I have a 5 yr old akc german shepard who is gets his vaccinations regurally and always checks out with a clean bill of health, but recently he had an episode where he just froze up started shaking and drulling, then after about a minute or two came out of it, but then he started favoring his hind legs almost limping. It scared me to death and I would just like some feed back on what it could possibly be before I take him to the vet.

Well, for starters, I would read the articles here on vaccinosis. And I would stop vaccinating. There are other members here that can explain and discuss this further with you as well.

Is there anything that your dog could be getting into that you do not know about? (cleaners, d-con ect...)

Sounds like a stroke to me, as I do not think seizures cause favoring any limbs.
I would take the dog in and have blood tests done.

Here ya go!

Vaccine Articles on Leerburg

Good luck with your dog. I am sure when a few more people see this you will get answers from more knowlegeable people than myself, so stick around, it will be worth it...

I would definitely stop vaccinating and take him to the vet - don't tell the vet you are going to stop vaccinating (should that be what you decide). They don't like to hear that, it's part of their bread and butter and they'll give you scare talks in order to change your mind.

Vaccinosis has been known about for over a century, as it regarded humans. I'm not saying that's what happened to your dog, but I'd stop injecting him with any more.

Actually, depending on how long he was limping, it COULD be "just" a seizure and not a stroke. I have an epileptic dog (unvaccinated, unmedicated, has seizures about 2-3x a year now). In the post-ictal phase, some uncoordination, and possible appearance of a limp is common. Lack of coordination does not necessarily mean stroke. You still need to determine the cause of the seizure, though, so I would do a full blood panel to rule out obvious causes.

I should have asked this earlier....is he still favoring his hind end?

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a disc problem either, do you have access to a chiropractor as well as a good vet?

If there is a disc problem or anything neurologic you should seek a veterinary Neurologist. Chiropractic work can cause 'disc problems' to become worse and also you don't know the underlying cause.

As neurology is my passion and plan for after vet school, I can't stress the importance if diagnostic work enough. A physical neurology exam to first identify if it is indeed neurologic. A neuro serology panel to rule out viral, bacterial, etc causes. Potentially a myelogram of the spine and a CT scan.

It is ideal to catch any issues early so treatment and/or surgery can still be performed. I would not be so quick to eliminate vaccines and be sure that you are making a record of any seizure activity. The log should include any details such as duration of seizure, post-ictal activity, details of the seizure itself, what preceded the seizure if anything and present all that to your vet. Hope everything turns out well!

At 5 yrs old, why does this dog need any more vaccines? I would never, ever vaccinate a dog w/seizures, especially at 5. He will not become "more" immune-so why stress the system any more? Rabies has a neurological component; do a search for rabies & seizures; you will be unpleasantly surprised. Naturally, a conventional vet will dismiss the connection, but I actually was lucky enough to have more than one vet admit that my Chi's seizures were vaccinosis in a CLASSIC form. Of course the vet at the time said it was "unheard" of and "impossible." And to think that he has only had one round of shots his entire life...naturally they were ordered before he could be admitted into the hospital.

A disc problem is entirely possible, but would that cause the drooling? Actually, my poor dog ended up having 2 ruptured discs removed because of all the seizures he used to have. Supposedly, all the unnatural arching of his back eventually caused enough wear that when he was jumping around doing things he shouldn't, he ruptured 2 discs and was nearly paralyzed. His MRI was not typical of normal DJD.

Anyway, don't hesitate to go to vet after vet before finding one who will satisfy you in terms of a thorough examination not dictated by what they *think* is a probable cause and what isn't.

Good luck with your dog; if you don't know what you're dealing with, it's terrifying. I freaked when my dog had his first seizure.

Jenni,

Drooling and shaking can be caused by anxiety and/or pain. My first thought was vaccine related seizures also, but I don't think disc issues should be ruled out without a thorough exam by a QUALIFIED vet.

Nicole, I know the chiropractor should not be used without a diagnosis free of disc issues, my bad for not making that more clear in my post. In a hurry as usual. I agree with having diagnostics done, I absolutely don't agree with a 5 year old overly vaccinated dog ever being vaccinated again no matter what the diagnosis.

Immunologically, it's pointless and serves only to cause damage down the road.

Edited by Cindy Easton Rhodes (02/11/2008 02:37 PM)
Edit reason: spelling