Head Convulsions

I always found Cassie to be a little slow at everything really but i took it as her being stubbern.
Recently she's been having head convulsions. I took her to the vets thursday they took blood etc i told her that she shakes alot but only before walks and feeding took it more of a excitment kind of shake. the vet asked me to video it which i have now but the one i recorded isn't so violent as other iv seen her do.she doesn't whine but when it is violent she looks confused and dazed. placing my hand on her head doesn't stop it so i know she isn't doing it conciousely when i applied preasure thinking it might just be a muscle spasm it didn't stop it. so now i just have to wait until next thursday for the results. sick with worry i'v not slept in days i hope its not genetic the pups, taz and their sister. I don't think it is genetic because when i first had her and her sister they had the full vet works done but i can't seem to shake this nagging feeling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHKwxivogrI

That is a worry, I hope everthing goes ok for Cassie, let us know the results on Thursday and just try not to worry (easier said than done) until then x

Wow you must be worried.. If it is any help it looks like what my mums dog had.. It was called Addisons .. they say it is the dogs form of Parkinsons.. but her dog was fine and lived a normal life.. he just shook from time to time.
Lets hope it passes and it is nothing serious x
Mel

I take you mean she might be having fits? ie epilepsy? It could just be her age, but obviously it could be something more. If it is epilepsy, then try not to worry too much - most epilepsy can be controlled very well with drugs. The vet will obviously advise you when he gets the results.

Mel Skora wrote:Wow you must be worried.. If it is any help it looks like what my mums dog had.. It was called Addisons .. they say it is the dogs form of Parkinsons.. but her dog was fine and lived a normal life.. he just shook from time to time.
Lets hope it passes and it is nothing serious x
Mel

No, it won't be Addisons - Addisons isn't a form of Parkinsons, it's actually the body not producing adrenelin. Adrenelin is produced constantly by the body in minute amounts, it keeps things like the heart, lungs, brain etc going. If there is a sudden fright or surprise the body produces a surge which enables the 'fight or flight' instinct much stronger. We've all felt that sudden 'rush' when the adrenelin surge kicks in! It rarely produces shaking of this sort, it's normally spotted when the dog suddenly has no energy, loses weight, etc.

Caryll wrote:I take you mean she might be having fits? ie epilepsy? It could just be her age, but obviously it could be something more. If it is epilepsy, then try not to worry too much - most epilepsy can be controlled very well with drugs. The vet will obviously advise you when he gets the results.

Mel Skora wrote:Wow you must be worried.. If it is any help it looks like what my mums dog had.. It was called Addisons .. they say it is the dogs form of Parkinsons.. but her dog was fine and lived a normal life.. he just shook from time to time.
Lets hope it passes and it is nothing serious x
Mel

No, it won't be Addisons - Addisons isn't a form of Parkinsons, it's actually the body not producing adrenelin. Adrenelin is produced constantly by the body in minute amounts, it keeps things like the heart, lungs, brain etc going. If there is a sudden fright or surprise the body produces a surge which enables the 'fight or flight' instinct much stronger. We've all felt that sudden 'rush' when the adrenelin surge kicks in! It rarely produces shaking of this sort, it's normally spotted when the dog suddenly has no energy, loses weight, etc.

OMG my mum would be very upset if her vet has given her the wrong info..
That is exactly what Macca was doing.. I wonder what he "really" had//
Sorry for giving that false info then
Man I am mad now,...

He may well have had a form of Parkinsons, but if he lived a full & healthy life without medication it wasn't Addisons.

This may help.........
http://www.addisonsdiseaseindogs.com/

Intersting.. Nope.. That doesnt sound like it at all...
He didnt live a long life tho i must say... he died at age 6 which is very young for a maltese ???
As far as i know he wasnt on any medication?
I just remember him shaking alot and his back legs at times would not work.. he would drag them for the first few steps..

anyway sorry again for mis leading you Miss R
xx

A lot of toy breeds suffer from this type of shaking - I'm not well up on the toys so I can't say what it was, but parkinsons could well have been it. I think missrogue's dog's shaking is a little different, though - it sounds like it's all over. In staffords, the shaking often looks like it starts from the head, I think it's cause the head's so big!lol!

Thanks for cleaning it up Caryll.. not that it matters now and I would never bring it up with mum.
Well lets pray that it is somethign simple and pup recovers quickly
x

MissRogue, don't forget to let us know how you get on at the vets.

I Hope it is something easily sorted. Let us all know how you get on at the vets. Hope all is well and our thoughts are with you. Like said before try not too worry too much, I know thats allot easier said than done

Caryll wrote:A lot of toy breeds suffer from this type of shaking - I'm not well up on the toys so I can't say what it was, but parkinsons could well have been it. I think missrogue's dog's shaking is a little different, though - it sounds like it's all over. In staffords, the shaking often looks like it starts from the head, I think it's cause the head's so big!lol!

Cassie has a really small head because she is a cross she takes after her father the jacky and it is not the rest of her body just her head and it isn't shaking/ more wobblying, granted she shaked before food and walk but never the same time as the head convulsing.

When will you know the results of the vets?. How oftern is she doing this shaking of her head?

Mel Skora wrote:When will you know the results of the vets?. How oftern is she doing this shaking of her head?

This thursday coming.
i'v caught her doing it about 5 times in the last 3 months.

i hope Cassie will be OK, i does seem to be a neurological thing, the vet may have to do a CT scan on her to find the cause

Well at least Cassie isnt doing it everday.. my mums pup was doing it constantly.. like when a dog is cold from a bath for those few seconds.

Chin up Miss R.... lets now worry until thursday.. will be thinking of you...

I was thinking of insuring my pup?.. anyone got their dog on their medical fund?

I was thinking of insuring my pup?.. anyone got their dog on their medical fund?


yeah we have Katie covered

I understand you would have Katie insured with such good blood lines.

That part of it mean nothing to me.... but the happiness of Holly and my kids mean everything to me.. they would be devistated if somehting major popped up and it cost $$$$$.
I might have to look into it and see

Mel Skora wrote:I understand you would have Katie insured with such good blood lines.

That part of it mean nothing to me.... but the happiness of Holly and my kids mean everything to me.. they would be devistated if somehting major popped up and it cost $$$$$.
I might have to look into it and see

Dempsey's also insured. Not only the vet's fees (I would have had to pay out over £3000 in the last year if he hadn't been insured) but also 3rd party insurance. Everyone's in to suing people for the slightest thing nowadays, and Dempsey being so powerful could cause damage that I could be sued for! At least I've got the insurance to back me up if the worse comes to the worse.

Wow that is alot of money caryll... I am not sure third party would be needed here. But i guess with you showing Dempsey there could be a chance you may need it.. the world has gone crazy i can agree with that

Mel Skora wrote:Wow that is alot of money caryll... I am not sure third party would be needed here. But i guess with you showing Dempsey there could be a chance you may need it.. the world has gone crazy i can agree with that

mel i dont show but i still have third party insurance as caryll says people will claim for anything these days you just cant be to carefull i would seriously look into it

God really.. I thought the USA was bad enough. What does it cover you for?
what are you guys paying in premiums?

You never know when you might need 3rd party insurance.

3 years ago my friend's stafford cross bit a man who was trying to hit my friend. Although the man was arrested he brought a summons against my friend for the dog being 'dangerously out of control'. Although the case was thrown out, the insurance paid all my friend's legal bills, which would have come to a few hundred pounds.

Yes, the world's gone mad.

Dempsey's insurance costs me £13 per month (although it'll go up next renewal because I've claimed), but that's for a 'high risk' dog breed!

£17 a month but like car insurance i can claim 5 times every 3 years without it affecting my premium

So does this insurance cover the vet as well. or just the 3rd party?
that isnt bad i guess considering that it has saved you $3000 ( dont have the correct $$ sign lol sorry)

wow that is crazy, people have lost their minds that is forsure

yip thats all in

Yes, that includes the vet's fees. I have to pay the first £75, but considering what it would have cost, I'm not complaining!

iv an excese of £50 on mine

Which one you with?

animal friends

I'll have a look at that next time round.

how old is this wee dog ?

Wow that is peace of mind.. I am going to google this now and see what mine are like.. nothing stings more than a vet bill..
my poor sis has paid $2000 x 2 for cancer removal for Titan her Rotti.. they are so prone to it arent they.

Caryll you have had your monies worth that is forsure

Just hope I don't need any more! Poor Dempsey, in the vets hospital twice in 6 months, once with a nasty operation.

i know caryll its one of those things you happyly pay but dont want to use

Vets yesterday chemical/hormone imbalance. only thing she suggested was spaying. i got to get blondy spade as well when she is six months because of her hernia so ill be killing two birds with one stone that day i guess.
I also got ripped about not doing it sooner.

Well that is a good result.. at least it isnt anything that cant be treated:)

I'd get a second opinion. And before anyone jumps down my throat, I don't mean just because of the spaying. If that's what you choose to do that's fine.

I have a very good relationship with my vet & I often call her to ask questions/advice. I just called her & explained as best I could about what had happened, and the vet's advice & she said "what absolute codswollop". It's either a chemical imbalance or a hormone imbalance, unlikely to be both. If it's a chemical imbalance then spaying will have no effect whatsoever! She would have taken blood/urine samples to see which it was (if either) and would have worked from that.


Up to you.

seems to be a conflict of interest

In what way, Shane?

Caryll wrote:In what way, Shane?

between your vet saying one thing and miss rouges saying another

Caryll wrote:I'd get a second opinion. And before anyone jumps down my throat, I don't mean just because of the spaying. If that's what you choose to do that's fine.

I have a very good relationship with my vet & I often call her to ask questions/advice. I just called her & explained as best I could about what had happened, and the vet's advice & she said "what absolute codswollop". It's either a chemical imbalance or a hormone imbalance, unlikely to be both. If it's a chemical imbalance then spaying will have no effect whatsoever! She would have taken blood/urine samples to see which it was (if either) and would have worked from that.


Up to you.

It is just a hormone imbalance but it is a chemical so i put that in there,(i put the chemical part in not my vet). apparently from her having pups her hormone levels have not returned to normal. so a few weeks after spaying the vet will do more tests to see if that was it or something else.

hormone is a chemical so if its not right its imbalanced

Shane wrote:hormone is a chemical so if its not right its imbalanced

Gold star

Get your girl tested for L2hga, got a feeling its this but a mild case.

Your vet may not of heard of this condition in staffords so wont be looking for it.

yeah it could be that too, L-2HGA (L-2-hydroxglutaric aciduria) it affects the central nervous system with clinical signs apparent between 6 months to a year. (although it can appear later as well) symptoms include epileptic seisures, wobbly gait, tremors, muscle stiffness, as a result of exercise or excitement and altered behavior.

Shane wrote:yeah it could be that too, L-2HGA (L-2-hydroxglutaric aciduria) it affects the central nervous system with clinical signs apparent between 6 months to a year. (although it can appear later as well) symptoms include epileptic seisures, wobbly gait, tremors, muscle stiffness, as a result of exercise or excitement and altered behavior.

If it is that then its a very mild case. but ill get her checked but her mum does not have it and her dads a JRT but it doesn't hurt to check.

Her Mum may be a carrier so wouldn't display signs of L2hga.

Ok if her sires a JR there may be a slim chance its not L2hga ..... but this condition may not of yet been discovered if this breed suffers with this condition too.

Her sire must of been a big JR if he tied with a stafford bitch ... unless he stood on a few yellow pages

When I asked my vet about L2 he didnt have a clue what I was talking about so maybe the vet isnt up to date with symtoms. If the tests come back okay its worth a mention