Winston's panic episodes (or seizures?)

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Starting a new discussion to make it clear that the mouse is no longer the prime suspect in Winston's saga. He's at the ER where he's been since early this afternoon, being observed for what I can only believe is some sort of neurological issue.

His 'fits' start with with him suddenly bolting upright, a bit of drool falls out of his mouth, and then he starts wailing and flailing around, jumps on something (couch, bed, etc) pees and poops, and then sits there shaking and crying. Then suddenly, it clears up and it's as if it never happened. For the one he had first thing this morning we were heading out the door for a walk and it started. He ran down the hall, down the stairs and outside to the car, and begged me to let him in the car where I guess he feels safe (that's when I took off to my friends place, thinking if it was a mouse it wouldn't happen there, but sure enough, it did, and so off the the ER we went).  I am just so thankful it didn't happen while I was driving!

I think I will go pick him up in the morning and bring him to my vet's office which opens at 7am. They are not looking after him very well there, nobody knows what's going on, nobody is sharing information with each other. They didn't know about his food trial even though I told them when I admitted him and again over the phone. They didn't know he needed his thyroid medicine. Nobody in the back knew I was in the visitor room waiting to see Winston. I had to go knock on doors.  When I finally saw him he was still covered in his pee and poop and nobody had cleaned him or treated him yet. No blood tests were taken.

They told me the reason they haven't cleaned him yet is because he was nervous around them. That is impossible because there isn't a living, breathing, thing on earth that Winston doesn't adore. They didn't understand the seriousness at all. They just chalked it up to a nervous dog and a nervous owner. I explained, again, that he is not a nervous dog, and has never shown fear before, ever. Nothing startles him, bothers him or upsets him in any way, ever. I think they finally got it but how frustrating??? So in total I waited three hours, and maybe got about 20 minutes with him before he had another episode and they took him back to give him some valium. I waited for the vet to come talk to me and finally had to go knocking on doors again and it seemed nobody knew I was still there. Meanwhile the whole time I was sitting in that room, it turned out Winston was right on the other side of the wall. All someone had to do was bring him through the door. They promised a real live vet would call with a full update first thing in the morning.

Unfortunately the saddest news is that they have no idea what it is, and said they have never seen anything like this before. I asked them what the point was of me leaving him there if nobody was going to tend to him or treat him in any way. They reassured me they were watching him closely and that it was the only way for them to get a sense of what is wrong.

I'm thinking I will get him out of there in the morning and for now, at least he's spending the night with a doctor, so if something bad happens then he will be looked after. But if the issue is fear and fear only I sure wish I could be there with him. I hate the thought of him having these episodes with nobody there to comfort him. :(

I'm sure there's a gazillion spelling errors here, sorry but I'm so tired...

[Amy and Lily]

This is what my vet told me to do when there was a similar situation with one of my dogs.

[BG and Gavin]

Okay Sherri, this anxiety diagnosis makes NO sense at all to me.  Why did this suddenly start out of a clear blue sky and appear during times when nothing in particular was going on in your home.  The first was on Friday at like midnight when we were yapping, there was nothing stress inducing going on right?  It just seems more seizure-like to me (although I am not a vet!).  If you want to take him for some individual off-leash time, go to a ball diamond - they are generally fenced all the way around and deserted this time a year.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

That's exactly what I keep telling them but they are at a loss so keep reverting to that as the only explanation.

I love the ball diamon idea. I know just the place.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with BG.

Just keep in mind the fact that JD lost almost 15% of his body weight and developed vitamin deficiencies in one month because of a medical issue while the vets (including my regular vet, who's been treating him for 6 years) kept telling me it was nothing, he must have gotten into something, he's just a nervous dog, he doesn't need an endoscopy, etc. YOU know your dog better than anyone, you know when something doesn't seem right.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Amen to that Karen!!!

[Chelsea and Bailey]

I'm just throwing this out there don't know if it makes sense but I just read a discussion on a little bischon doing same thing randomly. Someone asked if it could possibly be kidney stones. Sharp intense pain that could possibly scare him ie. yelp in pain, scramble around to try to relieve symptom and possibly be so painful he loses bladder/bowel control? Maybe that would be something to look into as it would make more sense with the random attacks just suddenly happening...?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

He has elevated Chloride and Sodium levels, which is a symptom in dogs with kidney disease, diabetes and bouts of diarrhea. So it could be related to the fact that every time he has an attack he empties his bowels and bladder. Or he could be having the attack and emptying his bowels and bladder because of one of the other two issues...

maybe I should have a urinalysis done for him.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you may be driving yourself a little batty. He could also be a little dehydrated from all the stress, not eating and drinking regularly lately. Let your vet guide you. I do think something is going on but reading random things on the web is unlikely to solve the problem.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

LOL. yea. sigh. so far so good since he's been home though. Sometimes he looks like it's about to start up but I distract him with something and he settles.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Gotta agree with this. I am trying really hard now not to do random reading about certain canine illnesses. I was really making myself crazy.

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

it also shows a low MCHC - which apparantly means anemia.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sherri, you are really over interpreting things. The hct or hgb is a much better indicator of anemia and if you do enough tests any on emay be somewhat off. Someone needs to look at the whole picture.