calliecritturs
Posted : 6/21/2011 3:23:12 PM
If this has been going on a while, I would certainly go to a different vet if your vet has been unable to figure it out.
It sounds like it could be several things. "couldn't walk straight" sounds like vestibular disease (which is ultimately an ear problem) which is treatable.
But the rest of your description sounds like it could be a) neural and/or b) even seizure-oriented.
Pain that is ever-present does take a huge toll and my first guess would be a *deep* bacterial ear infection. That could account for much -- but your vet won't resolve it with a tube of Otomax or similar. But someone should do a *deep* "culture and sensitivity" -- that's a swab they do deep from the ear canal (and if he's in huge pain they may need to sedate him to accomplish it) -- then they send it off to be cultured (to find out what particular bacteria is lurking in there) **and** a sensitivity test -- literally they treat whatever they 'grow' with various antibiotics so you know how to successfully resolve such a thing.
Left untreated ear infections like that can be tough to find (because there is no head-shaking -- but often either pain that may not show but suddenly manifest in a cry or in loss of balance, etc.) but it will also ultimately be fatal because the infection can simply abscess and rupture causing death.
My best suggestion for you would be to take him to your state's best vet school or even a specialist. **RIGHT AWAY** It depends on where you are -- I've had super good luck going to the U of FL vet school in Gainesville -- often vet schools are cheaper and better than a specialist.
But honestly you need to get it diagnosed. If your vet has been unable to get to the bottom of it, I would suggest you go to the next level. It sounds serious to me but such things are often resolvable if you pursue them.
Years ago I had a cocker who had horrible unresolved mange. I did everything to resolve that and wasn't able to. He used to get yeasty ear infections all the time and we were cosntantly treating for them.
What we did *NOT* know was that he had a deep bacterial ear infection that despite repeated vet visits my vet had never properly diagnosed and treated. By the time it was discovered he had been in severe pain for years -- and the ears were not salavageable. He had bi-lateral ear ablations on both ears -- that literally means they had to remove his ears (not the ear flaps but the ear canal, middle and inner ear).
It was the best thing that ever happened to him!! The change was unbelievable and my husband and I both feel that when we look at old pictures of him we can tell how much severe pain he'd been in that we never knew was there. And btw ... he learned sign language and wound up picking up about 70 various signs. AND -- that unresolved demodectic mange? It WENT AWAY - it was caused by the deep ear infection sapping the immune system!
But such a thing could so easily be anything from a pinched nerve to a mild sort of seizure or an infection. You may never have even thought of going to a vet school -- but it can be the easiest place to get something like this resolved economically and effectively.
Good luck!! Good for you that you are pursuing it!!
[edited because I spelled "sounds" with a "w" -- duh!]