non-GSD, but senior pup question

[torizmojo]

My 13.5yr Aussie, Mojo, was diagnosed with Vestibular Syndrome almost 3 weeks ago. He is now able to walk around by himself, usually unassisted inside. Though it is still a swagger and is in a diagonal line. He does fall or stumble easily, especially on uneven ground(which is everywhere in our yard sadly). He also has the exaggerated head tilt, but I've been told that this will likely be a permanent thing anyways.

My concerns are his temperament and personality. Mojo has always been an extremely confident boy, ready to stand up to the world, even only a few months ago. Now after the Vestibular, he is scared, clingy and seems more frail. He panics if I leave the room and has to be touching me and WANTS to be cuddled. I don't mind this at all, and I'm actually selfishly enjoying the cuddly part, since he was never one to particularly enjoy hugs in his entire 13.5 yrs. Don't get me wrong, he has always been a velcro "momma's boy". However, he always preferred being on alert by my side instead of cuddled in my lap.

Mojo's hearing is mostly gone, eye sight is dimming and he gets lost and confused very easily. He still wants to try and get on the couch, even with his multiple beds. However, if you help him, he gets annoyed and gets right back down and walks into the other room in a huff. He is such a proud boy that I think it embarrasses him. Since he stumbles a lot, I've been bitten by him at least 4 times trying to help him. He didn't break the skin, just bruised it and then he felt bad after he did it. He seemed startled and confused more than in pain at the times.

So my question is for people who have known dogs that went through this. Did their personalities change during this time(understandably)? If so, did they go back to normal after a while? Its been almost 3 weeks and its hard watching my arrogant boy turn into a frightened and unsure senior.

We do have another appointment this coming Thursday, just to check on him. Any suggestions about how to make this easier on him? Thanks.

[Barb E]

A friend of mine had a dog (mix of some sort) with Vestibular, she had several "attacks" over about 5 years (she passed at almost 17)

We all noticed the clingy behavior after each attack, but it did resolve somewhat. I will say it resolved less after eacy one, but who knows if that was actually the Vestibular or just the fact that she was so old.

[Spiritsmam]

My Shep (Lab/Border collie mix) had three episodes of vestibular disease and was left with a head tilt. Initially he too become more clingy, but as he adapted over time more and more of his old self returned. Shep was 12 when he had his vestibular problems and passed away aged 15.

[LisaT]

I would follow this up with a chiropractor treatment, to help out the nervous system.

[LJsMom]

LJ had 2 bouts of Vestibular Syndrome last Spring.

Acupuncture has really helped her balance and hearing. Has Mojo's thyroid been checked lately?

[torizmojo]

Ok, thank you. I will look into those.

Yes it has. Mojo had been having problems before dealing with this, so we have recently been to the vets multiple times for xrays and lots of bloodwork. I do know that one of the first things that they did was a full thyroid panel and it came up normal. So we're going to go over possibilities and options when I see the vet on Thursday.

[LisaT]

Be sure to get a copy of thyroid results, if you haven't already. Sometimes they can be low-normal and that's enough to throw the body off, and also tells you to retest sooner rather than later.

Also, Aussies can have the mdr1 genetic mutation that makes them sensitive to many drugs, including all HW drugs. Did the episode occur after any drugs were administered?

[torizmojo]

Ok, I will get a copy of his results when I go in Thursday.

I do know all about the mdr1 and we steer clear of those medications, especially knowing that Kedge is probably going to test mutant/mutant. Even so, he hadn't had anything out of the ordinary before hand. Thank you for asking though, a lot of people are unaware of those problems associated with the mdr1.

[LisaT]

My mixed breed is a 1/2 mutant. I had her tested on a whim, when I tested my GSD. Go figure, the GSD is clear, the mixed breed isn't

Hope that this passes quickly. Where the other problems before neuroligical at all?

[torizmojo]

Mojo has definitely gotten more temperamental. He's also been ravenous, like getting into the cabinets, garbage, food canister and eating dirt and other weird things like clay ornaments.

He was diagnosed with Laryngeal Paralysis earlier this year. He pants a lot and is breathing heavier than normal. He has gotten pretty lethargic and not interested in anything that used to perk him up; car rides, walks, wrestling with Kedge etc. He is very anxious though and has started obsessively licking his front legs. On top of this he is losing his hearing and his vision.

All his blood work and x-rays have come back normal so far too. He started going downhill soon after we lost Faust. They weren't really 'buddies' but they hung out together and had been housemates since Faust came to live with us 11 yrs ago. Basically all Mojo has been doing is sleeping, eating and going potty. This is a dog that used to go nuts for training and car rides or playing keep away games, even just a few months ago. So right now, we're kind of at a loss and the Vestibular seems to have made everything worse.

My vet is worried that it might be some type of brain lesion instead of Vestibular, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be on the upswing soon so that we know its not that.