I've been really hesitant to post about her...like my posting would trigger something to happen...I know...sounds dumb
Anyway.....About a 6 weeks or so ago, she was diagnosed with Vestibular Disease...she'd hold her head to the side and was clumsy in her walking...almost as tho she were drunk. The head straightened up after about 3 weeks..just a very slight tilt.
2 weeks ago....she started limping very badly on her front right leg. It seemed to lessen when she walked on it a bit..so I figured it was the old aches and pains we all feel as we age. This lasted for about 2 days...then all of sudden, she could not rise her self off her back legs. I mean, she had no strength at all. If we raised her...she could walk, but with a limp and we noticed her dragging her right rear leg...more like a shuffle. She could not pee or defecate without help..the strength in the legs was not there. About this time, she also became unbelievably disoriented. Walking into a room and just staring...the light is on, but no one is home! I'd pass her...walk into a room, return 30 secs later and she'd act like she hadn't seen me in days!
The vet is pretty much stumped. He can rule out a lot...She has no temp., She doesn't really appear to be in pain...other than the limping. no swelling of the lymph nodes, no neck pain whatsoever. He did a full blood work up on her and the only thing that came back very abnormal was her Thyroid counts. They are extremely low...but she has absolutely no symptoms other than the blood work counts!
He really feels like she has fibrocartilagenous emboli...which in layman terms is sort of a stroke of the spinalcord. He started her on soloxine for the Thyroid and put her on Rimadyl. He feels like the limping is definately in the elbow. The Rimadyl helped initially...the first day, she didn't limp at all and had trouble raising herself, but at least could raise herself. In the last few days, she is back to limping, but can still get up...but again, has trouble. She has also developed a slight hacking cough and her eyes are PITCH black, where as they were never before. I thought they may be dialated, but I don't think either of the meds. she is on, should cause that. He wanted her on the Rimadyl for 10 days with sort of a lets wait and see attitude.
I have to say, when I brought her in last week, I really thought I was going to have to put her down. I am a firm believer of quality of life and I just couldn't see her living out her days unable to raise herself or walk. This is a dog, who up until 3 months ago, was jumping into our pool and chasing down a tennis ball with the energy of a 5 yr old!
She and her son, Dylan, must go into be boarded tomorrow...it's at the vets, so I know she will be in good hands...I hate to do it, but we have to go out of town for a few days on business. It is unavoidable.
I have a call into the vet now...to discuss the cough and the eyes and her inablility to move around. She is lying with her head on my foot as I type...My heart just breaks every time I see her try to raise herself up...getting old sucks!
Please...keep us in your thoughts.
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