Thursday, July 26, 2012

Day 40: Vestibular Syndrome Description


Not too much happened today—lots of chores were completed, and some Tech appointments were carried out.  We had a new patient in the recovery room as well: a Golden Retriever named Rosie who has Vestibular Syndrome (The vestibule is a cavity in the inner ear canal that maintains balance with the help of the semicircular canals).  Vestibular Syndrome causes the dog’s head to continuously tilt, throwing off the dog’s balance, as well as causing rapid and crazy eye movement, body rolling, falling, and circling. The cause is unknown, but it’s assumed that part of the side of the cavity is damaged, causing the balance to be thrown off.   Vestibular Syndrome is treated based what is causing it (ear infections, head trauma, nerve damage, etc.), and the causes are decided by the test results (blood work, physical examinations, neurological exams, X-rays, etc.) obtained by the Veterinarian.  Vestibular Syndrome isn’t enjoyable at all for the dog; so it’s important for the owner to remain patient and help their dog as much as they can throughout this process (as they should with any issue their pet is having).
Rosie, the Golden Retriever with Vestibular Syndrome.  As it can be seen in the picture, her head is tilted, and her eyes look a bit dazed.  Her eyes were also darting around a lot.

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