As some of you may know we have a old German Shepherd named Kira. She is 13 years and 8 months old. She is the love of our lives along with our other dog Sasha/piggy and of course our human child Beth.
Yesterday Kira had what I thought was a seizure or stroke. She then began walking in circles, peeing in the house, stopped eating and drinking and then could no longer walk.
Her eyes were also spinning in her head and basically she looked ready to die. I took it in stride knowing she is almost 14 and this day had to come, but cried all day none the less. My husband handled it worse....he loves this dog more than you can imagine.
So, I made her comfortable, cleaned her up and kept a bowl of water near her mouth. She got worse in the night, had another "episode" and peed some more.
This morning I called the vet and she told me that it sounds like classic Vestibular Old Dog Syndrome. Sounded bad to me...seems it is not! Basically it is an inner ear problem that throws old dogs into a spin, literally. They are dizzy and motion sick and feel as if they are on a demented Tilt-a-whirl! Their eyes continue to twirl in their heads giving them the look of Linda Blair in the Exorcist! The good news? NO DEATH!
Bad news is I have to nurse her 24/7 for a little while, because she can't eat or drink on her own or got to the bath room alone. But that's ok ;-)
Almost all dogs recover from this in a few days to a few weeks. So I cried all day for nothing. Guess my sweet Kira has a bit more fight left in her!
So if your dog starts acting crazy and looks like she/he is having a stroke or seizure and their eyes are spinning and they can't walk straight it may be this syndrome! Hope this helps someone else not to be completely freaked out! Just make sure you let the vet know what is going on and make sure your dog has water and food several times a day...you will have to literally put the bowl to their mouth and have plenty of towels and blankets on hand for the mess they will make.
The vet said she may walk a bit off from now on and she may have a head tilt. But other than that she should be ok until the next scare.
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Comments: 38
Hope she is feeling better now.
I lost my doberman after 16 years. broke my heart.
Larry, that's a pic from last month.
janet, losing a pet is so hard...they love us so well...it really hurts when they go(or when we think they are going!)
Kira is such a fine looking older GSD. We understand how attached you are as we have a pack of dogs(3GSD's 1 wanna be) and a cat.
Hoping she returns to her baseline soon. And God Bless You for your tender heart and the love and dedication you have for your family,human and animal alike.
Was she placed on antibiotics or any medication?
Here's a woof from grandma Kira, I love you.
Kira is eating from our hands and eating well! home cooked chicken, carrots and spuds. She also drinks water and has made it outside to do her business 3 times since yesterday...with our help of course!
Her eyes are not spinning as much, but she is still very unstable. But the vet says as long as her basic needs are being met she should be ok.
Your kind words mean the world to me! thank you!
My dog used to have seizures, that can be really scarry. I used to give him ice chips to keep him hydrated.
Hugs to Kira and you:)
Kira is hanging in there!
She will let you know when it is time- though you may rally a short time she is telling you she is gettting ready to go..
Ignite her with a new puppy.
If you can handle the new responsability.
I guess there would be some crying on my part too. I
did cry when my son's german shepherd took sick with
something like Kira had but Katrina had bleeding going
on also. She was at the Vets a few days and they did
what they could for her and Chris picked her up brought
her home. Katrina would go to Chris each time she felt
this come on and he would sleep on the living room floor
with her. One morning he woke up she had her head on
his chest and was passed over. That was about the worst
time for all of us but Chris took it hard. I just had to share
this with y'all I felt moved to do so.