idiopathic vestibular disease

 

Albert looked drunk last night. He staggered and slipped on the back of the trendy blue sofa, so much so that the dogs jumped up in panicked attack mode. 
It’s a hard fact of life that when an animal acts outside it’s normal behaviour it is ganged up upon and often attacked by its peers. 
I have seen such behaviour in hens and ducks and turkeys and dogs .
I scooped Albert up and he sat quietly on my knee for a while, before I placed him in a dark corner of the living room where he settled and slept
Today he looks his normal self 

I cleaned the carpet in the living room this morning too
And before I could put away the cleaner Roger had chewed the plug off it. 

The weather is atrocious today
Wild 

41 comments:

  1. I kind of freak out when animals are not their usual selves. I don't have pets, so when I'm pet sitting, I watch closely to see if the cats or dogs are freaking out.
    Also, not surprising that Roger acted at the speed of light with that plug LOL

    XOXO

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  2. Had to google ideopathic vestibular disease. Even though I've had several cats, I've never heard of it. I hope Albert is OK now. Oh, dear, Roger's blotted his copybook again. Naughty boy! xx

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    1. His preasessor William once ate some meat wrapped in a Tesco carrier bag. The bag was deposited down the lane like bunting

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  3. Anonymous2:55 pm

    Good luck with that. Just went through that with 2 beagles. Albert is so fortunate to have you.

    Will Jay

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    1. He’s never really liked me Will, he preferred my ex husband

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  4. Poor Albert. Glad he’s back to his normal self today. So, how many more months do you think of Roger’s destruction?

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    1. I think he will grow out if things when he’s fully housetrained and has the run of the house

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  5. Poor Albert. I´m going through the same sort of problem with my elderly Yorkie Toby.

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  6. Barbara Anne4:16 pm

    Do you suppose Albert could have eaten something while outside that caused the wobbliness?
    Sorry the plug got c chewed off the vacuum. Shame on Roger!
    Hope you've got more soup to enjoy .

    Hugs!

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    1. Yes it’s always a possibility babs , no vomiting though and he’s eaten normally today

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  7. You have sent that atrocious weather Eastwards - it has been awful here and is just clearing.

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    1. I swept the flu so the fire is roaring and the central heating has been on tall day, the cottage is toasty

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  8. Poor old Albert. Please give him special cuddles from me.

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    1. He’d hate that , he only likes my friends Ruth and Colin

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  9. Is it treatable, due to an infection? Age? Did you go to the vet?

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    1. No sign of infection , no further symptoms
      As Albert detests being at the vets ( and had to be wrestled under control last time) I’m reluctant to take him unless I really have to
      He’s eating normally and looks well ( and suitably disgruntled ) so I will watch and wait

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    2. Anonymous7:05 pm

      He’s waiting for a reader to offer to pay his vet bills

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    3. I'm sure there are many readers who would happily pay John's vet's bill. It's called karma. Be nice and nice things happen to you. You should try it sometime, Anonymous.

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    4. I’m happy to pay my own ….I’m lucky only Dorothy isn’t insured

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  10. Tigs, Reg and Millie send their love to dear Albert xx Tess

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  11. That was frightening John - My Queenie had a funny turn and I thought she had a stroke - Vet diagnosed vestibular disease and said elderly dogs get it and she could live ok with it - sadly soon after she was diagnosed with liver disease xx

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    1. He’s an old boy and apart from his broken leg, has been remArkably healthy

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  12. A worry about Albert, but I'm afraid Roger chewing the plug made me laugh. It's the way you tell 'em.

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    1. My fault for leaving it out …I needed a new one

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  13. Anonymous5:32 pm

    Retired Vet Tech here. Vestibular dz in older dogs is fairly common, and usually self-limiting; not so common in older cats I don't think. I'd think about either an ear infection, or as someone previously mentioned, ingestion of a toxin on one of his forays outside. Anyhow, I hope this is just a "one off" and he continues to be okay. Carol, a reader in Philadelphia.

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    1. Thank you carol
      The vet gave advice over the phone as Albert has been an absolute Tiger at any surgery visit. He causes mayhem . They were not too bothered seeing that he has no symptoms today and is eating.
      They did mention the vestibular Condition..
      I will watch how he goes

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  14. A large study, the Romberg, conducted in Germany, show similar results of vestibule disease in elderly humans, such as myself. I notice that I cannot, for instance, do a 360 degree turn and jump shot on a basketball court. I fear that I may not make the NBA after all.

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    1. Me neither , though one gay fan said he liked my fat arse

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  15. My elderly cat had vestibular syndrome a few years ago, I had never heard of it before. It was frightening, she collapsed completely, vomited and had nystagmus (rapidly flickering eyes); I thought she was dying. The vet said she might never have it again, or it might recur so frequently that it would be unfair to keep going. She recovered fully, and lived for several more years without it ever happening again. I hope Albert is feeling back to normal.

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  16. I hope this was just a one off for Albert. Glad to hear he seems okay now. Roger moves quickly and anything that he fancies could be at risk. Puppy mayhem.

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  17. Anonymous11:01 pm

    My old Labrador Retriever Feeney had that- with the rapid eye movement too… I thought she was having a stroke… only had the one episode thought- died several years later from an unrelated injury/illness…
    Hope Albert continues to get better. Take care John…

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  18. Happens when you are down that reality snaps you back to worrying about something else. You have a gift Mr. Gray of telling a story we all love.

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  19. Our Billy had a small 'fit' yesterday, then vomited on the carpet. He's done this twice before; I hope it's nothing too serious.

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  20. Poor Albert. Good thing you were there to look after him during that episode too. I hope it improves soon. I didn't know that fact about animal behaviour when one of their own shows signs of very strange behaviour.

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  21. Dearest Albert, we care deeply about you, your health and welfare. Please stay strong.

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  22. I had never heard of this. Glad Albert is back to his churlish self this morning. Perhaps Roger felt the need for a Big Vac.

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  23. Poor Albert! Hopefully this is a transient thing.

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