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Nervous disorder - twitching

18K views 26 replies 5 participants last post by  robert25 
#1 · (Edited)
Dear Readers,
Leo was an abandoned dog and we took him in about a year ago. Nursed him back, he has had his shots and is healthy in every way. Except that he has this twitch,please follow this link to see in better details

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_9Y8j_9Ri4

the vet told us its probably side effects of distemper, as we have no history before we took him in we can't really say.The vets we visited didn't really have a solution. The twitch is there regardless if he is lying down sitting or walking. He can still run really fast, initially it was the rear leg which had the twitch and slightly on the front one as well,but i have noticed that his front left leg started twitching more prominently over time. We aren't sure about his age cause his teeth were also in bad condition when we took him in, but the vet approximates it to about 4 or 5. He is a mix between a golden retriever.
I would really appreciate some answers
Thanks you
 
#2 ·
When I saw the thread title my first thought was distemper.

I can't view Youtube on this computer...can maybe som'one put the video in the thread?

I know quite a bit about it...do you have a specific question or are you just trying to confirm that thats whats wrong with your dog?



 
#3 ·
Thanks for the speedy reply. Am not sure how to include the video in this thread. You are right about the distemper, i was hoping if there was any way that the twitching could be stopped or be reduced? Does it cause a problem later and is the dog in any kind of pain or discomfort cause of this constant twitching ? Should there be something i must be doing to make it better ?
Thanks again :)
 
#4 · (Edited)
No worries...

a have a dog with a similar neurological problem... the twitching does not seem to be painful... can the dog walk ok? I will try my other computer and see if I can view your video.

The joints can get very screwed up if the dog is falling or walking funny all the time...make sure you go heavy on the joint supplements...like glucosamine.

Edit: I can't get to it...there is a embed code that you cut and paste into the forum text box so the video will show up here. :) that or you can give me the title and I can search for it...that link will not work for me. :)
 
#5 ·
He limps on his rear left leg when he walks, as it is more pronounced, but he runs like the wind and jumps around :) when he is playing. My concern is that, does the twitching get worse?? Also I think his front left is twitching more than it was earlier, does the condition get worse ?...i will get him the supplements as u mentioned first thing....can't thank you enough for your answers :)...p.s i re-posted the youtube link, just see if it works for you now.
 
#6 · (Edited)
so its in the the back and in the front limbs? That means the brain was damaged instead of the spine. Spinal problems generally do better.

Sadly this means he will get worse progressively...OR he will be "fine" for a long time (years som'times) and then die from neurodistemper in old age when her immune system is compromised.

Most people chose to euthanize if the dog begins to walk in circles because quality of life is now gone...but if your dog can run and play and otherwise be happy just enjoy the time you have with him. Iam not aware of any treatments that can help..doesn't mean they do not exist tho....you may want to take him to a specialist. :)



 
#8 ·
Only his rear left paw and the front left paw have the twitch, the right side is fine and no twitching there. I hope that gives him a better chance. There are no specialists here where i could take him. All the vets who i have taken him to say its fine it will be there, but there is no satisfaction till i know i can do everything i guess.
Am trying to repost the link again.
YouTube - video 2009 10 04 16 18 16 ( he was sleeping when i took the video)

also is neurobion of any good for him ??
thanks
 
#9 ·
ok I can see it now...

that one of the mildest cases I've ever seen...for what thats worth.

If its confined to the back legs that means distemper destroyed the spine...if its in the front and back that means the damage is in the brain.

I would have to agree with your vets...he will likely have a long full life...just watch for distemper signs in his old age. :) :)

Neurobion are simply b vitamin pills, I think there is concern over the dosing and it damaging organs. I have never used it. :) I think its used to treat pain...honestly I doubt your dog is in any pain.
 
#10 · (Edited)
thank you so very much, it means a alot :) ...

does this twitching increase over a period of time though??...am not sure if its my imagination but i feel that the front twitching has increased over the last few months...sorry for this constant volley of questions and thank for bearing up..
and i shall avoid neurobion as u said it could cause some side effects ..

i forgot to mention that he had really bad teeth, rotten and smelly its probably because of the distemper??

we do need to get his teeth scaled and cleaned..
 
#11 ·
are the teeth "pitted" or is it like "normal" decay...where its worse at the gumline? Distemper teeth will be rotten in patches...all over the tooth..like polka dots .
theres a photo example of the teeth on this page.

Canine Distemper


Do you know how old the dog is?

my understanding is that there should not be a steady progression, you might be seeing one because you are concerned about it and seeing it because you think you should be...we kept thinking that our dog was getting worse during our initial panic...but in hindsight she is the same as day one.

are the bottom of this pads thicker than normal?

Its possible that the dog simply has had head trama...the twitching on only one side is really odd....has his head been xrayed?



 
#12 ·
I was gonna say, if it is only one side of his body it has to be a brain or nerve issue IMO. This could stem from the spinal cord of course. I do not know anything about distemper but did find it odd that its just the one side. What happens if you steady the limbs while he is sleeping? Can you feel muscle tension?
 
#13 · (Edited)
yeah... I wondering if the dog has trama instead.

all the distemper dogs I have seen have ataxia...if you flip his foot over on itself does he delay in putting it back?

like this YouTube - ataxic puppy 2 - 12.12.2008

this is dog is a classic example of a distemper survivor where the cerebelum is damaged or the spine...my dog walks the exact same way.

YouTube - dog - ataxia

unfortunately there is know way to know it IS distemper until the dog is dead or you find evidence of trama that proves its NOT distemper.



 
#16 · (Edited)
i watched the other videos and the quality is not very good so I couldn't tell if he was shaking or was excited either.

Tippy does not shake...which is why we no longer are sure if it is distemper. She also has normal teeth and feet.

Tippy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIfliRwX38&feature=channel

The first video I posted the puppy looks very lethargic...I don't think that puppy lived...



I was researching it a bit and aparently tumors on the spine manifest by affecting only one side of the body...

Unfortunately most neurological problems are very hard to diagnose as well as expensive to diagnose, and not much can be done if the damage is done already.
 
#18 ·
A girl on another forum has a dog that is ataxic in all four legs and shakes...I mean reaaaaally shakes...you can tell the dog is uber happy tho. It does the Pittie smile. :)

Tippy will fall HARD som'times and its almost like the pain reception is gone. In fact, judging by how hard she runs and falls...I bet you she can't feel it she stays happy as all get out the whole time..

I plan on getting Tippy a wheelchair in the future so she can run on concrete.



 
#21 ·
Sorry i couldn't reply earlier. I went through the links and videos, thanks for the information.
He does have teeth like the ones you sent in the link. Patchy brown and foul breath.
I will take your advice and get the Xrays done to rule out tumors and verify if its any kind of heard trauma.

hey pawz am not sure what you mean by muscle tension. The vet pinched him between his paws on the twitching side on one of the visits, and he got a reaction from the dog, but didn't tell me much there after, just said that's good.
So will update after the xray. thanks you guys
p.s tippy looks really nice :)
 
#22 ·
Welcome to the forum.

I have nothing to add to all the good info provided-except on the supplement Gloucosamine. You can buy it at the vets in a cookie form called Synovi G and the vet can tell you how many is a good dose; Ie. my dog gets 1/2 a cookie and my parents dog gets two :) It's a very easy way to supplement.
 
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