Neurological problems and liver problems

[Tammy and Willow]

Hello! My baby has been having some neurological issues, and I just wanted to post to see if anyone else has had experience with this. Willow has had three episodes of muscle twitching that has lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. All times, it has happened in the middle of the night, and she jumps up on our bed to lie down next to us. Her front and back legs twitch intermittently, and even her body will jerk occasionally. She is alert at all times.

I videoed the episodes, and my vet said if I had not done that, he would never suspect anything was going on with her. I took her in for blood work, and it looked good. She just had a couple of numbers slightly low, but nothing alarming. The vet said she has a neurological problem...could be petite seizures. She had a bile acid test on Tuesday to see if there is anything wrong with her liver. This test did show that she has some kind of liver dysfunction. It could be a congenital portosystemic shunt (surgically treatable). Her vet is consulting with a neurologist and a surgeon. She will probably need an ultrasound next. We are also discussing low potassium levels and the chance that Nexgard (flea and tick medicine) might be causing the neurological issues. Should hear back in a few days.

Willow will be 3 years old in April.

Has anyone had a dog with these symptoms?

Thanks for any help!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am sorry to hear this.
Nexgard could definitely be to blame. The FDA recently issued a warning about neurological problems in dogs caused by the active ingredient isoxazoline in Nexgard, Bravecto and Simparica: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flea-tick-pills-can-caus...
In fact, the exceptional and very experienced breeder who owns Jasper's father has a clause in her health warranty that the use of Nexgard will render the warranty null and void, that's how many problems and issues she has seen with it. The exact wording is:

"Your veterinarian should be willing to work with you to

separate vaccinations and to discuss flea/tick and heartworm preventative options with

you and keep your puppy's well being a priority. If you use Nexgard on your puppy it will

null and void your guarantee."

We do have a number of people here on DK whose dogs have various liver issues and diseases. You might trying doing a search in the Health Group. (You won't get any results from a general DK search.) I know Martha's Cooper has a liver shunt and he has done very well in spite of it. 
Since your vet will be consulting with specialists on these issues, which IMO is a very good thing, I would wait to hear what their responses are and try to stay positive. You are not likely to get any useful advice from people on social media, and often, what you will hear is woefully misleading and often just plain wrong. 
Hoping for a good outcome. 

[Tammy and Willow]

Thanks for your advice!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry Willow is having problems.  Thank you for posting because it educates us all even if our dog isn't experiencing this issue.  Please keep us updated.

[Tammy and Willow]

: )

[Jennifer and Jack]

I’m so sorry to hear about your baby.  There are so many different things that can cause this.   I may be a bit biased to social media as I personally have helped hundreds of people who suffer from a rare disease get the proper help they need. I also found help for my dog Jack on social media that I couldn’t find anywhere else.  All very accurate, truthful and proven help All met on social media.  Of course you have to take anything anyone other than a professional tells you with a truck load of salt.  I would ask anywhere you could to find out and compare stories.  There are some canine neurological groups both website and social media based that might help guide you.  I pray your vet is able to navigate you to a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.  

[Tammy and Willow]

Thanks for the advice!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Charlie and Ned both have had periods of ‘twitching’ in their sleep. I’ve never been concerned about it but now I guess I will. 

[Tammy and Willow]

She isn't asleep while having these twitches...she is awake and alert.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That makes me feel much better. 

[Tammy and Willow]

Update...

My vet consulted with a neurologist and a surgeon. The neurologist said "congratulations, you've got yourself a zebra." Meaning...when you hear hooves coming, you expect to see a horse, but instead you got a zebra. (I told him we would call her a unicorn instead. LOL!) She is an unusual case. She is not showing symptoms of toxicity, so the Nexgard issue doesn't seem likely. She is alert during the movements, so it doesn't really look like seizures. Her bile acid numbers are a little high, but not enough to be certain she has a shunt. 

This is our plan of action...

She is low in potassium, so we are giving her a supplement. We gave her a Nexgard off her schedule to see if it will cause the twitching. This will help us rule out the Nexgard. She had it Friday, and has not had any twitching, so it looks like Nexgard is not an issue. We will go back in for blood work to check potassium and do another bile acid test in 1 1/2 months. If bile acid number goes up, we'll do a sonogram to see if she has a shunt. 

That's all I have for now. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, this sounds pretty positive. Please keep us posted. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Just to add to this conversation, I was at our vet's office this morning and asked her about Nexgard. She said that if we haven't had any issues so far (My dogs have been taking it for several years without any problems.), then we should keep giving Nexgard and not worry about a reaction in the future.