dr. Couto), I saw between 10-15 greyhounds that had clots. It is horrible to see these patients. They are in so much pain and are often completely paralyzed in the hindlimbs. Only about 50% were we able to keep alive. But to let you know a few of the things to look for with clots: 1) paralyzed in hindlimbs, 2) extreme pain, 3) ice cold hindlimbs, 4) very weak pulse in hindlimbs. I did do a physical and neurologic exam on her once I got back from vacation and found out who her mother was (you!). In my opinion, she has a neuromuscular disease. There are many different types of neuromuscular diseases. Steroids work well here because steroids suppress the immune system. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of good treatments available. Also, in order to diagnose this, you would have to go to a neurologist and spend a lot of money; and once you found out what the diagnosis was, you would be stuck right where you are now = no effective treatments. She has great pulse in her hind end and doesn't seem to be in pain -- just flips out when she falls. She came in thru the dog door today and just spread eagled on the floor...and she just can't keep that left rear under her most of the time. Edited September 12, 2011 by Hubcitypam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Just want to point out that Dr Couto mentioned once in one of his lectures that there is another type of clot that our hounds can have. They present with intermittent lameness- typically in one hind limb.. This clot acts much like a butterfly valve in a cars carburetor- opening and closing-- hence the lameness, weakness coming and going. The treatment is low dose aspirin (1/4-1/2 of 81mg tablet once a day). The clots your vet referred to in his e-mail we also see in cats secondary to cardiac disease. So, I'm not claiming your vet isn't on track with your hounds disease- just wanted to point out that there are other "clot conditions" we see with our hounds. Hugs to your "Girlie". I hope she responds to her treatment. Keep us posted! Edited September 12, 2011 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I was thinking of the first clot Tbhounds said also, with intermittent symptoms. If it's just the one leg, did they do leg and/or spinal x-rays? If the pred helped, maybe there is inflammation pressing on a nerve or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Just talked at length with Dr. Josh and brought up the small blood clot issue. He was VERY firm in saying that he was aware of the intermittant (sp?) clot issue and is sure that is not what this is. Do I go by something Dr. C said in a lecture or believe the guy that studied under him? He thinks this has something to do with her spine, possibly a spinal cord sheath problem, but that would cost more than I have to properly diagnose and then, again, there aren't effective treatments. He after watched her gait for a few days and the big problem is in the back left... His thought is that this is caused by something neuro where she doesn't know where the leg is -- sort of like Wobblers... Edited September 13, 2011 by Hubcitypam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaineysMom Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Just talked at length with Dr. Josh and brought up the small blood clot issue. He was VERY firm in saying that he was aware of the intermittant (sp?) clot issue and is sure that is not what this is. Do I go by something Dr. C said in a lecture or believe the guy that studied under him? He thinks this has something to do with her spine, possibly a spinal cord sheath problem, but that would cost more than I have to properly diagnose and then, again, there aren't effective treatments. He after watched her gait for a few days and the big problem is in the back left... His thought is that this is caused by something neuro where she doesn't know where the leg is -- sort of like Wobblers... either way giving her a 1/4 or 1/2 baby aspirin can't hurt and hopefully will help? sending prayers!!! :hope Quote Kim and Bruce - with Rick (Rick Roufus 6/30/16) and missing my sweet greyhound Angels Rainey (LG's Rainey 10/4/2000 - 3/8/2011), Anubis (RJ's Saint Nick 12/25/2001 - 9/12/12) and Zeke (Hey Who Whiz It 4/6/2009 - 7/20/2020) and Larry (PTL Laroach 2/24/2007 - 8/2/2020) -- and Chester (Lab) (8/31/1990 - 5/3/2005), Captain (Schipperke) (10/12/1992 - 6/13/2005) and Remy (GSP) (?/?/1998 - 1/6/2005) at the bridge"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." -- Ernest Hemmingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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