Not walking not eating not drinking

[acarabias]

WOW, That is just fantastic news!! I am in awe!!

 

[Saalwi]

That's simply amazing! I'm so happy for you and Butler...glad he's feeling better

 

[cowsmom]

i have been following this thread and im estatic that he is improving. i will pray for continued improvement. awsome.

 

[2BullyMama]

I gave butler the gabapentin last night as soon as I got home. After a couple hours he started wanting to walk. So he struggled to move around and I helped him. He wanted so bad to be my shadow like usual. I made him sit still though. Then I was eating and he was SUPER interested! So I fed him and gave him water. I had him diapered up so he could pee without going outside. We went to bed and I woke him up this mining and he didn't pee his diaper. So I took him outside and he peed and pooped on his own! We have a dr appointment tomorrow.

WONDERFUL.... so hope the Gabapentin is the answer. Banks does well on it and without it we totally notice a difference.

Keep us posted

 

[Twice]

This is the best news! We'll be praying for continued progress

 

[NigelsMom]

So happy to hear Butler is doing better. Please let us know what the vet says.

 

[AubreysMom]

I'm late to the thread, but I am happy to know he's doing better! Please keep us updated, we're all pulling for him! Big hugs to you both

 

[agingermom]

Fabulous news!!!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

I'm just getting in on this too. Be sure to share what the vet says and stuff for those of us who have no experience with this condition. Your details could help someone else down the road!

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=1539]sheila[/MENTION] how is butler today?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[cali~jenn]

Yes I am checkin in to see if there are updates too.

 

[GoGween]

Updates, keeping y'all in our prayers

 

[sheila]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the love and well wishes and prayers.

Butler has been improving each day with the Gabapentin. It is like a miracle! I honestly thought I was going to have to say goodbye to him on wednesday because he could not walk and did not want to drink or eat. He had no response to me pinching his paw pads and was totally listless. I'm so glad [MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] and many others recommended Gabapentin.

We went to the vet today and he did some tests. The valley fever that Butler has been fighting for 2.5 years has moved into his brain tissue. This is what is causing the drunk like walking, ataxia, and his really bad head tilt (i thought he was crooking his neck to the right because it hurt, but it's all neurological). Butler had a very very severe case of valley fever, and even though most of it has been eradicated, he will never be free of it. The anti fungal medicine (fluconazole) has been effective in killing a lot of the fungus in most of Butler's tissues, BUT the brain tissue is the hardest for the medicine to get to (it also takes the fungus a long time to make it's way to the brain), so that's why even after all this time and much improvement, we are just now seeing effects of the fungus on his brain.

The vet confirmed the neurological condition because Butler was showing "CP Defecit" which is conscious proprioreception which in human speak means that the brain doesn't know or sense where the limbs are. Butler was doing something called knuckling, that's where if the foot or paw is flipped over, the dog doesn't correct it by flipping it back to normal position. He was walking on his hind left paw (fur side down) and he was dragging it.

So The vet wants to give steroids a try since that is not something we have done yet. We are stopping metacam completely and only relying on Gabapentin for pain management. We are taking Prednisone as the steroid and Fluconazole still for the anti fungal. He also uses Optimmune in his left eye because it no longer produces tears which happened 2.5 years after his cherry eye surgery.

He's doing so much better. He has his appetite back and he is following me everywhere and being extremely cuddly. He even tried to chase my roommate's cat! I am so relieved. My heart was completely broken at the thought of losing him.

 

[cowsmom]

oh this is awsome. im so glad your baby is doing better. i hope the new meds will help him fight the valley fever.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

[MENTION=1539]sheila[/MENTION] - Thank you SO MUCH for the detailed update. I am thrilled that this forum was able to help you so directly. When I first read your first post, I too also felt pretty hopeless about the situation. Amazing results.

Valley Fever sounds horrible. I looked it up "google" and holy cow. Poor boy!!!