Leah, the Search dog who has stumped vets.

Keechak

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#1
On my search team is a young Flat Coated Retriever named Leah. She is just a young dog, currently 20 months. And for her first year of life she became one of the best human remains detection dogs I have ever seen. She even had two confirmed finds at such a young age.

But shortly after her 1st birthday she got sick, very sick. Leah was suddenly having severe trouble walking and keeping her balance. She has been thru several antibiotic courses and steroids, and has been tested for every tick born and food born disease that could even remotely match and has come back negative for everything.

She currently walks with an extremely exaggerated hackney gait (think how a Min Pin gaits in a dog show) she lifts her feet up very high and moves very stiff. Her attitude however is not affected. She wants to train, she is always excited and this past weekend she even ran up to the team van and alerted on the stored HRD scent articles. She doesn't know she is sick and doesn't understand why she can't do searches.

Her owner is going to be seeking out more options.
This is all just very sad. :(

Here are pictures I took of her training shortly before she feel ill.


She is doing a bark alert to a find







 
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#2
I am not a vet, and I really don't have much of a clue, but i'd be looking for something affecting Cerebellum or something affecting spinal cord higher up. I don't know the wiring of dogs at what level the different tracts cross over like they do in people. or other nervous system related type stuff. Is it all limbs she steps high and stiff with? or just front? back? right side?
 
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#3
I am not a vet, and I really don't have much of a clue, but i'd be looking for something affecting Cerebellum or something affecting spinal cord higher up. I don't know the wiring of dogs at what level the different tracts cross over like they do in people. or other nervous system related type stuff. Is it all limbs she steps high and stiff with? or just front? back? right side?
This was exactly what I was thinking too - I know cancers and such disorders are typically ruled out in young dogs, but it's certainly worth looking into.
 
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#4
I don't know what all affects dogs, but in a person with that type stuff, I'd be thinking stroke, MS and other myelin diseases, long term uncontrolled diabetes etc. Not sure what would cause it in a dog.
 

krissy

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#6
Board certified neurologist and get all the testing done... CSF tap, MRI, etc. The sad reality is that the brain is very complicated and what we know about it is very limited. But a board certified neurologist is your first step towards possible answers, if that hasn't already been done.
 

Keechak

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#7
An MRI is on the list ASAP and spinal issues are the next thing to check.

I don't know the names of all the meds she has had so far but I know she was on Clindamycin last and actually showed an improvement and could walk almost normal for a while after the first dose, but the improvement only lasted a day and a half, and subsequent doses did nothing.
 
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#8
An MRI is on the list ASAP and spinal issues are the next thing to check.

I don't know the names of all the meds she has had so far but I know she was on Clindamycin last and actually showed an improvement and could walk almost normal for a while after the first dose, but the improvement only lasted a day and a half, and subsequent doses did nothing.
Sounds like it only treated the symptom then, and not the problem... let us know what happens after neurology and MRI's are done - this has got to be spinal or brain related.
 

Keechak

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#9
I am not a vet, and I really don't have much of a clue, but i'd be looking for something affecting Cerebellum or something affecting spinal cord higher up. I don't know the wiring of dogs at what level the different tracts cross over like they do in people. or other nervous system related type stuff. Is it all limbs she steps high and stiff with? or just front? back? right side?
It is all her limbs
 
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#10
In the absence of the systemic type infections that can affect everything like this, I'd probably be looking more towards brain and neuron issues, either cell death, fatigue from something, toxity, though if toxicity caused neuron damage or regression, not sure that will come back anyway, but i'd imagine it could not get worse and the dog could live an ok life, assuming it can live an ok one right now.


If this is a demyelinating disease (not likely I don't think), it would have to be high up in cervical cord or something that transverses the entire cord up hight to get all the tracts involved. Any other issues? urination, bowel stuff? breathing ok? That could tell us more. But i'm guessing it's not that, as that is a lot of times from an inflammation of the cord due to some type of infection and those have been ruled out I think? Or haven't they tested the CSF yet? and there isn't weakness? just altered gait and stiffness, but otherwise normal tone and strength? I'd if so, I'd lean away from this stuff, but still possible.

If not, CSF and MRI (I think you said was next anyway). For some reason, my initial impression was Cerebellum and neuron issues there.
I'm making a lot of guesses since I have never seen the dog and i'm not a vet anyway :)
 

Keechak

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#11
I will definitely try to get video of her if I can. Tho I don't see her often now that shes in treatment so much
 

stardogs

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#13
There was a dane on another forum with cerebellar abiotrophy and he did that high stepping kind of walk/bad balance but also tremors.
I had a foster ACD with that. He was very jerky in his movement.

[YOUTUBE]pztsRH_MO8E[/YOUTUBE]
 

Keechak

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#14
Quoted from her owner a short while ago.

"Update on K9 Leah- She had a spinal tap, muscle testing, and MRI yesterday at the U of MN. It all came back clean. That's excellent, because some of the serious things we can rule out, and sad news all at the same time as it means we have no actual answers for her symptoms. So we continue the hunt..."
 

Keechak

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#15
She will soon be traveling down to Missouri from Wisconsin to be evaluated for canine Parkinson's decease. She does have a donation fund set up if anyone is interested, I wont post it here but people can PM me about it.

If she does have Parkinson's Decease her future isn't bright.
 

Keechak

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She has now been taking Anipryl since Dec 1st. It is s a drug used to treat Canine Cognitive Disorder and K9 Parkinson disease. She has been showing signs of improvement.
 

JazzyTheSibe

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#18
Wow, that's just great news! I hope she continues to heal without to many complications.
 

Keechak

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#19
I just heard she had a seizure yesterday morning :( this is new.
She is better now and acting her self again but this is not good.
 

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