canine vestibular syndrome

R

RN2MBA04

Forums Novice
Hi i am new to this forum. I have a 13 year old sheltie who just recently was diagnosed with vestibular syndrome on Friday 9.9.11. she has not eaten or drank water since Friday and i have been giving her doggie ensure and water by a dropper as that is the only way she would take it. Today is Tuesday and she is eating boiled chicken and still taking water by the dropper.

My question is how much chicken and water should i be giving her? how many times a day? She also has canine cushings and is on medication. If anyone else has had this experience with their sheltie please email me as I want to provide her enough nutrition to get over this syndrome but not too much to make her sick.

thanks,
 
First and foremost - If you have any questions such as feeding and care of your Sheltie with a serious medical condition, you should DEFINITELY speak to your vet and not rely on the Internet regardless of how knowledgeable the group may be. We are NOT veterinarians.

Onto the question at hand...
I've had to handle this disease with my Finish Spitz during the last 2 years of her life.

For the first two weeks after the initial attack, we had to give her food and water via a large syringe, canned food with water added to make it more soupy for the syringe. We pretty much fed her her normal amount of food and she got water in small doses every hour.

After the first few weeks, she started to learn how to live with the permanent bend in her head and was able to eat and drink on her own. We did keep her bowls on raised platforms to make it easier for her.
 
Yes..definitely consult your vet. Cushings adds a different factor to your babe's issue. This is a good place to come beforehand, because the information here may give you more questions to ask ;-).

I dealt with IVD (Vestibular Disease) with our 13 year old girl for the last 6 months of her life. She did improve in the weeks following her attack. We let her decide how much she would eat. It was all about making her happy and keeping her comfortable during this time. We did add water to her food which increased her water intake.

Putting her dishes on a raised platform is an excellent point. We did this as well. It's good for all "senior" dogs. We did this as well.

Our girl had problems with controling her bladder when she would sleep. We increased her opportunities to relieve herself, and also put doggy diapers on her at night. Actually, I believe she loved the extra attention from them.

I hope she improves as time goes by ;-). 13 can be a tough age.

AND...welcome to the group. Nice to have you!;-)
 
I don't have any advice. Just wanted to say I'm sorry. My Lacy had 2 attacks with vestibular syndrome when she was around 14. She had a slight permanent head tilt but other than that she was fine over time. I hope your baby bounces back quickly.
 
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