falling?

[EAO76]

Rosco is almost 9years old. He has had three episodes where he has fallen down. Has anyone experienced this and if so what did it turn out to be? When he falls he ends up on his side with his legs kicking. Then pretty quickly he is able to gain composure and get up. He doesn't loose consciousness. A few months ago (when it happened the first time) we had an ultrasound done on his heart and abdomen and everything looked normal. Around the same time that these symptoms started he also started to have stomach issues and has become sensitive to many types of foods. Any ideas?

 

[Holden's Mom]

I hate to hear this. It reminds me of our Autry. In the beginning he would fall off the car seat or jumping onto a bed. It increased to falling while walking. Many trips to the vet, and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the vet school in Auburn.

Is it in the back legs? Both sides? Is it a balance problem? I hope your Rosco can get a diagnosis soon. Early detection of any disorder gives a much better chance of quality of life.

Pam and Doug

 

[EAO76]

Its not really anything specific that I can see. My rescue friends say it sounds like his heart. But I think maybe it could be a seizure. Im not sure because it happens so fast and he seems to remain alert. Once it was when he was waking up from a nap, second time he fell over when we were out on a walk, and yesterday's he was just sitting outside our back door while my husband was near by. Husband said he heard a thud and Rosco was at the bottom of our three steps that lead out into the yard on his side seeming to struggle to get back up. His legs kick like he's running but he's down on his side. Im so bummed. Im thinking its either a cardiac episode or neuroloneurological but I'm not sure how to tell. Should I take him to have a holter done or a MRI? The last time I took him to our regular vet we spent a lot of money and didn't get any answers.

 

[Holden's Mom]

We found the only way to really show the vet the problem was a video. Fortunately if you see what is happening and have a cell phone ready, you will be able to get a true picture to show the vet. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and saves money too.

This sounds like a tough call. Could it be a balance problem? The incidents you've described seem unrelated except for balance. Autry's incidents always involved falling and limping on the left side. I had an awful feeling Autry's problem was neurological because it was on the left rear side only. That to me ruled out DM. With Rosco, a holter will tell you if it is heart related. Does your rescue own a holter? I hate spending money and getting no answers, so I often think an appointment at the local vet school is worth the trip.

Pam and Doug

 

[SherylM]

My Boston has epilepsy and what you describe sounds like one of his "mild" seizures. He will be on his side, eyes open, "appearing" to be looking around and his back legs are paddling to get up. He eventually uprights himself and carries on like nothing happened.

Here is an excllent site (hope I can share this) on seizure and epilepsy. Hope you get some answers soon

Canine Epilepsy and Dog Seizures Table of Contents - Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels

 

[rena]

My Mick has SAS (heart valve issue). When he goes down there is no leg kicking while out, he will kick legs when trying to get back up and hasn't come around fully. Did you happen to notice if Rosco's gums were pale/white? Mick loses color in his gums and we now use pale gums as an indicator to rest for awhile. We took Mick to a University Cardiologist. His condition was diagonised with echocardiogram (because heart valve defect) - the holter gave good results. Good Luck - know from numerous fainting episodes they are scary and no fun.

 

[EAO76]

The very 1st time this happened his gums were pale & he was breathing funny but the last two times I did NOT notice any breathing issues or pale gums. The last two episodes only lasted a few seconds and he was not disoriented or odd in any way afterwards. Can you guys think of an illness that would cause seizures AND stomach upset? Initially when these issues started he also developed a sensitive stomach. Right after the 1st fall he vomited almost daily for several weeks. Finally we seemed to get the vomiting under control and everything has been mostly good (a couple pukes here & there but MUCH better) And now again within the last 24/48hrs of this most recent seizure/fall he has vomited a couple times. He did get into a tiny bit of ground beef that was seasoned with taco seasoning and that night he had a very bloody stool and then over the next 72ish hours is when the fall and vomiting happened. Do you think its all related? Or just a coincidence?

 

[angleheart]

It could be the heart. Sounds like syncope. From what I have gone through recently, there is usually some level of disorientation following a seizure where with syncope they recover quickly and are right back to normal when the episode is over.

 

[sugarraesmom]

Falling-sounds similar to Mugsy

For the past several months, Mugsy, 10.5 year old boxer, has been having similar episodes, except Mugsy's are caused by his ramping up his excitement/energy from 0 to 60! All of a sudden he will stop, pant heavily, start swaying and then pitch forward. He flays with his legs but can't gain his balance, and I have to get down and tell him to stay. Twice, he lost control of his bowels. I have also noticed his gums are very white. After about a minute, he stands up and shakes off like nothing happened. The vet and others think it sounds like he is not getting enough oxygen to the heart. An EKG showed a barely enlarged heart, not unusual for his age. He wore a holter monitor X24 hours last week, it takes a good 3-4 weeks before we will get results.

 

[entelekia]

Does he seem to be bumping into anything? Not necessarily hitting things, but like maybe he is unnecessarily close to one side of the door frame than the other when he walks through it? If you put a treat on the right side of his face, can he get it right away or does it take him a second? Same on his left side?

Laika had been acting "odd" doing the kind of things I described above, then she started falling. It would also be really quick, because she would just literally tip over to one side, without any apparent reason. It happened a lot whenever she would initiate movement (from sitting to standing, from standing to walking, etc).

If it seems at all similar I would make an appointment with a neurologist, skip your regular vet. They can do a thorough neurological workup and see if he has developed any balance or weakness issues that can point to the brain.

Sorry to hear about this, and I hope it's nothing serious. Keep us posted.