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My Yorkie is 10 yrs old and has been healthly other than ...

Sent to Pet Experts January 29 2006 at 11:17 AM
   

My Yorkie is 10 yrs old and has been healthly other than Bladder stones 2 years ago. He is very active and plays like a puppy. Recently when he wakes up in the morning and at night he seems off balance.   He doesn't have a problem during the day. He has trouble walking and he falls over. I took him to the vet and they took xrays and his blood pressure. They felt his legs and back and have no idea what the problem is. Do you have an suggestions on what I can do next or what this is?

Optional Information:
Age: 10; Male; Breed: dog/yorkie

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Status:  Closed   Value: $10
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January 29 2006 at 11:28 AM (10 minutes and 35 seconds later)
         
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Check his vision. It might be he has less visual accuity in low light situations.
He could have a disc problem and that might not show on x-ray. The disc might be an issue after he is tired or when he goes from prone to standing.
I would expect any ear or vestibular problems to show during the daytime also but you can look and see if there are any signs of ear infection.
Hope this helps you!


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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7174 Pet Accepts
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January 29 2006 at 11:40 AM (12 minutes and 13 seconds later)
         
Does this just start out of nowhere?
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January 29 2006 at 12:06 PM (26 minutes and 30 seconds later)
         
Alex is my dogs name. He weighs 4pounds 8oz. In addition to falling over and losing his balance he also in the morning seems to have a problem with his back legs. He usually jumps all over the place and when he has this problem he can't go up the steps and he can't jump. It takes him a min then he is ok. I just came back from taking him on a mile and a half walk and he was fine. I am just so confused.
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January 29 2006 at 12:18 PM (11 minutes and 36 seconds later)
         
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These little guys can have back issues that do not show on x-ray or with palpation but will cause pain and unsteady gait.
This site talks about one such spine issue
http://www.petsurgery.com/fibrocartilaginousembolization.html
Another issue might be a bad knee as those can go in and out and sometimes be useable and others not particularly after rest.
Bad knee - luxating patella - are pretty common in small dogs. You might try Glycoflex or Cosequin which are glucosamine supplements for dogs or even the liquified glucosamine shots Adequan if you think that might be it.
This site talks about patella problems
http://www.cpvh.com/Articles/78.html

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January 29 2006 at 12:28 PM (10 minutes and 20 seconds later)
         
Actually I was away and I had someone else watching him. He was fine before I left. While I was away I was told that the person that was watching him (accidentially) kicked him off the bed. Do you think that could of done it??
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January 29 2006 at 12:33 PM (4 minutes and 39 seconds later)
         
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Yes that might have done a couple of things - caused him to land badly impacting knee or spine or the kick might have hurt the spine.
You might just want a specialist to run a myelogram to see if this is a back issue or try a course of steroids to see if that resolves this.
Neuro vet listings can be found here
http://www.acvim.org/Specialist/Search.aspx

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7174 Pet Accepts
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January 29 2006 at 1:39 PM (1 hour and 6 minutes and 7 seconds later)
         
I have just one other item to ask you about. My yorkie Alex is also doing something else strange. He chews on my blankets on my bed. It drives me crazy. It doesn’t matter if they are new or just washed. He does it after I give him his medicine. He is on medicine for incontinence. He had surgery 2 years ago, he had a bladder stone so they removed it and I took him home. When he came home he wasn’t right. So I took him back, the vet say he was fine so I took him back home. He continued to get worst. The next morning I took him back they X-rayed him and found that he had a stone stuck in the Urethra and they had to perform surgery again. Well to make a long story short he almost died on the table. He is a tough little guy and has recovered well until this new issue. He is on an Incontinence drug now. Do you think this drug could cause any effects?



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January 29 2006 at 1:43 PM (4 minutes and 20 seconds later)
         
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It may make his mouth taste funny if he does this after you give it to him.
You might try a tasty treat after the medicine is given. Or get him his own blanket to chew. My guys love polartec fleece and I buy it by the yard at a fabric store (even my local Wal-Mart carrys polar fleece) for the dogs to sleep on. Its hard to chew up and easily washed.
But maybe a Kong toy stuffed with something good would help him out after he has his meds. They make tiny ones for little dogs.

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