Pip diagnosis - Central cord syndrome

[CarolC]

Well, it's the morning after his dental and this is the hardest I've ever seen a pet take a dental. Wouldn't eat his breakfast (slurry). Ate half a jar of Gerber chicken. Didn't want soy milk. He hasn't had any fluids since Sunday night at 10 because this is the dog that doesn't drink water and gets it mixed in food. He got Rimadyl half an hour ago. Will try soy milk again in a while, or Knox blox, but he'll have to chew them, but they're soft. He did urinate pretty well this morning, color a little strong, so he had some fluids in his system. His face doesn't look dehydrated.

[CarolC]

He drank his soy milk this morning! I'd say now he's back to normal. His last Rimadyl was last night. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

[critters]

Maybe they gave him a narcotic? You wouldn't think Rimadyl would zonk him, but maybe so...

[CarolC]

Pip overheated today. Very badly. It was 70 degrees out! Yes, he's black, and yes, he was in the sun, but it was 70 degrees! It took him a long time to get back to normal with cooling him off and giving him as much soy milk as he could drink. I couldn't believe it. He wasn't out there that long. I wonder if something has gotten "more so" with his thermoregulation issue since his dental. It was scary. The poor thing! He seems OK now. I hope!

[CarolC]

I've been wanting to get something in his vet record and possibly make a sign over his playpen to tell people what to look for. I'm worried if anything happens to me, nobody will know that he overheats, or what his panting looks like. I've never known a dog like this before, that pants like a goldfish. He can open his mouth wide when he yawns. He can't drink water and I have never seen him hang his tongue out even a little. The neurologist said the swallowing thing has nothing to do with his paralysis.

It took me all day to realize, today when he overheated, he was hanging his tongue out all the way. First time I've ever seen him able to do that.

[critters]

Oh no! Who'd've thought?!!

[CarolC]

Pip and I went to Missouri and back this week. He did really well. He's a good traveller. Slept in the car, mostly didn't bark too much in the hotel room. Then when we returned and I was unlocking the front door, I had a TIA (mini-stroke) on the front porch. I held onto the screen door to keep from collapsing and rested a minute to see if my vision would clear but it didn't. Closed one eye and went into the house, kept staggering and pitching to the left. Went through the house to the garage, got Pip out of the car, was carrying him up the ramp to the house when I lost my balance due to left side weakness, slammed into the doorway with my left shoulder and fell on the ramp. Fortunately he was in my right arm when we fell and I did not drop him. I then laid him on the floor but hit him with my legs doing my fish out of water imitation floundering on the ramp, but thankfully he was OK.

Had trouble getting back up, my left arm and left leg were not supporting me. Finally grabbed the burglar bars with my right hand and got up, went inside, was going to call 911 but did the stroke self-test. I could raise both arms and smile with both sides of my face so I decided (dumb) it was not a stroke and went and laid down, leaving Pip lying on the floor of the sun porch because I couldn't risk trying to carry him again.

Fell asleep for 2 hours, but when I got back up I still couldn't walk so I called 911 to be checked for a possible stroke after all, slurring my speech on the phone, and the ambulance came and took me to the ER. Before we left I asked the EMT to help me get Pip into his playpen. He held me under the arms from behind so I didn't lurch sideways and I got Pip and the EMT walked me up the ramp.

At the ER my BP was high and they did a CT and said I was lucky, it was a TIA, not a stroke this time, so I was home by 1:30 AM. In the meantime, the petsitter had made an extra trip to the house to take care of everybody, and she had given Pip a jar of baby food and his plate was clean, so everything went about as well as possible. EMS and the ER were both unexpectedly very nice to me.

Do not know what caused the incident or why then. There were other times during the trip that were truly stressful, but at the time it happened upon arrival home, I was just elated to be home safely and looking forward to microwaving something for dinner. But fortunately Pip is OK. I've always worried about falling while carrying a dog.

[critters]

That was a week you'll never forget, huh?!! Glad you're OK!

[CarolC]

Glad we both are OK. Falling with him, with his neck like it is, it's a mercy he's OK. He got a good jolt being in my arms when I hit the ramp even though he wasn't dropped. I always worry after remembering how Wheely Willy's mom fell on the icy steps carrying him and they were both injured. That's why I didn't take a chance and try again to take him inside, just left him on the porch for a while.

[CarolC]

With all the hoopla, I kept forgetting to post something. When we were in the hotel, I was walking past the front desk and the receptionist stopped me and handed me a styrofoam take-out box. She said a man who had been with us in the elevator left it for the puppy. When I got up to the room and opened it, it was the T-bone from a steak, which was completely eaten but of course a dog could still enjoy it a lot. I gave it to Pip and he worked on it for a while. He can't really tug little leftover bits of meat off with his neck, but he licked and bit at it. That was so nice of somebody! Pip would never get one otherwise. Happy memory.

I just watched a little while ago as he stood outside the back door and peed standing up. Always so proud of him when he does that! He sprayed his chest like he used to do, but that's why we have washcloths!