Hi all,

A neighbor of mine has 2 dogs - a 9ish y/o husky and an 18 month old husky/shep/? mix. Both dogs are very friendly and get on just fine with each other. They are probably not exercised enough (mentally or physically) but they always seemed quite happy.

A few weeks ago the neighbor went away for a week, leaving the dogs with a house sitter and a young dog walker. The day before she left, the younger dog, Echo, appeared to have some sort of nervous episode where he balked in the middle of a walk and started air snapping with his head up. It subsided in a matter of seconds.

Fast forward to yesterday, I met her on the sidewalk walking the dogs and she told me that since she had been back Echo was decidedly worse, the "episodes" were now much more frequent, and had changed from just snapping the air to what looked to me (he did it every 6 feet or so of the walk) like little seizures where he'd assume a balking position, his neck would tense up, maybe cock his head a little and his jaw would snap open and closed, but only part way, like someone having a seizure. He'd remain standing, eyes alert, but these sessions would just come and go on their own - petting him and trying to calm him didn't seem to effect them much.

Apparently he's also now very jumpy around moving cars - which I witnessed as well, and can attest that he has NEVER been a nervous dog with car issues before. He'd skitter and back up when cars passed us last night. And when he wasn't having the facial twitches or getting upset by cars, he had a very strange way of walking where he'd put the brakes on and then hop forward, in a little jump. And lastly, he reacted quite aggressively to a dog on the other side of a fence at one point - again, he's a little bit dominant, but I've never seen him do this - he was stiff, lunging, and the barking was a nasty, growly bark.

A vet did a full blood panel - no issues, no sign of poisoning. The dog freaked out at the vet's office and exhibited the twitches, so at least the vet could see it, but otherwise the exam was inconclusive. Next step is a cat scan or MRI. The vet did offer to prescribe something they give to epileptic dogs, though I'm surprised by this, as there was no clear diagnosis, and the problem could be behavioral. Neighbor is fairly certain nothing out of the ordinary happened while she was away, as far as traumas, though she does have 2 teenage boys and her house is often busy with people (she said Echo was worse when there were more people in the house and much better when she was home alone with the dogs). She also has a rocky (not abusive) relationship with a man that somewhat moved out of the home a few weeks before she left for vacation (I still see him, but he's not there like he used to be).

I know this requires more vet sleuthing, but anyone ever seen anything like this? Does it sound like the dog might be developing it's own nervous ticks in association with a crazy and disruptive environment, and not enough exercise? Does it sound like symptoms of an actual brain or nervous system injury/disease? Any tests she should run that might not be obvious? It all came on relatively fast, but the symptoms are so all over the map. The other dog appears completely unfazed by all of this. I wish I could help her - if it were Oscar I would be a complete wreck...

Thanks for any advice,
~Natalya

No recent vaccinations?

Not that I'm aware of, but I'll double check... good point!

~Natalya

I wonder if it could be a reaction to a Rabies vaccine.

I used homeopathics to dramatically improve the condition of a Chihuahua who developed epilepsy after a Rabies vaccine.

It *sounds* like some kind of neurological issue what with the physical and behavioral changes occuring at the same time.

The only other thing that comes to mind is some kind of neck/spine issue...pinched nerve or slipped disc...that is causing spasms of pain? That's a long shot...

Symptoms like these would make me a wreck, too. I hope she gets an answer soon!

 Quote: debbie bruce

I used homeopathics to dramatically improve the condition of a Chihuahua who developed epilepsy after a Rabies vaccine.

Yikes! Were the epileptic symptoms like the ones I described? I suppose there are a range of seizure types, the really big ones being those that most people associate with "seizures", but just like a stroke, you can actually suffer really small ones and not even notice...

~Natalya

 Quote: Natalya Zahn

 Quote: Debbie Bruce

I used homeopathics to dramatically improve the condition of a Chihuahua who developed epilepsy after a Rabies vaccine.

Yikes! Were the epileptic symptoms like the ones I described?
~Natalya

She had constant muscle spasms/tremors with a list to one side. The spasms got more intense when she was agitated or excited.

You may have seen this; sounds like vets don't really know what causes it (possibly epilepsy), but it's a known phenomenon called 'fly biting':
Fly Biting

Doesn't jibe with the rest of his symptoms though...

Thanks for the link Lynne - Echo doesn't actually "bite" when he's having these episodes, his jaws jerk but don't fully close, sometimes it's almost like there's an imaginary tennis ball in his mouth keeping it open while he's "chewing". When it's most extreme, it's almost like a yawn that gets interrupted by cringing... it's very odd and unsettling, and since he's fully awake, he definitely looks like he's distressed.

~Natalya

It definitely sounds neurological to me, it will be interesting to see what the results of the brain scan will be. Too bad they probably won't be able to get an EKG.

Aggression (toward the fenced barking dog) could be explained by the dog feeling nervous and edgy about what's happening to him. He's overstimulated. And, he fully knows he's "not right". Sometimes dogs having seizures are attacked by other dogs, too, and he's defensive maybe. The feeling strange could also explain the nervousness about cars and other things that didn't bother him before when he was well.

The dog is 18 months, which is right around the age where epilepsy shows up. If he even has it. It sure is a strange presentation for epilepsy. Find out about the vaccines. And keep us posted. Poor guy.