Rickiesmom Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Someone posted on a whippet board I belong to asking for any experience with this disease. Since the GT membership is so much larger, I thought I would ask about it here. Thank you for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 That's a very rare condition AFAIK. My first question would be, are they sure it isn't vestibular disease, lumbosacral stenosis, other spinal cord impingement, megaesophagus or megacolon, etc. etc.? And then, what are the symptoms? 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...
Rickiesmom Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Batmom, thank you for your thoughts. Sadly, the diagnosis was reached in consultation with a teaching school in Columbia. It sounds like the dog has deteriorated to the point where there are not a lot of options. I was hoping for some miraculous greyhound experience that would give them additional options but knew it was a long shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I'm sorry to hear that. 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...
kudzu Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) Had a dog with a disease that included dysautonomia but as a part of a polyneuropathy effecting his entire lower motor neuron system, It took years of searching for help as he slowly deteriorated. The motor weakness in his legs was the more obvious thing but the autonomic symptoms were actually the worst. From what I read of canine dysautonomia as its own disease it seems different in many ways. There was only symptomatic treatment for my dogs disease nothing that could stop progression. Not sure what this whippets primary symptoms are or what state he is currently in. What helped my dog & gave us an extra year or more were meds that improved his GI motility & allowed him to urinate on his own. (Though the bloating was a horror, just as bad was having a dog who simply cannot urinate or be expressed any way except via catheterization.) The two primary drugs we used were pyridostigmine & phenoxybenzamine. The pyridostigmine helped with motor weakness which improved his GI symptoms & leg weakness plus helped with some of the urinary problems. The phenoxybenzamine was added later for other urinary symptoms. I'm not saying these would help this whippet. Just that these meds improved my dogs quality of life to the point that few would have known he had problems beyond a strange gait. In the end though things did progress. It was aspiration pneumonia that ultimately pulled him down. Am so sorry about this poor dog. It's a horrible thing. Hope they find something that helps. ETA: I forgot to mention the metaclopramide for GI motility. Edited February 8, 2013 by kudzu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Kudzu thank you for sharing your experience which I have in turn posted. Based on the most recent update I think this dog is beyond help and will be sent to the Bridge soon. What a horrible, cruel disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I'm so sorry. It is a horrible thing. They have my most sincere sympathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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