health defect - spinning

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Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.

Archived Message

health defect - spinning
by Nancy Bell
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
health defect-spinning My 3 mth old puppy is haveing problems. First she started having spells when she would yelp like she was in pain and it would hurt to move her. Now she is spinning continously. Vet said could be brain defect. Are there any others out there with similiar experiences. Her whole personality has changed, and she needs help in eating and drinking. Cannot find dishes. She also sleeps a lot. Will stop spinning if you physically stop her and then starts up again. Please help me I am desperate as I have fallen in love with Maggie.

DISCUSSION:

I would suggest going back to your vet or to a new vet and start by having some blood work done. There are many different underlying problems that can cause nervous system disorders and lack of appetite. I am surprised your vet hasnt suggested doing blood work already. This will give you a good basis for helping the vet in diagnosing the cause of her symptoms. By doing blood work ( such as a CBC/Chem Panel) the vet can assess the efficiency of the liver, kidneys and other major organs as well as check for an underlying infection. Let us know how this goes. I hope you are able to help her feel better.

Tonia Holibaugh
Rhapsody Maltese
Tonia Holibaugh

I am sorry to learn about your puppy. It sounds like something in the CNS. You might try calling her breeder if you haven't already. There are so many things that it could be that can only be determined by a Veternarian. Try to make her as comfortable as you can until you find out what the problem is. My prayers go out to you.
Beverly B. Passe

I am so sorry to hear about your pup! What did the vet say to do? Have you talked to the breeder? Where did you get her? I would check there as well. How long have you had her? I would really try to check with whoever she came from for genetic problems, or if she was handled wrong before coming to you. And then go with your vets advise. I have seen posts about this here before, and hopefully they will post to you. But I am very curious about the above questions. Good luck.
Robin K.

I lost a 3 yr old to the same brain problem. Nothing the vet did helped for very long. We finally had to put her down. My dog was very tiny, only 3 pounds. I am very sorry you are going through the same problem with your dog.
Ann

Nancy, I saw an interesting segment of one of the TV news magazines that highlighted some dogs that had some of the problems yours does, particularly the spinning. Their dog was diagnosed as obsessive/compulsive. They put her on medication (a prozac type med) and she was fine! Some people poo-poo things like that for dogs but my view is that if a human can have a chemical imbalance in the brain, why not a dog? Have your vet recommend a good animal neurologist. If he/she doesn't have that info., check with other vets. Good luck to your and your baby. My prayers and thoughts are with you. Please keep us all updated on how your baby is doing.
Sandy (Shelby & Nikki)

I'm so sorry to hear about poor little Maggie, I know you must be heartbroken to see her so sick and not have any idea what's wrong. The symptoms you describe do sound neurological, but the underlying cause is impossible to determine without more testing and information. It could be a treatable disease that is causing the neurological symptoms. I agree that a specialist should be consulted if your vet is unable to come up with an answer.
Aimee

About Maggie, this may be a stupid response but the other night on that emergency vet show there was a very small dog brought in to the e.r. he was sleeping to much and when the vet stood him up he went backward around in circles. The problem was diagnosed as his sugar levels being off. He was so small and had to be fed often enough to keep his sugar levels up. Otherwise he would head into a sugar coma or reaction. I hope all works out for the best. It is hard to see our littlest family members so sick.
Judie and Cuddles