Wobblers syndrome

[Kelley]

Hi K-9

Not heard from you for a couple of days, hope everything is ok and you've managed to speak to your vet.

Thinking of you n Shadow
Kelley

[K9 Obedience]

Kelley. I informed "Big Dog" of the problems we were having accessing the site and I believe that the problem has resolved itself. I did reply to you via e mail and am now back on the forum. How is Miah now.? Is she any better? Shadow collapsed for the first time yesterday. He was lifting his leg to wee and just fell to the ground with a yelp. He lay looking puzzled for a few moments then struggled up to his feet and wobbled around for a few moments before trotting off as right as rain. I did not make any fuss but just turned to the side and made as if I was picking a few blackberries (which he adores) till he was on his feet again, and coming to me to get the berries. I gave him a half a Zubrin when I got home. Not because he seemed to be in pain but because it helped to make me feel that I was doing SOMETHING. Today we have had our morning walk around a large lake nearby and he gulped down a dead fish that had been washed up, and raced around like a puppy so there is not much wrong with him at the moment. I am following Miah's progress for if she does OK then I think I may change my mind about the op, though I have no confidence in my vet so would probably seek another that had already carried out these sort of operations with success. It seems like the holiday never happened and I am back to worrying and being depressed aboput him again.. Well you know how I feel don't you. Keep me informed and please know that I am thinking of you both .

dog lover.

[Kelley]

Yay i'm back on!

Just a quick update for those reading this (there's quite a few now!!) Miah came home 19 days after her op, she isnt walking, however she has been checked over by the vet on a fortnightly basis and she reacts to hot and cold with her legs, pinching or tickling her toes.  After coming home she started to stand on her own and is now managing to stand and hold her weight and balance for up to 45 mins at a time.  She will give her paw when asked with both front paws and from in a standing, sitting or laying down position and will gladly lift her back legs (on both sides) when you offer a belly rub.

Miah's last visit to the vet was last Thursday.  He was really pleased with her (well with the exception of when she weed all over him).  He said she was coming along nicely and responded well to all his reflex tests, he just said we were going to have to accept that she is doing it at her pace and no-one else's.  We spoke about how we were coping and he said he was very glad I'd said that while she is happy I am.  The operation so far has come to £4300, luckily the insurance will pay up to £4000 but dont take this amount as what it would cost for other dogs, nearly £1500 was purely on nursing and hydrotherapy of the 19 days she was in there.  The vet advised that many dogs will be up and out within 2-3 days after the op, unfortunately though Miah is quite nervous and so is doing it at her own speed.

To prevent muscle wastage Miah is booked into Hydrotherapy at www.mypetstop.com and I visited them to look around after the vets - its quite a large pool, so fingers crossed it will help encourage her to move around more than she did in the enclosed tank.

We did have a good sign on Wednesday as she was trying to walk with me holding her weight under her chest and belly and when I took my hands away she continued for another 4-5 steps before she stopped and looked back as if to say 'where are you?'. She's getting there slowly but surely.  The only sad thing i've seen is when she was trying to play tug of war with my little dog and I had to stop them as I cant risk any damage to any more discs in her neck.

Did you speak to your vet about the ventral slot procedure?  I remember you saying he hadn't offered the option to you

I hope Shadow is doing well and I'm thinking of you both!
Kelley

[Kelley]

hoping this works, but i'm not very technical

These are my photo bucket links to piccies of Miah...

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m266/fairy-snuff/Miah2.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m266/fairy-snuff/Miah.jpg

[K9 Obedience]

Miah is stunning and so very much like Shadow with the long fine nose instead of the more square blunt one. Shadow is much the same except his head has wobbled a few times ? I don't know if this is a sign of the Wobblers getting worse. Another thing is he definatly does not seem to know if he wants to empty himself. Doing a wee is no problem but he seems to be having trouble actually deciding to poo. He does all the turning around then just looks a bit confused and walks away. Hence when he does realise that he needs to go, it is usually in the middle of the night. Luckily always on the kitchen floor so easy to clear up. The stink wakes me up it is so bad. UGGH.

We are so glad to hear Miah is doing well and from what you say she is not in any pain. Lets hope she does not get too comfortabl;e with all the attention,. Keep Smiling....

Dog Lover

[Kelley]

Oh the things we do for dogs! I know exactly how you mean with the smell  , Miah did leave a few 'gifts' before the op.  The only explanation I can think of is that its due to the effect of wobblers on the nervous system causing the numbness that woould make then lose the control.

We've been to the hydro today - it wasnt as nice as i thought.  She wasn't very happy with not being able to just slouch and panicked a bit at 1st which I got a bit upset with, but the staff were pretty good and she soon got the idea of what she had to do.  Her back legs were amazing and fully functional and started paddling away, but her fronts didnt do much.  She is very stiff on them, which is why i wanted to try it out and i'm going to still keep at it to see if it improves them. I don't want to be mean to her but I do think she might be playing on the attention a bit and so want to push her into this.

I do know exactly how you feel K9 as I do wonder if i've done the right thing.  Am I going thru all of this to then have the risk of her getting it again? I can be very down but then can see she is still here and is happy, even with the after affects of the surgery.

Thinking of you both
Kelley

[gottalovethatdobe]

I am sorry to hear that you guys are having such a rough time I have two dobermans of my own and my roommate has a male dobie as well. I cant imagine how hard it must be to go through these things as I never want to go through them.  However i am a vet tech and wobblers is considered the uncontrollable wobbling syndrome... they have no balance cant walk, sit or lay down with losing  balance.  so it can cause some numbness but shouldnt cause so much as to cause major loss of control of bowels.  yes some dobies present a horrible case and sometimes cant control because this affects the entire nervous system and can cause great pain or none at all...

I am glad to hear there is progress with KELLy... I may have missed it but is she walking yet? and is she home?

How is Shadow doing and do you have pictures of shadow as I would love to see them...

I will send out doberlove and hugs to you guys... my girls sens lots of doberkisses and we hope your dobes feel better soon as I know it must be hard having this happen.

hugs you guys

[Kelley]

Hi and thanks for posting, its great to have support on here.

Miah (my Dobe) is home and although she isnt walking on her own she is showing lots of signs of improvement.  She can now sit up on her own, get from a sitting into a standing position and is trying to walk when i hold her weight when she has her harness on.  I'm not sure how much you've managed to read of these posts, but Miah is quite a nervous dog and so is doing a lot of things at her pace (which unfortunately isnt too quick).

She is now booked in for hydrotherapy each week and although she doesnt like it, it seemed to improve her movement compared to how she was last week. She's also booked in for regular check ups with the vet to make sure everything is alright.

Thanks again for your support, and I hope your two girlies are doing well
Kelley
x

[gottalovethatdobe]

Glad to hear she is doing better... Dobes are funny about these types of things... i dont know that it is that they are nervous about stuff they just want someone else to do it for them... I mean they know we love them so muh we will do it and not ask questions about it at all... plus... my female blue doberman whom im not sure if i have posted pics of yet but... will soon is 18 months and when we go to the dog park wontdrink out of the bowl she will stick her nose in it and blow bubbles but will want me to put my hand down there and get FRESH water because she knows i will and she is spoiled dobermans love that attention.

I am so glad all is getting better for you... and I would love to know how shadow is doing and hopefully he is getting better as well... keep us updated on your dobe as well kelly.

[Kelley]

Hi

K9 -hope everything is OK not heard from you in a while.

Just a quick update on Miah, shes started trying to walk!!!!!!!!!!  She likes to walk from her bed in the conservatory, through the kitchen and into the room to come and sit with us on a night.  She's also started to walk in from the bottom step leading up to the conservatory, its only a few small steps and she is quite wobbly and off balance so I have to follow her with my hand on the harness.

We went to the hydro again on Saturday and she wasnt as bothered about it as she was the first time.  She had a quick paddle with her back legs and then just went on to float for 15 mins.  She point blank refused to move, we prodded, pulled, pushed and tried everything but it seems she has got wise to the fact that her life jacket keeps her afloat without effort from her  little madam!!
I'm going to keep up with the swimming as it wont hurt and they do have an option of jets to try and put a current to swim against which i'm hoping (as if!) that she'll react to it.

I'm going to try and get a film of her walking and load it onto a website so I can post a link here and you can see how she is doing.  Unfortunately i'm not too good with all the technical stuff and am no Steven Spielberg so dont expect anything wonderful.

Really hope Shadow is still running around being his happy self - sending best wishes from me and Miah
Kelley

[gottalovethatdobe]

that is awesome glad to hear she is walking a bit... it is always a start.  I worry about shadow his owner has been around in a while so i worry... but hopefully all is well... and glad to hear about miah and i cant wait to see the video ... it would be great or even just pictures of her standing

[K9 Obedience]

Hi everyone.

Shadows mum back again. I have had a bad time with Shadow. He just suddenly took a turn for the worse and could not control his back legs at all. As he tried to stand or walk, his back legs wobbled so much that he fell down. He has been on Zubrin, which again caused rectal bleeding, so it was trial and error as to the timing and the strength of the medication given. However things saeem to have settled down again and he is back on his walks. He wobbles more than ever before but seems ok in himself. The wobblers is not causing loss of bowel function as, "gottalovethatdobe" rightly says. However because of the loss of control of the rear legs, Shadow does not seem to know to squat. He does, energetically turn in circles to squat but then as his legs are not moving as he wants them to, he gives up and walks on. I just have to give him plenty of time, as nature soon wins through and he adopts a half squatting position and empty's his bowels. This is the least of my worries as I can gladly put up with a few, "parcels" on the kitchen floor as long as he is comfortable and can have quality of life. He has allways been able to run free and is very active, so it is hard for me to curtail his enthusiasm and stop him leaping into trees!!!

I am so glad to hear Miah is still making improvements and look forward to hearing that she is completely back to her old self. You did the right thing by choosing to have her operated on. I just wish I could take that step and let Shadow have the op, but I can't. I sometimes feel I am in denial, as mostly each day Shadow is fine. I have grown so used to his strange gait that it surprises me when people that I haven't seen for some time comment on Shadow's walk. The future looks so grim for us that I can only cope with one day at a time. Only another dog lover would understand my thoughts as mostly friends just cannot fathom why I am so upset.

dog lover

[Kelley]

Hi K9

I'm so sorry to hear he hasnt been well. I can only imagine what that took to type that message as its like having to admit to the 'thing' that you've been denying it when you put in writing.

Please dont think that you've done anything wrong just because you havent chosen the op for Shadow, we've both followed our heads and our hearts and have both made the right decisions for our dogs.  I know the dilemma that you have gone and are going through, i'm still going through the same.  Questions such as... Why me? Why Miah? Have I done something to cause it? could it have been prevented? have I done the right thing having the op? Will it come back? ...all pop into my head everytime I look at Miah, especially when she struggles with something or her shaved area stands out in the day light.

I'm here if you need me - anytime, I do know what you're going through and I understand that its the unkown future which is the hardest thing to cope with.

Sending all my best wishes that Shadow improves, everything is crossed!

Thinking of you both
Kelley & Miah

[K9 Obedience]

You are right to think that I question if I could have prevented it. I know that Wobblers is hereditory, but I still wonder if Shadow had not been incouraged to jump so much or if I could have cared for him more. There have been times when money has been in short supply and Shadow did not get the diet he should have, instead he had to settle for cheap tinned food bulked up with pasta. He was hit by a speeding car when he was only 18 weeks old and had both his front legs in plaster for ages. I wonder if this aggrevated his present condition. My sensible side tells me not to be stupid, but I believe that my mind is forever asking why Shadow??? I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and for sharing Miah's story, as now I know that the op can be successful. Hope she is doing well today.

dog lover.

[Kelley]

Thank you too, you provided so much info when Miah was first diagnosed and I just hope that we've help some others as quite a few people have read this and when i've searched for different terms on Google etc its brought this site up as one of the top few.  Fingers crossed that this will give people the answers that me and you have had to find out ourselves.

Miah is still pretty much the same, it seems once she gets comfortable she likes to stay at a certain point which I suppose is again going back to what the vet said and it being a confidence thing.  She can tell us when she wants to go out as she will get up and head towards the door as soon as you have her weight supported, even my mum is managing and Miah is nearly as big as her, so she is definately making more of an effort.

She is using her front legs to pull herself up the steps we have from our garden - the back legs sort of follow but its a bit hap-hazard.  I've spoken to the head nurse yesterday from my vets to tell them we had managed to get Miah up and around and she was so excited but she did mention that her co-ordination would be affected from the degree of muscle wastage she has and also that it will probably look worse than what it is due to her tiredness.

The funniest part of it is I'm getting some strange looks from the neighbours as for the last two mornings i've been stood in the garden at 6.10am with a golf brolly over her while she goes to the toilet - it was raining!! cant have my dobie getting wet!!

I've just read the message on the other forum about Shadow with his torch - that really made me laugh as I can just imagine people's face as they see this Doberman coming around the corner with a light coming out of his mouth

I hope we can keep updating on here how Shadow and Miah are both doing as I'd like to stay in touch so we can keep up to date on each dogs progress.

Best wishes
Kelley & Miah