EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Hi everyone ~

My wild and crazy, happy, funny EPI gal, Izzy is at the vets.  This past Saturday night she got sick, vomiting, shaking, her eyes were very jittery, gums were very pale, she kept losing her balance, head rollng and she would not even try to walk across open flooring. And she was obviously very frightened.

I was petrified that she somehow ingested something poisoinous, my husband thought she had a stroke. When I brought her to the vets they said that inflammationin in the head will cause these kinds of symptoms. Currently they have her on IV's and pumping her with anitiobiotcs and cross-antibiotics and something else, i have no idea what because  I was so upset I could not take in everything he was saying.  They suspect peripheral vestibular syndrome and are treating her for this first, if it is not this, then they suspect a mass on the brain. I am praying that it is this

peripheral vestibular syndrome, an inner ear problem, that causes rapid eye movement, head tilting, loss of balance, vomiting,  everything is spinning therefore frightening them.....I do not even want to think of the other possibility.

This epi4dogs website was started because of my Izzy.... and then this FORUM blossomed. Some of us are fortunate to have that once in a lifetime dog,  Izzy is that once in a lifetime dog to me. Please keep Izzy in your thoughts. Thank you.

Ah geez, O.  I am so sorry to hear this.  I will definately say a prayer.  I am so sorry you are having to go thru this.  If you wanna talk, you know my number.  Please, keep  us updated.  How scary.

Thanks Karen. I appreciate it.

If i talk ...I start crying . Last night i called to see how she was doing and there was no change. I am afraid to call this morning....... but will do so shortly.

Olesia:

Until your post, I'd never heard of peripheral vestibular syndrome.  You and your beautiful Izzy are in my thoughts and prayers. 

Oh Olesia,

Plenty of prayers, healing vibes and fingers, toes and paws are crossed here for Izzy's speedy recovery. I too have never heard of this condition. 

Please keep us updated when you can.

Olesia... keep your chin up, sweetie.

I had the same symptoms with Dilly as she got older.

I rushed her to the emergency vet and he said it was a kind of stroke... I was scared to death because he said it was so severe he would normally put the dog down but he saw we adored her and gave her a shot of something and sent her home.

Rob and I took turns to lie on the floor with her holding her paw (it seemed the only thing that calmed her) For two days and nights she didn't move, she just lay there and we lay with her..... THEN SHE GOT UP AND WANTED OUT TO PEE! ......SHE COULDN'T WALK STRAIGHT AND KEPT FALLING OVER BUT SHE WAS SOOOOOO DETERMINED!

I put a big towel under her belly and held her up so she could pee and come back. When the vet opened after the weekend we took her to see our vet and he was gobsmacked... he had been told by the emergency vet she wouldn't make it.

She had to be helped with a towel for about a week then she walked around with her head on one side for about 6 weeks. Then she recovered completely and lived four more years with no problems.

Have faith, sweetie... we are all praying for you.

Val

Val:

I'm curioius now, could Dilly have had peripheral vestibular syndrome?  From everything I've read about it this morning, it's very often misdiagnosed as either a stroke or poisoning.  The words in the information I read that just blew me away,  were..."it's not uncommon."  I've had dogs for 59 years and I've never heard of  peripheral vestibular syndrome.   

Linda,

You and I are apparently doing the same thing this morning...  I was just about to post Val the same question... From everything I've read, Strokes are very rare in dogs, but this condition does present like one. Also, it does seem to go away gradually over a short period of time.

I feel for you but hopefully it is Vestibular's. I went through a couple of bouts with Duke and he recovered but it is so scary seeing them that way. Praying for you and Izzy.

Hi folks.

I can't answer your question because I was so scared I could hardly absorb anything. I only know the vet sort of made it simple for me by describing the attack as a kind of  'stroke'  or  'brain storm'.

It was so frightening and severe I thought she would go before we got to the emergency vet.

Then when we brought her home she just zonked out... the only movement she made was to reach a paw out if I let go of it. So she was aware but not able to do much.

Then like magic she woke and tried to stand... I tried to stop her but she was going out for a pee no matter what so I grabbed a towel and held her up while she struggled to put one leg in front of the other.

It got slowly better after a week and she walked a bit wobbly for several weeks with her head cocked to one side and her eyes a bit whizzy, but she slowly got better and there were no ill effects after that. Although I was warned it could happen again... it never did.

Val

Val:

From what I understand, they can relapse with this but it's not necessarily common. 

Thinking back the vet gave me some tablets but I can't remember what they were... only I couldn't give them until she stopped vomitting.

He said it wasn't a tummy problem it was just that her balance had gone and movement made her feel sick... she did have trouble eating for a few days so I fed her a little at a time.

It was maybe 11 or 12 years ago so I forget the details now... I think I was so frightened I blocked it out after she recovered.

Val

Olesia - you and sweet Izzy are in my thoughts and close to my heart today.  Wishing the very best outcome for both of you.

Olesia.

I dearly hope its what Dilly had.

I know its scary but Dilly recovered and I'm sure if its the same thing Izzy will battle through it too.

We are praying real hard for you and our babe... hang in there.

Val

Olesia,

Please know that I am sending tons of healing thoughts to Izzy, saying prayers for her and keeping her and you in my thoughts.

All fingers and toes are crossed as well as six pairs of paws are crossed.

I know it is a very difficult time and just keep up the hope and the strength for her.

Jan

Olesia

You and Izzy are in my prayers. 

Diane

Enzyme Diane

Olesia,

You and Izzy are in our prayers.  Don't worry about the stuff your doing for me off line.  Izzy is more important for you to focus on.  I just wish you would have mentioned something when we wrote yesterday.

Frank, Terry and Ayasha

Olesia,

Prayers for you and Izzy. Fletch had a very bad bout of this when he was three. Is Izzy on any antibiotics especially metro? Fletch turned out to have a toxic reaction to the metro and it caused the exact same symptoms. 

Cindi & Fletch the EPI corgi

Thank you everyone for your kind words, prayers and thoughts...I just keep crying off and on and wish I could just go and hold Izzy. But i know, once she sees me and then when i have to leave again, it will only make matters worse.

I spoke to the vet a few hours ago... there is good news and bad news.

As of this morning, Izzy ate 1/2 her breaksfast (good news) and there was very slight improvment, but there was some (good news)

But, when they tapped the side of her head, she does not fully close her eyes, the vet said this is cause for concern and does not happen that he/vet knows of with peripheral vestibular disease (bad news).

But, unless i understood him incorrectly (I am very upset so maybe i heard wrong....) but i could have sworn he said usually if there is improvement it may not be brain mass.

So I asked him what can cause the eye lid not closing .... he said an underlying condition,,,possibly some nerve damage, something that everyone missed previously,, and that that could be caused by many things.

So i did some digging... because unless i observed it incorrectly, it appeared to me that Izzy';s rapid eye movement was up and down at 2 am Sunday morning...

I found a site by the Univ of Florida that specializes in Canine Vestibular diseases and seemed to have the best, most thorough information and other links on vestibular conditions:

http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/vestibular/vestib.htm,  According to this site...the up and down rapid eye movement is indicative of central vestibular disease, in short, it can be in the brain, or brain stem and can be caused by many things "The major causes of central vestibular disease are inflammatory /infectious diseases or neoplasia.Organophosphate intoxication, liver disease (with metabolic brainstem degeneration)and thiamine deficiency can occasionally result in central vestibular disease(depending upon the species of animal), but these causes are far less than the inflammatory or neoplastic causes. In dogs, canine distemper virus,granulomatous meningoencephalitis, toxoplasmosis, neosporidiosis, aspergillosis,cryptococcosis, steroid-responsive meningoencephalitis, Lyme's disease,Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis are the most common inflammatoryand infectious diseases recognized. "

It also says: "Diagnosis of central vestibular disease involves the minimal data based for inner ear disease, but must be expanded to include a chemistry profile, a CSF tapand analysis (including species specific titers) and, often, advanced brain-imagingtechniques, such as MRI examination. Since CSF cytology is important inassessing central vestibular disease and advanced imaging techniques areneeded, central vestibular disease crosses "the referral line", the pointin assessing disease which may require the interaction or interpretationof a neurologist.The treatment and prognosis for central vestibular disease depends upon the cause. In neoplasia, biopsy may help determine whether radioablative surgery might be useful. Unfortunately, the brainstem is not an area amenable to conventional neurosurgery. In small animals, bacterial infections causing central vestibular disease is uncommon. Rickettsial infection is also rare."

Unfortunately, when at the vet yesterday, he said MRI equipment is not readily available in this area unless maybe with some of the big horse vets (Louisville KY).... and it sounds like an MRI might be prudent to do, if they determine it is not a peripheral vestibular condition.

I am going to try and find an MRI machine just in case....

Again, thank you everyone for your very kind thoughts and words.

Please keep us updated. I am so sorry to hear this. I'm sure we can all understand how you feel.

Our dogs are not just dogs to us.

My thoughts are with you.