If you happened to read the previous post, you know that our aging golden retriever Gracie had become ill this week and was hospitalized.
I asked the doctor if it was a stroke. It seemed a little like that because she kept her head titled and she couldn't walk and even her eyes seem to be traveling in all directions. I learned wonderful news: strokes are very rare in dogs. Whew! One less item on my long list of things to worry about.
I am thrilled to tell you that Gracie is home now for about three days and is mostly walking on her own. She occasionally trips on the step going in and out of the house or when one of the younger dogs is determined to play with her. She has about three days of medication left to take and by then she should be fully recovered. The only residual sign may be head tilting. Yes, head tilting. I can certainly and happily live with that.
Gracie suffered from an illness that has an acute start and an acute resolution -- comes on suddenly and clears up just as suddenly. It's an illness that I am almost embarrassed to say I have never heard of, even having owned dogs for decades; especially when I learned it is common among dogs (and cats) in the 12-13 year old range particularly in the summer and autumn seasons.
Her symptoms revealed
vestibular disease. Again, new to me. It can be caused by a brain lesion, which is the most serious, but more often caused by a viral infection of the inner ear. It causes the dog to become dizzy and disoriented which is why the dog often vomits and refuses to eat or drink. It is called
idiopathic vestibular disease because its origin is truly not known.
If you find your golden retriever or standard poodle or goldendoodle or even your cat suddenly unable to lift its hind end or walk, before you consider the worst (as I did), before you panic (as I did), take a deep breath. Let your pet remain lying down but try to encourage him to drink a bit of water from a small container or even the palm of your hand. Keep your other pets away from him because he's going to be scared and doesn't need or want any attention or irritation.
Then call your vet and a close-by adult to help you get your pet to the vet. Don't be shy about suggesting idiopathic vestibular disease as there are vets that are not as knowledgeable about this disease as others. Pets are often misdiagnosed as having temporary paralysis, stroke, arthritis, inflammation requiring antibiotics.
Watch for tilting of your pet's head, like they do when you're talking to them or they're listening intently. Watch for unusual eye movements. They are trying very hard to regain their stability and equilibrium, and these are two ways they can try to solve the problem themselves.
Here are some great sites that offer detailed information and diagrams. I think the first one is the best and is the same one my vet printed out for me.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_vestibular_disease.htmlhttp://www.essortment.com/all/dogearproblems_rmib.htmhttp://www.vetinfo.com/dvestib.html (scroll down to "Peripheral Vestibular Disease in Golden Retriever"
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