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Thread: HELP 13 yr old dog walking in circles, pacing, shaking and can't chew

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    Georgia
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    15,292

    Default Re: HELP 13 yr old dog walking in circles, pacing, shaking and can't chew

    Quote Originally Posted by Lemarph81 View Post
    Also she has a lot of stress when separated from me. Not just at the vet but even at home. She wont eat or drink if I am not at home and will not leave the house to walk without me. So that is part of the concern with the tests. He was concerned that her cortisol levels would show high regardless due to how stressed she naturally is. Ahe is a very neurotic dog due to her past. Is this an actual factor in the testing? Please tell me if this is BS so I can insist on it anyway!
    Your vet is right that stress can elevate cortisol levels on these tests. I had meant to comment on that earlier, because your dog’s extreme anxiety does need to be taken into account when looking at the test results — especially if only a resting cortisol level alone is taken. You might falsely think that a Vetoryl dose needs to be increased due to a higher resting cortisol level, when it’s actually stress that is raising the baseline. Even on a full monitoring ACTH, both of your dog’s test results may come out higher due to stress. But I think it still has to be checked so that baseline levels can be established for your dog. And from a safety standpoint, our concern is whether the cortisol has dropped too low from the medication as opposed to being too high. If this has happened, I don’t think even stress will be able to force the adrenals to produce as much cortisol as is necessary to return a normal result. So I think you do need to perform the monitoring testing, while taking your dog’s anxiety into account. Also, her blood chemistries also need to be regularly checked, and I’m unaware of stress being a factor with that.

    I’m relieved to hear that your vet has told you to stop all medication for the moment. As long as your girl continues to look better to you rather than worse right now, the plan going forward sounds reasonable to me. Do be aware, though, that your dog will need to be “off” the prednisone for at least 24 hours prior to any cortisol testing, because prednisone will also elevate the test results. So do keep us updated, and we’ll hope that things quickly straighten out for you two.

    Marianne

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    rural central ARK
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    Default Re: HELP 13 yr old dog walking in circles, pacing, shaking and can't chew

    I am SO glad her vet told you to stop the meds and put her on Pred for a few days. The fact that she seems better already is great and I pray she remains so once the Pred course is finished. I second what Marianne said - just keep in mind that her natural stress may cause her cortisol to test a bit higher. It is a GOOD sign that her vet recognizes this fact! Elevated cortisol is much better than those levels going too low so that fact that her vet understands the role her extreme stress can play should help in her ongoing treatment.

    You are an angel for giving her a home and loving her so much. She lucked out when she met you!

    Stay in touch and let us know how your sweet girl is doing.
    Hugs,
    Leslie
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: HELP 13 yr old dog walking in circles, pacing, shaking and can't chew

    Great news! Blondie has been off all meds for 2 days and she is like her old self! Still a little slower but she is able to walk, eat (like a pig...wants everything in sight), no more accidents in the house and just looks all around much better. She doesn't appear to have any more dizziness and was actually trying to herd the chickens again yesterday (we have 100 chickens and she's a cattle dog). Lol

    What a relief that is! Now, only concern is how long should I keep her off meds and how to control it properly this time. I didn't get the numbers on past levels yet but the second visit we had, he had said the levels were higher than the initial levels but she had improved so much that he felt we were getting false positives due to her panicking. So boy and I glad that we didnt imcrease it then! The first time we went, I brought my other dog along for emotional support for her and they were lower so I may try that next time.

    What are your thoughts on going back on the meds and a better course of action?

    Btw....sorry I didn't reply in 2 days but i just now noticed that there is a page 2..... Lol I just thought no one else replied to my last comment. * I'm very new here.


    Quote Originally Posted by labblab View Post
    Your vet is right that stress can elevate cortisol levels on these tests. I had meant to comment on that earlier, because your dog’s extreme anxiety does need to be taken into account when looking at the test results — especially if only a resting cortisol level alone is taken. You might falsely think that a Vetoryl dose needs to be increased due to a higher resting cortisol level, when it’s actually stress that is raising the baseline. Even on a full monitoring ACTH, both of your dog’s test results may come out higher due to stress. But I think it still has to be checked so that baseline levels can be established for your dog. And from a safety standpoint, our concern is whether the cortisol has dropped too low from the medication as opposed to being too high. If this has happened, I don’t think even stress will be able to force the adrenals to produce as much cortisol as is necessary to return a normal result. So I think you do need to perform the monitoring testing, while taking your dog’s anxiety into account. Also, her blood chemistries also need to be regularly checked, and I’m unaware of stress being a factor with that.

    I’m relieved to hear that your vet has told you to stop all medication for the moment. As long as your girl continues to look better to you rather than worse right now, the plan going forward sounds reasonable to me. Do be aware, though, that your dog will need to be “off” the prednisone for at least 24 hours prior to any cortisol testing, because prednisone will also elevate the test results. So do keep us updated, and we’ll hope that things quickly straighten out for you two.

    Marianne

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