Convulsions in Rottweiler

[johnlegere]

I'm new to this forum so I'll start by saying hello to everyone.

I have a 9 year old male rotty that has been experiencing some strange episodes. Our vet told us they were the result of a pinched nerve, but I'm not so sure. They seemed to reduce when we began giving him glucosomine, but they haven't gone away. This has been happening for a year now and we've been to the vet a number of times. They almost look like a seizure but without the shaking, vomitting or eye movement. His claws fully extend and his neck stays in one position while he looks at me in utter fear while his whole body stiffens up. Often this is for 10 or 15 seconds and he jumps up like it never happened. Today was episode after episode after episode and again our vet thought it was a pinched nerve. I've tried to capture this on video for our vet, but everytime it happens I rush to his aid without thinking about the video. Our vet is convinced it's just a pinched nerve, but I figured I would ask if anyone had thoughts on this. I have noticed that he tends to go into these fits shortly after playing fetch so our vet may be right, but it kills me to see him have these fits and I'm looking for some advice.

[Frenchy]

I can't help you with this (maybe someone else will come along with more info) but have you tought about getting a second opinion ? Have you tried another vet ? It must be real hard to see your dog going thru this . :sad:

[Boo Boo]

Maybe try a vet that also deals with aternative medicine. I took my dog to vet that did chiropractic adjustments for a different condition, I heard of alot of success stories with symptoms you are describing. Especially if it is a pinched nerve. The adjustment were done with a clicker device up and down the spine both sides, followed by a muscle message. It is not painful, but the dog will have to go number 2 shortly after. Good Luck

[dustybird]

A friend of ours use to take her dog to a chiropractic vet and it did wonders for him, he had also suffered from a pinched nerve. He was older and had other joint/muscle problems as well so for him it was ongoing treatment which the vet was nice enough to charge only like 10 bucks for routine adjustments. He was a whole new dog after and depending on his activity level sometimes went once a week or twice a month. I agree about looking into it, I also agree with seeing what another vet might have to say, just to be sure it is a pinched never, but if the vet did blood work they would be able to tell if it was a siezure by the potassium/bromine(I think) levels.

Good luck and I hope you can find a solution.

[mummummum]

A pinched nerve doesn't sound right (they don't last 1-15 seconds ) but, I'm wondering about a disc or joint problem. Has your Vet done any xrays ?

ps. Seizures are curious things and don't always involve vomiting/ drooling or shaking / spasming or lack of eye movement/ rapid eye movement. Probably about the only thing that every person and every animal with seizures has in common is their lack of ability to contact the world around them during an episode.

[Quins-mum]

It does soound like a back prob. My rotti had something similar, but she was totally paralised for hours, they diagnosed arthritis.
You really need to get some xrays done to rule out disc deterioration,arthritis etc. There are so many good meds that can help.

Also watch the weight of your dog, that is really important with a large dog as they get older.
Im not too sure about the pinched nerve thing.... my lab had an episode where for about an hour he was walking around and falling over, like he was intoxicated. it finished when he pooped, and came back inside totally normal. Normally (so I've been told) that with back probs in dogs, their paws curl up...
Please let us know what happens. I LOVE ROTTIES. Good luck, I'll be keepin a keen eye on this thread

[johnlegere]

Thank you everyone for your concern and thoughts. They sound like good suggestions. Our vet did blood work and she said they are not seizures. Zeus weighs about 85lbs-90lbs and we try very hard to keep his weight in this range. He is pretty small for the breed and he is a big silly giant who acts like a lap dog. His hips have been X-rayed and they are good, but I don't know how thoroughly they looked for disc issues. I'll let you know what I find out. Sure am hoping it is just a pinched nurve or back problem.

[glitterless]

I don't think a bloodtest can determine whether or not an animal has had a seizure.

Ask your vet to look into your dog's potassium levels. There are some muscle diseases in which the animal has muscle tremors that actually resemble seizures. Abnormal levels might indicate something like this.

I think that MRIs and CAT scans are necessary to diagnose neurological problems... a bloodtest won't tell you very much.

From your description, it doesn't sound like seizures. I agree with what the other posters and the vet think and also agree that a vet who specializes in orthopaedic issues or even a chiropractor would be a good idea.