Nicki
Moderator
Teddy is not doing so well - over the last few weeks he has been limping intermittently. This appears to alternate between all 4 legs, although the right side of his body does appear more affected. If he is rested for a few hours, then he appears fine again and doesn't limp. {Showing that it's not injury but neurological.}
His proprioception {sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body} in all 4 legs appears normal - if you turn his paws over he corrects them straight away. However, blind placing reflex is definitely delayed in both the front and rear right legs {stepping up} He was trying to cheat and anticipating when to lift his paws by looking at the table, so we had to put a hand across his eyes! I've never seen mine do that before!! He is just too clever
Teddy has been "moaning and groaning" and he sometimes leans up against a wall or similar structure as if trying to alleviate pain. He leans on his right side.
My vet contacted Glasgow Vet School, where Teddy has been MRI'd {twice} -
Professor Jacques Penderis very kindly sent a quick reply - he has suggested trying an alternative to the gabapentin, amantidine at 3 to 5 mg/kg once daily. Amantadine is known as Symmetrel - it is available as a syrup that you give with food. I thought it might be very expensive but it doesn't seem too bad {waiting for a definite price}.
The good news though is that Teddy's liver is looking better - he's been on Zentonil Advanced for about 4 months. He also had tests for Thyroid function, which were ok too. We're not sure what is going on, we know he has hair loss {probably a side effect of Gabapentin} but he was clipped at the end of January {not very short, just a "Teddy bear clip"} and it has not grown back AT ALL. The vets couldn't believe it when I took him in, they've never seen a coat not to grow back. They had to clip him under sedation as he could not cope with being groomed or clipped - we have to sedate him to do anything now, even for nail clipping.
However he still plays with toys, and sometimes with the puppies here, he also enjoys a walk and loves going to the woods. {I only take him a couple of times a week as it definitely makes him worse, but what kind of quality of life would he have if he never went out and was just kept crated all the time?}
He loves his food and when I'm getting dinner ready he will wander around with a toy in his mouth.
The other bad news is that his heart is deteriorating fast - he has gone from a grade 1 to a grade 5/6 in under 2 years :yikes...{he is only 6}.
He is coping at the moment {not in heart failure} but obviously this is very scary.
Anyway just wanted to share that we have some hope with the new treatment - it might be something to mention to your vet if you have one not doing so well with their pain relief. It is now on Dr Clare Rusbridge's treatment protocol too.
Will kee you posted as to how he is doing...
This is our precious boy
His proprioception {sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body} in all 4 legs appears normal - if you turn his paws over he corrects them straight away. However, blind placing reflex is definitely delayed in both the front and rear right legs {stepping up} He was trying to cheat and anticipating when to lift his paws by looking at the table, so we had to put a hand across his eyes! I've never seen mine do that before!! He is just too clever
Teddy has been "moaning and groaning" and he sometimes leans up against a wall or similar structure as if trying to alleviate pain. He leans on his right side.
My vet contacted Glasgow Vet School, where Teddy has been MRI'd {twice} -
Professor Jacques Penderis very kindly sent a quick reply - he has suggested trying an alternative to the gabapentin, amantidine at 3 to 5 mg/kg once daily. Amantadine is known as Symmetrel - it is available as a syrup that you give with food. I thought it might be very expensive but it doesn't seem too bad {waiting for a definite price}.
The good news though is that Teddy's liver is looking better - he's been on Zentonil Advanced for about 4 months. He also had tests for Thyroid function, which were ok too. We're not sure what is going on, we know he has hair loss {probably a side effect of Gabapentin} but he was clipped at the end of January {not very short, just a "Teddy bear clip"} and it has not grown back AT ALL. The vets couldn't believe it when I took him in, they've never seen a coat not to grow back. They had to clip him under sedation as he could not cope with being groomed or clipped - we have to sedate him to do anything now, even for nail clipping.
However he still plays with toys, and sometimes with the puppies here, he also enjoys a walk and loves going to the woods. {I only take him a couple of times a week as it definitely makes him worse, but what kind of quality of life would he have if he never went out and was just kept crated all the time?}
He loves his food and when I'm getting dinner ready he will wander around with a toy in his mouth.
The other bad news is that his heart is deteriorating fast - he has gone from a grade 1 to a grade 5/6 in under 2 years :yikes...{he is only 6}.
He is coping at the moment {not in heart failure} but obviously this is very scary.
Anyway just wanted to share that we have some hope with the new treatment - it might be something to mention to your vet if you have one not doing so well with their pain relief. It is now on Dr Clare Rusbridge's treatment protocol too.
Will kee you posted as to how he is doing...
This is our precious boy
