Expert: Dr. Christina Chambreau - 11/8/2010

Question
my whippet seemed " a little out of it" one day. she was 13 and a half. so i figured she was just old. my dog seemed a little confused. extreemly slow. this went on for about 2 weeks. one day she fell and could not really get up. my other dog both had been having diarreha so i tool them to the vet.they got meds. my whippet was perscibed 10mg prednisone 1 tablet 2x. then the vets office called. 1/2 a tablet 2x.I had seen a different vet than usual. my dog seemed 'tippy' her head was NOT cocked to the side. she was not eating, drinking a little bit. i took her back to the vets again. they thought she might be having a reaction to her meds or a brain tumor. we stopped the meds, they gave her a shot of cortsoll? and subcutaniouds fluids. they said that might help. anyway it did not she stayed in the same place as where i left her. no eating no drinking could barely walk. seemed confused. tried to bribe her with treats.she seemed uncomfortable. i carried her around the house. her gums were almost white. i noticed her eyes were shifting weird. like a typriter. staggerd movements to one side then they would bounce back to the other side. anyway, i ended up putting her to sleep. i stayed with her. i guess it comes down to , can all that happen so fast? and whats going on?

Answer
Jaime, the best answer I have for you is that it is wonderful to have a short illness when our animals have reached the end of their genetic life. It is much harder on them to suffer for months. Be grateful for her sake.
I would have done nothing different when I had merely conventional veterinary training. Now I would have approached her symptoms in a way that may have made the transition (if it was time) much more gentle and easy on everyone.
I encourage you to find an integrative veterinarian with whom to work, even if by phone. We can coach you by phone with what to do if you do need fluids and diagnostic tests.

If you are not too heartsick, read some of my other posts for the 7 keys to good health and how to find holistic vets and learn methods yourself that can help your animals.

To answer your specific questions:
1. It can happen that fast.
2. I cannot tell you specifically what was going on except that her nervous system was shutting down.l
Christina Chambrea