Jasmin's Heath Problems (NEED ADVICE)

[Fresh]

Jasmin is my very active 2 year old blue pitty. I'll try to keep this short.

I fed Jasmin and her brother Ace Sunday afternoon after church everything was fine. Monday morning around 4:30 she begins panting. It was kind of warm in the room so I took her outside to let her use the bathroom and come in and drink some water. She pooped and pee'd and drank some water when she came in. However, she didn't eat. The panting calmed down but and would pant on and off. Around 6pm it got worse she began panting heavily her gums began to turn a deep dark pink. As the night went on it calmed down.

Tuesday morning she seems to be feeling a lot better than Monday no panting gums back to normal pigmentation but a little lethargic. I took her out to use the bathroom and again she pooped and pee'd. She went back inside the house she didn't eat or drink any water. She wouldn't lay down unless I told her to. She began panting so I brought the water bowl over to her and she would drink a little bit. I would bring her pieces of kibble and she would nibble on a few pieces. This lasted throughout the day.

Today, Wednesday woke up this morning to let her out. She had a hard time getting up like she was dizzy. I called her and she would walk the other way like she heard me but couldn't see me. I guided her outside so she could use the bathroom and all she did was pee. I called her back in and she went the opposite way again. It looked like she was trying to come to me but couldn't she kept going the other way. I had to pick her up and bring her back in the house. When I put her down she just stood there and didn't move. My other dog rubbed against her and she stubbled and almost fell. So I took her to the vet. The vet did a physical and some other test and everything was fine. Her temperature was .3 above average. Then the vet did some blood work and rehydrated her so I left her for a couple of hours. Upon return the vet went over all of her vitals and everything was normal. However, her physical symptoms was still as bad as it was this morning. This time all she would do is keep walking to the left or kept her head turned left. So I ended up spending $400 on testing just for the vet to tell me everything came out normal PISSED . If I would've known I would have been paying $400 I would have just took her to the emergency. He told me they could give her a steroid shot and if she responds then they can figure out was wrong, if she doesn't then back to square one. So upon leaving the vet her symtoms are the same as this morning I had get her in and out of the car and in the house. I laid her down where she sleeps at, I put some kibble next to her and some water. Its been 3 hours sense I brought her home and she havent moved from that spot and her head is turned to the left, she will not turn it right. When she hears the voice of my wife or myself she will try to get up but it's hard for her to get up because she is weak plus we have hardwood throughout the house so that doesn't help. After searching through the Internet and going to the vet I still haven't found a problem and/or solution.

If this continues on tomorrow I will take her in to get the steroid shot to see if I can get some answers. This is the fist time something like this has happened and I'm not only worried about her but upset as well because I don't know what's going on. Any advice/recommendations? Thanx in advance.

[FBODGRL]

Go to a different vet!

Why would you get a steroid injection if the vet doesn't even have a diagnosis? He doesn't know what he is treating. Personally if my dog was so sick he couldn't move and wasn't eating for days he would already be in at another vet. Get the bloodwork results and tests from the vets office you went to and get in to another vet.

How old is she?

[kagnew]

Go to a different vet!

Why would you get a steroid injection if the vet doesn't even have a diagnosis? He doesn't know what he is treating. Personally if my dog was so sick he couldn't move and wasn't eating for days he would already be in at another vet. Get the bloodwork results and tests from the vets office you went to and get in to another vet.

How old is she?

She's 2. I agree - I think you should get a second opinion. Something is clearly wrong - maybe neurological? Even "simply" pain. My friend's elderly dog stopped moving, eating. She was obviously freaked out, but thankfully it turned out Frida had a back sprain. Pain can certainly cause similar symptoms to what you are seeing. I always knew our old Lab's hips were starting to hurt when he would pant.

Poor thing - and poor you! I'd really take her to another vet...

[Fresh]

Jasmin is doing a lot better. She is more alert than yesterday. She pooped and pee'd this morning. Last night I noticed her head would turn to the left when she walk she kept walking in circles trying to walk straight. After doing some research, I came to the conclusion that she might have peripheral vestibular syndrome. I know this is more commonly found in older dogs but it is not uncommon to find it younger dogs. A couple things, I read this can go away with a couple of days to weeks and to hand feed her and keep her hydrated through a syringe since her balance is off. I also read to go see a veterinary neurologist so they can try to pin point the cause of the disease. I also called the vet and they notified me that while they are trying to pin point the cause it can go away and they wont find an answer. So again thats hundreds of dollars out of my pocket without an answer.

Here is a video I found on Youtube that shows what Jasmin is doing. The only difference is the circles are smaller and she gets dizzy and stumbles. The only plus is that she is showing no signs of pain.

[FBODGRL]

I was thinking of vestibular disorder which is why I was asking how old your dog was. My sisters dalmatian suffered from this and had several" attack over his later years after the first initial time. He also never had any that last days on end. Ultimately this was what ended up happening causing him to be PTS when he was 12 or 13.

Seriously I would not be using money as an excuse to not taking my dog to a vet. I still suggest you go to another vet and get a 2nd opinion and stop trying to diagnose it yourself over the internet.

[BrokenAquarian]

Brain tumors also cause dogs to turn in circles like that. My dog had a very fast growing brain tumor and had the symptoms you described. It took 9 days between the symptoms to show up and his death. He also had seziures. I don't know if that's always the case or not.

[Timas Mom]

inner ear infection, vestibular disease, stroke, and tumor are all reasons that could explain the symptoms youd see. Fungal infections and severe bacterial infections could do, as well as an abcessed tooth that has infection spreading through to the ear ect..... None show anything on bloodwork, except maybe the ear infection with a raised white count.

You need to go do a decent vet and if that means your emerg I'd do it. not all of the above are fatal, some treatable with a course of meds.

[Misskiwi67]

And if your dog has a bacterial or fungal infection, a steroid injection could make him worse instead of better...

Its not unusual to spend $400 and find out all the tests are normal. However, now you know the white cell count is normal, the kidney and liver function is normal, and dehydration is not an underlying cause.

I would ask for a referral to a referral practice. If you live in a big city, this might be very close by, if you live in the country, you may need to drive to your closest university teaching hospital.

I have never seen vestibular syndrome in a dog this young except for infectious problems, which will require a specialist to get a diagnosis. Its also possible he does NOT have vestibular syndrome, and he has a different neurologic issue instead. I'm a veterinarian (at a specialty center) and its sometimes even difficult for me to tell the difference. Its certainly not something you can diagnose via a youtube video.