Hi All,
This is an out of the ordinary request. My friend's Sheppard puppy has been at the vet since Thanksgiving Day. Both the emergency vet and their regular vet are at a loss as to what's wrong with the little guy and I'm looking for any input that might help.
He woke Thursday with a temp of 107 (regular dog temp is 101). He was staggering and foaming at the mouth (it's not rabbies). They've got his temp back to normal and he is on the mend. His bloodwork is showing nothing. They are running a liver functioning test currently as we understand Sheppard dogs can have a certain liver problem they are looking for.
The real problem is as of yesterday he has lost his sight. His pupils dialate when they flash light in them but he is clearly not able to see - bumping in to everything. I feel so bad for my friends and the dog...just wondering if anyone out there has ideas as to what it might be?
Also, anyone out there with a blind dog? How did you train it? As I said, his health seems to have returned but he is still without sight.
Thanks for your input. We're just grasping for anything that might give some understanding as to what has happened.
Thank you to all of those who responded. Sadly, the vet(s) Toby was taken to were unable to find anything identifiable after numerous tests. His seizures continuted and became more frequent over the weekend. With much regret my friend's family opted to put him to sleep this morning. Everyone involved felt helpless. Had it just been an issue of blindness they would have worked it out. We are all so sad. Thanks again.
N.
As a long time dog owner this sounds like distemper or parvo virus. Has the puppy been vaccinated????
This response is from my sister who has worked with dogs for over 20 years:
The first two things I think of are:
1. a reaction to a recent vaccination. (common, but the vet will most
likely deny any implication) (just do a google search for lots of info)
2. puppy ate something poisonous (many common things found around the
house can cause symptoms like this) (xylitol found in gum, candy baked
goods comes to mind.)
then,
3. tick born disease
Sounds like it might be distemper.... something to check anyway.
Could be anything, really. Off hand it sounds like a seizure or stroke. A grand mal seizure can cause a dog to go blind and the foaming at the mouth is another sign of possible seizure. This doesn't show up on blood tests often. My mom's dog has epilepsy and even though we've witnessed her have seizures, her blood work always comes out fine. This is NOT parvo. Parvo would not cause a dog to go blind and the vets would have caught it by now. Had they not caught it, without medical intervention, a puppy would probably die within a few days of starting to show signs of the disease. Good luck and I hope everything works out.
J.
I don't know if your friend's have children or anyone else who would feed a dog something they shouldn't but it sounds like possible liver failure from ingesting any of the following no no's for dogs - apple seeds, raisins, grapes, onions (raw or cooked) or chocolate. It is possible for it to recover when the bulk of the "poisoning" passes but may leave it with other disabilities.
As a dog lover, I do feel for your friends and hope all is well.
Was he checked for Parvo? Its a common infection that dogs get. My dog had it when he was a puppy. They get it from other dogs that has had it. It is very deadly if not treated right away. Some of the common signs are that the dog dosent want to eat, very tired, and sometimes foaming at the mouth, along with numerous other signs. I would have your friend get the dog checked out for it if she hasnt already.
I'm sure the vet has asked this but could the puppy have ingested something toxic. I saw a show on tv where three puppies all became very sick within hours of each other. The owners and vets had no idea why or what to do. Later they found out that the puppies had chewed and eaten the foam padding of the playpen that they were in.
Just a thought. Maybe look around the house and yard again. It could be something that you would never think of.
I hope he recovers soon.
Sounds like "Valley Fever". We are from Scottsdale, AZ.
http://www.dlrrphoenix.org/vf.html, check out this website. They might request having the test done, alot of people aren't aware of it, and it's very rare in the Northeast. I feel for them, pets are just like our children. Did they do any toxic testing, maybe he got into something, cleaning supplies, fertilizer etc. Good Luck. Deb :-)
Has he been vomiting or does he have bloody diarrhea? Did he eat a lot of table scraps on Thanksgiving? Our lab mix was in the animal hospital for 3 days over labor day weekend after "inhaling" a peanut butter & jelly sandwich my 2 year old tossed on the floor. They diagnosed him with pancreatitis (I read online it's generally from eating a large or fatty meal and commonly occurs around the holidays when dogs get excessive amounts of table food). He got very sick very fast. They had to run IV fluids for 2 1/2 days until his vomiting finally stopped and he was able to come home. Anyway, this is just an idea, but whatever it is, I hope they get it figured out soon!
I am so sorry for what is happening with this puppy, and the owners. I believe it sounds like parvo, and/or something toxic that the dog got into. It could be anything, such as anti-freeze, rat posion, tainted garbage, insulation, mulch, etc...Yes, a blind dog can be trained without too much problems. Their senses go far beyond sight. Their sense of smell, their whiskers pick up alot, their hearing is phenominal, and their paws and feelings and the sensitivity through them is very keen and acute. I hope the owners fight for the dog, as much as the dog is fighting to stay alive.
This is very sad. Is it possible the puppy got into some sort of poison? Rat poison or something like that? I just saw an episode of Animal ER on Animal Planet and a man's puppy was brought into the ER with similar symptoms to your friends dog. The doctor's had a very hard time figuring out what was wrong with him since all his bloodwork came back normal. Just a thought.
I hope the puppy will be okay.
Patty
hi, i work at an animal hospital and the first thing that came to my mind was a disease called blastomycosis. it is commonly found in cats, but dogs can get it to. basically it is a fungus, that gets into there system, and usually makes them very sick and hard to diagnose. we have had a couple of cats with it in the past 2 years, and some dogs to, one who lost complete eyesight, and 1 who only lost sight in 1 eye, good luck with your friends dog
My sister's dog went blind. He is a very loving beagle who developed quite a constellation of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, temps and blindness, as well as joint/muscle pain. She took him to specialists in the nearest largest city and never really did find out what exactly was wrong. Thousands of dollars later, she finally took him off the steroids that were allowing him to keep some of his sight, but causing many horrible side effects, and he went totally blind. It is heartbreaking for us to watch, but he is adapting. I really believe it is harder on us than him. Since my sister lives next door I will take the dog out for a walk and just let him take his time (one time we stood in the same spot for 50 min.), but he is now more willing to go outside and walk. It is about re-familiarizing him with the old spaces. Good Luck and your friend is lucky to have such a caring and concerned friend.
Our dog went blind. We had 2 acctually. our little dog lost his sight due to being dropped by a little kid. We had to hand feed him & carry him outside to go to the bathroom. Our bigger dog lost her sight due to diabetes. She was a german shepard mix. Have the puppy checked for diabetes, it could be the cause of the blindness. We had to tie her up so she wouldn't drink a ton of water. Also we had to give her insulin shots & check her pee everyday. We could only feed her so much a day. If we let her she would eat & drink herself to death. Unfortunately we had to move & it was alot of stress on my mom. My mom called up her soon to be ex & had him come get his dog. As far as we know she was put down. We didn't really need to train her because she knew the whole house & yard.
Hello N.: what a shame about the Shepherd's sickness.
Did they check for things like tick-borne diseases or
west nile disease?
As for training a blind dog, it can be done. I am a professional dog trainer and behaviorist. If your friend
would like to call me or write me to discuss coming
to our facility to talk about ways to work with this
pup, she can do so by calling me at home--###-###-#### or drop me a note at ____@____.com
We are A+ Dog Training in Lake in the Hills on Virginia Rd.
our website is www.aplusdogtraining and my name is
Barbara McNinch. Good luck in whatever happens.
i had a sheppard puppy do this once, he wasn't very old either, maybe a couple of months. He died, but it was because he ate a bunch of greasy food out of the garbage. Hope all goes well.
Could he have been poisoned? It could explain why he started to get better (exited his system). Have your friend look around the house for anything that might have poisoned him. Anything that looks chewed. Even laquer on furniture can be a poison. Poor puppy. =( Did they do a blood test? They might not have looked for poisons. It is worth asking...
Since he is just a puppy maybe he will have an easier time adjusting to being blind. I would think that if you could put him on a leash and walk him around the room, let him get the feel of things, he would do ok. Same with being outside. Just like with a blind person, your friend will have to be careful of moving objects so he doesn't bump into them.
Good luck and let us know what happens!
Have they checked for Parvo?
