today I’ve learned more than I ever waned to know about ‘Old Dog Syndrome’ or canine idiopathic vestibular syndrome…
Last night our older dog Chai (14.5 years) .. one of my best friends ever… was starting to climb the stairs.. when she fell over. in the floor .. few minutes later she fell into the fridge and really splayed her hind legs.. I could tell she was confused.. but she limped over to her bed and fell asleep. I sat with her until abot 1:30 as I blogged and she seemed ok.. This morning at 6 we woke to hear her struggling to stand.. We went down stairs and she was struggling to stand.. and very confused about what was going on. I carried her outside.. adn she staggered around like a drunken sailor.. she kept veering to the right. her head was swung way over.. and she kept falling..
She’s a healthy dog.. and regurlalry runs with us.. she’d run 2 miles with me yesterday.. but.. it looked bad.. real bad.. we figures she’d had a stroke. We got her comfortable and sat with her until the vet was open. we carried her in thinkign that this was going to be not good news..
Instead.. we learned that what she has is ‘Old Dog Syndrome’ .. or canine idiopathic vestibular syndrome… is transient disturbance of a dogs vestibular system..its very common It gives them wicked bad vertigo.. the room seems like its spin.. the dog cant walk well.. and is too nauseous to eat or drink..
the good news it almost always goes away in a couple of days..
I sat with chai all day and helped her walk, talked to her.. and slept beside her
it was fun, sad and slow
she’s already gettign better..
Let’s see how tomorrow goes
I really love my dogs..
nite all. nite sam
-0me
Sorry to get this news John. I hope everything works out OK. I have wanted a dog for years but unfortunately my health has not allowed it. They are basically kids that never grow up which makes them a big responsibility and a lot of work if you look at it from a purely practical perspective. Unfortunately I can’t handle the stress of all that responsibility under my current circumstances. However, I know because I hear it from people over and over that they are worth every bit of the effort involved in owning one. They return it at least 1000 times over in the form of unconditional love. Dogs are family. Unfortunately they don’t live long enough so we end up having to watch them “cross the rainbow bridge” as dog owners say. But still they are worth it beyond a shadow of a doubt. And when their time comes to leave us at least we can know that we gave them a good life. Remembering that can provide a little bit of comfort when they move on to the next life . I hope I get to own one (or two or three) one day!!! I’m rambling because I would love to have a dog so badly. Back to the subject at hand… you and your wonderful canine friend will be in my thoughts and prayers! I hope that she will be with you for a long time to come!
Blessings,
Paul Kruse