Comments on: Farli 6 Sept - Vestibular Syndrome

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:49:32 +0000

Well, it’s been a month since Betty’s “episode” and she is doing well.
She was placed on antibiotics a few days after her physical because she had an allergic reaction to the new ear drops that the vet gave her on 2-24. They seemed to have cleared up the infection. The vet said that the eardrum on the side that was affected was gone and that he sees that a lot in older dogs that have had several ear infections over the course of their lives.
Her blood work came back normal.
She had a couple of bouts of nausea during the first two weeks, but seems to have once again come out of it(knock on wood!).
She will be fourteen in three months.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:57:26 +0000

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Diane. Betty went to the vet for her physical today. She has an infection in her right ear which is the side that was tilted. She got some drops to be administered once a day for two weeks. She also got a supply of Reglan for the dizziness should she have another episode. He did a geriatric blood test and the results should be in tomorrow. Hope that all else is fine. She seems back to her old self today with the exception of a residule wobble if she gets too excited!

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:11:17 +0000

Cathy I’m glad to hear that once again Betty is recovering. It must be very confusing for the world to seem tilted or spinning or what ever happens when their orientation for “up” gets messed up. I still miss my wonderful Farli each and every day. So remember that each day with Betty is to be savored. Best wishes.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:37:11 +0000

It’s been two days since Betty’s relapse and she is doing so much better. Still just a bit wobbly, but her eyes seem normal and she looks great. She has been in very good spirits and has a healthy appetite. I was baking today and she stayed in the kitchen with me sniffing the aroma of banana bread.
The motion sickness pills really seemed to work for the dizziness. I am thankful for every good day that I have with her.
She goes to the vet tomorrow.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:39:51 +0000

Hello Everyone,
I am sooooo glad that I found this site! Our 13 year old lab suffered her first episode in May 2007. She was getting up to go outside and looked at me with panic. Her front legs wobbled and she staggared over to the door.It was over as soon as it began and there were no more problems until 4:30 am on June 29, 2007. We awoke to the sound of Betty bumping into the wall as she was trying to stand up.My husband and I jumped out of bed and took her outside. She staggared into the yard to urinate and then somehow jumped back up on the deck and got inside the house. She was panicked and panting. We tried to calm her down by stroking her and talking to her. After about 30 minutes we decided to take her to the emergency vet. On the way to the car, she tried to chase a cat, but fell over. We figured that it must not be life threatening if she was thinking about chasing!
The vet gave her quick physical and while looking into her eyes told us that it was probably IVD or PVD. She gave us info that she had printed out from her computer and sent us home with some motion sickness pills. Betty regained her balance within a few hours and had a good appetite. She didn’t have a residule head tilt, but did not return to the same, energetic dog that she had been. Although she ate well, she lost weight and muscle tone. She seemed to be confused. It took about six months to build up her weight and she was back to walking a mile a day.
Yesterday morning(seven month after her episode) at 5:30 am, she had another episode. Fortunately I still have some of her pills and immediately gave her one. She paced around the house for about an hour and finally fell asleep for the rest of the day. Last night she ate well, but seemed disoriented and frustrated. Her eyes were moving rapidly back and forth. We calmed her by petting and she slept all night. This morning she seemed better. She slept most of the day and seems even better tonight. She goes to the vet on Monday for a check up.
This is a very scarey experience for both the dog and the “parents”, isn’t it?
I hope that Betty’s story will help someone else see that your dog will recover and that there are others going through similar experiences.
Thank you all for sharing your stories. You have given me hope for my old girl during her relapse.

By: Wesley R. Elsberry

Wesley R. Elsberry — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:29:18 +0000

Early in December, 2007, Farli started showing new signs of illness. She stopped eating as usual. We got some lab work done, and it showed that she was in renal failure. That news came on a Friday evening. We kept her hydrated as best we could using subcutaneous fluid injections over the weekend. On Monday, December 10th, we took her into the vet’s office. The news was not good or encouraging. We took Farli home and arranged for a vet who made house calls to put her down at home. We spent the afternoon doing what we could to make things as enjoyable for Farli as we knew how, including letting her chase a partridge in the yard. Farli died that evening on our couch, with Diane and I there with her in her last moments. It was a real wrench to make the decision to let go.

Farli had lived with the vestibular system problem for over a year. It was only in the first few weeks that it made a serious difference in her quality of life. I’d encourage others who encounter this problem in their pet not to give up too easily when IVS first presents. It looks awful at the outset, but our dog and others have adjusted to the condition and can live a mostly normal life thereafter.

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:00:53 +0000

My 14 year old border collie mix is going through IVS right now. I don’t know why your vets are telling you to consider putting them down. I live in a rural town in virginia and my vet instantly knew what it was and after researching it online I found she was 100% right.

My dog Casey in on day three of her issues. She actus normal (happyness wise) but she is unstead (though today she jumped on the couch by herself!). She is drinking and peeing but not much food (some cheese and a few of her milkbones) so I hope to get her to eat solid food by putting some broth or something on it.

The worst part aside from the scary first moments is that she pees on the rug in the middle of the night. She NEVER goes inside but she has the past three nights. I hope its just part of the syndrome. Poor dear!

Have hope people and unless your dog is in obvious pain give it some time. I wouldnt consider putting Casey down just because she is dizzy all day!

By: Teresa

Teresa — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:25:30 +0000

Leora, It has been 5 days since you posted Christie’s condition… I hope she has improved. If it was IVS she should be showing improvment by now. My Duke is doing well after his episode 4 months ago. Duke is over 13 years old and I worry that he might relapse but so far he has been fine. He’s just old. I do leave a small lamp on for him at night in the event he needs/wants to get up in the night. Please let me know how Christie is doing.

By: Leora

Leora — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:12:18 +0000

So reassuring to read all the comments and advice regarding this strange illness. Our 14 yr old Dalmation Christie is on day 5 - has been very dizzy, not walking without help- an then even when we guide her outside she staggers around in circles. Our vet is concerned that it may be stroke related, but we’re hoping it’s ideopathic vestibular disease and that she’ll recover in time. She is drinking a lot, but only eating very small quantities, and sleeps just about all day. Our vet suggests that if she hasn’t shown signs of recovery at all in 2 or 3 days, we consider putting her out of her misery. I feel very torn, as although she may have had a stroke and may never recover, it may be IVS, and she may still have a good few years of quality life ahead of her. Before this illness, Christie was very active despite being deaf and having poor vision.

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:34:21 +0000

Diane,

Sending smiles from Roxie and I to you and Farli. We have been working so hard on recovering from the symptoms of IVS. Roxie has progressed to the point of eating normally and is drinking well also. She is regaining her ability to walk on flat carpeted and grassy surfaces. Her balance is much better. Some days Bill and I almost cry at the progress we’ve seen her make. Yesterday I was in bed and heard these footsteps on the kitchen floor. I knew it was not Pi the cat. It was Roxie and I was scared to death she would fall and get hurt. She made it from the den to the bedroom. She was proud as punch and had a smile on a mile wide. She really is understanding that she is doing better.We are so thankful to you and everyone on the website for encouragement and suggestions. We take one day at a time and are thankful to have Roxie still with us. We are so grateful to you Diane , Cindy and all of you wonderful people who have taken time to share. We wish health and happiness to you and your babies. Bill , who is a kind of drinking glass half empty kind of guy just marvels at what special people you all are. Blessings, Katie