Need Help- Circling - Page 2

Has the vet done an MRI or CT scan of the head? If not,you could ask for that also.

She lilts her head to the right at a slight angle and does a tight circle may be a meter in diameter. She does not shake her. Have to check her pupil reaction though she does not seem blind. Ear is free of any odor or discharge and looks normal. Like Echomedows suggests it may be some deep rooted infection and may require more than the 5 day antibiotic course. Thanks everyone for your opinions, I will be meeting the vet again tomorrow, will have him check the eyes and ears again and see what we can come up with.

Athreya, There are certainly infections/pathogens that could cause this behavior. Is trypanosomiasis common in your area? The signs associated with this disease in the U. S. are different, but I suppose there could be a difference if the strain is different in India. I would ask what blood tests and other lab work has been done to date? The fact that the dog is eating well is a good sign. There are many pathogens carried by ticks and flies that might cause this kind of circling behavior if the brain or vestibular system were involved. The questions posed above about the pupillary response and whether the eyes work properly is also something a good vet should carefully assess. Again, there are many other things that could be causing this,including metabolic disorders or neurological infection. The fact that the dog circles only in one direction and has to have assistance to otherwise stand up suggests the possibility of a brain lesion. I do wonder why you are giving calcium to the dogs however. A proper diet should not require extra calcium and giving too much could cause problems. If antibiotics are going to resolve any infective process, one should see definite improvement and relatively quickly. You say she improved on the last course, but was not completely back to normal. I believe you said the dog also had medication other than antibiotics last time, and in fact, it is possible that the improvement was not due to antibiotics at all but the other medications. If so, this would suggest some other problem, including some inflammatory process unaffected by antibiotics. If there is a chance to have a MRI or CAT scan done on the dog, it might be wise. I am curious to know about how often you see this trypanosomiasis in dogs there. If so, there should be some sort of blood test to confirm this. I am also interested to know what medication the dog is not being given. Keep us posted.

Some time ago I remember seeing one of my childrens ¿animal hospital¿ programs, and there was a dalmation on it that suddenly started exactly that kind of circling behaviour, she had loads of tests but if I remember correctlty they found out it was something like a compulsive disorder in people, some kind of psychiatric problem and it was treated fairly successfuly with medication, but she had to take this continuously. I hope in your case its nothing like this, probably not if she responded to antibiotics, but in any case if I get time later I will try to find that video as its a few years since I saw it and may be forgetting the exact details, and it may have mentioned other things she was tested for, but the behaviour sounds exactly the same.

HI, Dimple is doing much better now. She is able to take a few straight paces before circling and also the diameter has increased. I feel she is improving. The ears and eyes came out negative. Her vision is fine and so is puppilary response. Tryp is not very common in India but apparently does seem to show up every once in a while. She was first tried on an antibiotic along with B12 injection, then shots of phosphorus. The last two days she has been on Anti-tryp injection, to which she seems to be responding.

Thats good news, fingers crossed she continues to improve..

BERENIL® R.T.U. was the injection given. It was given once on 14 and another shot on 16th. Now the Vet suggests we wait and see how she responds. But she certainly does seem to be recuperating.

Good news Dimple now shows marked improved she is now able to walk 15-20 feet before she starts cricling. so I guess the treatment is working. I am hoping she will recover completely.

That is good news!!

Athreya, This is a good medication and is commonly used for Babesiosis, Trypanosomiasis, Theileriosis and Pyrexia (unknown origin). With these kind of infections sometimes antibiotics are also administered. And sometimes treatment must be extended to kill the parasitic infection. There is also a chance that there can be some long-term consequences of this infection. It sure would have been a good thing had they been able to identify with certainty which parasite it is. I board a police dog who has babesiosis. For that pathogen to be transmitted, by a tick, the tick has to be long engaged on the body. The trypanosomiasis is transmitted by flies and so perhaps you might have to find a way to minimize the attraction to the dogs. There are some good products for that in the U.S. and I would assume you can also get them in India. I am happy to hear the dog is making some progress. Please keep us informed and good luck.