Just recently, my little Miss Maddie (a four year old West Highland White Terrier) fell very ill and gave my husband and I a terrible scare. It all started on Thanksgiving evening, although at the time we didn't know "it" was a problem yet. Intially, her only symptom was a slight change in behavior, acting more quiet and reserved than usual, an obvious shift from her normally boisterous demeanor, yet we just figured she was tired and let it go.
The excitement of Black Friday came and went and Maddie continued to become more and more recluse. By Saturday, she had stopped eating and drinking completely and started to appear spacey and off-center. My husband and I still had no idea what was wrong with our little girl, especially since she had no obvious symptoms - it was all strictly unfamiliar observations. There was no vomiting, no diarrhea, no obvious bite marks or points of increased pain - nothing that screamed "take me to the vet NOW!" By Saturday night we contemplated taking her to the emergency vet, but decided not to be rash and to wait until morning.
Sunday, she seemed to be rebounding a little, so we surmised she had been suffering from some sort of virus and went on with our day. Monday was status-quo...until after dark that is.
Monday night, Maddie started exhibiting additional odd behaviors. She was panting, whining, her heart was racing and she went into hiding underneath our bed. We decided it was time to take her in and have her seen by a vet. When we first arrived at the emergency animal hospital, they seemed certain Madison was diabetic. They said she was dehydrated and had the smell of
ketones on her breath. However, upon further blood testing, two x-rays and a $500 vet bill later, we were told "clinically, nothing was wrong with her" and were left yet again with no answers to this growing mysterious illness.
It was very discouraging to be sent home knowing something is obviously very wrong with your pup, yet no one wants to take the time to uncover the problem. In my opinion, it is all too common for vets (and doctors for that matter) to put too much emphasis on tests and not enough on clinical observation. Just because a test is negative doesn't mean you aren't overlooking a serious problem.
Tuesday morning it took us ten minutes to lure Madison out from under the bed, another indicator that Maddie was not okay (this was so out of character for our attention-hungry Westie). I brought her straight to
Baseline Animal Hospital in
Ocala, Florida. Dr. Butch Aten is the owner and practicing veterinarian. If my trip to the ER vet didn't uncover any answers, I was certain Dr. Aten would take the time to figure out what was going on with Maddie.
As expected, Butch did an extremely thorough examination on Madison. Clinically, the only thing Madison was suffering from was an ear infection (which one would expect after paying $500 at the emergency vet they would have found this...), Butch let us know that Madison had most likely suffered a seizure, resulting in trauma, thus causing her odd behaviors the past few days. Butch let us know that after a dog suffers a seizure, it can take quite awhile for them to be back to "normal." He sent us home with some antiobiotics (for her ear) and some anti-inflammatory pain pills to help with her discomfort. It has been almost a week since Madison left Butch's office, and she is doing fabulous. I continue to feel more and more security in the fact that we have chosen the right veterinarian for our animals. Dr. Aten is not only knowledgeable and professional, he is also a reasonably priced provider (something that isn't exactly easy to find these days).
If any of you are struggling trying to uncover your pet's mystery illness , I would encourage you to not take no for an answer. Be persistent. Listen to your dog. Even though they can't verbally talk to us, their body language speaks volumes. You know your dog more than anyone else, so listen to your gut.
And, for all those in Central Florida looking for a great vet, give Butch Aten a call at
(352) 369-7388 :) You won't be sorry you did.
M.J.
