AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: West Highland Terrier Head TremorsI agree that the MRI would be the best thing to do if possible, but...
I agree that the MRI would be the best thing to do if possible, but they are indeed expensive and it's understandable if that's out of the question.
If what your dog is doing is actually a form of seizure (which it could be), it's possible she'll respond better to a different type of anti-seizure medication than just the valium. There are other seizure medications that are potentially stronger or last for a longer amount of time, so I'd give your vet a call and see if they think it's worth trying a different medication.
Liver disease, toxins, and some medications may also cause these types of clinical signs, but I'm assuming your vet already questioned you about these things and did not find any evidence of liver disease in the labwork.
Worst case scenario--she's worse, we can't do the MRI for one reason or another--sometimes we'll also start a steroid called prednisone. Prednisone has lots of side effects (some bad, some not so bad), so we don't just start it unless we have a diagnosis or are backed into a corner. But that might be something else to discuss with your veterinarian as a treatment for possible meningitis or swelling in the brain as a result of a brain tumor.
Regardless, I think it's worth speaking to your veterinarian again, and if you can't do the MRI see if there are any medications (like discussed above) that they would be willing to try to "treat for the treatable".
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: rosy009The best thing to do is to figure out exactly what type of bumps or...
The best thing to do is to figure out exactly what type of bumps or tumors they are! Some bumps are caused by infections, others are benign, non-cancerous growths. Some bumps may be caused by cancer. Treatment and how "scary" the bumps are completely depends on the type.
If you go to your vet, they may do a needle biopsy or remove a mass and send it to a lab for analysis. Diagnosing their cause will allow your vet to make the best recommendations possible for treatment.
It's possible for topical flea medications to cause skin problems, but it's not something we commonly see. In fact, I'd be more suspicious that fleas were causing skin problems than the medication. However, this is also a question your veterinarian will be able to answer once they look at your babies skin.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Old dog pees in his kennel everynightThe posts above are correct! Most of the time when older dogs need to...
The posts above are correct! Most of the time when older dogs need to urinate more frequently it's because of a medical problem, not a behavioral change. So unless you're letting him out less frequently or have made some change to his environment or diet, it is likely that something in his body has changed and he is now making more urine than he used to.
It may be something minor, something more serious, or something that requires treatment. It's a great idea to take him to your vet and have him evaluated.
If it's not a problem your veterinarian can fix, the best way to help with this situation is to let him out more frequently. I don't know how feasible that is with your lifestyle, but if you have to get up in the middle of the night for your own needs, perhaps you can let him out for a few minutes as well! Otherwise, you can consider buying puppy pads and/or getting him a bigger kennel. This would allow him to urinate on one side of his kennel without it spreading (puppy pads will help keep it contained), and give him room to lay or stand in a non-soiled area.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: My dog has a swollen stomach, cough and sometimes ...The posts above are both correct. There are too many possibilities for...
The posts above are both correct. There are too many possibilities for us to give you a good answer over the internet. My best guess would be he either has a belly full of fluid--which can indeed be caused by heart diseases, heartworms, intestinal disease, cancer, or kidney disease (among other things)--or his belly looks full for some other reason, like maybe there is a tumor hiding inside.
I wish we could help, but only an examination by a veterinarian and possibly other tests can clarify this situation. Even though your dog feels good right now, this sounds like a potentially serious problem and I would recommend visiting a veterinarian as soon as you can. The sooner they figure out the problem, the more likely they are to be able to help improve his condition.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Nasal neoplasia or AbscessSounds like your dog has had a very thorough evaluation performed....
Sounds like your dog has had a very thorough evaluation performed. Unfortunately, the differences in what a tumor and an abscess look like on CT scan are not black and white. Different types of tumors can look very different on CT, even though they're all tumors. And there are a lot of similar findings on CT scans between tumors or abscesses, so sometimes we just can't tell for sure. Most of the time the radiologist will interpret the CT scan results and list several possibilities, with the one they think is "most consistent" with the CT scan results as their first guess.
That being said, the biopsy is really what is going to give you an answer. The biopsy will tell your vet if it's a tumor, and if so, what type of tumor. The biopsy will also help clarify if it just looks like infected bone/tissue. Based on those results, they'll be able to give you much more information about the next step for treatment and what it means for your dog's future.
The best thing to do in this situation is to wait on the biopsy results to know for sure. I know it's hard to wait when you're nervous, but the results will come soon and what they say may completely clarify the situation.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Chihuahua coughI think you should visit your veterinarian. There are lots of things...
I think you should visit your veterinarian. There are lots of things it could be including some things that might need treatment like a lung infection or heart disease.
It's true that collapsing trachea is very common in small breeds as a cause of coughing. What I don't like about that idea for your dog is that it is most commonly something we see in older dogs, not 6 month olds.
And it's also true that laryngeal paralysis is possible, but that's also a larger breed, older dog problem or something that was caused by previous trauma to the neck region.
There are too many possibilities to make solid recommendations. Your vet should examine your dog and maybe take X-rays to have the best chance of coming up with the right answer.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: My 7 month old Whippet Puppy is collapsing and pee...I'm so sorry to hear that Brinley is such a sick girl. These episodes...
I'm so sorry to hear that Brinley is such a sick girl. These episodes may or may not be linked to her kidney disease. If she has the type of kidney disease where she is losing a lot of protein through her urine (protein-losing nephropathy) her body might be making blood clots that can sometimes cause sudden collapse. Also, kidney disease can cause high blood pressure, so I hope that she's been evaluted recently for blood pressure problems.
If they aren't related to her kidneys, it's possible they are seizures or that she temporarily didn't get enough blood flow to her brain either due to heart problems or lung problems.
It's impossible to know for sure, but a visit to the vet might help determine the cause. If we can determine the cause, it might be something we can improve with additional medications. If it's impossible for you to go to another vet, I'd recommend you call your original vet back and just explain the situation and that you cannot afford to visit an ER clinic. They may be more willing to help if they understand your financial limitations.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Dog has a fracture/break in hind femur boneHi Ms. SaraB, Unfortunately, we cannot use casts effectively on the...
Hi Ms. SaraB,
Unfortunately, we cannot use casts effectively on the femur bone (the thigh bone). Any time we use casts to let bones heal, the bone has to remain VERY still inside the cast if it's going to heal effectively. The only way we can do that is to include both the joints above and below the break (aka fracture) inside the cast. By stabilizing these joints, we allow the bone fragments to hold very still.
In the case of the femur, the joint below the break would be the knee. The joint above the break is the hip. We are unable to stabilize the hip joint inside a cast because it sits right next to the abdomen. We'd essentially have to wrap a cast around the abdomen all the way down to the knee, which doesn't work. Therefore, we're left with using plates, pins, and screws for breaks on the femur.
If you want to read more here's a link to an aritcle about fractures on this website:
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/broken-bones-dog
I think your dog needs the surgery. Please visit with your veterinarian about getting this taken care of as soon as possible, as fractures can be very uncomfortable for your pet.
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Regarding my dog earIt sounds like your dog definitely has a problem with his ear, and...
It sounds like your dog definitely has a problem with his ear, and it's probably uncomfortable since he's not letting you touch it. The most common ear problems are infections of some type, but you'll have to take your dog to visit his veterinarian to figure out the exact cause. Depending on what's going on, they'll also be able to make the best recommendations to try and fix the ear.
I'd recommend calling your vet and scheduling the next available appointment! I bet they'll have your little guy feeling better very soon.View Thread
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AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Reply: Help! My dog and I cannot sleep!Unfortunately, treatment depends on what is causing the "tickle". If...
Unfortunately, treatment depends on what is causing the "tickle". If it's something like an ear infection, your vet will be able to prescribe medications to get rid of the infection. It might also be that she got something down inside of her ear, has allergies that are making her itchy, or could even have a neurological problem that is making her shake. She really needs to see a vet to see whta's going on before we can know what might help her be more comfortable.
Many vets will see their regular patients over the weekend if they think it's an emergency, so it's probably worth a call to your usual veterinarian. Otherwise, I'd look for an emergency clinic in your area if you think your girl is too uncomfortable to wait another day.
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