Concerend about my 10 Year Old, Old English Sheepdog
Hello, I'm new to this site but am glad to be here. I'm so sad. My 10 year old OES has been having some health issues. It all started 2 weeks ago, when I noticed she has one dilated eye that also can't track movement. I immediately took her to her vet. The vet put her on Rymadyl for inflamation. Later that evening, I noticed she can't close her jaw all all the way (at the time, it was hardly noticable...now it's worse), and noticed she was swallowing with some diffuculty. The next morning, I called the vet again to tell her of the new symptoms I had noticed. She then took her off of the Rymadyl and put her on Prednisone. She also referred me to a dog eye doctor to see if maybe she has Glaucoma or anything else unusual going on in her eyes. Other than the dilation and not being able to track things...nothing was out of the ordinary. That vet then took her blood pressure and found it to be high so he put her on High Blood Pressure meds. He said that High Blood Pressure can cause all these symptoms. He said to try the meds for two weeks and if she didn't improve...she might have a possible brain stem tumor. My heart is broken!!! She has been on her HBP meds for 6 days now...and I see no improvement...she hasn't gotten worse either. I have to soften her food so she is able to eat...and she drinks ok. Just the thought of having to say goodbye to her JUST KILLS ME....but I won't let my sweetie suffer. I had to put my 18 year old Cocker down 10 months ago...and I can't bear the thought of having to make that difficult decision again. The vet said we can run more tests on her...MRI ect...if she hasn't improved by the two weeks end. Have any of you ever had this experience with you OES??...or any other breed? Sorry to ramble on so much. |
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I have not had this problem, but I do know this road. I am so sorry that you have to go down this road of wait and see. It is so hard to know what to do, but if she is not getting worest perhaps just waiting with hugs and tears is good.   |
Sorry to hear your oes is not well 
It sounds like a stroke to me |
| Welcome to the site!
I agree with Stacey, it sounds like it could have been a stroke. High blood pressure is one of the risk factors for a stroke. If it was a stroke, there probably won't be any improvement in the symptoms at this point out from the episode. But there won't be any progression either, unless she has another stroke. The blood pressure medicine should help decrease that possibility. There are two things I hate about having pets - they can't tell us when they feel bad/what is wrong and they don't live long enough. Thoughts and prayers headed your way. |
| I'm so sorry for what you and your sheepie are going through.
It does sound stroke-like. This may be a very dumb question but has she recently been tested for low thyroid? I don't think the dilated pupil and high bp are consistent with low thyroid but it can cause facial and laryngeal paralysis (is her bark normal?) Hugs to you and your sheepie-girl. I hope she improves soon. |
| Hi,
Thanks for all your input. I asked the vet if he thinks she had a stroke....he said no, that she has too many other syptoms that say otherwise. He said if she had a stroke...most likley only one side of her face/body would be affected. She has feeling in her face...ears..ect....but it's almost like her tounge is numb or something...and she can't chew that well...but eats ok with her food softened....poor girl!! Her bark has somewhat changed. Yesterday, I talked to my vet about her bloodwork...which all came back ok. That made me feel a tiny bit better. He said to finish out her 2 weeks of meds...then call him. The next step would be and MRI. He also had me hold a mirror up to her nose to see if there is a foggy spot on it to see if she can breathe out of both nostrils. I had to chuckle at her tho.....since she can't close her mouth...I had to hold ot shut for her so that she would breathe through her nose....she just held her breath insted...  ...so it took a few trys. She can breathe 100% from one side and about 3/4 out the other. I think she feels better since I have started to weene her off of the Prednisone. She's quite the pittiful sight right now....but I love her no matter what.
Also...how do I go about posting a picture of her on the site....I guess its called the Avater?? Thanks!! |
| I just want to jump in quickly then I'll go off and Google this myself, but I seem to recall reading about a disease that affected only a dog's masseter muscles, the ones that close the mouth.
OK, I think this is what I was thinking about: EOSINOPHILIC MYOSITIS IN DOGS a/k/a Masticatory Muscle Myositis http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/Diseases/muscu ... ositis.htm I don't think this is the issue though, since it started with other symptoms. |
| Does anyone know if they include the full thyroid screen when they do blood work or is it a separate test?
Below is a link with possible low thyroid symptoms... some dogs have several while others have only a couple. Again, probably NOT the cause but it might be worth making sure it's been excluded. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... isease.htm Ok, ok... so I'd really like an easy fix. But low thyroid is so prevalent in this breed... 3 out of 4 of my OESs have it and are on meds to treat it. Maybe ask the vet next time you talk? PS- I'm often referred to as "the worry wart" 
Okay... I'll be quiet now  |
| I thought I would give you an update on my sweet Roxy. My vet called me last night to see if Roxy is making any progress. I told her she wasn't worse...but not better either. I told her she has a real green nasal discharge coming from one nostril. Sometimes it's green in color...and other times it's kind of blood tinged. She now thinks maybe she might have some kind of bacterial infection in her nasal area...which also coiuld cause her symptoms. I can't believe how many dog illness can hav the same symptoms. Anyway....she put her on an antiniotic every 8 hours for 10 days to see if it clears up. That gave me a teenie tiny glimmer of hope. She rested pretty comfortable last night...but sometimes it's hard for her having one side of her nose stuffed up...and can't close her mouth but she has managed to find a certain position to sleep. I will keep you posted. |
P.S. I did look on the website about Hypothyroid and my vet is going to call the dog eye doctor who did her other bloodwork to see if the Thyroid was included in that test. If not...we will check her thyroid also. She has all of those symptoms it mentions in the website. I just want her back the way she was.....I'm sure she does too.  |
| Poor girl . Hopefully it 's the thyroid, that's an easy fix. |
| Ron, that's exactly what I was thinking too! I know of a sheepdog with it and has been doing quite well now for about 5 years........but it took a good diagnosis, steriods for a while and a complete shift in what is fed the dog. The change in diet produced dramatic results.
So if it is the wasting of the muscles in the head and jaw, there is hope. |
| Day number 4 on antibiotics for Roxy. She hasn't got the nasal discharge anymore. Thats about all the improvement I see. She does breathe better because her nose isn't all stuffed up....so that's good....I'll take any improvement she gives me. She doesn't run around and play much...or play with her babies (stuffed toys)....but I don't imagine she feels much like playing right now anyway. Her eye is still dilated and can't track movement...still can't close her mouth. She gets by with eating and drinking (she has her own style) ....sloppy!! My husband and I have been doing alot of talking about her health. If this is all the better she gets...we can deal with the fact that she may never be the same goofy...clown girl she used to be. It's so hard not knowing exactly what is wrong with her. The blood tests that were run a few days ago also included the Thyroid test which was negative. It's so hard not knowing if she is in pain for sure or not. I know some dogs can hide their pain very well. She doesn't cry or whine....so I don't think she is in any pain. I wish she could tell me what she wants and where it hurts. She is still very alert and loves her walks. I'm not giving up on her yet.
I'm still not convinced she didn't have a stroke. I have been looking on the internet for information on strokes in dogs. All I can find is "heat stroke" related material....and I know it's not heat stroke. Does anyone have a good website that talk about stroke symptoms in dogs? Any information would be helpful. I also have been looking back at some old posts to see if anyone else has experienced this health issue with their OES.....or any other pet. So far I've not seen any. I'll keep ya posted on Roxy's progress. Thanks for all your input....it helps!! |
| I'm sorry you have gotten no more answers but am glad that she's resting at least a little easier.
Quote: He said to try the meds for two weeks and if she didn't improve...she might have a possible brain stem tumor.
I did find a brief description of possible symptoms of a brain tumor... http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dbraintumor ... in%20Tumor Here are a few pages I found on canine strokes... I had read before that strokes are pretty rare in dogs and these articles also mention that. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2354 http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-and-a ... troke.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... troke.html http://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/06_Anim ... troke.html I'll look further to see if I can find anything else. |
| Please take the info I'm providing in the proper context... I have NO medical background and am only providing links for you to look into further.
The jaw description mentioned at the link below sounds similar to what you described BUT it doesn't mention anything about blindness. I don't know if this condition could also be a symptom of a tumor or not. "...A dog that suddenly has a jaw drop may not have suffered a stroke. If your dog is alert but is unable to close its jaw and food placed on its tongue is easily swallowed, it may be a condition known as idiopathic trigeminal nerve paralysis. The treatment is time. Your pet should improve dramatically in 7 days and have full resolution of all the signs in 3 to 4 weeks..." Source: http://yourpethealthmatters.com/YourPet ... lth153.htm |
| Thanks for all the information.
The stroke symptoms that are described....Roxy has alot of them....especially the affect it can have on the ocular nerves. She has vision out of that eye.....it just won't track any movement. She seems a little happier and peppier these last few days. She has a few more days on her antibiotics....then we will see where to go from there. My second vet whom was going to talk to another vet who does MRI's on dogs occasionally, sold all of his equipment and won't be able to do one on her. I feel so bad...because we were quoted a pretty good price....still steep.....but we could have done it. The only reason it was a little less than the normal price...is he would have let my second vet (the eye doctor vet) borrow his equipment. We were all ready to set up an appointment but now that's all down the drain. We can take her to another specialist...but it will cost around $1,200.00 to do. We cannot afford to go through with the MRI. So.....we are taking this day by day to see if she will improve more. Like I said....as long as she doesn't get worse....we will keep praying she will get better. I kind of feel guilty tho....maybe she doesn't feel as well as I think....ya know? I don't want to be selfish and keep her here just becasue I'm not ready to let her go. I am 50/50 in my feelings on what to do. Part of me say's "what kind of a life is it for her if she can't even close her jaw to eat properly"? And ....with her eye being dilated all the time and not being able to move at all would drive her crazy.....throwing her vision way out of wack. The other part of me says.."give her more time". Am I just kidding myself?? I know if I have to make the decision to let her go or not will break my heart.....but I know she had the most WONDERFUL life ever!!! She and her brother were dropped off on the side of the road. My brother took the male.....and we took Roxy. Her brother got hit by a car about a year after they were dropped off... .....and we took our sweet Roxy into our home...and have loved her every day since then......so I'm comforted knowing that if I have to let her go.....she lived like an absolute Queen!!
I have been trying to post some photo's of her....but I must be doing something wrong. Can someone please tell me how I can post photo's? Thanks!! |
| I don't have any advice that I can offer on pain other than you will know if the time comes to release her from it. It's such a personal decision.
Quote: She has vision out of that eye.....it just won't track any movement. Do you think this eye is causing her problems so she doesn't move around freely? You might ask your vet about placing a patch over it so it blocks out all visual stimuli to see if this helps her brain to process what she's seeing better. Maybe it's a dumb idea or maybe this isn't really an issue. Quote: Part of me say's "what kind of a life is it for her if she can't even close her jaw to eat properly"? And ....with her eye being dilated all the time and not being able to move at all would drive her crazy.....throwing her vision way out of wack.
I had to look back... ummm, did I mentioned that I have a blind dog? One eye didn't form properly and is mostly white... the other may allow her to see very limited shadows.
Blind dogs do amazingly well because a dog's most important sense is NOT vision. Completely blind dogs will map out their surroundings in their heads. Yes, they do bump into things during the learning process. MSU' opthalmology staff stressed to us that Kaytee would adapt and it was remarkably true. I think some people are terribly torn about what to do until they see first hand how well they adjust. Most people don't believe that Kaytee is blind. Here are pictures of our blind dog enjoying life... http://oesusa.com/NewBall.jpg http://oesusa.com/Kaytee/Kaytee1.jpg http://oesusa.com/Kaytee/Kaytee12.jpg I have a friend that has a sheepie that has vision in just one eye and is said to have adjusted well. He mentioned some depth of field challenges at first. The dude LOVES to be brushed and he has a clockwise pattern to his running just like Kaytee. As far as Roxy'z jaw and tongue problem, has she had any problems with choking or aspirating/inhaling her food? Does she do okay? I know you mentioned she has her own special way of eating. You see I know a little about eating challenges because Kaytee was also born with a cleft palate and harelip and aspiration was a major concern. BUT... many times dogs learn to adapt and work around a physical challenge. The roof of Kaytee's mouth is open into her nasal cavity about half way back. It seemed logical that food would become packed in the opening... it hasn't happened. It was always a concern as to whether there would be infections but she adapted and hasn't yet had a nasal or upper respiratory infection in her 2 1/2 years of life. I guess I'm sharing this with you because it sounds like you're unsure about whether you're being fair to her because of her vision and eating challenges. Often times it's hardest on the humans involved. If you need help with any of her visual challenges, please let me know. Hugs to you and your sheepie-girl. |
| I've been following this post for a few days. I don't know if it's been determined if Roxy had a stroke or not. However, have you checked to see if acupuncture might help?
The reason I ask, is that four years ago, my mother had a stroke which caused her to lose feeling in her right side. Her conventional doctors basically told her that they couldn't do anything more for her. She then checked with an acupuncturist (sp?). After just one session, she was able to feel more (no, she isn't completely better, but has improved significantly). I don't know if acupuncture would help Roxy, but it might be worth checking into. I can state that both Baxter and Cassiopia have had acupuncture treatments for different issues, and it has helped them. Our best wishes are with you for Roxy's return to health. Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| Update.
I'm sorry to announce the passing of our sweet Roxy this morning at 9:00 a.m. I posted on the Rainbow Bridge site if anyone is interested in reading it.
Thank you all for all interest you have taken in Roxy's health these past couple of weeks. I just wish things could have turned out differently for her but she is at peace now. We will always love and miss her deeply. Thank you!! |
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