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Thread: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

  1. #21
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    They usually take blood pressure on a forelimb. The cuff goes between the elbow and the ankle. It is certainly possible that somewhere along the line she has dislocated her hip but that would be extremely painful. I don’t know how your vet does it but most of the vets I’ve used take blood from the jugular in the neck. I believe they do record which leg they used but again, it depends upon Your vet’s policy. By all means don’t hesitate to tell him if she’s having difficulty walking. No reason you should feel intimidated. This is YOUR baby and you just want what’s best for her.

  2. #22
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    I would definitely tell the vet about her right leg issue. Also, I would have an urine culture and sensitivity test performed on her urine especially since bacteria was found in her sample.

    This is very important, she has to have her Vetoryl with a meal, Vetoryl is a fat-soluble drug and must be given with food in order to be absorbed. If you fast your dog overnight and do the ACTH stimulation test the next morning after you give the medicine without a meal, the test is meaningless.

    I am sorry that your precious girl is having difficulties and hopefully she'll get these issues resolved soon.

    Hugs, Lori

  3. #23
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    May 2020
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    It turns out my dog is 11 lbs not 14 as I thought.

    The receptionist told me the vet was booked solid for two weeks. I sent the vet a picture and a video of what was going on with my dog because something is very wrong. He said to get her in, thank goodness.

    Today, she was diagnosed with a herniated disc.
    There was no x-ray, and he took her in back.


    I am very confused, because both legs “swivel” as if they are not attached and rotate,
    one leg looks uneven and it is in A NEW PLACE.
    She does “splits” now with back legs and it is FREAKY.

    I want to trust my vet, but I’m upset that he was so confident and did not take an x-ray.

    I have so much guilt I put my dog through this blood pressure test, I thought it would be harmless and that I was being proactive. It is taken with a Doppler and done 6 times to get an average.

    Before this, he did not have the equipment to take blood pressure as he said his was broken.


    I am so sad. She cannot go for walks for 6 weeks at least and this is a sassy little dog who REQUIRES 6 laps around the block everyday rain or shine. She lives for it! And it’s so freeing to her as she doesn’t have to hit her head or her confused. Even at her worst, she got up for her walks and always felt 100x better during.

    She races to the door overly excitement. There is not a person in the world who could say no to her. Even if I’m sick, I have no choice. Lol.

    I can’t believe it. A blind and deaf and a lone dog, (whose favorite activity (and only activity) is taken away.
    I worry she can’t handle the stress of this and will she lose her beautiful muscle tone? Walking has kept her heart in amazing shape at 15.

    What am I suppose to do??

    She paced each room of the house tonight for hours walking back to the front door, thinking she could trick me, even after I gave her the muscle relaxer. (The vetoryl did not work to settle her down for hours - usually she is out cold in an hour).

    She is sleeping right now next to my bed, but I know morning will be another day of watching her anxiety and pacing the front door and whimpering.
    Last edited by SassyTerrier; 05-30-2020 at 12:35 AM.

  4. #24
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    So,

    If anyone here has a dog with hip or disk issues, or knows of a reputable forum that may help with expert or pet parent advice, and I can send a video too, please let me know.

    I need some type of reassurance that he got this diagnosis right. Forgive my ignorance on this topic.
    I shouldn’t doubt him.

    It’s just that I have never seen something like this before.
    Her alignment is so different then the day before.

    I have bad feeling she was dropped by new staff. She is STRONG WILLED like an ox (I’m not kidding- she is determined, as it’s her personality and part breed- they stop at nothing!)

    and bc she is blind she does not go down easy (apparently it’s a fear of predation. For instance, the day she went blind, she no longer leisurely lays on her side or with her tummy facing up in the air; its too vulnerable.

    There is no way I would be able to turn her on her side. So when he said “struggles” I knew what he meant.


    Most upsetting, I mentioned to the tech and vet what he said to me about the difficulty and struggle.
    She said “well, there is no mention on her chart of any struggle or fall during the exam. I will talk to vet”.

    She left to go talk to him and he came back to the room we were in and changed the story today.

    He said “no struggle, it’s easy”

    NO! He did NOT SAY this.

    Wtf.
    Last edited by SassyTerrier; 05-30-2020 at 12:56 AM.

  5. #25
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    Quote Originally Posted by Harley PoMMom View Post
    I would definitely tell the vet about her right leg issue. Also, I would have an urine culture and sensitivity test performed on her urine especially since bacteria was found in her sample.

    This is very important, she has to have her Vetoryl with a meal, Vetoryl is a fat-soluble drug and must be given with food in order to be absorbed. If you fast your dog overnight and do the ACTH stimulation test the next morning after you give the medicine without a meal, the test is meaningless.

    I am sorry that your precious girl is having difficulties and hopefully she'll get these issues resolved soon.

    Hugs, Lori
    Hi Lori,

    I asked about a culture (it involves a needle in her bladder, correct?)
    He said it wasn’t needed as her WBC is negative.

    I am a little worried about the bacteria.
    I did ask him twice.

    I end up feeling really stupid if I have questions when I go to the vet.

    I have been giving cranberry once a day and ordered “Crananadin” (was trying to find the best one, but wasn’t sure if cranberry was cranberry or this pet product was actually worth it?). I looked it up and asked him if I could add it and he said “yes”.
    But said “no” on tumeric.

    For the Disc issue, she was prescribed an NSAID, Rimadyl, to get inflammation and swelling down. I reminded him she almost died some years ago after the first dose and he replied, “well it’s not in her chart” but I know he said back then, “we will make sure it’s on her chart so she does not receive this medication again.” (I kept the bottle and wrote “toxic- never give” and am so glad I did!

    I left with muscle relaxer and pain killer, but he had no other suggestion as to what to give
    for inflammation.
    She hasn’t yet reacted to natural things... however I’m scared of adding Boswellia as I’m not sure it’s safe or well-tested on dogs.

    Wishing I had spent the money on a holistic vet.
    Last edited by SassyTerrier; 05-30-2020 at 11:05 PM. Reason: Question in bold

  6. #26
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    My heart aches for your struggles. Don't feel stupid about questioning the vet. We all do it. It is the only way we can advocate for our furkids. It might be time to get a second opinion, or talk to a specialist. I wish I had more and better guidance.
    Angela

  7. #27
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    Thank you Angela. Appreciate the kindness on the forums <3

  8. #28
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    Does anyone know if CBD oil actually works as an effective anti-inflammatory?
    Or is it overhyped? (I know fish oil is too, but it’s not fast acting like an NSAID, which she needs).

    Looking to get this back healed ASAP.

    She’s killing my heart by wobbling over to the door and pressing her body up to it as close as she can.
    She is not taking this lightly...

    She’s also going to be as big as a house without exercise.

  9. #29
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    Hello again. Honestly, at this point I really do encourage you to ask for a referral to an internal medicine specialist (“IMS”) if there is a specialty clinic or a vet school near you. There are now a number of actions by your vet that concern me. Like you, I would guess that Sassy was injured by the staff there, and if so, that is really unforgivable that they don’t come clean about it. Second, I agree with you that I can’t imagine how your vet arrived at a definitive diagnosis about her disc without any imaging. Third, as Lori pointed out earlier, Sassy’s monitoring ACTH test was invalidated by your vet’s instruction not to give her morning dose of Vetoryl with food. The maker of Vetoryl explicitly states the opposite: on testing days, the medication *must* be given with a full meal in order for the Vetoryl to be metabolized properly and the test to be accurate. And now, the issue with the Rimadyl. Again, it’s a total lapse on the part of the vet that Sassy’s bad reaction was either not noted in the first place or overlooked now. The extremely nutty par is that there several newer types of NSAIDS that carry fewer risks to the liver and kidneys (especially for a Cushing’s dog), and your vet probably ought to have prescribed one of them over Rimadyl in the first place. Since Rimadyl has been ruled out, why isn’t he prescribing one of them now??

    Going back full circle, if Sassy were my own dog, I’d want a second expert opinion about all of this. CBD oil may indeed be helpful for her — I’m currently giving it to my own elderly dog in conjunction with an NSAID for arthritic relief, and I do feel as though I’ve seen notable improvement in her mobility. I’ll come back later on today and add a link to some research information in that regard. But first I wanted to encourage you to get some additional guidance re: Sassy’s overall care and treatment. I know that may not be easy in the midst of the current COVID-19 restrictions, but to say that I’m underwhelmed with your current vet’s attention and expertise is putting it mildly :-((((.

    Marianne

  10. #30
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    Default Re: UTI + Overnight blindness + then sudden dementia like symptoms + Cushings dx

    Well I’ve had two dogs with herniated discs and several with IVDD (invertebral Disc Disease/Degeneation). The herniated discs happened when they jumped down off a chair. But all it takes is twisting the wrong way, something very minor to cause herniation in a senior dog. Their discs become brittle, sometimes calcified. Galliprant is a new anti-inflammatory that is not supposed to affect the liver or kidneys. That said, Angel’s liver enzymes skyrocketEd after only a few doses. Unfortunately she has numerous reactions of her liver to innocuous medications. Since your dog had a serious, even life threatening reaction to Rimadyl I don’t know that she could take galliprant either. Most of my dogs were also put on gabapentin which helps nerve pain. It’s an off market use for this drug which was originally used to control seizures. In humans it’s often referred to as “Neurontin”. We did not have any reactions to this drug and it was used in conjunction with muscle relaxers, and the galliprant (in those dogs which could take it). During the acute stage of the herniated discs one dog had a fentanyl patch for pain. The other was given buprenorphine.

    As far as your vet diagnosing the herniated disc without any Xrays, he probably felt it was a logical diagnosis based on the neurological symptoms such as your dogs legs sliding apart or seemingly in weird positions. He perhaps tested for areas of pain in her neck or back, possible loss of sensation and muscle control. Xrays especially of a dog in pain would require sedation and a CT scan or MRI would require anesthesia all of which carry risks for a senior dog especially one with multiple issues. So perhaps he didn’t want to take the risk and felt this was a logical diagnosis based on clinical symptoms.

    Now as far as a second opinion and thoughts on some of his other advice and diagnosis, I agree with Marianne And Angela that if you can possibly do so, find an Internal Medicine specialist either at a College of Veterinary Medicine or a specialty practice. Senior dogs with multiple issues really do require someone with special knowledge of Internal medicine and who is willing to take the time to do a thorough work up and find out what is really going on with your baby. You are already questioning if there was some event during the blood pressure taking and have had a couple of versions of that situation. Apparently it was not recorded that your dog is unable to take Rimadyl which it absolutely should have been. Several of the things he has told you seem very odd. AND you feel intimidated and unable to ask him questions which is not a good relationship to have.

    Unfortunately as difficult as it is for you and for her, she will need to rest and stay quiet and let her heal. No doubt she loves her walks because there are so many wonderful smells out there and with her vision and hearing compromised scent is her primary means of sensory excitement. The extent of the herniation (IF it is in fact a herniated disc) kind of dictates how long the healing process will take but it is important that she rest and not jump up and down off furniture, steps, etc. Try to keep her back aligned and straight when you lift her.Lift the rear end and front together and try to maintain a horizontal position so nothing is pulling on her back. If she becomes incontinent or seems to be losing control of her rear end more than she already is, you need to see an orthopedist or neurologist right away. Usually the pain is self limiting and they will stay quiet but if she isn’t terribly painful and she really wants to go out as is her routine, then you are going to have give a bit of tough love and keep her quiet for a few days to give this time to resolve.

    ALL this is simply MY opinion based on my own experience with my senior dogs. I don’t intend it to be medical advice. We actually had very good luck using acupuncture and laser therapy on their backs. I did acupuncture weekly, then every other week for a year on my old miniature poodle and laser therapy weekly. It seemed to really help him. So if you have a veterinary acupuncturist in your area that would certainly be another option. This is also my opinion but I would only go to someone who is a DVM and a certified acupuncturist. That way you know they are properly trained in Veterinary medicine. I know it’s a difficult time for you and it can be difficult starting over with a new vet but it really does seem a second opinion is warranted here. You have good support here from others who know how it is to love our babies so much! Wishing you well, lots of positive thoughts and prayers!! Claire
    Last edited by Remy’s Mom; 05-31-2020 at 04:02 PM. Reason: Needed better paragraphs

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