doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bad scare..

Thank you all for the kind thoughts and words. I had never heard of this before and thought others might keep it in mind for future reference. GMCS, you are correct, I have a good vet. He hunts turkey and upland. For years he ran a pair Brittany's. He is looking to retire soon. I will miss him.

Pete

WHEWW!!! Thank God for the recovery, and thank YOU for the links to give us information and an education on an affliction I know I, at least, had been unaware of.

Pete,

This is scary when it first happens. I have a 13 year old French Brittany that this has happened to twice in the last year.

Both times have been when the dog is asleep. When he wakes up & try's to stand he can't get his feet under him and has a noticable head tilt to the side. My first thought was stroke because his eyes were constantly moving erratically.

My vet was great. He had me put the dog on the floor for him to watch. He told me to take the dog home make him comfortable and watch him so he wouldn't hurt himself & he would recover in a few days.

The vet also told me that until recently a lot of vet's would put a dog down thinking it was a stroke.

I'm glad your dog is doing good & I hope you don't have a relapse like my Briar dog did.

Paul

Vestibular disease is very distressing for the dog, and can cause not merely wobbly gait, but actual vomiting through excess giddiness. Nyastigmus, a very rapid eye movement caused by the dog trying to adjust for a moving horizon, often shows up before the wobbly gait and so acts as both an initial warning sign and a measure of the severity of the attack.

Vets have a number of medicines to call upon, but one we found very effective, "Stemetil", whilst in the literature is rarely called up, and our vet hadn't used it before or even heard of it. It is however a widely used treatment in humans with either vestibular problems or post general anaesthetic whirlygigs.

Recommended.

Eug

Appears this is quite common. One of our springers had an episode a few years ago at age 9 or 10 -- stumbling, sideways gait, head tilt, presented to us ignorant owners as something neurological. Our vet immediately identified it as likely to be vestibular syndrome. Seems to me she gave us a few days of antibiotics, suggesting there might be an underlying ear infection. Very quick recovery.

Jay

Glad to hear that Tick is still with you and on the mend Pete.

Pete, thanks! Now I know what happened with my then 11 years old "Deutscher Wachtel" dog several years ago. Walking at the beach, she suddenly was uncoordinated at the back hand and it seems, she would struggle. But some minutes later she always was better and never got it again.

Gunwolf

I've owned several hunting breeds (hounds, bird dogs) over the years and the GSP is as tough as they come. They age well and are full of life. We have had several live past 16 years. I am sure she will recover in time.