need info.,new member, dog hasn't been dx yet, how to do it, what symptoms, Tx?

[Devon Gizelbach]

Hi my name is Devon. My 15 yr.old standard female poodle's name is Samantha. Sam has these symptoms that have been progressing starting in January of 2009. (except for her constant swallowing which she has had for nearly a year before her breathing problem started). Four vets have not been able to tell me what the problem is. The vets want to sedate her and look into her esophagus. I feel at her age with her temperment it is not a good idea. Sam becomes EXTREMELY nervous and begons to pant at the vets office. One vet said it could be Lar Par. Sam's symptoms include excessive salivating or swallowing, weak hind legs, can't take exercise anymore due to breathing (she will start panting), and wheezing sometimes during the day but excessivley at night. Sometimes she will gag or cough. Sam seems like she has labored breathing and the wheezing sound is almost constant in the night when when she goes to sleep. Sam has had an noraml x-ray by her family vet and has had a cardio exam by a specialist., I was told her heart sounds good. She does have a disc problem in her back but she does not aggravate it by running or jumping. Sam eats and drinks well. I feed her small amounts a few times a day. Sam does have gas. I give her tagament and pepcid. Sam has a sensitive stomach. Presently she is on a pill to open her airways Theophylline 100mg. 2-3times a day. Her night wheezing has become so strong that I asked the doctor to put her on antibiotices to rule out any infection just in case. He gave her Zeniquin 50mg. / one and a half tab daily. Sam is taking both these meds and she seems to get restless a bit and kick in her sleep off and on not constant. Last night I felt her heart racing and had to give her two and one half mgs. of Ativan to calm her and knock her out which didn't but did calm her. Once before Sam took Zeniquin and it helped her wheezing to decrease almost completely for a couple months at the most. Then a month later for some odd reason Sam contracted a very bad urinary tract infection (very bloody) which has been cured. I worry about that the antibiotics could cause this problem.
I found out about this problem from a vet health book which led me to this cite.
I would like to find out exactly what I need to do to have her DX and TX if it turns out that she had this problem. I don't want any operations due to her age. I just want to make her life as comfortable as possible. Please help Sam and me. Thank you.

[Lara Kretler]

Devon, I hope you're able to find some answers. I definitely understand not wanting to do anything invasive to Samantha. Hopefully her problem will resolve on its own or at least get a little better. Best wishes to you both!

[Devon Gizelbach]

Hi Lara,
I am very happy that Jack was saved and is living a very happy life with his pet mom. Thank you so much for taking the time to eplain Jack's inital sysmptoms. It was really helpful. After hearing these symptoms I feel that Samantha does not have this disorder. I don't know yet what her problem is. Since she is 15 years old and doing very well except for this wheezing problem that restricts her breathing and it is not dx pneumonia or bronchitis. I have been hesitant to have her sedated to have the vet go in and take a look at her throat. Some vets think it could be laryngeal paralysis others say it could be a growth. I am just praying that I will be guided to do the right thing even if the right thing means not to do anything. I just don't want to put her through anything at her age and at the same time I don't want her to suffocate one day either. Anyway thank you so much for your time. God bless you and Jack. He sure is a really good, fine boy and very handsome.

[Lara Kretler]

Jack's initial symptoms were excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, strange/messy drinking habits (biting at water, burying his face under water, etc. - because he wasn't able to get any down his throat so he was desperate!). He was diagnosed with ME and we started vertical feeding/elevated watering, but soon after went into remission (no symptoms at all) for several blissful months.

Then, several months later, Jack started losing energy, the ME symptoms came back, plus he wasn't able to walk - he would "tire out" after just a few steps, his back legs would fold... then he would rest a minute or two and be ble to walk a few more steps. Sometimes his legs would give out while going to the bathroom. It was very sad! He stopped eating, no interest at all in food or treats (even human food/raw meatballs), no interest in water, basically he was dropping weight and it was a life or death situation. That's when he was diagnosed with MG and we had to rush him into emergency surgery to get rid of the thymoma (rare cancerous tumor) that was causing all of his problems.

Hope this helps a bit! I know many dogs present differently with this disease and it can be tough to diagnose sometimes.

[Devon Gizelbach]

Hi,
Thank you for your resposne. However as I mentioned in my e-mail I was wondering since other people's dogs have had a dx, what were their dog's symptoms prior to their dx? For ex.: When they took their dogs to the vet what symptoms were they reporting initially to the vet that the dog was showing? ( thus making the vet think that the dog needed to be tested for MG or could possibly have Megaesophagus). I would be very interested in finding out this information from others who have already discovered this problem. I have read all the stories, yet no one "specifically" mentions what was happening with their dog's symptoms (what were the initial symptoms, how did it begin and progress?) Could you please help me with this information. Thank you.

[Lara Kretler]

Hi Devon, I am sorry it took me a few days to see your post. There is a pretty simple way to test for MG (myasthenia gravis) which can be an underlying cause of Megaesophagus. I can't remember the name of the test but basically there can be immediate results from it. Your vet should know the test - it's not invasive at all. There is also a blood titer test but the results take a while and it can be quite expensive. If Sam has MG, it could be causing her ME-like symptoms. Please let us know what you find out from your vet! I wish you the best of luck with Sam. You sound like a really great mom. :)