Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
I know this isn't tripawd related, but it concerns my tripawd.
Dante's always had some odd behaviors. We thought he was just a weird boy...he's a general goofball, so his oddities seemed to follow suit with that.
However it clicked last night that some of these behaviors MIGHT be behavioral seizures.
Since he was a couple of months old, he's occasionally (once or twice a week) put his ears back really hard, and whipped his head around like he is freaked out, or something is biting him, or something.
In this last week or two, he's added 'air snapping' or fly catching to this behavior. Last night he also added running away and cowering to this behavior . He put his ears back, whipped his head around, ran away, cowered against the couch still whipping his head...he then spaced out and slowly moved his head around and snapped at the air a few times. These episodes last 45 seconds to about a minute and a half. I can't snap him out of it, but Dante is a space cadet and often doesn't respond right away to attempts to get his attention.
Last week he was laying down, wide awake and got up suddenly and ran head first into the sliding glass door, out of the blue.
For two weeks now he's been peeing in his crate, and he was fully house trained before that....he's been to the vet, after a urinalysis the vet determined it was likely behavioral (Why I have no idea) and we've left it at that, for now. Now I'm wondering if he is having seizures, is he peeing because of them? (he asked to go out before each 'episode' yesterday) or is it his kidneys and it's causing seizures?
I also read that seizures can be caused by trauma...can it be a long term thing, or is it only a short term thing following the trauma? Dante DID lose his leg to an attack and also needed neck surgery..is it possible he's been having seizures since he was young and they're now getting worse.
Maybe he really is just a weirdo like we've always thought, but considering these behaviors could be seizures and the behaviors are increasing, I'd like more information before we just write him off as strange.
Where is the best place to start for this with the vet?
Hopefully Dr. Pam can give you some professional advice, when Jerry was young, and we didn't know better, he had a few seizures tat were much more "petite mal" in appearance – stoic, collapsing, slight tremor, incontinence, recovery. After we changed his diet to more healthy foods, it never happened again.
Friends of ours had a true epileptic dog with more serious seizures that they controlled for years with Phenobarbitol. Best wishes for you and Dante, please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It is possible to have seizures that manifest as "fly-biting" and other odd behaviors. I have treated some dogs with unexplained aggressive episodes with phenobarb and had them get better. Unfortunately epilepsy is a diagnosis of exclusion; you have to rule out other diseases with blood work and then treat with potassium bromide or phenobarb and see if the episodes go away. Your vet should do a CBC and chemistry profile to rule out other diseases.
Are you sure he doesn't have a flea? Many pitbulls and other terriers can have flea allergy (sensitivity to flea saliva) so they go crazy when bitten.
Pam
I can't see it being a flea...they're so few and far between here, especially in the winter. No one here treats or prevents fleas because they really aren't an issue. On that note his 'freaking out' head movement has been around for months...at least the last 8 months. He ducks his head, pins his ears back really hard, eyes go big and he whips his head around rapidly..we used to joke that he was hearing voices when it happened...because that's almost what it looks like, like he's hearing something that really scares him...either that, or he's afraid something is going to hurt him/get him. Dante is fearless, nothing scares him...even things that should.
At his age is likely to be idiopathic or have a secondary cause? I know these types of seizures often have a secondary cause (atleast that is what I've found in reading) but Dante seems entirely healthy...although he has been suddenly having accidents after being reliably trained for a good 6 months or more...and lots of accidents, in his crate mostly when we're not home, despite everything we've tried. Beyond that, though..he's not drinking much more, he's eating, energy is fine, happy and goofy as always.
His age and breed would make me suspect epilepsy rather than liver or kidney issues. You should still do the bloodwork prior to starting any meds. If he is not too bad you can always monitor the frequency and duration of the episodes (keeping a journal or calendar is a good idea).
Pam
Dante has not had an 'episode' or peed in his crate since the 23rd. I don't know whether to be relieved that whatever it was seems to be 'over' or even more concerned that there was a very distinct 'start' to his behavior and a distinct 'stop'. We thought maybe we were just thinking too much into it and that the 'episodes' were just goofy behavior maybe and the peeing was just him being a bratty 1 year old dog. But now there is no doubt something was going on.
We had taken him to the vet for the peeing and she concluded behavioral after a urinalysis showed nothing. She did say if it continued we would go into more extensive testing if changing routines/crates/etc didn't work first. We decided to wait until after Christmas to change anything since it would all get messed up over the holidays...so we made no changes, and the peeing stopped on it's own. He'd been peeing in his crate (and once on the floor) for about 3 weeks, it started out every other day, once or twice a day, to nearly everytime he was in his crate. He was also asking to go out constantly when he was out of his crate.
The episodes started about a week into the peeing, and lasted for about two weeks.
And just like that, both are gone.
We're going to take him for bloodwork and a MRI soon, just to be safe...but I don't know if it will show anything since nothing is going on anymore.
Thanks for the update, please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Paws crossed that this was a fluke and things are fine now. You're such a pawesome pawrent, what a lucky kid to have you! Let us know how things are going OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
1 Guest(s)
