Hi
I have an 11 yr old Basenji bitch (speyed). Has had 1 definate, 2 potential seizures. The definate was in front of me , last June on a v.muggy day, when our whole routine changed due to a houseguest ( fed earlier, didn't eat, exercised slightly later etc). Seizure started as what I think was an inverted sneeze, where she was struggling to sneeze/clear her nose (she had been sleeping very very deeply for a couple of hours)and it was almost like an "asthma" attack that went into full blown seizure. She then probably had another in September, but no-one saw it and she woke us up crying and pacing with small amount of faeces in her bed. She has also has split second moments of staring, small shudders ( barely noticeable to anyone else but me) and the odd "wobble" and jerks where her leg or head will suddenly and very subtley jerk. Otherwise, she does sleep a little more and has had a huge change in her life since then ( moving to a new home with us from the place where she was since she was 7 wks old). She has a huge appetite, water intake not overly elevated, intermittent periods of diarrohea and vomiting when she scavenges nasty things from the beach. She has very low thyroid levels ( but has not responded to thyroxine at all) and has had two sets of blood tests ( including serum tests) and was referred to the RVC in Cambridge week before this Xmas, they did ultra sound and found that her kidneys were slightly enlarged, but there was nothing to actually concern them and they are sure the answer will not be found with an MRI of her head. They suggest re-testing for Cushings after another few months while she is stable but other than that they are dumbfounded, they dont know of any dogs with such low levels of thyroid that do not respond to Thyroxine supplementation.
She also has an issue with her teeth, one is badly tarter-ed and the gum is inflamed, her breath does smell despite regular cleaning with Denes low foaming etc, but she is always yawning, licking her lips and swallowing. She now has an unproductive cough, after waking from sleep, starts as a sneeze, develops into hack, nothing arrives ( no sign of bordatella, anti biotics have failed to clear it).

I am terrified to get the tooth sorted, as I dont feel I can risk anaesthesia -potential seizure, but dont want to get my priorities wrong if the tooth is causing her problems ( she avoids that side for hard things like chews, but not her normal biscuit)

Without putting thoughts in anyone's mind, all this screams to me to be signs of heart/kidney disease, yet both my vet and the consultant in internal medicine @ the RVC say they don't see anything there to "panic about". They agree with me that "something " is not right but just cannot pin point it. ( her coat is also slow to regenerate in places after spring moult, but this has been since her spaying).

I live & breathe for this dog, I am totally in debt because of all these lab tests and vet visits ( not that that is a problem) but I just thought I would put this seemingly inexplicable range of issues out there to see if it rings bells with anyone. She is a smart, independent little dog with a very low threshold to pain, so she tells me immediately when something is wrong, small things like always settling my hand in a certain place to rub her tummy, when we are cuddling together, sometimes though I think I am seeing things, did she just jerk, is her tummy distended, is she breathing properly etc. I realise this is obsessive & neurotic, but due to her age, I am determined to do the right and best thing by her, I absolutely have to get this right, her welfare is vitally important to me, but I dont want to rush into difficult decisions prematurely because I am so frightened of the possible seizures etc.

BTW, her diet is now Burns, we recently tried Blackwoods, an American brand, but she was always hungry on it. She has some added veggies if I cut back the complete, maybe some moist and rice/chicken whenever loose. She is always greedy, rarely if ever off her food and she is overweight. I am careful with her immediate environment where I can be, so we cannot find any particular toxins/chemicals etc.

Any help or thoughts gratefully received
Many thanks
:)

Hi,
My first thought on reading your post was "this dog has epilepsy" but 11 years old is far too old to develop 'ordinary' epilepsy. There is something else going on here - has she had a brain-scan? (pricey I know)

The cough on waking from sleep sounds as though it could be a heart problem - has your vet checked for this?

Always hungry - stating the obvious (best place to start) you have wormed her? This could cover the bad breath as well (a common symptom of worms).

You have my sympathies - it's horrid to have a loved pet ill, and they can't tell you how they feel.

HI J-Genie - yes it was one of my first thoughts then discounted it for same reason as you, way too old for sudden onset idiopathic epilepsy - wormed every 3 mths ( Drontal Plus) (never loses condition or weight - the only sign of her "old age" is general slowing down & slight weakness in the hindlegs. Heart checked ( but do think needs re-visiting). Brain MRI not done yet (the Neurology consultant @ RVC) did not think that was the best place to look - she had a Neurological examination up there and they thought re-resting bloodwork after a few months of stability would be more valuable, plus risk of anaesthetic.
One thing I did forget to mention in my previous post was the odd little stumble, front legs, doesn't ever go down, but like she mis-steps sometimes, such a smart mover ( still trots out like she is in a showring!) it's very subtle and easy to miss and there seems to be no definable pattern to any of her symptoms, I cannot even pin point specifics except for the cough upon waking with the swallowing and yawning a lot and whilst she has had environmental stress since the most recent (likely) seizure ( Sept 02), it took her ages to settle into her new home (the stairs stressed her out) nothing has actually happened since moving, they all happened in her previous stable home, where her routine was rarely upset.

Thank you for your thoughts, I really appreciate it :)

B

Hi,
As you know, yawning and swallowing are signs of mental stress, but if this happened before the move, it is unlikely to be related to that...

I'm sat here shaking my head...I really can't think of anything that hasn't been covered...the occasional stumble...yes, but that could be just old age, my old girl got that, but she was 15...

I'm stumped, sorry. All I can advise is, do your best with her until somebody thinks of something. Useless advice I know.

You're shaking your head with some very good company, a consultant Veterinary Neurologist, A consultant internist at the RVC, the partner at our own practice and her own vet who she always sees- to maintain stability......not to mention the person who has nurtured her since she was 7 weeks old !

And any advice, when presented with empathy - can never be useless :)