Anyway....a week ago last Sunday, I got a call from FB to come over because something was not right with Scout. He had been fine all day, but suddenly, he could not stand or walk. His head was tilted to one side and his eyes were constantly flipping back and forth and were not tracking evenly. He was drooling and withdrawn and we were fairly certain he was having a stroke.
Unless you want to load up a very sick, very old dog and drive 1.5 hours to the chaos and stress of a trip to Cornell, there is no emergency vet service available late on a Sunday night. Since the only thing that can be done to treat stroke is to give steroids, we gave him some prednisone and got him comfortable for the night.
FB was able to get an appointment for Scout at his regular vet first thing Monday morning and we took him in to see if anything could be done. The vet decided that it might not be a stroke, but is more likely canine vestibular disease, which is a fancy way of saying severe disturbance of balance for no known reason. It could be a stroke, it could be a brain tumor. It could be that he is just getting really old. The vet prescribed a short course of steroids, which may or may not be of any use.
Because of, or despite, the steroids, Scout is doing better. He is able to walk again and has a good appetite and seems to feel OK. He is certainly not 100% though and there is no way to know if he will recover fully or have more of these episodes. The only viable treatment options are good care and good food, which he certainly gets. For now, he is doing better and, hopefully, he will continue to do so for a long time to come.
It's not easy getting old.
Oh Scout, hang in there buddy. It can be heartbreaking to watch this and not know which way it's going to go. I'm glad that he's responding to treatment.
ReplyDeleteJust to elaborate, Scout could not walk for THREE WHOLE DAYS. AT ALL. By the fourth day, he started to walk, kind of like he was intoxicated, but walking nevertheless. Now, a short week later, he is back to walking a couple of miles a day with the young dogs. This morning I would say he is 98 percent of his normal self. He slept throughout the night for the first time last night, he eats like a starving horse or should I say donkey, and he is looking much, much brighter. Long live Scout!!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear this news!
DeleteHere here!!!
DeleteWoo hoo! Just like my girl, Sam!
DeleteWhat a blessing, that you knew what to do right off. Getting old is definitely not for the faint of heart.
ReplyDeletePoor Scout. We had a beagle that became paralyzed for no reason one time. No ticks, no spine damage. After about 4 months, he started to be able to crawl again. Then finally walk again. It was really weird.
ReplyDeleteAwww, FB, your heart must have been breaking a little until you got him to the Vet! I'm so glad he's feeling better.
ReplyDeleteMy cat had vestibular disease. It can be hard to watch them sometimes, but they do get better. It took about 6 weeks before she was "normal"...balance and a constant head tilt were the main issues. It's scary the first few days. Hope this helps ease your mind a little. :)
ReplyDelete(sighing) The hardest part. I have Lilly, who will be 12 this year and I am dreading what's coming, but trying to enjoy what we have now.
ReplyDeleteSo very sorry...it's not easy getting old, but it helps to have people who love you, there to care.
ReplyDeleteHi, As soon as I read the symptoms, I knew what it was. My poor girl got that a few months before I lost her. It was so hard on her and there was very little I could do to help her. She was nauseous too - like when we get vertigo. A helpful tip for the senior dogs who do night pacing. Give him a low dose of Melatonin! I learned this by searching on line for trying to help her.
ReplyDeleteAmen sister. It is not easy. So hopeful he feels more like his normal self. Watching our pets grow older and have problems is really tough to take.
ReplyDeleteWas dreading the worst as I was reading this post . . . but it appears to have a happy ending. Yea Scout - - keep on, keepin' on Old Boy! ♥♥
ReplyDeleteOh...I was afraid to read this after seeing the title, but I am glad I did. Old dogs do break our hearts don't they? Morris had a tough week too. I'm so glad you knew what to do. I am fortunate that most vets will see us on a Sunday night and make a house call. It costs more but it seems that our animals always get sick on a Sunday night.
ReplyDeletePoor old boy. One of mine got this at 15. Vet said tumour and implied we should put her down. (He was a particularly doomy kind of vet!) I am not one who keeps them dragging on if it is kinder for them to go, but I did a bit of research and realised it could be a stroke and if so they can recover very well, so I gave her a week of us helping her in and outside and so on, and she came good, so well in fact that she went on very happily for another two years, which is good going for a largish dog and the oldest one of mine has managed so far. I hope it proves to be so for Scout too!
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