Another trip to the Emergency Vet

Message

silvercamaro · #1 Post by **silvercamaro** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:47 pm

This time, it was for Irish, the 14-year-old whippet.

Five minutes after the regular vet clinic closed, she suddenly got wobbly on her feet, started going in circles, began panting, etc. I was afraid she was having a heart attack. The emergency vet doesn't think so. Some tests are under way to make sure she hasn't ingested poison or had some kind of sudden organ failure, but the vet doesn't expect those problems either. She thinks it might be "old dog vestibular syndrome" (or something like that,) which makes the animal feel seasick -- queasy and unbalanced. If that's what it is, the whippet should be fine in a few days, after which it may recur someday, but probably not soon, and perhaps never again.

Irish will spend the night at the high-dollar place. She'll go to the regular vet tomorrow and probably stay there for a day or two.

Rusty gets no blame this time.

ulysses5019 · #2 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:51 pm

I hope the whippet, whips it, whatever it may be. That being said, are you sure the dogs didn't get into the wine?

AnnieCamaro · #3 Post by **AnnieCamaro** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:53 pm

ulysses5019 wrote:I hope the whippet, whips it, whatever it may be. That being said, are you sure the dogs didn't get into the wine?

My sisters only like Bailey's Irish Creme. Rusty is more of a beer guy.

ulysses5019 · #4 Post by **ulysses5019** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:56 pm

Oh, and I got a haircut today. So what you say? Well my barber had a photo of a most handsome Italian greyhound. I didn't catch the name, too much hair in ears, but I'm sure it was count something or other. It was a most handsome brown and white.

a1mamacat · #5 Post by **a1mamacat** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:03 pm

Sheesh!

Comeon Jeopardy folks. This lady needs to winwinwinwin!!!

Ritterskoop · #6 Post by **Ritterskoop** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:13 pm

Roomie got a thing a few years ago called Benign Positional Vertigo, which I think we have discussed on the bored. The inner ear hairs get calcified, and your balance and dizziness thingies get all messed up. I wonder if this happens in animals also. The exercises people do to get rid of it would be confusing for dogs and cats, I think.

silvercamaro · #7 Post by **silvercamaro** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:31 pm

Ritterskoop wrote:Roomie got a thing a few years ago called Benign Positional Vertigo, which I think we have discussed on the bored. The inner ear hairs get calcified, and your balance and dizziness thingies get all messed up. I wonder if this happens in animals also. The exercises people do to get rid of it would be confusing for dogs and cats, I think.

The effects would be similar, even if the cause is a little bit different, because both involve the inner ear. As I understand it, vestibular syndrome describes some malfunction of the vestibular nerve between the inner ear and the brain. The malfunction can be caused by some rather dire things, including tumors, so those have to be ruled out. Usually no cause is found, though, so that's when it gets the "old dog" label.

I have sympathy for your Roomie and Irish, because I used to get horrible attacks of vertigo when I was in my 20s. I was afraid to move, and if I had to, I crawled on the floor. Then, one day I realized that I hadn't been zapped by an attack for over a year -- and I haven't had one since. I never knew what caused it, and I don't know why it went away. I'm just glad it did.

kayrharris · #8 Post by **kayrharris** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:02 pm

Get well wishes to Irish. I've met her and she is a sweetie.

My oldest sister has had inner ear problems for 40 years. I'm sure she wishes hers would go away like yours did. I'm glad you no longer have it.
She can't even sit on a swivel type bar stool without getting deathly ill.

mrkelley23 · #9 Post by **mrkelley23** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:52 am

Hope Irish is over this by the time you read this. I'm really hating not being able to read these things in real time.

peacock2121 · #10 Post by **peacock2121** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:55 am

I am sending my good thoughts and powerful intentions Irish's way.

Poor thing, must have been frightening for both her and you.

earendel · #11 Post by **earendel** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:58 am

Thinking good thoughts for Irish (and for Annie's growing skin).

MarleysGh0st · #12 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:37 am

Get well, Irish!

Ritterskoop wrote:Roomie got a thing a few years ago called Benign Positional Vertigo, which I think we have discussed on the bored.

Yes, that's one of the problems MarleysMom has. A minor problem, compared to the others, but it compounded the trouble when she was in the hospital a year and a half ago.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #13 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:22 am

I hope that whatever is wrong with Irish is something simple and cheap.

Get well soon Irish!

mellytu74 · #14 Post by **mellytu74** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:23 am

Hugs to Irish from all of us here, especially Miss Denise who, although she hasn't posted lately, hears all the news as I read her messages.