Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Matt Hilary — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 12:15:25 GMT

+1 for distemper (in 'remission')- have seen a rescue from a Thailand centre with v similar symptoms, has neuro signs only (worse when stressed).

I tried to find info regarding vaccinating etc. and found it quite difficult to get a definitive answer. The dog had been vaccinated and exported from Thailand to the UK - I assumed that if it had been judged safe to travel then it was safe to live over here but not 100% sure.

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Gareth Dowdeswell — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 10:51:04 GMT

Thanks for the replies, think Distemper is a strong possibility, the history and clinical signs would fit. Could be related to the heart too, that would explain the changes in the speed of the contractions depending on how excited/sedated the dog was. Will get the dog back in to have a close look at its pads and teeth and double check if the contraction is in time to the heart.

Did read up a little on Distemper but couldn't find an answer, if this dog has had Distemper and recovered can it still shed the virus and infect non-vaccinated animals?

Yes, the dog does have two microchips - one between its shoulder blades presumably put in when the dog was exported here, no idea what the one in the thigh is doing!

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Alex Allen — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 09:50:22 GMT

Other diseases to consider in a Romanian dog of vague origin / history are the vector borne diseases. They may or may not be contributing to this clinical condition but if the symptoms don't quite fit with the usual DDx then worth sending of a Vector borne disease profile. Babesia is not uncommon now in Romania.

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Jenny Smith — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 00:22:18 GMT

Slight tangent.... does this dog have two chips? I see on in 'normal' place as well as the thigh one.

Jenny

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 17:10:22 GMT

[quote user="Christina Smith"]

Any hyperkeratinisation of pads/nose. I too saw a Romanian street dog recently, This one had severe enamel hypoplasia. Distemper virus must be on the list. Not sure how you'd prove it

[/quote] I was putting chorea secondary to CDV as a primary differential as well. PM examination of the brain should diagnose it!

I've had two odd ataxic/twitchy cats and an ataxic/twitchy dog in the last few days. Cats I can't explain but the dog was covered in harvest mites, pain/irritation was probably enough in that case but are neurological symptoms part of SDI without the GI signs?

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Alex Gough — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 16:09:20 GMT

Have you checked if it's in time with the heart beat? Could be synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. I once scanned one and got a cool image through the diaphragm of the heart, and you could see the heart and diaphragm contracting together.
Alex

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

James Laidlaw — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 13:44:21 GMT

[quote user="Gareth Dowdeswell"]

I thought about electrolytes but I would have thought if the dog had an electrolyte imbalance then the signs would be more generalised and less well in it self? Not sure if a biochem/haematology would be useful as even if there were any abnormalities present, would they be causing the clinical signs?

[/quote]

You can't know if you don't look though. Not being patronizing, but inflammatory changes, protein changes, liver changes or electrolyte changes could all potentially relate to neurological symptoms and potentially point you in a new direction towards understanding what's going on in a dog with limited history.

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Christina Smith — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 10:52:02 GMT

Any hyperkeratinisation of pads/nose. I too saw a Romanian street dog recently, This one had severe enamel hypoplasia. Distemper virus must be on the list. Not sure how you'd prove it

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

Gareth Dowdeswell — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 10:14:10 GMT

Re: Dog with twitching flank/abdomen

James Laidlaw — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 09:58:47 GMT

Basic bloods + electrolytes?