Dog Community

Anyone Have Any Ideas??

Posted : 8/25/2009 2:13:40 PM

I have a 9 month old, female, black lab retriever. At about 9 weeks old I started noticing she would twist her head to the side and act like she was dizzy. These spells would only last 30 seconds at most and then she would return to normal. As she got older the spells got worse and lasted longer in durration - maybe a minute at most now. But now they have basically stayed at about the same - one spell per day and have not gotten any worse. When she has a spell she turns her head to the side and acts as though she is very dizzy, crouching low to the ground to keep her balance. The spell will go away very quickly if I tell her to “Sit and Stay”. She will sit there leaning to one side for a few moments and then all of a sudden, it’s like she regains her balance and she will sit up straight again and be fine. I also notice her shaking her head from time to time, which I suspect is in relation to the spells. I dont believe that she has an ear infection, as I am very familure with them and can recoginze the symptoms and oder in the dog's ear that typically accompany an ear infection.

My vet has done basic blood work on her and all the test come back fine. I also had her eyes CERF tested and her eyes proved to be fine. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? I obviously know whatever it is, ITS NOT GOOD - suspect it may be a brain tumor. But no vet or anyone in the dog community I have talked with has any ideas of what it could be.

micksmom

Posted : 8/25/2009 2:20:18 PM

It could be either epilepsy and vestibular disease. Here's a link to medical cooncerns in Labs.

http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/labrador/labarticle3.htm

BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 8/25/2009 2:21:16 PM

I would take her back to the vet to make sure that her ears aren't the problem. Infection or even something, ie hair or a tick, deep down in the ear canal could be causing her balance issues. A blow to the head can, sometimes, cause neurological problems as well.

I would start with a recheck from your normal vet to make sure that the ears are ok. If that shows nothing, I would look for a referral to a neurologist.

ETA: A MRI would likely confirm a brain tumor.

markman

Posted : 8/27/2009 2:46:29 PM

thanks for the help so far! any more ideas are always welcomed.