Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome

Several years ago, it was my pleasure to pet sit for Hannah, a very sweet 12 year old, 90 pound, mixed-breed dog.  It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see a large, 12 year old dog be a little unsteady on her feet.  After all, in people years, she was probably well into her 80’s or early 90’s.  But Hannah was even more wobbly than one might expect because she had developed peripheral vestibular syndrome. 

Peripheral vestibular syndrome appears to be caused by an inflammation in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance and spatial orientation.  It more commonly occurs in older dogs, and thus is sometimes referred to as geriatric vestibular syndrome, but it can occur in middle aged dogs as well.  While in appearance the disease is very frightening, the good news is that the problem is usually temporary, lasting anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Symptoms of peripheral vestibular syndrome include the following:

·         Sudden loss of balance (the most common symptom)
·         Head tilt to one side
·         Circling
·         Vomiting
·         Eyes drifting from side to side or up and down
·         Facial muscles sagging or twitching
·         Trouble eating or drinking due to dizziness

The occurrence of this disease is very disconcerting to pets and pet parents alike because it can come on so rapidly and seemingly, just out of the blue.  Your dog can appear perfectly happy and feeling well when suddenly, for no apparent reason, will fall over and have difficulty standing up again.  This is made even more upsetting if some of the other symptoms begin to emerge.

The nature and sudden appearance of the symptoms lead some owners to fear that their dog has either had a stroke or has been poisoned.  If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms, you should consult with your veterinarian immediately.  The vet will be able to determine if your dog has peripheral vestibular syndrome, or if the symptoms are the result of something else, such as a stroke, poisoning, brain tumor, head trauma or inner ear infection. 

Unfortunately, time is the only cure for peripheral vestibular syndrome, and as mentioned previously, most dogs fully recover from the illness within a few weeks.  Some vets may prescribe antibiotics if they suspect the dog has an infection.  Motion sickness medication might also be prescribed to ease the dizziness being felt by the dog. 

What you can do is to keep in mind that this is a very troubling and confusing experience for your dog.  Soothing, calm attention and lots of TLC can go a long way toward making your pet feel better while recovering from the disease.  If nausea is keeping your dog from eating and drinking, try giving easy-to-eat food and water by hand. 

Through it all, remember that in most cases the disease will clear up by itself.  Infrequently, some dogs do not recover fully and may continue to have residual problems, such as a head tilt.  As you can always count on with a dog, they are usually able to adjust to these remaining issues and go right back to being their normal, contented selves.

"I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better." - George Bird Evans, "Troubles with Bird Dogs"

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS)

Just like us, dogs go through many changes as they age.  There will be a graying around the muzzle, they may need more sleep, the step is not as quick as it used to be.  With some dogs, you may also see significant behavioral changes.  Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) is caused by physical and chemical changes that affect brain function in older dogs.  Although not identical, pathological changes in the brains of dogs with CDS are similar to those seen in human Alzheimer patients. 

Dogs with CDS may show behavioral changes such as confusion and forgetfulness, and may be less responsive to their owners.  Advances in veterinary medicine have made it possible for our companion animals to be with us longer, which is a wonderful thing.  However, these advances have increased the population of geriatric pets, resulting in more dogs with CDS, and requiring us pet parents to become more knowledgeable about the syndrome.

The classic signs of CDS in old dogs include:

·         Reduced activity

·         Changes in sleeping patterns

·         Reduced responsiveness to people

·         Lack of interest in surroundings

·         Confusion, disorientation

·         Pacing, wandering

·         Inability to recognize familiar people

·         Increased thirst

·         Excessive panting

·         Difficulty eating or reduced interest in food

·         Loss of bladder and bowel control

·         Difficulty navigating their environment

There are a few things that may help dogs with CDS.  Studies have shown an improvement in most dogs within one month of starting to receive L-Deprenyl (Anipryl).  CDS is often associated with the depletion of dopamine, and this drug works by helping to prolong dopamine activity and by reducing the amounts of free radicals in the brain.  Dietary changes may also help to alleviate CDS.  Therapeutic diets containing antioxidants, mitochondrial cofactors, and omega-3 fatty acids are recommended.

Environmental stimulation in conjunction with dietary change, is good for elderly canines.  You CAN teach an old dog new tricks, and you should, to keep your dog’s mind working.  We’ve all experienced or heard stories about older dogs becoming more lively with the introduction of a puppy into the household.  Use caution with that because a very old dog might not adjust well to such a dramatic change.

Finally, the best things we can give our old dogs are love and understanding.  Learning about CDS will help us to understand why our old dog has changed.  And, love will help everyone to get through a difficult period in our friend’s life.

Heart Dog

One of my pet sitting clients recently referred to one of her dogs as being her “Heart Dog”.  As she defined it, a Heart Dog is that one dog in your life with whom you have an especially close bond.  It immediately struck me because of all the dogs, cats and horses who have been members of our family, my Sosa is definitely my Heart Dog. 

Sosa came into my life ten years ago as a one year old terrier mutt who needed a home.  He showed up at the barn where I kept my horse at the time, in the company of a horse trader, who had some story about the dog being from Puerto Rico and in need of a home.  Sosa took a shining to me, and by the time I left that day, he was following my every step.  I decided to take the little guy home to see if he would fit with our then family of two beagle mutts and a cat.  He did.

My mission then became to learn what I could about how he had spent the first year of his life.  Could the horse trader’s story about Puerto Rico be true?  If you know anything about horse traders, you know not to believe everything a horse trader tells you.  But, the little dog was wearing a collar with a Puerto Rican rabies tag hanging from it.  Hmmm. 

The horse trader gave me the name and phone number of the woman from whom he had gotten the little terrier. She confirmed that Sosa had indeed come from Puerto Rico, thanks to a rescue group there called Save A Sato, http://www.saveasato.org/.  This group of dedicated volunteers is committed to easing the suffering of Puerto Rico’s homeless and abused animals.  They took in my little Sato (slang for street dog), gave him medical care, food and shelter, and flew him via American Airlines to a rescue group in our area. 

Sosa attached himself to my side that day ten years ago, and he remains my constant companion.  Other people are ok, and he likes my husband well enough, but I alone, am his person.  Sosa has stolen my heart like no other pet that came before or after him.  As I look into his graying muzzle, I sometimes worry about the day that he will leave me.  But, I just remind myself to take a page from our canine friends - be in the moment and enjoy every moment I can spend with my Heart Dog.   

Flirt Fails Sheep

Border collies are an energetic, highly intelligent breed, and our new dog, Flirt, is no exception.  We are fortunate to have a big yard and conservation land directly behind our house with miles of trails, so Flirt gets plenty of walking time.  Wanting to find something else to occupy our little border collie, we decided to look into herding. 

Two weekends ago, we loaded Flirt into the car and drove to Magic’s Legacy, a farm on the Wisconsin border, where Shannon Wolfe teaches people and their dogs about herding.  Shannon was offering a weekend of herding instinct tests so people could find out if their dogs had any affinity for this canine sport. 

Flirt was one of 15 dogs in the Sunday afternoon session, which began with a demo in which two very talented border collies (and their handlers) effortlessly maneuvered a large flock of sheep around a pasture.  Responding to one word commands and whistles, the dogs proceeded to gather the flock, move them around obstacles, and even split the flock into two groups.  It was amazing to see the connection the handlers had with their dogs.

Then the instinct tests began.  One by one, Shannon took the dogs into a pen with three sheep.  She would begin by walking the dog on leash around the pen, making him aware of the presence of these strange, fluffy critters.  After the dog began to notice the sheep, she would encourage him to follow the sheep.  If the dog’s interest was aroused, she would drop the leash and let the dog engage in a controlled chase.  As Shannon explains it, you cannot instill the herding instinct into a dog.  The dog either has an instinct or does not, and if he does, you can then help develop that natural ability. 

The first three dogs to be tested were German shepherds.  The responses varied, but all three reacted to the sheep and eventually ended up in the controlled chase.  “I bet all the dogs here will show some instinct,” I commented to Steve.  “It just seems natural that any dog would want to chase the sheep.”  Flirt was the fourth dog, and would be the first one to prove my uneducated theory to be way off base.

Once Flirt was in the pen with Shannon, all she did was scan the crowd, looking for us.  When Shannon saw this, she asked me to join her in the pen to help make Flirt feel more comfortable.  Flirt thought this was great but still showed no interest in the sheep.  Then Shannon called for a “sheep party”, in which I was required to chase the sheep around, whooping and hollering, trying to show Flirt how much fun she was missing by not chasing sheep.  I succeeded in getting Flirt excited, but the only thing she wanted to chase was me – no sheep.  Shannon finally put an end to my embarrassment and determined that we were the proud owners of a border collie with no herding instincts. 

Despite our lack of success, we really enjoyed the afternoon.  It was such fun to see how the various dogs reacted to the sheep.  And no, Flirt was not the only one to fail the instinct test that day.  But that’s OK, we’ve already got her enrolled in an agility class.  No sheep involved there.

There’s a New Kid in Town

After we lost our sweet little Tootsie Roll last year, there was a lot of discussion concerning a new dog.  We wanted to bring another dog into our home and thought it would be good for Sosa to have canine companionship.  However, Sosa doesn’t like all canines, so we knew it would have to be the “right dog”.

We quickly ruled out dogs with pushed-in noses because Sosa doesn’t like them.  We learned this when we had him in agility.  The owners of our training facility bred boxers and occasionally would bring them to our classes.  We can’t remember anything bad happening between Sosa and these dogs, but he just decided he didn’t like them.  We next saw this when a cute little pug puppy came to stay at our house while his family was on vacation.  He spent one week in our home, and Sosa never did warm up to him.  I know it’s probably not politically correct, but he just doesn’t like those pushed-in noses.

We next ruled out a puppy.  Sosa doesn’t mind an active dog but doesn’t like it when they want to play with him or get too much in his face.  We knew a puppy would just drive him crazy.

Male vs. female didn’t seem to matter.  For all his bluster, Sosa is pretty submissive, and definitely a momma’s boy.  His canine pals have been of both sexes.  He did, however, get along quite well with our Tootsie and Valentine, so females were somewhat preferred over males.

Then, we got the call.  A tech in our vet’s office had just started fostering a nice, 5-6 year old, female border collie.  The rescue group had just gotten her two days before from Chicago Animal Control, and no one knew anything about her history.  It was suspected that she had been used for breeding.  After Steve and I met her, we took the critical step of bringing Sosa to the vet’s office to meet her.  They sniffed each other out a bit, tails wagging, and then kind of ignored each other – a good sign.  After getting her spayed, we brought her home and named her “Flirt”, because she was one.  Flirt is adapting very well to her new home and seems to feel more comfortable every day.  She and Sosa have occasional altercations, but they are minor, and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.  We are having a lot of fun with Flirt, and I hope that Sosa someday see the wisdom of our decision.

Zoe

One of the very best things about pet sitting is that we get to interact with so many wonderful pets.  We see some of our clients on a daily basis as we give them their midday breaks.  Others we may only take care of a few times a year when their families go on vacation.  We come to know and love each and every one of them as if they were members of our extended families.  Kind of like our furry little nieces and nephews.

One of the very worst things about pet sitting is that we occasionally lose one of our client pets.  We recently lost one of our favorites.  Zoe, a black lab, came into our lives just over a year ago because she was no longer able to make it all day without an accident while her pet parents were at work.  In addition to daily dog walks, Zoe was also a guest in our home a few times when her family went out of town.  We lovingly walked her, administered her meds and supplements, and even patiently waited by her side for her to recover from an occasional small seizure.  It was our pleasure to do what we could to make life better for her. 

                          

Zoe left our lives just short of her 16^th birthday.  A good long life for a big dog.  We miss her very much.