Late Night Vet ER Escapades - Vestibular Syndrome

There is nothing quite as distressing as needing to take your pet to the Emergency Vet on a Sunday. Then, upon arrival, it's even more distressing to see everyone else who has also had to take their beloved pet's to the ER.

I honestly thought my dog had suffered a stroke. She was shivering, her eyes were rolling, teeth chattering, head tilted to the side, and unable to walk. This wasn't exactly anything I wanted to see at 7:00pm on a Sunday. I discovered that there are precious few 24x7 Emergency Vet services in my area. The nearest one had an 8 hour wait. The next nearest told me that they were so backed up they would be unable to see me. The third one - one hour away - wasn't as long a wait, so I scooped the dog into the back of the car and off I went.

I love my dog. Everyone else who was there waiting loves their animals, too. Patients were expected to wait in their cars, which was best for the animals, and I spent at least an hour sitting in the back seat with my arm draped over the back giving the dog scritches to help her keep calm. My son was with me and when my arm finally fell asleep we changed places and I got up for a walk. Ended up chatting with a fellow who came home to a dead cat. Oy. It was finally my turn and I backed up to the front so we could scoop the dog onto the gurney because she couldn't walk. As this was happening another woman drove up like a bat out of hell; she was completely distraught, in tears and obviously panicking about her cat. I do not know what the issue with the cat was, but it was enough to have her bumped to the front of the queue.

It was beyond distressing to hear her wail that she was unable to pay the fees. It was even worse to see the nurse bring her cat back from the hospital to return to her.

Ultimately the doctor called and let us know a diagnosis: Vestibular Syndrome. He suggested blood tests and x-rays to look for anything else. Another hour wait. At least there was a Wawa nearby, so we could finally find a bathroom and fetch a snack and drink.

Blood work ultimately returned negative and the x-rays showed no tumours or cancers, just standard old-dog-age hip pain and arthritis. Pretty good shape for a 14 year old dog, except for the Vestibular Syndrome.

What is it? Vestibular Syndrome is a fancy way of saying severe vertigo and nausea. There is obviously much more to it than that, but the general takeaway is that it affects mostly older dogs (she's 14) and more often than not becomes better in a few days.

Current status is that the dog is still unable to walk on her own, so I'm carrying her to where she needs to be. She is eating - wet food, she's refusing her standard dry food - which is really good. I also have medication for her that will help the nausea and vertigo. Her current 'home' is her dog crate so she doesn't stumble around and hurt herself. Hopefully by tomorrow she'll be able to walk outside, even with help.

What I Learned Today: Vestibular Syndrome is a disease that, in canines, affects primarily older dogs, not younger, and impacts their balance. It causes dizzyness and nausea, with symptoms including shaking, lack of balance, shivering, and eye rolling.

And it really sucks.

Blind Skeleton