Issues with aging spaniel
Discussion
Had a tough 6mths or so with our nigh on 14yr old working cocker.
He has arthritis & a suspected slipped disc so he was put on Metacam to manage the pain, unfortunately this reacted badly with him & we had several weeks of stomach upset during which he was pain relief free meaning nobody could touch him! Due to this he missed his haircut & got rather hairy, this resulted in a poorly paw as something must have got stuck in the fur between his pads.
Finally settled his tummy & the Vet put him on Onsior as an aletrnative to Metacam, this doesn't seem to have affected him, stomach wise. His paw is back to normal & he's had his haircut!
The last 2-3 days he appears to be walking into things & stumbling more than normal (he has been stumbling a little for a while now). He also doesn't look quite his normal self & is more restless, takes ages to settle down in the evening & moans a heck of a lot! He has dirtied the house a couple of times, something he hasn't done since he was 12wks old. Could be me but he seems to be cocking his head to the side slightly (right side).
Is this just an elderly dog or does he need yet another expensive visit to the Vets? Last time they suggested meds for dementia, can't remember the name but I said I'd go away & have a think about it before commiting.
It's pretty distressing at the moment, had several dogs over the years but for various reasons never seen one through the latter stages so this is all new to me & deeply upsetting.
He has arthritis & a suspected slipped disc so he was put on Metacam to manage the pain, unfortunately this reacted badly with him & we had several weeks of stomach upset during which he was pain relief free meaning nobody could touch him! Due to this he missed his haircut & got rather hairy, this resulted in a poorly paw as something must have got stuck in the fur between his pads.
Finally settled his tummy & the Vet put him on Onsior as an aletrnative to Metacam, this doesn't seem to have affected him, stomach wise. His paw is back to normal & he's had his haircut!
The last 2-3 days he appears to be walking into things & stumbling more than normal (he has been stumbling a little for a while now). He also doesn't look quite his normal self & is more restless, takes ages to settle down in the evening & moans a heck of a lot! He has dirtied the house a couple of times, something he hasn't done since he was 12wks old. Could be me but he seems to be cocking his head to the side slightly (right side).
Is this just an elderly dog or does he need yet another expensive visit to the Vets? Last time they suggested meds for dementia, can't remember the name but I said I'd go away & have a think about it before commiting.
It's pretty distressing at the moment, had several dogs over the years but for various reasons never seen one through the latter stages so this is all new to me & deeply upsetting.
Until about 6mths ago he was fighting fit, most people still think he looks like a 5yr old & he's in great condition generally, never been overweight, always well excercised.
The Vet did say that many working dogs do put their bodies through a lot & as a result can suffer more in older age, at least we know he's had a bloody good time of it!
The Vet did say that many working dogs do put their bodies through a lot & as a result can suffer more in older age, at least we know he's had a bloody good time of it!
Brads67 said:
You make the choice as to when too much is too much. Until then just let him crack on being an old bugger.
The minute his quality of life a seriously reduced, you have to do the right thing, you have just to be fair as to when that is.
Hopefully we're a long way from that tough decision, I've been bracing myself for it & will, hopefully do the right thing when the time comes. The Vet has given no indication, pretty sure he will when the time comes, he can be rather forthright!The minute his quality of life a seriously reduced, you have to do the right thing, you have just to be fair as to when that is.
bexVN said:
Have you taken him in to the vet since this episode. As I said if he has had a vestibular issue there are meds that may improve recovery
Hi Bex, been this morning, he agreed with you & diagnosed a mild case of vestibular syndrome, he has prescribed antibiotics & steroids, goes back next tuesday.Thanks Bex & everybody else, taking an older pet to the vets is quite stressful as you always fear the worst, thankfully this time was Ok
He's not insured. The vet checked his ears this morning, no sign of infection.
We'll see how the next week goes, no reason to doubt the vet, they've served him well for nearly 14yrs so far.
If we can extend his life (in comfort) then we will, if we can't we'll make his last days as comfortable as possible. If that costs a few quid then so be it, years down the road we'll have many fond memories of the dog & barely remember the bills (hopefully!).
But if he could just ease up a bit on the bills that would be appreciated...!
We'll see how the next week goes, no reason to doubt the vet, they've served him well for nearly 14yrs so far.
If we can extend his life (in comfort) then we will, if we can't we'll make his last days as comfortable as possible. If that costs a few quid then so be it, years down the road we'll have many fond memories of the dog & barely remember the bills (hopefully!).
But if he could just ease up a bit on the bills that would be appreciated...!
bexVN said:
Paralysis like that is definitely not the usual presentation for vestibular and if it was it would be highly unlikely that a recovery was possible (and I would have hoped a vet would have told her that). I have a lot of experience in dealing with and recognising the signs of vestibular incidents and the OP four legged friends definitely matched those signs.
OP hopefully you will see a slow and steady recovery now. Have you looked into Aktivait, worth considering. The thing to monitor is if another vestibular incident occurs close to this one as that can have more of an impact. The longer there isn't one, the better (our old collie had 3 altogether, the third one was quite a while after the second but did knock her very badly unfortunately) .
There is a medication called Vivitonin (trade name) that may be worth asking your vet about. It just helps with oxygen flow in the blood and is sometimes px for vestibular cases (anyway, just a thouvht)
Fingers crossed for a slow but steady recovery.
The vets have suggested Vivitonin, we agreed this morning that we'll get this out of the way then have a chat about it. He did say it could also help prevent further vestibular occurences.OP hopefully you will see a slow and steady recovery now. Have you looked into Aktivait, worth considering. The thing to monitor is if another vestibular incident occurs close to this one as that can have more of an impact. The longer there isn't one, the better (our old collie had 3 altogether, the third one was quite a while after the second but did knock her very badly unfortunately) .
There is a medication called Vivitonin (trade name) that may be worth asking your vet about. It just helps with oxygen flow in the blood and is sometimes px for vestibular cases (anyway, just a thouvht)
Fingers crossed for a slow but steady recovery.
Ok, a quick update.
Been back to the Vets today, they are happy with him - his antibiotics & steroids finish tomorrow, on Thursday we'll re-start his Onsior & start him on Vivitonin & see how he gets on.
I was concerned about his weight loss (he is now 12.5kgs, he was 13.2kgs two weeks ago, this is the lightest he's ever been) but the Vet wasn't concerned & agreed that it could be down to recent lack of excercise & also the steroids. We'll up his food very slightly & keep an eye on him.
Once again, many thanks to all that have offered advice
Been back to the Vets today, they are happy with him - his antibiotics & steroids finish tomorrow, on Thursday we'll re-start his Onsior & start him on Vivitonin & see how he gets on.
I was concerned about his weight loss (he is now 12.5kgs, he was 13.2kgs two weeks ago, this is the lightest he's ever been) but the Vet wasn't concerned & agreed that it could be down to recent lack of excercise & also the steroids. We'll up his food very slightly & keep an eye on him.
Once again, many thanks to all that have offered advice
It's with a very heavy heart that I'm sad to report we had to have our gorgeous boy PTS today.
Rest in peace puppy, you brightened our lives for nearly 14 wonderful years, we shared many adventures & you have left us all with many very happy memories.
Just a shame it has to hurt so very much.
Rest in peace puppy, you brightened our lives for nearly 14 wonderful years, we shared many adventures & you have left us all with many very happy memories.
Just a shame it has to hurt so very much.
moorx said:
I've posted this before but it does say it well...
http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
(May cause tears)
Yes, seen that before, now all sat here in floods of tears (well, more than before). http://ubertoolcomic.com/?comic=no-97
(May cause tears)
Yesterday I just about coped, our lad was in bits as was my missus.
Missus woke crying this morning, it was only about an hour ago it really hit me, waves of sadness washing over me.
We have a westie & a couple of cats, they are wondering what's going on I think but them being here helps.
Missus woke crying this morning, it was only about an hour ago it really hit me, waves of sadness washing over me.
We have a westie & a couple of cats, they are wondering what's going on I think but them being here helps.
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