Am I doing the right thing? 12 year old female pitbull with vestibular syndrome?

Senior dog with vestibular syndrome episode 3 weeks ago - vet testing for cushings now as a possible cause.3 weeks ago, our 12 year old female pitbull had a nuerological episode diganosed as idiopathic vestibular syndrome/disease. She has since recovered nicely, with some weakness still present in her back legs. She is eating and drinking well and going about her daily routine, slowly but surely. She has been tested for thyroid issues via a blood test and a urine test for Cushings Disease. Am I doing the right thing? 12 year old female pitbull

  • Vetinfo

    By: Kara McCarty El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    I haven't examined your dog so I haven't seen what your veterinarian has. Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism) doesn't cause idiopathic vestibular syndrome however. Hypothyroid dogs have skin problems, weight gain and lethargy. Cushing's disease causes poor skin condition, hair loss and weight gain, a pot bellied appearance, an increased appetite and water consumption, and recurrent urinary tract infections . If she has these problems and her thyroid profile was normal it's possible that's why your veterinarian is testing her. If she's not symptomatic I wouldn't test her. The test itself isn't difficult on your dog, just a few blood samples. If she has Cushing's disease it should be treated and is controllable with medication. However some dogs do show up in the abnormal range upon testing even if they don't have the disease so I never test a dog that I'm not fairly certain has the disease because of her symptoms.

More Questions on Infections / Disease

  • Dog yeast infection-bathing with ketochlor

    My puppy just recovered from demodex, but developed a musty smell. The vet said he must've developed a yeast or fungal infection, his hair is growing back just fine but he just stinks. So I've been bathing him with ketochlor.. when should I notice a change in smell?

  • My littlr 12 yr old maltese dog has mastitis

    she has a very swollen boob, (her daughter that is 4 yrs old wil still lay with her and suck on her teat),she is on antibodies but will not eat and i am forcing her to drink is this normal or should i take her back to the vet( today is sunday and the vet is only oncall)

  • My 13 year old dog has Sebaceous Adenomas.

    My 13 year old dog has Sebaceous Adenomas. We often babysit my son's two puppies. Are Sebaceous Adenomas contagious? Are Sebaceous Adenomas contagious? We have a 13 year old dog diagnosed with several Sebaceous Adenomas. We babysit my son's two puppies. Are the puppies at risk of catching it?

  • My dog has red blood in her stool is this juvenile cellulitis

    my dog has juvenile cellulitis. Now she has red blood in her stool. Can that be a symptom of juvenile cellulitis She was diagnosed 5 years ago. at that time aggressive treatment with prednisone caused remission of all symptoms One month ago bleeding in her ears and ulcerations around her mouth led to the diagnosis of juvenile cellulitis again. I stopped her medication when her symptoms subsided after one month. Now she has red blood drops with her stool. Her stool is much more thin than usual and there are about 5-6 dime sized somewhat clear red blood drops around it.

  • My dog has a red inflamed pimple like sore near his anus?

    What could this be? The inflammation is about pea size and is red and weepy. He keeps licking the area?

  • My puppy has sarcopis mange.. how can i get rid it off of me?

    hi? my puppy has sarcopis mange.. i got some itch off my arm .. how can i get rid it off me? i got some itch off my arm .. how can i get rid it off me?

  • Can a dog bite cause a human to get hepatitis?

    Can a dog bite to a human cause the human to get any form of hepatitis?

  • Can a dog spread hepatitis B by clawing someone

    can a dog claw a person with hepatitis b and then claw someone else and that person come infected heptitis b

  • My dog is infected by something similar to staph or fungal infections

    Fungal infection or similar how to cure? The last two years my dog is infected by something similar to staph or fungal infections. She has itching under her all over belly and on feet. Losing hair and red/black skin. I tried antibiotics, antifungal, cord, pills and went over 10 vets but cannot help the dog. Please if possible to help me or advice would be appreciated. ( i can send photos)

  • My dog has a staff infection and started to throw up

    My dog has a staff infection and is on baytril and amoxicilin. She has started to throw up. Are these two medicines the cause? My dog has a staff infection. She is also on thyroid meds as well as hydroyzine for itching. She has now started throwing up. Would these drugs interacted and cause her to throw up?

  • My dog has a deep, infected corneal ulcer, Will it heal?

    my 9 yr old boston terrier has a deep, infected corneal ulcer . Will it heal? We were told by our vet it may not heal and he doesn't recommend surgery due to his age.

  • My dog just killed a squirrel, can there be issues with that

    My dog just killed a squirrel. She sleeps with us regularly, is it safe to sleep with us tonight? Also, is this safe for her?

  • How do I know if my dog has an infection from a bite wound?

    My dog was bitten on the leg by a small dog. It is not a serious wound but I want to keep an eye on it for infection. How can I tell if it is infected?

  • My 4 yr old dog has Perianal fistulas infection

    My 4 yr old WGSD is being treated for Perianal Fistulas that was oozing mucus, with 10 days of antibiotics, The fistulas are much better but she still has the 3 open sores on her anus. Should I continue with another course of antibiotics.

  • My Dog has been diagnosed with poison he will not eat

    My Dog has been diagnosed with poison he will not eat, he lost a lot of weight and almost skeletal like, and he has hard trouble breathing, will he die said its poison after he look at him, he is breathing very hard, will not eat or drink, will he make it, please tell me anything i can do to save my dog to flush the poison out of him, and the vet also said there is fluid in his lung

  • My cocker spaniel may have a fungus from playing in the snow.

    WE live in AZ but went up to play in the snow in UT. Ever since we came back our little Cocker Spaniel has had red skin and itching. My boss told me that fungus can live in the snow in some places. What can I treat his poor skin with?

  • Dog's testicles has a black spot and it is flat?

    My boyfriend's chihuahua is about 10 years old. We noticed a few weeks ago that his testicles had a black spot and were flat. Now it has gotten worse. It looks as if bacteria is eating away at his testicles and they bleed. He keeps licking at them and he wont lay down because they hurt him. Instead, he'll rest his head on his paws but keep standing on his back legs and he's so tired he can barely even do that anymore. Whats wrong with the dog?

  • Different ways of treating cushings disease for dogs

    Where can I find research on different ways of treating cushings disease for dogs using lysodren?Can/ Has anyone ever seen it done where the one week induction is skip and instead the weekly maintenance dose is commenced straight away and a ACTH test is done 6 months later to check if dosage is correct. I know it will take longer for results this way but it will also be cheaper as we are struggling with costs. My dog is 14 yrs, had bad reaction to lysodren, just want to make him comfortable, unfortunately we can't afford main treatment method.

  • What are the systoms of bee stings in a small dog

    Our miniature pincher got bee stung several times and i was wondering what the reaction could be because she is acting sick and now she is throwing up, and she is swelling on her nose and tongue.

  • Will antibiotics alone cure an abscess in a dog

    I have an 11 year old husky with an abscess under his chin. He is now on his third round of antibiotics. Most of the abscess has disappeared, but there is still a small sac. If the final antibiotics do not get rid of this sac, will he have to have it opened and drained? He has medical issues like seizures and I am worried about putting him under for the procedure.

  • Preventing Anal Sac Infections?

    Is there any way to prevent anal sac infections? My 4 year old Pomeranian gets them quite often despite frequent expressing. We tried a high fiber diet but the food made him sick and didn't really help with the infections. He loves vegetables (which I've seen suggested) and we use them instead of dog treats so he eats them frequently. Could expressing more frequently help or could that potentially be dangerous?

  • Can a dog UTI spread from one dog to another?

    My Rat Terrier was diagnosed with an UTI. Is it possible for my other dog to "catch" it? Should both dogs be on antibiotics?

  • Dog infected with E. Coli. How to fix?

    My Bulldog pup broke out with a skin infection 5 months ago which started as a small patch of hairloss and has since spread to other parts of his body. He now has them all over, some more prominent, revealing more skin than others. Redness inside of the ears and redness and swelling between his paws exist. Numerous visits to the vets alongside various medical treatment (antibiotics, ointments, powders, shampoos) have proven unsuccessful. His skin scrapping results show E. Coli. What should I do?

  • Why does my dog have inflamed lymph notes?

    Inflamed lymph notes and swollen eyes?

  • How can I tell if my dogs vagina is infected?

    How can I tell if my female has an infection in or near her vagina? I wiped off s substance that looked like apiece of poop and then continued to wipe her clean. She was more than uncomfortable as I got closer to her private area. Any ideas?

  • What medication for a dog fungal infection?

    I have an akita who has a fungal problem. His fur comes out in patches, leaving the skin exposed. What medication can I get to deal with this problem? The fur comes out around his face , paws and body.

  • Dog throat infection from strep?

    My kids (all 8 of them) have strep a second time within less than a month. My little ones are constantly lying on the dog, could the dog be the carrier and can I give her azithromycin just like the little kids? I have an extra bottle for a child about 30 lbs and my Beagle probably weighs just about that, maybe a little over too.

  • Can a meningitis infection pass from one dog to another?

    Can it be passed from one dog to another?

  • See all questions in Infections / Disease

Please do not use our site to attempt to diagnose or treat your pet. Your veterinarian is the best source of health advice for an individual pet.

Please do use our site to become better informed about the medical problems your pet may have. We will do our best to ensure that information presented is accurate and up-to-date. The most current information will be at the top of each page. Remember that veterinarians often disagree about the best treatments for pets. There are often several perfectly acceptable ways to treat the same condition. Just ask a lot of questions!

For all emergency situations, please contact your local Emergency Pet Clinic or on-call Veterinarian. Answers are not provided in real time. We can not guarantee an answer to every question, nor can we provide timely responses to urgent questions in many instances.