haydenadams Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 my husky duke has been experiencing these symptoms for a week and im freaking out. first started with manic/hyper episode, he looked disturbed and couldnt settle. it was out of the blue. then lethargic, unwilling to get up, glassy distant look in his eyes, runny nose, no appetite for food and water. he got better fast over the next day and 24 hrs later was 100%. then a day after that the same thing again but worse. hes so out of character and looks miserable. bloodwork is normal, has been on iv fluids earlier this week but no improvement for very long after second episode. im going to another vet for second opinion (for lack of a better word-first vet just said doesnt know whats wrong) but ive researched for days and cant figure this out. has anyone experienced this and might know whats going on with him? in the evenings he looks confused and i wonder if he recognizes me or hallucinating. hes only 7 yo. his co-ordination seems okay and no seizures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 It could be a seizure , even tho hes not showing signs of one (shaking etc.) I would definitely get him checked out by a different vet, maybe some scans to see if it's a neurological issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted February 16, 2020 Report Share Posted February 16, 2020 I agree, it still could be a seizure. He could have had a focal seizure - no flopping around but disorientated afterwards. Some dogs come round quickly (mine does) but others can take up to 6/7 hours to come round properly after a fit. Good that you are seeing another vet - keep us informed. Hope you get it sorted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydenadams Posted February 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Thanks for your replies, I have had a look into dog seizures and it does seems to fit what happened to duke. Maybe i missed the actual seizure and only witnessed the post-ictal part, or i didnt recognize what has been happening as seizures. Some videos of focal seizures on YT i dont think i would have recognized if it was happening right in-front of me. The second opinion was no better than the first, I organized for duke to be seen by a call out vet at my parents house while i was at work. I left note explaining same thing i posted here, a copy of bloodtest and I called to make sure he understood it or had any questions. Apparently he asked if (quote) "Duke had gotten into his (my) "stash" and came up with the theory that either he had found and consumed drugs at my home or a neighbour had been throwing pot cookies over the fence. (Now that Im writing it out, why the hell did I pay the bill?) No words to describe the level of frustration/disillusion with whatever the hell i am supposed to do with that, speechless. Worse that my parents had been using him for years and I held him in high regard before this. I am having a look to see if there is a way of testing for recent seizure activity and considering a complete thyroid panel as ive read about a strong link between thyroid issues, zinc deficiancy and seizure/epilepsy. I hope thru information gathered from your community and my own research, I can be informed enough to decide how to best go forward without banking too heavily on Vet No.3's help, (in case he theorizes possession by evil spirits) I am grateful for your help which has been helpful and distinct from the help I have received from others which has not helped. Please keep posting and I will keep updating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 My understanding is that Vets cannot give a difinitive diagosis unless they either see it happening - or you tell them what the symptoms are during a fit i.e. you actually witness it. To my knowledge there is no test for epilepsy - the tests are to rule out other possible causes (brain tumour etc). Keep a detailed diary of your dog's symptoms date/time/description of reaction/ length of time if you actually witness it/ and anything that might have triggered the event (being too hot, thunderstorm, over excitement etc). Unfortunately epilepsy takes many many different forms, and has many different triggers - or none at all. One of my dogs used to attack me when he was going into a seizure breaking bones in my hands on a couple of occasions - until I learned his 'tells' - and we got out of the room until it was over. Marley on the other hand, has always had his seizures on waking up from sleep, or resting. He would come over to me for reassurance and wants to be cuddled and stroked during a fit - but afterwards wants to be on his own in a quiet room, preferably in the dark. Some dogs respond to cbd oil for epilepsy, Marley is one of them luckily, I experimented with different types of cbd and eventually found one that works for him - he has now been one year and 131 days fit free. Marley would not eat at all after a fit for approximately 24 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydenadams Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hi Y'all, Duke has been staying with his grandparents the last couple of nights as a way to try eliminate any environmental factors as a possible trigger. He has started a short course of antibiotics also, a bit of a shot in the dark but on evaluating his blood work the vet said his C-reactive protein CRP value is elevated which indicates an inflammatory response but to what isn't clear. Otherwise hes been well and improving for now. I will start keeping a diary of any unusual activity or symptomatic behavior as suggested #wolfpup. Interestingly I read an article by one owner who is adamant a full moon triggers seizures in her dog so I checked the moon phases and sure enough Dukes episodes were on the 8th and 10th, full moon was the 9th where I live so I cant rule that out. That Theory makes more sense than say the neighbours throwing drug laced baked goods over the fence(and it was free too which is nice). I am still leaning toward seizures being most likely and am unsure weather to do the thyroid test or wait and see how he goes. My concern with that is the link between zinc deficiency ATD auto immune thyroiditis (which is estimated to be the cause of around 80% of hypothyroid cases) where the immune system can attack the thyroid gland causing its inflammation. If this is what is happening it could explain the elevated CRP reading, the change in character and lethargy which are symptomatic of hypothyroidism even without seizures, but also can be the trigger for seizure activity I think I read its due to its effect on hormone release. (argh too many rabbit holes!) Anyway If it all stems back to zinc deficiency and the deficiency is due to malabsorbtion, while the antibiotics may address any underlying infection that could have triggered ATD, it will kill off all his gut bacteria including ones that assist in zinc absorbtion potentially compounding the problem once he comes off. Thats very concerning because the longer this goes on without resolving it the more damage is done to the thyroid, after a point that means very expensive and indefinate hormone meds that realistically i cant afford. Writing this out I've answered my own question, I was going to ask for advise but Im going to do the complete thyroid panel asap so long as the antibiotics wont interfere with the results. Apparently thyroid issues are present in about 13% of all sibes so its not unwarrented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydenadams Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Forgot to mention I had started on a zinc citrate supplement but only got 1 in before the antibiotics and vet says to wait till after hes finished the course before continuing with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 5 hours ago, haydenadams said: Forgot to mention I had started on a zinc citrate supplement but only got 1 in before the antibiotics and vet says to wait till after hes finished the course before continuing with it. Zinc Citrate is the best form of zinc you can give. The pdf is all about zinc deficency - but also cover thyroid as well (small section) - this might help. zincdeficiencyinsleddogs.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydenadams Posted February 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 I just got phone call saying the complete thyroid panel shows nothing abnormal. I should sleep easier tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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