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vestibular

charlie

My goldern has vestibular disease. We found out Sunday, My question is is it normal for him to urinate on himself with this disease? He cant and wont get up. I just feel this is not a way of life for him. I feel he is worse now then on Sunday.

Symptoms: Head Tilt, Pain, Eyes, Urine & Incontinence

• Master Advisor Matthew says:

  December 11th, 2007 at 08:19 PM

  Hi, Sorry to hear about Charlie and his vestibular problems. Vestibular disease is a rather non-specific diagnosis, has your vet differentiated between central and peripheral disease? For example, a brain problem would cause central, whereas an ear problem would be peripheral. This is important for treatment purposes. I would also recommend screeing for underlying hypothyroidism, which has been associated with vestibular disease and is common in Goldens. Since vestibular disease is characterized by losing balance and disorientation, Charlie is probably unwilling to get up as he feels giddy when standing. Lying down would be far more comfortable. That is probably the reason he is urinating on himself, standing up and going outside is difficult. Vestibular disease itself has no direct effect on the urinary system. The 'idiopathic' for of vestibular disease usually goes away by its own accord after a few weeks. It is distressing for you and Charlie, but even if you are unwilling to have further diagnostics (xrays of the middle ear etc), I would be inclined to 'ride out the storm' for a few weeks and see if he improves. I have pasted some text from an article I wrote not long ago below regarding making a diagnosis: First, the veterinarian must distinguish between peripheral and central disease based on clinical signs. If there is doubt, diagnostics for both should be done. If the veterinarian suspects central disease, he/she may choose to rule out peripheral disease with various tests first because the tests for central disease are expensive (e.g. MRI or CT scan). The following procedure is what is most commonly done when looking for causes of peripheral vestibular disease. If drug toxicity has been ruled out (no metronidazole, aminoglycoside antibiotics or topical chlorhexidine recently) then the external ears are examined using an otoscope (illuminated and magnified inspection device with a rigid conical end which is inserted into the ear canal). Ear infections, tumors and polyps may be detected this way. Middle ear disease is suspected if the ear drum appears to be ruptured, bulging, cloudy or red in color. Thyroid levels are usually measured by a blood test at this stage to rule out hypothyroidism. The next step of the investigation is taking xrays of the skull. Several views are required but the most important one is that which shows the tympanic bullae in the middle ears most clearly. This requires general anesthesia to allow correct positioning. If the tests at this stage have all come back normal, many cases will be given a presumptive diagnosis of idiopathic vestibular syndrome. This is usually because a) it is by far the most likely diagnosis, and b) further specialized tests are costly. If however further tests are to be carried out, MRI or CT scanning, electromyography and nerve conduction studies are a possibility in some referral centers. Good luck!

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