aseptic meningitis in boxer puppy

[mizbritt]

Our 8 month old boxer puppy Jake has been diagnosed with aseptic meningitis. He got very ill all of a sudden, and we rushed him to the vet. He had very unusual symptoms (crooked gait, unable to place back legs correctly, undiagnosed fever, high leukocyte & protein counts... all signs of meningitis) that didn't all match another illness category, so he was diagnosed last Monday. ='( Our vet has only treated 3 cases (Jake being the 3rd) of this in the past two years, and she says it's kind of rare, and more prevalent in boxers. He is being treated with steroids & antibiotics, and he's doing so much better. We are praying for a good report at the vet on Thursday, and we're hoping he makes a full recovery & doesn't relapse!!

We are looking for more information and support on this topic. There's no much out there on this subject, so I'd appreciate any stories of experience, etc. about this. Thanks everyone!

 

[Jan]

I have never heard of Aseptic Meningitis. I hope that Jake recovers soon. I am sending healing vibes your way.

 

[mizbritt]

thanks!

Thank you very much! We're praying for a full recovery & no relapse. Before this, I had never heard of meningitis in doggies.

 

[Gruntsmom]

Sending out lots of healing and positive vibes for your Jake, and hope he does well on the meds and makes a full recovery. Please keep us updated.

 

[mizbritt]

Thank you very much! I will keep everyone updated. We have another vet appointment tomorrow... praying for a great report!! <3

 

[mizbritt]

Just an update on Jake!

We went to the vet yesterday, and it went SO great! The vet was so impressed at how well Jake is doing. =D We're keeping him on antibiotics & steroids, and we have to go back in 2 weeks. I'm so thankful Jakey is feeling better. Please keep him in your prayers! =D

 

[Gruntsmom]

Good news to hear that Jake's vet visit went so well, and that he is feeling better and making good progress!! appicon Healing vibes continuing to go out to him for a complete recovery. Let us know how the checkup goes.

 

[joeys mom]

Just caught this and I am so glad to hear that Jake is responding well and doing good. I hope that he continues to do well and you get a good report when you go back to your next visit. Sending some good healing ~vibes~. Keep us posted

 

[auntthelm]

Just caught this and I am so glad to hear that Jake is responding well and doing good. I hope that he continues to do well and you get a good report when you go back to your next visit. Sending some good healing ~vibes~. Keep us posted

My thoughts exactly.

 

[JamieS]

My baby has it too!

Hello, My Kenya (she's 3 1/2 now) has had aseptic meningitis since she was 6 months. I thought it was a 1-time situation and once she got better, that would be it. There was VERY LITTLE information available about this back then. Her last relapse was a year ago this month, but she was on steroids until November. She is doing really well right now, but these are "sensitive" dogs. If she was exposed to anything that made her immune system work, the meninigitis would reappear. I would say we had 6 to 8 relapses in 2 years-it was really tough. My best advice: do some google searches on the disease; there are some articles from the AAHA you could print and give to your vet. They recommend LONG trials with steroids 4 to 6 months to get the best results. Also, do anything you can to boost his immune system (remember steroids are immuno suppressants)-avoid anything other than critical vaccinations-these always made Kenya have a relapse. Go natural-avoid products like Frontline, etc.. Get the book "Natural Health for Dogs & Cats" by Dr. Pitcairn-a really good source for immune suppressed dogs. If he is tired, give him plenty of rest.
Lastly, look into some really "good" dog food-google dog food analysis-there's a website that rates foods. Go for something with fish in it for the omegas.
I have been using this route for the last year with the best results!