It's been a tough year for Mandy. First the
cancerous tumor removal back in June for which the incision needed to be restitched three times because the wound kept opening up.
Now, just this past Wednesday night (10/8/08) she suffered what we first thought was a stroke. She kept trying to get up and would just fall back down several times, her eyes were rapidly twitching back and forth and then she threw up. We got her outside and she tried several more times to get up and walk only to stumble as if she was drunk and then fall. She did this until she was exhausted (probably 8 or 9 times). The next morning we took her to the vet. I had to carry her in. They told me to bring her straight to the examination room. It only took the vet a few minutes to come up with a diagnosis. The vet told us it was "
Old dog Vestibular Syndrome". Also known by its more politically correct names as Vestibular Syndrome or Vestibular Disease. Don't want to offend any old dogs out there.
The vet made it sound grim. 50% chance of recovery. She stayed two nights at the vets in order to get the injectable drugs she needed and because both my wife and I worked the next two days and we felt that she needed more care then what we could offer.
Her recovery has been good so far. When we first got her home we had to carry her outside so she could go to the bathroom. She could stand on her own if she didn't try to walk. Within a few days she was able to walk on her own even up and down the three steps that lead to the deck. For the last four days we've been taking her on progressively longer walks.
She still looks a little drunk when she walks and she holds her head at an angle to help compensate for feeling off balance, But she's getting better every day.
Picture taken Saturday October 11th. Two and a half days after the incident.
