Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old September 30th, 2008, 02:13 PM
buschgobbler buschgobbler is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: toronto
Posts: 11
Neurological Problems

I have a one and a half old Australian Sheppard cross. She was a rescue dog from the states. We have had her for approx. 6 months now. She was always very healthy. About 2 weeks ago she started to limp (her back leg). It was not a bad limp and we did not think too much about it. Two days after the limping started it got worse so we took her to the vet. They x-rayed the leg and found nothing wrong. They tried a couple more tests (i.e. reflex test) and suggested that we visit a neurologist.

We went to the neurologist two days later. The limp was a lot worse (to the point where she could not walk well at all). The dr. noticed that her front leg was having problems as well. They thought that this could be a number of things -- potentially lymphoma or an autoimmune disease. They also mentioned that it could be some sort of US born virus -- although they did not really know. They conducted a number of tests (blood, urine, spinal tap, etc.) and gave us two sets of pills (one for the virus and one for the cancer). She has been on these for 4 days and has not gotten any better (although she has not gotten worse). She is in no pain (just frustration because she cannot really walk).

Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be (just suggestions) so that I can look into them. Someone mentioned lymes disease and we are now testing for that. Any help or comments would be appreciated.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old September 30th, 2008, 03:10 PM
bendyfoot's Avatar
bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
Geek Club CEO
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Ontario
Posts: 5,019
Did the neuro rule out any nonviral/immune issues...no problems in the spine itself? Sorry your family is dealing with something so scary.
__________________
Owned by:
Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11)
Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9)
Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4)
Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3)
Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months)
Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months)
__________
Boo, our Matriarch (August 1 1992 - March 29 2011)
Riley and Molly
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old September 30th, 2008, 03:37 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Where in the States did you rescue your dog from? Depending on the area, you should probably check not only for Lyme's but for the various ehrlichias and anaplasmosis--especially if your dog got into ticks or was in a place where ticks are common. There is a 4DX test put out by Idexx that tests for exposure to a common ehrlichia, Lyme's and anaplasmosis--it's a cheaper test that doing all the titers separately.

A CBC might hint at anaplasmosis--look for platelets and white blood cell counts lower than normal or even just on the low end of normal.

Good luck with your dog, buschgobbler--and thank you for rescuing her!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old September 30th, 2008, 05:05 PM
buschgobbler buschgobbler is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: toronto
Posts: 11
We rescued the dog from Ohio. Thanks for the info, we will do some research on this. The neurologist is already testing for Lymes (we will get the results tomorrow) but they do not believe that this is the cause.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 12:05 AM
Dr Lee's Avatar
Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
Senior Contributor - Expert
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,060
Quote:
Originally Posted by buschgobbler View Post
They thought that this could be a number of things -- potentially lymphoma or an autoimmune disease. They also mentioned that it could be some sort of US born virus -- although they did not really know. They conducted a number of tests (blood, urine, spinal tap, etc.) and gave us two sets of pills (one for the virus and one for the cancer). She has been on these for 4 days and has not gotten any better (although she has not gotten worse)... Someone mentioned lymes disease and we are now testing for that.
Before I get into an answer I would like to discuss lyme disease testing and anaplasmosis. I agree that a CBC might be helpful however I assume that this has already been run at least once by now. Hazelpackrun's recommendation about the 4Dx test is a great one. It looks at lyme/ehrlichia/anaplasmosis/heartworm in a simple snap test that takes about 15 minutes. Also reference laboratories like Antech and Idexx can do comprehensive rickettsial/protozoal screenings which can be helpful since 4Dx is not comprehensive and does not get all strains. Ask if the test was only for lyme or if it was a comprehensive test. Anaplasmosis is a disease that is often found when other tick borne diseases are diagnosed. Luckily whether it is diagnosed or not, when you treat for one tick disease, anaplasmosis is often covered. A therapeutic trial of doxycyline can also be beneficial. Doxycyline is usually well tolerated and very inexpensive.

My recommendation would be to go back to the neurologist. This sounds complex and I do not want to go guessing. The specialists are there to diagnose the complicated cases. Often they might try a therapeutic trial (such as the two medications - btw, what were they? Is one was prednisone?) Therapeutic trials are nice because they can not only solve the problem but safe you and your pet from more expensive and/or invasive diagnostics. Unfortunately if the therapeutic trials did not work then we might have to bite the proverbial bullet and proceed with further testing. Has an MRI or CT scan been performed? One of these might be very beneficial and every neurology specialist will have at least one of these test abilities.

Also if lymphoma (I am keeping out good thoughts that this is not the case) is of concern, then your regular veterinarian could perform lymph node aspirates which are fairly non-expensive (comparatively) and fairly non invasive (comparatively ).

Also how high is your pet's globulin level? Can you find out? It can sometimes be very helpful.

Wishing you all the best.
__________________
Christopher A. Lee, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
Preventive Medicine Specialist With a Focus on Immunology and Infectious Disease
myvetzone.com
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 08:25 AM
buschgobbler buschgobbler is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: toronto
Posts: 11
The tests

Thanks for the reply Dr. Lee.

I think they ran the 4Dx test -- it was a test the checked for three strains.

The test that they ran when we first took her in was for the virus -- this came back as a low positive. The Dr. said that he does not believe that Sienna has this virus but they put her on Clindamycin anyway. The Dr. said to leave her on the medicine anyway because it will not harm her (but we don't expect to see any results because of this).

A CBC was done.

They also put her on Prednisone (so she is currently on 50mg of Pednisone and she is also on Clindamycin). Today (Friday) has been her 5th day on Prednisone and we have not seen any results (the symptoms have not worsen but have not improved). Is it strange to have not seen any results? Initially the Dr. said we should see results within 24 hrs but now he is saying the it can sometimes take longer. We have another appointment on Tuesday where the Dr. will do another check up. Is there anything that we should ask the Dr. that maybe we have not asked?

They have not done an MRI or a CT yet. They did do a spinal tap and they found protein in the fluid. When they sent this off the get analyzed, the sample arrived broker. The Dr. hasn't suggested doing another one yet but he did suggest that the high protein means either lymphoma or an autoimmune disease -- so the prednisone would be the right treatment regardless. If it is lymphoma isn't it strange that we have seen no other symptoms? (i.e. not swollen lymph nodes). The Dr. said the only way to be sure is to do a biopsy of the affected leg but even this is no guarantee that they would be able to get the cells that have the lymphoma. It just seems weird that the thought could be lymphoma based on the protein in the fluid alone.

We had done some research and found a disease called polyradiculoneuritis (Coonhound Paralysis) and the symptoms seemed very similar. We ran this by the Dr. and he said that Sienna definitely does not have this.

One last thing I should mention is that almost 5 weeks ago Sienna was put on Stilbesterol for what the Vet thins is an incontinence issue. She started licking a lot, and leaking from the vaginal area -- not sure if it was urine. It was drops of clear liquid usually when she was sleeping or lying around. Anyway, about 2 weeks after she was on this the limping started. The Dr. said there is no connection but I thought I would mention this.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 08:26 AM
buschgobbler buschgobbler is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: toronto
Posts: 11
Type of Virus that they tested for

the viruses were toxoplasmosis and neospora -- but once again the Dr. does not think this is the cause.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 10:38 AM
kandy kandy is offline
Hazel's Personal Servant
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,742
I googled the stilbesterol, and side effects include joint and leg pain. It's a human hormone replacement drug. Is she still on this medication? I always hate when vets or doctors dismiss drug reactions out of hand - it seems like most any drug on the market anymore treats one thing and causes 10 things that are worse than the original condition.

I hope that you get the answers you need.
__________________
Kandy
Livin in a Newfie Drool Zone
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 10:49 AM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
I agree with Kandy. I can tell you how frustrating it is to have the doctor dismiss side effects as something unrelated, only to find out later that they disappear when the meds are changed...usually after months of suffering. If there is any chance that it might be a reaction to the stilbesterol, changing her over to phenylpropanolamine would be an easy enough thing to do.

I don't know enough about the possible side effects, however, to know how many of the other symptoms the vet found could be caused by the hormone replacement.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 10:00 PM
Dr Lee's Avatar
Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
Senior Contributor - Expert
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,060
Quote:
Originally Posted by buschgobbler View Post
the viruses were toxoplasmosis and neospora -
just for clarification....

Neither of these are viruses. Both organisms are protozoan life forms and both are treated with the antimicrobial drug clindamycin.
__________________
Christopher A. Lee, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
Preventive Medicine Specialist With a Focus on Immunology and Infectious Disease
myvetzone.com
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old October 3rd, 2008, 10:02 PM
Dr Lee's Avatar
Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
Senior Contributor - Expert
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,060
Maybe I missed this but was she taken off of the stilbesterol to see if the limping resolved?
__________________
Christopher A. Lee, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
Preventive Medicine Specialist With a Focus on Immunology and Infectious Disease
myvetzone.com
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
dogs diseases, limping, neurological, problems walking

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:57 PM.