I'd never heard of this condition and thought she (a 14.5YO Standard Poodle) was having a stroke. I rushed her to the vet. This was two days ago and she's doing much better now; eating and drinking well; going up and down stairs on her own. She's still a little woozy and unsteady but OK.

You can read about this condition here.

Interesting. I guess they can get sea sick as well.

My chow/lab had this as well. He got it at around 11 and lived well enough until he was 16. I had to put up some protective barriers around the window wells and do some other dog proofing but he did well with it.

My Springer had it as well, it went away for a long time but it eventually came back.

Had a Pit Bull / Chow mix with this. It came on and then went away after several weeks. Then several months later it came back for good, and remained for the last 18 months or so of his life. He got to where he couldn't navigate stairs, bumped into walls, had a constant head tilt, and periodically would fall down walking. It came to a point where he couldn't really make it to the food and water bowls without our help. So at that time, probably later than we should have waited, we helped him pass across the rainbow bridge to rest peacefully. Very sad and slow progressing disease.

I wish you and Merlot all the best, Jim. I know how much she means to you.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
I wish you and Merlot all the best, Jim. I know how much she means to you.

What justjoe said. I'm looking forward to meeting her when we hook up for lunch.

I love my dogs. I take them to a groomer at least twice a year and in between, I cut their hair myself.

But I hope I am never faced with the choice of paying a huge medical bill or not saving their life.

When I first got them as puppies, I got a free 30 day medical insurance for them. Close to when the 30 days were up, I get a call for me to sign up. I think the price was high like $30 a month for each of them with a high deductible. I said no, I don't want to spend that much money. She asked, "What if they end up needing $2,500 worth of vet work, do you have the money for that? What are you going to do then?"

I said, "In that case, I'll say bye bye, dogs." She hung up.

But over the 3 years I've had them, it's going to be a tough call.

We had a 11 year old Chow mix several years ago that appeared to have a stroke when she got up one morning.
She seemed partially paralyzed on one side, could hardly walk at first. After a few hours she was about 70% better and seemed to fully recover within a few days.
She then went on to live a healthy life for another 5-6 years.

Sorry to hear that, Jim.

Hey, I think I've got that problem! If it gets better by itself, I'll just spend more time in my recliner and I'll call it good.

Dick, try some chopped Spam and rice. Merlot's very fond of it.

Sorry to hear this Jim.

I would get her some CoEnzyme Q10 which is good for the heart, liver, and kidneys. The heart is powered by CoEnzyme Q10 so you have good blood flow to the brain.

http://shop.mercola.com/category/543/1/ubiquinol



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2xIIzcrNs

Dr. Sinatra gives his dogs CoEnzyme Q10 to extend their life.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gt31gX7frY

Jim, I feel awful about this.I think I know how important Merlot is to you, and i wish for a speedy recovery, and continued, extra-long life.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
I'd never heard of this condition and thought she (a 14.5YO Standard Poodle) was having a stroke. I rushed her to the vet. This was two days ago and she's doing much better now; eating and drinking well; going up and down stairs on her own. She's still a little woozy and unsteady but OK.

You can read about this condition here.

Amazing that she has lived as long as she has, the longest any of my standards have lived is 13. I hope she does okay.

^ ^ ^ She's small for a standard (~45lbs) and her mom lived to be 17YO. Other than the IVD and a little hip wear, she's in good health. I know her clock is ticking: So is mine and so are all of our clocks. I pray she dies in her sleep; it would be a very difficult and traumatic thing to have to put her down. If the grim reaper comes for me first, arrangements have been made for her to be well taken care of.

Thanks, John. I know you recently lost your GSD. She's almost completely recovered now. I even took her on a short walk this evening.

When I wake up every morning I merrily spring out of bed because:
1 - I'm still here
2 - Merlot's still here
3 - Felonia von Pantsuit is not president

There's plenty of other reasons to be thankful but those are the biggies.

quote:

She's almost completely recovered now.

Glad Merlot is doing better.

I'm sorry