# Sick/Wobbly Frenchie Puppy



## Jboudy3052 (Apr 4, 2015)

Hi everyone, I have a French Bulldog puppy who started showing some strange symptoms today. She was fine until about 2 pm, when her head started bobbing back and forth. When we prompted her to walk, she continued to wobble and almost looked drunk/was pretty lethargic overall. We called our normal vet and they told us to bring her into the animal hospital immediately but said they didn't want to speculate what was going on. It's now 10 pm... She has been seen by two vets, neither of which could give us a definitive answer about what's happening with her. They have ruled out hypoglycemia and a liver shunt, and her blood tests came back "mostly normal", although I'm not sure what exactly they tested her for. It might also be important to note that she's had 2 rounds of her routine puppy shots, 2 for distemper and 1 for heartworm. The most recent round was Tuesday (4 days ago).

She is staying at the vet overnight. I've looked into idiopathic head bobbing disorder, crossing my fingers really hard that that's all it is since it's not dangerous. The thing that concerns me most is that the last time I talked to the vet at 8 pm, it had been six hours and her head was still wobbly. I've read that idiopathic tremors only last a few minutes at a time. She also vomited once around 5, the vet said, but she is a puppy and I'd probably puke if my head was rolling around for 3 hours too. Could it be a benign head bobbing disorder, or has she been having these symptoms for too long for it to be that? Thanks in advance for any advice you might have! We're desperate and worried about our sick pup.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

gosh am so sorry to hear your pup is not doing well.. Have nothing to offer on the medical side  wanted to send our thoughts and prayers for her. <3


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## Jboudy3052 (Apr 4, 2015)

Thank you! I appreciate the well wishes.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

Sorry your puppy is ill. Best wishes for a good diagnosis and speedy recovery.
If you haven't already done so, I'd also consult the breeder. Would be good to know if others from the same litter have had problems. 
In this time of huge popularity and high prices, Frenchie breeders are breeding dogs that probably shouldn't be bred. . . you may not get cooperation, but it's worth trying.


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## Jboudy3052 (Apr 4, 2015)

We have good news! Overnight, her symptoms have improved and the vet said she is acting like a puppy again. She thinks that the fluids she was on flushed out whatever toxins were likely causing the issue. We're going to just keep a really close eye on her and see a neurologist if it happens again in case the problem is deeper.

Sandgrubber, thanks for the advice! I'm going to call her and see if she's seen this reaction in Frenchies before. Our breeder told us when we got her that none of her other dogs have had genetic health problems (and her mixing with an English Bulldog was supposed to deter that?), but we're definitely keeping the breed's issues in mind... Just in case.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

Jboudy3052 said:


> Sandgrubber, thanks for the advice! I'm going to call her and see if she's seen this reaction in Frenchies before. Our breeder told us when we got her that none of her other dogs have had genetic health problems (and her mixing with an English Bulldog was supposed to deter that?), but we're definitely keeping the breed's issues in mind... Just in case.


Good to hear the symptoms have wained. As for the breeder . . . 

Whoa! The English bulldog is one of the least healthy breeds out there. By many counts, their life expectancy at birth is not much over six years. Whether or not cross breeding improves health is open to debate (IMO, it depends). But crossing to a very unhealthy breed is not a good way to improve health. Bulldog maladies include heart problems, cancer, skeletal problems (hips, elbows), skin fold dermatitis, breathing difficulties, and problems with the nervous system.


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## Jboudy3052 (Apr 4, 2015)

That's what I thought too about English Bulldogs... The logic didn't sound quite right. : / I was really hesitant to get a Frenchie based on what I read about their health problems. Too late, now I'm hooked on her so I'll just have to keep a close eye on her.


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## Beta Man (Apr 2, 2015)

Did the vet do a CT scan? I deal in human neurology and don't want to speculate but that many hours with vets I'd assume they did..... No acute processes etc?


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## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

My Pom had similar symptoms at one point and she got dx with "cranial subluxation", google it. In very simple terms the spine (and spinal cord) don't match up perfectly to the skull and if it gets kinked it can cause symptoms very similar to being drunk (grey barks at things that aren't there, stares into space, is really wobbly). It resolves in a few days, at least in her case. Not sure if your dog had X-rays but if not I would mention to the vet. Just takes some extra precautions after diagnosis to prevent from becoming a huge issue.


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## Jboudy3052 (Apr 4, 2015)

Beta man, the vet did not do a CT scan. They really only tested her blood glucose and did bloodwork to check her liver, kidney, electrolytes and red/white blood cells (based on the discharge paperwork), then put her on IV fluids overnight. They cancelled some other tests which was a relief financially, but I personally still have some reservations about assuming she's 100% now and ruling out something neurological. The vet said that she doesn't think it's necessary to see a neurologist yet (although I'm not totally convinced). That would be the next step though, so if she shows any neurological signs again that's definitely the first thing we'll do. I'm really on the fence because I assume it will be expensive, but it makes sense to me to at least get a CT scan based on her symptoms.


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## Beta Man (Apr 2, 2015)

The issue @rescued mentioned would concern me, in addition to pressure, hydrocephalus, bleed, tumor etc

I agree though.... If symptoms don't return, I'd let it go...... If they do, I would go for testing immediately.


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

You said she was wobbling and acting like she was drunk while walking - was there any twitching? A few months ago my pup was doing the same or very similar things and i thought hypoglycaemia but we brought her to emerg and by the time we got there her symptoms were almost gone. The vet said it was most likely some kind of toxicity so something she ate. Have they ruled that out? Many puppies will eat anything so perhaps she got a hold of something you don't know about?


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