Dog with constant head tilt

OJlish

Our 8-month old German Shepherd has been tilting his head a lot lately. Noticed it two weeks ago and thought nothing of it. It's been getting worse and now has his head tilted constantly.



I assumed it was because we've been using a head halter. The vet mentioned that the head halter couldn't have caused it. If it was a neck injury he would be in considerable pain with loss of appetite and balance. His coordination's great... no other issues other than the bloody head tilt. He recently got an x-ray and blood test. Vet ruled out ear infection or inflammation. We've now been referred to a neurologist in UCD. Anyone have any idea how much a doggie MRI costs? Has anyone experienced this issue before?

do you mean literally all the time or when he's looking at something?

if you talk to one of ours or they're interested in something they'll tilt their heads like in the picture above

OJlish

Literally all the time. He has his head tilted when he walks, sits up, eats. He can still catch the ball in the air though.. still plays like your average pup but with a serious head tilt. He's so awkward-looking... surely it can't be comfortable for him

I thought I was just being paranoid too but the vet didn't think it was normal either. He only used to tilt his head when he's curious about something. Now it's non-stop

anniehoo

The first condition that came into my head is CVD or Canine Vestibular Disease and often presents with a significant head tilt first. Does he have any other symptoms eg. circling or hind leg weakness?

An MRI is very expensive, anything up to €1000 so be prepared for a hefty bill if you go that route.

falabo

OJlish wrote: »

I thought I was just being paranoid too but the vet didn't think it was normal either.

the vet didn't think it was normal but didn't investigate it further ? :eek: :rolleyes: :cool:

anniehoo

falabo wrote: »

the vet didn't think it was normal but didn't investigate it further ? :eek: :rolleyes: :cool:

OPs been referred to UCD...thats investigating it further.

I am pie

first site i looked at also mentioned it could be an ear infection causing imbalance, have you checked the pups ear out ? have a look inside and see if they are infected.

Can also indicate more serious issues. Go to a different vet if that's the only response you got from your current vet.

anniehoo

Folks the vet is not at fault here. If an animal presents with neurological signs this is the normal workup that would be done. Failing that a referral to a consultant neurologist will happen. Vets have to refer for an animal to get an MRI done. Even UCD dont have one in-house, its a mobile unit that visits when needed. OPs vet has done more or less everything within their abilities and did the right thing referring.

OJlish

falabo wrote: »

the vet didn't think it was normal but didn't investigate it further ? :eek: :rolleyes: :cool:

He did an x-ray and blood test but still couldn't figure out what's wrong with him

€1,000 :eek: Consultation is on Tuesday so hopefully they'll give us some sort of payment plan. I seriously hope it doesn't come to that though. I will ask them about vestibular disease. Thanks so much for that. I read it somewhere but it mentioned that it's usually diagnosed on 13 year old dogs so I dissed it

No other symptoms I'm afraid. By circle you mean circling before he lies down? He does that sometimes. Nothing else sticks out though other than the head tilt. His appetite is fine, his energy level high and coordination normal. He doesn't seem to be in pain

I'll update on Tuesday after our appointment with the neurologist

andreac

Is your dog insured?

OJlish

Unfortunately no he's not insured Silly on our part really

For those who are about to give us a lecture about insurance... trust me I know! We've been beating ourselves up over it

Millem

OJlish wrote: »

falabo wrote: »

the vet didn't think it was normal but didn't investigate it further ? :eek: :rolleyes: :cool:

He did an x-ray and blood test but still couldn't figure out what's wrong with him

€1,000 :eek: Consultation is on Tuesday so hopefully they'll give us some sort of payment plan. I seriously hope it doesn't come to that though. I will ask them about vestibular disease. Thanks so much for that. I read it somewhere but it mentioned that it's usually diagnosed on 13 year old dogs so I dissed it

No other symptoms I'm afraid. By circle you mean circling before he lies down? He does that sometimes. Nothing else sticks out though other than the head tilt. His appetite is fine, his energy level high and coordination normal. He doesn't seem to be in pain

I'll update on Tuesday after our appointment with the neurologist

Ojlish I find Ucd great when it comes to
Money. Be totally honest with them and tell them how much you afford. My dog is insured and we had claimed €3400, so only had €600 left. I told them €600 was limit until next renewal (3 months away) and all tests they were going to do we're very very pricey! When I picked up my dog they told me that everything including 3months of heart medication (€210) came in at exactly €600! I have no doubts that the knocked a few hundred off the bill! I dont have a clue how much a MRI scan is but I am sure they will let you pay in stages however if my memory serves me correct you do need to pay a good deposit (a few hundred euro) as you have no insurance

OJlish

€4,000 overall? :eek: I hope your dog is ok now

Wow. I hope we don't rack up that much fees. We've arranged finances for the MRI if needed but I don't think we're prepared for anything like that. Hold me

According to their website for uninsured pets you need a deposit of €200 for medical cases and €500 for surgical cases

On an unrelated note.. Thor woke us at 3am last night to go toilet. They're like babies aren't they.. really hairy babies

teacherspet

As far as I can remember an MRI scan is 1,500 euro.

Millem

OJlish wrote: »

€4,000 overall? :eek: I hope your dog is ok now

Wow. I hope we don't rack up that much fees. We've arranged finances for the MRI if needed but I don't think we're prepared for anything like that. Hold me

According to their website for uninsured pets you need a deposit of €200 for medical cases and €500 for surgical cases

On an unrelated note.. Thor woke us at 3am last night to go toilet. They're like babies aren't they.. really hairy babies

The majority of the €4000 was racked up from "investigations" in Ucd. Now saying that I bet if she wasn't insured it wouldn't have been so high as they probably wouldn't have tested her for a lot of things. You would be amazed the cost of some tests. They are very thorough there but it got to the stage where we said no more tests! We still don't really know what she has or why but she is grand and on 3 tablets a day after various trials of tablets, but gets very tired so easily and her heart beat is very slow. €1500 is insane for a MRI when I think a human one only costs €250! Maybe the dog needs anaesethic? I know your dog isn't insured but if I were you I would get insurance although it wont cover this condition or any previous ones it will give you piece of mind for any future unrelated problems that may arise!

OJlish

That is crazy! Sounds frustrating. Hope your dog feels better soon. How old is he/she if you don't mind me asking?

Thor had to be sedated for the X-ray.. the bill for general anaesthesia was €88.53. I'd say they do need to be sedated for an MRI too. We're preparing ourselves for the worst now

Definitely getting insurance. Still shopping around though. Any recommendations?

Millem

OJlish wrote: »

That is crazy! Sounds frustrating. Hope your dog feels better soon. How old is he/she if you don't mind me asking?

Thor had to be sedated for the X-ray.. the bill for general anaesthesia was €88.53. I'd say they do need to be sedated for an MRI too. We're preparing ourselves for the worst now

Definitely getting insurance. Still shopping around though. Any recommendations?

My dog is three and a half but all of this happened when she was 2 years and 9 months. She is a rescue but we are told to take it 6 months at a time. I have allianz for pet insurance and can't fault them always pay out and pay Vet directly. They are probably the most expensive I find them great. Just make sure whoever you decide to go with you get a "lifetime cover". I think Ucd charged me €200 for anaethestic but I know I get charged double she weighs 25kg. The only good news with Ucd is that an overnight stay is only €12!

OJlish

Update

You're right Millem. UCD Vet hospital is great. The vet lady was very thorough... better than our vet tbf. She asked us so many questions it felt like an interrogation. She then explained why and possible causes. She didn't rule out the head halter. She said she'll keep in mind that we are uninsured and will consult us each step she takes. They will also give us a 6-month payment plan after discharge. Thank god! We will find out tonight after several tests if she still needs to go through the CT scan route (€800 overall) or the MRI (€1,400 overall). She mentioned so many tests it was hard to keep up. Better thorough than sorry I guess. It was weird coming home for lunch and not being greeted by Thor. First night without him since December

Oh and the €200 deposit wasn't required when we asked for a payment plan but we gave it anyway just to lower our monthly bill

Allianz has quoted us €250 a year so might just go with that. Cheers for the recommendation. *Thumbs up*

Millem

OJlish wrote: »

Update

You're right Millem. UCD Vet hospital is great. The vet lady was very thorough... better than our vet tbf. She asked us so many questions it felt like an interrogation. She then explained why and possible causes. She didn't rule out the head halter. She said she'll keep in mind that we are uninsured and will consult us each step she takes. They will also give us a 6-month payment plan after discharge. Thank god! We will find out tonight after several tests if she still needs to go through the CT scan route (€800 overall) or the MRI (€1,400 overall). She mentioned so many tests it was hard to keep up. Better thorough than sorry I guess. It was weird coming home for lunch and not being greeted by Thor. First night without him since December

Oh and the €200 deposit wasn't required when we asked for a payment plan but we gave it anyway just to lower our monthly bill

Allianz has quoted us €250 a year so might just go with that. Cheers for the recommendation. *Thumbs up*

That is great news about the money. If I were you I would take the insurance ASAP as it maybe something you could forget to do! Will Ucd ring you today for update? Whenever they ring me what I do is try and write a few words down then ring my own vet to get them to explain it to milona English! All the vets are so brilliant in Ucd. And the thing that is great is that the students will be fussing over Thor (I never worry that Molly will pine etc when she sleeps over)! Omg could you imagine if it was the head halti that has done that to his head?

OJlish

She rang last night and told us she didn't find any abnormalities. She did a physical, 3 type of blood tests, a urinalysis, faecal analysis, sedation and otoscopic exam... it was €475 altogether. Although she thinks that the sudden onset right sided head tilt could have been a side effect of an antibiotic called Metronidazole. At least that's something I guess. He had serious runs before so our vet gave him an injection and a course of antibiotics which cleared it up. He started gaining weight and eating properly then. 2 weeks later his head started tilting. We'll have to wait for the drug to pass in 2 weeks time and see if his condition improves. No point putting him through CT, MRI or worse a spinal fluid test until then. She booked us for another appointment on the 30th. Fingers crossed it passes

I'd be raging if it was the head halter. I mean these things shouldn't be in the market if it is that harmful to pets. I wouldn't mind but I made sure not to get a choke chain because of the damage it apparently causes and advised by a pet shop attendant to get a halter instead. I read online about it too and it seemed like the safer option. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I broke my pup The vet told us to use a harness instead and stop putting any pressure on his neck until we figure out the actual cause

Anyway thanks again for talking me through everything. You've been very helpful and supportive


Have a picture of Mr. Nosey having a snoop over my parent's back garden the other day
He looks kinda normal there apart from the Scoobydoo pose

OJlish

Hey guys

Just an update



€1,100 down with various tests including a CT scan... still no idea what's causing the head tilt. I don't think we can afford to get him an MRI which could be another €1,200 :eek:

I think we're just gonna leave it and hope it goes away. Will update again if it does

Thanks again for all your help

I highly recommend the UCD Vet Hospital. Their service is great but... only if you have insurance :rolleyes:

tk123

Ah OP sorry you don't have any answer to what's causing it but at least he's not in any pain? Not knowing what the cause is can be frustrating/worrying/stressful though - I know that from experience with my guys legs - was it a trauma before we got him, at home or somewhere else, should we have waited longer to neuter him, was it the crappy RC we had him on etc etc etc. He's only a (beautiful ) pup but you'll be surprised at how resilient they are even at that age - they just get on with things and wonder what's keeping us while we worry lol. My guy walked out of the vets 4 hours after having his leg straightened and held together with pins and a plate!

Millem

OJlish wrote: »

Hey guys

Just an update



€1,100 down with various tests including a CT scan... still no idea what's causing the head tilt. I don't think we can afford to get him an MRI which could be another €1,200 :eek:

I think we're just gonna leave it and hope it goes away. Will update again if it does

Thanks again for all your help

I highly recommend the UCD Vet Hospital. Their service is great but... only if you have insurance :rolleyes:

What is it with ucd's obsession with lungworm! Every dog I know of that has stayed overnight is treated for it!!

tk123

Millem wrote: »

What is it with ucd's obsession with lungworm! Every dog I know of that has stayed overnight is treated for it!!

We were talking about lung/heartworm on another thread and I'd completely forgotten until now that our vets had an article about it a while back and a video of the worms that a dog had coughed up (:eek: puke puke) - anyhoos according to them it "Other symptoms can include coughing, breathlessness and sometimes neurological problems (if the animal haemorrhages into its brain or spine)."

Millem

tk123 wrote: »

Millem wrote: »

What is it with ucd's obsession with lungworm! Every dog I know of that has stayed overnight is treated for it!!

We were talking about lung/heartworm on another thread and I'd completely forgotten until now that our vets had an article about it a while back and a video of the worms that a dog had coughed up (:eek: puke puke) - anyhoos according to them it "Other symptoms can include coughing, breathlessness and sometimes neurological problems (if the animal haemorrhages into its brain or spine)."

I know they are just taking precautions and treatment sachets are so cheap I just think they are a bit obsessed, my friends dog was diagnosed with HD and was treated for
Lung worm while she was in there! Ucd are great vets though no complaints here.

tk123

Millem wrote: »

IUcd are great vets no complaints here.

We had that opposite experience there tbh - they were wrong in their diagnosis but he's ok now and that's all that matters.

OP I like that they called him by his full name "Thor <Surname>"

anniehoo

Millem wrote: »

What is it with ucd's obsession with lungworm! Every dog I know of that has stayed overnight is treated for it!!

The fenbendazole was also used to treat Uncinaria stenocephala (Hookworm) infection and as mentioned the possibility the neurological symptoms are linked to lungworm. They obviously performed a faecal exam looking for lungworm but i mentioned before they could miss the larval stage they need for diagnosis. Much better to cheaply treat anyway just in case me thinks and they found Hookworm so definitely no harm.