No News - Our Black Lab is very sick

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I wonder if he may have been bitten by a spider???

Down here that's always a possibility. His blood tests were all within normal limits, so the vet didn't suspect poisoning or a bite. What was wrong with him looked more like a West Nile type of problem or neurological.
The vet is starting to suspect a brain tumor. She said that after he completes his meds this weekend time will tell us what is wrong. If he relapses, he'll get a brain MRI. If he doesn't, the vet said that we may never know what happened except that treatment with a massive dose of anti-biotics and steroids cured it What's really bizarre about this is that we lost a Dalmatian at age 5 back in 1994 due to a brain tumor. It would be really stange to have that happen again.
Right now Kurts fully back to his old happy self.
 
Last fall I found our old Parker (13 yo) laying in the laundry room in his mess and all dazed and eyes zipping back and forth sideways. I panicked because it looked like he had or was having a stroke. Couldn't stand up at first and when he did he was falling over and walking in circles with his head tilted. I managed to half carry him into the truck and get him to the vet. It turned out not to be a stroke but a case of ideopathic vestibular disease, something akin to vertigo that there is no known cause hence "ideopathic" The vet figured he'd come out of it over the course of the week and he did eventually. All signs were gone after about 3 weeks, the lingering head tilt that is. Hopefully it's just something passing for Kurt as well.
 
Our little in house joke at the vet school was:

Idiopathic means the idiot pathologist can't figure out what's wrong.

(Medical personnel have a somewhat warped sense of humor)

I'm glad Kurt is back to his normal self. It sounded like your vet was on top of things so I don't think I had much expertise to add. Keep us posted on his continued improvement.
 
Crackers, our Pomerainian, had a seizure once. It was terrible - I really thought he was dying - but he came out of it, and hasn't (to my knowledge, at least) ever had one again.

I'm so glad Kurt is feeling better, and I am keeping my fingers crossed for his future health.
 
An Update

Well, Kurt doesn't seem to be doing much better. He's still acting like a zombie. My vet wanted to wait to wean him down to a low dose of Prednisone before sending him up to A&M. She thinks that the Prednisone could be making him act strange.
On Sunday I gave Kurt a bath. He usually doesn't mind this. But on Sunday he thought I was trying to kill him. I have never seen a dog so terrified in my life! He cried, barked, woofed, growled and jumped around like a jumping bean during the bath. Plus he used to be perfectly obedience trained, now he only listens to the "come" and "No" commands.
On Monday he was in the kitchen with Karen as she was preparing dinner. She had the door open looking for something inside and Kurt just tried to jump right inside the refrigerator! He knocked all kinds of things out of it. Fortunately, he didn't break any of the glass shelves and only went in as far as his front legs.
Unfortunately, we have this distinct feeling that the outcome of this is not going to be good. It's already starting to depress the both of us as the dog we used to know is long gone.
 
Wow----it sounds like the poor thing is experiencing some sort of dimentia and is disoriented.
A brain tumor maybe? Rabies G-D forbid?

A sad situation I'm sure.
 
Thats exactly what is seems like, some kind of dementia. Every now and then you'll see a glimmer of his old self in his eyes, but then he fades back to a zombie like state. Now he's eating good, going outside properly but he's impaired in some manner.
The vet thought of rabies, but he hasn't been exposed to any other animals in the past 60 days or so and I am always positive to get him is vaccinations on time.
Now here's a scary thought. I asked my vet one time how many people actually have their annimals vaccinated on an annual basis? Her answer? About 20%.
 
I'm sorry to read what's happening with Kurt

To be honest, I was scanning the threads a few days ago, and came to yours, and was wondering how he was doing. Now I know. :(

I hope and pray that something can be done and he'll return to his "normal" self. Is he still clinging to you? How is he reacting with your other pets?

Please keep us posted on here. We all want Kurt back to the way he was!
 
My thoughts and prayers go out to you. It is terrible when your companion is sick and can't tell you what is the matter. I have 3 cockers and have had a rough time lately with all of them. They have allergies and are licking and scratching themselves raw. I have found a remedy and I think it is working. Will start a new thread on this. Again I pray that everything works out.
Jon
 
Well the latest update is that Texas A&M now wants Kurt to see an animal behavioral specialist before the neurologist there will see him. My vet tried to tell them that this is a medical problem, but they said they want to rule out behavioral problems before they see him. AFTER I get the behavioral work up, then it's a two week wait for them to see him. I think this is ridiculous. But A&M reminded ME that they "are the only game in town" when it comes to veterinary specialties. So I have to play the game according to their rules.
This has been going on now for three weeks, I am afraid that this is going to become a permanent condition for poor Kurt.
 
So sorry to hear that this continues.

Hopefully you won't have to spend a ga-zillion dollars, and have longterm delays in a diagnosis only to be told the obvious. Let's hope its not something irreversible.
 
Whirlcool

I'm surprised A&M is insisting on a behavior consultation. A&M is not the only game in town, most major cities have referal hospitals with board certified specialists. I would go to Gulf Coast Specialists there in Houston. They are more expensive but will get you in to the Neuro service much faster. Plus, they have CT scan and MRI. A&M doesn't have MRI yet.
 
I asked my vet about Gulf Coast and she said she'd rather see him up at A&M. She feels that Gulf Coast isn't as good as it once was. But I am going to call her in the morning and suggest it one more time.
I am beginning to feel that time is of the essence.
 
Trust your gut, Allen!

Your vet, while knowlegeable, does not know Kurt the way you and Karen do, so trust your gut!!!!

I am so sorry that he's not doing well.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
I spoke with my vet this morning. It turns out that the clinic that the behavioral specialist works at also has CT and MRI capabilities on site.
So my vet said that the behavioral therapist has the ability to order an MRI on the spot and then send the report to A&M. The hope is that A&M will respond quickly. So at least by Monday we may get an MRI, which is what I feel needs to be done.
And may I thank each and every one of you for the support you have all offered. Kurt and I appreciate it!
 
Whirlcool

I feel better knowing that an MRI or CT scan is available from the behaviorist. I still think it is odd that A&M is insisting on the behaviorist even though the referring vet feels it is not a behavior issue. They never mentioned that to me the times that I've referred cases to A&M for a neuro work up.

I have also sent several clients to Gulf Coast in the last two years and I am very happy with their work. One was a Boxer with an inoperable brain tumor. She went for radiation and chemo and lived over a year past the start of symptoms - which is really a good outcome in a case like that.
 
I hope ....

Your "Baby" will continue in good health. I have had Golden Retrievers for years. My last, Gracie past 3 years ago. At this point I don't know if I could go through another.
Best Wishes for everyone, Eddie
 
Allen

My thoughts go out to you, I lost my Aloysius in March to kidney disease. He was 15.

Allen, you are in the zone for Rocky Mtn Spotted fever, ticks and I think Armadillos also can carry it, has Kurt been tested for that yet? I hope it is something as simple as an infection. Neuro disorders are a maze of illness and from my experience hard to diagnose let alone treat properly.

Kurt has good balance still when he walks and stands?

He looks like beautiful dog!

My you have good luck in his diagnosis and recovery.

Jon & Artemis
 
Well, Kurt is steadily going downhill. Tonight he was walking over to me and just passed out while he was walking. He came to about 10 minutes later and walked around for about 10 minutes and he passed out again. Based on 58limited's advice I called A&M myself and they'll take him tomorrow as an emergency. FINALLY! But they won't be able to do an MRI until tomorrow. We will be leaving at 8am. I'll keep you all posted about what goes on up in College Station!
 
Allen:

My thoughts are with you as you work to get to the bottom of this. I'm a cat person myself, but pets is pets- they're wonderful, irreplaceable parts of our families and lives.
 
We both certainly appreciate the outpouring of sympathy and best wishes during this hard time for us. We are very close to our dogs as you can guess.
The latest update, at 1:30am we packed Kurt up and sent him to the local emergency animal hospital. They kept him overnight monitoring him. The doctor there said this is the damndest thing he every seen in a dog before. But Kurt did make it thru the night and we'll be in College Station by 11:00am.
 
You give that baby a big hug and kiss and tell him how much he is loved and that God is watching over him. I hate seeing these beautiful babies suffer, because they can't tell us what's wrong with them, what they feel, what hurts, doesn't hurt, etc. It's the most heartwrenching experience when they come down with a mystery illness like this and we feel helpless.
 
Andrew,

You are so right! I have a ton of problems myself with finances and looking for a new job and things along that line, but when I read all the stuff about Kurt, I just want to break down and cry. I want so much for him to pull through all of this.

God and St. Roch (patron Saint of dogs), please watch over Kurt, and help him in his time of need. Amen.
 
I got Kurt up to A&M today. Even as I drove him there I could see him going down hill faster and faster.
Anyway, they agreed with the emergency vets opinion of a spinal/neural involvement. They also wanted to know why it took me so long to get him to A&M. They also agreed that my vets program of treatment for Kurt was "inappropriate". Is that a nice way of telling you that your vet f--k'd up?
Anyway they started pumping drugs into him to lower the pressure in his head. Thay also noted that his right eye is no longer responding to stimuli. This could mean brain damage. And his heart rate slowed down to 30 bpms, which is not good.
And of course the answer is "if you had only got him in here earlier..." So they are oxygenating him as well and pumping in fluids to get the medicine into his head as quickly as possible.
But they are giving him only a 50/50 chance of surviving this and if he does they have no idea how much of the old Kurt will come back, if any at all.
I will say that the people at A&M are some of the nicest people you will find anywhere. They said they would call me every 4 hours with an update on Kurt's condition.
The only way I am really making it this far is to realize that this is now out of my hands and all we can do is pray for the best possible outcome for the dog.
 
I just got the evening update from A&M, Kurt actually got up and walked around a little bit. He was slow, but he did walk and sit down. Also the pupils in his eyes are starting to respond in a symmetrical manner, which is good and that means that pressure on the brain is easing.
But he still has to make it thru anesthesia for the MRI and spinal tap in the morning, and his heart rate is still too slow.
But this is a teeny tiny improvement. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Gosh, I never expected this thread to get this long. But it does make me feel tremendously better with all the support you guys have offered! Thanks Again! We love each and every one of you!
 

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