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This question is in regards to my 11
"Fainting spells"???
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Wow, I am very sorry to hear this...My first thought is a second opinion. Seems to me that there is definitely something wrong, especially as she has had a second episode...I really have no idea what could be causing it, but there are others on here that may have some ideas for you....As the parent of an older boxer myself, I definitely feel for you and hope you get some answers....
So sorry Abagail is having problems and the vet can't figure out what it is. This is my first boxer so I don't have any suggestions for you but I am sure someone, maybe Sharon will have some ideas or perhaps someone has had a similar experience. I sure hope that it is nothing serious, my thoughts are with you.
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Thank you both for your thoughts and concerns. She has always been such a healthy/happy dog and a big part of our family. My hope is somebody else has experienced this and can shed some light on what the problem might be.
I'm so sorry that Abagail is having this problem, and I'm sorry that I have nothing to offer in the way of advice. I think you have done all the right things. A second opinion is never a bad idea and I hope that your vet gets to the bottom of this. I hope Sharon can shed some light on what may be going on. We'll keep her in our prayers and please keep us posted as to what you find out.
So sorry to hear this, it's very scary! Something has to be wrong, I would get another opinion. I definitely don't mean to scare you but just for the sake of it I tried searching the web a bit for articles that had boxers with fainting along with abdominal problems, and heart disease kept popping up. I'm not sure what it takes to diagnose something like that, seems like bloodwork and tests would definitely catch it though. I guess it could be anything. Definitely keep us posted and good luck.
so sorry to hear about abagail. 
i would ask the vet for an x- ray and/ or ultrasound of the abdominal area. from what you described, that seems like it might be where the problem is.my husband's boxer atilla,used to experience the same sudden dizzy/fainting spells, but never the tensing or refusal to eat.his vet said it was because of old age. ( atilla lived to be 13). please keep me posted on what happens, i hope everything turns out o.k for abagail.
i would ask the vet for an x- ray and/ or ultrasound of the abdominal area. from what you described, that seems like it might be where the problem is.my husband's boxer atilla,used to experience the same sudden dizzy/fainting spells, but never the tensing or refusal to eat.his vet said it was because of old age. ( atilla lived to be 13). please keep me posted on what happens, i hope everything turns out o.k for abagail.My first thought when I read that Abagail had fainted was a heart or thyroid condition. I have no experience with thyroid conditions, so I'm sorry I won't be of any help. I do hope you are able to diagnose and take care of Abigail's issue. Maybe someone else will be able to offer you some more advice. Good luck to you and Abigail, and I hope it is nothing serious.
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Sharon would be a good one to ask, as she is a vet! She would have the best idea based on symptoms of what it COULD be...I sure hope you get answers soon...it sounds awful!
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I'm very sorry to hear this. I hope you find out what's wrong soon.
I hope you find out what's wrong soon.This is kind of a tough one because it could be a few different things or a combination of things. I know sometimes it is frustrating trying to figure out the issues with senior's. I am sorry you guys are having a hard time.
Anytime a dog has a "falling out spell" it is because of decrease of oxygen and blood to the brain. It can be many things that cause this and some symptoms can come and go.
In saying they did blood work and determining a thyroid problem I am guessing they did a T-3/T-4 test on her. It is true that a thyroid problem can cause all of the symptoms you have described. It affects the over all body and can also cause sezuires. Now not all sezuires are the ones that people think of the jerking around, she could be having mild ones. Thyroid problems will affect many parts of the body.
With Thyroid some of the most common things are:
Becoming lethargic, weight changes generally gaining weight, skin issues dry skin flaking scales and dark skin... allergies and skin infections, hair loss, lack of luster to the fur, color changes to the coat, lack of tolerance for the cold, behavioral changes, including fear or aggression, slow heart beat and decreased metabolic rate, seizures, stroke, neurological diseases such as partial paralysis or signs of senility.
In addition to this they can also present some of these signs with the start of kidney issues and/or kidney failure. In the blood work do you know if they did a BUN test? This level would indicate a problem with the liver/kidney.
It can also be heart related, the heart not working and pumping as it should. This is normally also seen with open mouth breathing and the chest showing hard breathing, like huff and puff to get in air. Panting when they have not been heated or just laying around, always seeming hot but not fond of getting cold.
All of these things are age related issues. The heart, liver/kidney and Thyroid are things that need to be caught early and treated. But keep in mind that it also takes about 60 to 65 days for the thyroid levels to level off with the introduction of thyroxine. I generally have thyroid retested at 30 days and 60 days to make sure the med's are working right and the levels are adjusting. I dont know the size of your dog but maybe she got the football shaped purple pill??
So, if you have another event then I would suggest further research into blood work on testing her kidneys and liver and then from there an ultrasound of her heart and lungs.
Anytime a dog has a "falling out spell" it is because of decrease of oxygen and blood to the brain. It can be many things that cause this and some symptoms can come and go.
In saying they did blood work and determining a thyroid problem I am guessing they did a T-3/T-4 test on her. It is true that a thyroid problem can cause all of the symptoms you have described. It affects the over all body and can also cause sezuires. Now not all sezuires are the ones that people think of the jerking around, she could be having mild ones. Thyroid problems will affect many parts of the body.
With Thyroid some of the most common things are:
Becoming lethargic, weight changes generally gaining weight, skin issues dry skin flaking scales and dark skin... allergies and skin infections, hair loss, lack of luster to the fur, color changes to the coat, lack of tolerance for the cold, behavioral changes, including fear or aggression, slow heart beat and decreased metabolic rate, seizures, stroke, neurological diseases such as partial paralysis or signs of senility.
In addition to this they can also present some of these signs with the start of kidney issues and/or kidney failure. In the blood work do you know if they did a BUN test? This level would indicate a problem with the liver/kidney.
It can also be heart related, the heart not working and pumping as it should. This is normally also seen with open mouth breathing and the chest showing hard breathing, like huff and puff to get in air. Panting when they have not been heated or just laying around, always seeming hot but not fond of getting cold.
All of these things are age related issues. The heart, liver/kidney and Thyroid are things that need to be caught early and treated. But keep in mind that it also takes about 60 to 65 days for the thyroid levels to level off with the introduction of thyroxine. I generally have thyroid retested at 30 days and 60 days to make sure the med's are working right and the levels are adjusting. I dont know the size of your dog but maybe she got the football shaped purple pill??
So, if you have another event then I would suggest further research into blood work on testing her kidneys and liver and then from there an ultrasound of her heart and lungs.
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Thank you all for the input/advice. Currently she is taking 0.4mg twice daily(she is 65lb) of the thyroxine and I did the follow up blood work (30 days) today. My veterinarian said I could call for results on Monday. I
[quote="BillyTheKid\";p=\"47306":3cxsmcx8]Thank you all for the input/advice. Currently she is taking 0.4mg twice daily(she is 65lb) of the thyroxine and I did the follow up blood work (30 days) today. My veterinarian said I could call for results on Monday. I
With Boxers if there's a potential heart problem, you really want a Doppler echocardiogram and a Holter monitor (a 24-hour EKG). This does not sound like typical syncope (fainting) from either of the main Boxer heart problems (AS or ARVC) - generally the dogs are up and acting normally within a few minutes - but given the breed it's not a bad thing to check. As Sharon noted, thyroid issues can cause seizures, and many Boxer owners have found that dogs with a large number of arrhythmias (VPCs, which can cause syncope) on Holter have seen greatly decreased numbers once thyroid meds were given. (Again, though, the abdominal issue and the length of recovery time is not typical of VPC-induced syncope in Boxers.)
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I'll post when I get the (30 day level) blood test results on Monday, given some of your information, I'm hopeful this is just a thyroid issue. And to let everybody know, Abigail is recovering quite well and seems to be in good sprits today.
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Definitely keep us posted on what you find out. Glad to hear that she's recovering
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I just spoke with the veterinarian regarding the blood work for the thyroid level test (30day check) He stated the levels looked perfect so the initial dose she started on will remain the same. Thanks again for all the support and insight, I
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