Re: Old Dog Vestibula Syndrome

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Well, it's not endurance-related, but boy, can I tell you about 'old dog'
disease, actually canine idiopathic vestibular disease.  My very beloved old
border collie Solo has it and the main thing you need to know is DON'T
PANIC.  He's going to be alot better in just a few days.

The first things you need to rule out are whether this really is vestibular
or something else.  Take a look at the back and forth eye movement (it's
called nystagmus).  If the movement is horizontal, that points towards
peripheral/vestibular disease, and that's good (relatively speaking).  If
the movement is vertical or rotatary, then it might point more towards a
central brain lesion.  Also, if he's had ear infections, that can cause
temporary vestibular signs as well, so check that out.

I couldn't tell you anything about Chinese herbal remedies, but your boy
will be a *lot* happier and more comfortable if he gets some meclizine for
his nausea.  That's why he's not walking or eating, he's seasick as hell.
Meclizine is like Dramamine for dogs, great stuff.  Herbal medicines are
fine, but I would *insist* on this to make him feel better until this
resolves and he can get up on his own.  What the neurologists here at
Colorado State say (and I've made their life a living hell grilling them
about this since last spring, lemme tell you) is that steroids don't help
and antibiotics are only indicated with clear evidence of infection.  This
syndrome pretty much resolves on its own no matter what you do (so I wonder
if the Chinese remedy is effective, or just looks that way, but no matter).
Mostly what your boy needs is just some meclizine for the nausea (you'd be
seasick too if your eyes were jiggling like that), and some supportive care
(help going out to potty, lots of TLC, etc).  Very soon, the brain decides
it doesn't like this jiggley eye thing and downregulates input, and it will
get a lot better within about a week or so.  After that, it will slowly
resolve over several months.  Most dogs totally resolve or maybe will be
left with just a bit of a head tilt, but otherwise functional---it might
show up more under stress.  Solo of course had to be different and didn't
resolve entirely, but with a little extra TLC (not that he's lacking in the
first place), he's still a happy boy.

If it's in your budget, you might consider running a CT (cat scan) to rule
out central lesions, but those are really gold standard and *not* cheap.  We
ran one on Solo and at least we knew for sure that there were no other
lesions causing the problem.  What helped us alot is rigging up a harness
padded with those fuzzy halter tubes for horses, so you can support him when
he needs to go out to potty or whatever.  It'll be a week or two before he
can manage it without falling over.  It'll also help if you settle him on a
doggy bed or something and bring him his water and food so he doesn't have
to get up to go get it.  Don't let him get onto the couch or bed, because
he'll fall off it and potentially hurt himself---he has ZERO balance.  And
try to keep other dogs away so they don't crash into him and knock him for a
loop.

And, don't forget to take care of yourself---I was miserable watching my
poor boy falling over, but HE WILL BE BETTER SOON.  Get him that meclizine
pronto and give him lots of petting, because he's as baffled by this as you
are.

I know this wasn't endurance-related, but it's a pretty common syndrome in
old dogs and the neurology service here says they get all kinds of stories
about owners who thought their dog had 'had a stroke' and had their dog
destroyed, when the problem would have resolved in a week or two, and I hate
to see that.

Hope this helps. :-)

Susan G



> Margie Margie@ffww.com
> I am turning to Ridecamp once again. I have always had such wonderful help
> from everyone on this site.
>
> My 17 yr old Chow/Aussie mix had a sudden onset of Vestibular Syndrome. He
> can barely walk, his head is severely tilted to the right, his eyes are
> swiftly moving from left to right in sync with each other, he is not
> eating.
>
> My vet, thank goodness, is certified in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
> She has had great success with a Chinese prescription for this syndrome. I
> unfortunately could not pronounce it and don't have the bottle here to
> write it down for you. My doctor is Doctor Lisa Lomond DVM and is in
> located in Los Angeles. I'm sure any vet with this background would be
> knowledgeable with this Chinese prescription.
>
> In my search on the net I have found very little on Canine (Old Dog)
> Vestibular Syndrome. I did find some info on how my poor dog must feel.
> Totally dizzy, disoriented, and it has to do with the inner ear.
>
> At this time we don't know if these herbs will help, it's too early to
> tell, we just started them last evening. I'm sending this note out to help
> anyone and also see if there is anyone who has any information on this
> disease.
>
> At this time we are very hopeful.
>
> Thank you
>
> Margie Beeson
>
> Margie@ffww.com
>
>
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