Wobbly puppy - Page 1

Please can someone give me some advice. I have a puppy which has just turned 4 months. 2 weeks ago she started wobbling, ie her ears wobbled and she went all quiet for a few seconds and then was ok, she did this anytime even at rest, she then walked into the door and lost all co-ordination. I had her checked out with the vets who checked her over, ie, heart, lungs, eyes etc and couldn't find anything wrong except in one eye she wasn't responding as well. For a few days after she seemed fine, racing around no problem, the last two days, she has walked or run around, then stopped, gone all wobbly on the legs and is now falling over. My vet thought she might be developing juvenile epliepsy, please has anyone else had a puppy that has had this, I have waited 2 years for an all german bred puppy, I now have a lovely puppy with character to match, and the thought that she may have a serious problem fills me with dread. My vet is advising me that if it gets worse he will refer her to the veterinary college for brain tests, scans etc.

It does indeed sound like this pup is having seizures. I suggest that your vet is correct and he/she should refer you to a canine neurologist. They should check the easy things first before suggesting expensive tests. But this is certainly not normal and you should also contact the breeder as soon as possible about this problem. Keep us posted and I hope all turns out for the best.

Thats what worries me. I have contacted the breeder who has no known problems in the lines or with siblings, we wondered whether its an ear infection or just teething, but I have never had a puppy fall over before. So back to the vets I think.

Epilepsy could be a likely reason for what you're describing. Many years ago we had a pup that did this similar thing, only once or twice, for just a few minutes and was normal immediately afterwards. It didn't happen again until almost 4 years later -- she had a seizure as we were packing for a trip - and a few other small ones -- It was never bad enough to even medicate (granted - this was 30 years ago !!) and we lost her at five from a very big episode - Ann- I feel your pain -- I have two youngsters and every day I worry that something will happen to them = It's because we love them so much -- Get this checked out - we hope it will be a temporary thing that can be fixed. Also keep some records of when episodes occur relative to feeding - 1 hour after - 4 hours after ? That will be good information for further evaluation.

Ann, maybe these are simptons of some poisoning??? Maybe she got to some garden chemicals? Or was drinking from a polluted spring? Just an idea. I hope you can figure this out and be able to help her...

Ann, did the vet check her temperature? If it was a bacterial infection then she would probably have a raised temp. However it could be a viral infection, and problem with these is that the Temp can be raised for just a short time and then go back down although the virus is still present. Has the vet tried her on antibiotics? It is worth putting her on Multi Spectrum Antibiotics because although the vet cannot find the cause of her problem at the moment, better to try some form of treatment whilst trying to find the problem, than to wait until the problem in found if by that time the treatment is too late. (a stitch in time etc). Just a suggestion which IMO is worth trying now. Good luck. Sue B

True epilepsy is not very common in puppies although it can happen. You might be looking at a viral or bacterial infection, a metabolic disorder, an injury, something environmental or a neurological issue other than epilepsy. Not all seizures are signalments of epilepsy, especially in a young puppy like this one. There is a lot of information on this disease on the interent, many breeds suffer from it. Google canine epilepsy. Dr. Jean Dodd's articles will be of interest, she believes over vaccinating might be a factor in seizures in dogs. Did your puppy have a vac soon before her problem started? At 4 months she is protected, maybe for life, if she had a vac since turning 4months. I'd certainly not give her anything else for at least a year, no lyme, kennel cough or any of those other treatable disease vets are always telling us our dogs need and they don't. I would definitely make an appointment at the vet school. Most vets in a general practice do not have the skills or equipment to diagnose and treat health issues like this; they will not get to the real problem and want to treat it sympomatically and put the dog on phenobarital or some other anti-convulsant drug that may or may not help and could have long terms side effects. Just in case this puppy has low blood sugar, I'd feed it numerous small meals through the day and night to see if it corrects the problem. There are metabolic issues that could be a factor here. Some puppies just outgrow things like this. In any case, this is probably not a case for the average GP vet. A specialist is needed. I have another breed that is very prone to epilepsy and am fairly familiar with the disease. It truly is quite rare in dogs under a year of age, but it is possible although many puppies are misdiagnosed. I dont know who bred this dog, but breeders seem to have a habit of saying - "that's the first time I ever heard of anything like that from any of MY dogs". You might not want to put an awful lot of stock in that statement unless you know the person well. True epilepsy is inherited and you probably shouldn't breed this puppy should that be the diagnosis. Good luck with your puppy, you must be terribly worried about her.

I have seen something very similar to this - last year. The vet diagnosed a brain disorder, I advised the owners NOT to euthanase and keep the puppy (17 weeks old) indoors, caged, and control her food, water, etc. The puppy recovered quickly. I then asked them to go through EVERY chemical they had used, and ANY fungi, houseplants she had come into contact with. After two weeks they realised they has sprayed the horse paddock with a selective weed-killer which is harmless to grass, and ok toplace horses in 24 hours after use. OK FOR HORSES - BUT NOT FOR PUPPIES, this was the culprit - THE PUPPY HAD BEEN CHEWING THE GRASS. - PUPPY IS NOW A HEALTH 12 MONTHS PLUS

Ann, Just had another thought, get the vet to do tests on her kidneys. Have heard that sometimes the kidneys fail to grow as the the pup grows and that this condition does cause a dog to be wobbly and eventually go off its legs, along with other problems such as brain disorders because the kidneys cannot continue to clean the blood circulating around the body all of the organs get effected, the brain being one of the first. I sincerley hope this is not the case with your puppy but just in case it is quick action is needed to save further suffering. I have hated having to pass this information on but as we have not heard back from you yet, I worried that perhaps her condition had worsened. Please try to inform us of the outcome, whatever the result. Good Luck & God Bless Sue B

Dear All Thank you so much for your comments and private emails, it is very much appreciated, makes you realise you aren't alone in this game even though at shows I often feel so. The pup has had several more episodes even with her eyes twitching, she even does it at rest, I'm becoming paranoid everytime she moves now. The vet has taken blood tests to rule out problems with the liver, kidneys etc, he has put her on a broad spectrum antibiotic and yes has told me to split her meals into even more than she is having incase her blood sugars are down, he is giving it a couple of days for the results and if they come back negative, he is refering her to the Royal Vet College for MRI scan, brain tests etc, thank god for insurance, his attitude is she will either get worse rapidly over the next few days, or stabilise or get better if it is an infection. I feel so desperatly helpless for her, she plays and eats as normal and then stands or sits down and goes all drunk and wobbly for a few seconds, then carrys on life again. All my hopes were and still are pinned on this dog, this was going to be my next chance, having lost one the end of last year at 7.5 years through liver cancer. I'll keep you informed of what happens.