It happened again :(

[Nishasmom]

Jlaack, your posts are not overwhelming! I appreciate everyones help , I will mention a mold reaction to the vet...thanks again!

Also, thanks for the links!

[shybird]

Up until I saw the video, I didn't have a clue as to what could be going on. Having seen the video, I am going to say she is very frighten of something. Whether real or in her imagination, she is terrified. If I remember correctly her first episode was at Home Depot with the rattling carts. It frightened her bad and she is having flash backs. Now that she has "THAT" fright, anything that might remind her of that day could set her off. It might be the perfume that you wore that day or a jacket or even a bug that might have touched her at the same time. Something that she is associating with that day is scaring her.

[Nishasmom]

Shybird, if this is truly what is going on, how do I fix it? Does she need to be on anxiety meds? I cant even take her out anymore because I am afraid she will freak out. No more walks, no more park, no more hiking, no more swimming . She is starting to get depressed from being stuck at home!

[4zenuff]

Originally Posted by Nishasmom

Shybird, if this is truly what is going on, how do I fix it? Does she need to be on anxiety meds? I cant even take her out anymore because I am afraid she will freak out. No more walks, no more park, no more hiking, no more swimming . She is starting to get depressed from being stuck at home!

Wow, how sad! I'm sure you miss doing all of that with her as well! Hang in there...an answer is on the way. I truly believe that!

[jlaack]

Jlaack, your posts are not overwhelming! I appreciate everyones help , I will mention a mold reaction to the vet...thanks again!

I wasn't thinking it was mold, but maybe you could have an air quality test performed to see if the new carpet or something else in the house releasing toxins in the air. That said, I know of one person that had severe neuro impacts from exposure to mold, but I'm thinking this isn't the case here unless there was a serious mold problem. I hope you get answers soon!

[harleychik66]

On the topic of contaminents, you said your house was about 50 years old. Is there any paneling that has a particle board backing? Many of the panelings that were made with just the printed front (not the real wood) have formaldahyde(SP?) and a few other toxins(sorry can't remember which ones)in the particle board backings. These panelings have a warning stamped on the back that says not to install below grade, as there is not enough airflow to disperse of the toxins. However when they first started making it this way it was not known or acknowledged that it could cause problems. Not sure if they still make it like this or not, as this was about 15 or so years ago.

When I was in the construction industry and I have been out of it for 11 years, I dealt with many people who had adverse reactions to the paneling. Most of these were with the paneling in upstairs rooms, even though this "should" have been OK. As soon as the paneling was removed the people started to feel better. Many people also used an air purifier to help with getting rid of the toxins in the air.

I just feel so horrible for Nisha and your family going through all this. It was so sad to watch your video. Your poor baby looks so scared. I can only imagine what you are feeling going through this.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Nisha.

[Weily4Life]

I was doing a search for antitodes to carpet off-gassing because a number of years ago we had carpet installed in our lower level. I could not go down there without developing a severe headache. I loaded up the rooms with plants--spider plants and philodendron, there was another but couldn't remember what it was. It took about a month before I wasn't affected anymore.

Anyway, I found more than I was looking for, what an eye opener to all the materials in our home that off-gas.


Indoor Air Pollution: the home by Phyllis Saifer. M.D., M.P.H. The chemically sensitive patient is made ill by fumes from common ma-
terials in the home. Items that we usually think of as totally inert and harm-
less such as plastics, synthetic fabrics, woods and even metals "outgas" for
many years. It is essential to understand the concept of "outgassing."
The materials listed below all have volatile components that evaporate,
even metals and hardwoods, and put materials into the air. These fumes are
inhaled by the susceptible person and can cause reactions. Outgassing has
been studied by NASA and the following list has been prepared in order
of increasing degree of ' 'outgassing'':

here's the link with much more reading...

Indoor Air Pollution

towards the middle is Clear the air, listing the plants suitable for various situations...

Clear the air By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
Scripps Howard News ServiceSacramento Bee, 7/12/98

• Specific plants can help get rid of pollutants...

[Weily4Life]

"natural options" I found this:

1. Use herbal treatment's that strengthen the nervous system: 1. Common oat (Avena sativa) 2. Blue vervain (Verbena) 3. Skullcap (Scutallaria lateriflora)
2. As an alternative to herbal treatment, there are specific homeopathic remedies that are often quite useful: 1. Belladonna 2. Thuya or Thuja 3. Arnica montana

Nishasmom,
I tried to PM you to ask if you were interested in the dosages, administration and details of the above that I listed in a previous post, but that function did not work for whatever reason. If you are interested, let me know and I will post it and try to be as concise as possible. FYI, I am not a homeopathic vet, just very interested in helping where ever I can. That said, I have a book with numerous homeopathic treatments of which I recently started one on my girls and have all ready seen results. Again, I would be glad to provide the details if you are interested.
Dawn

[Nishasmom]

Dawn, thank you so much; I would be very interested in the dosages ect. I am going to talk with the vet tomorrow, she hasn't seen the video yet.

Do you think any of these remedies could hurt, if her "nervous system" is not really the problem?

She weighs 70 lbs...if the herbs go by weight.

[moondog]

Since you do not even have a diagnosis yet, I would not be experimenting with alternative therapies without the help of a vet.....you may do more harm than good.

[mamamia1]

What was Nisha treated with for Giardia???? I found the following side effects for Metronidazole [Flagyl] which is commonly used to treat Giardia.

SIDE EFFECTS: Metronidazole is a valuable antibiotic and is generally well tolerated with appropriate use. Minor side effects include nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, a metallic taste, and rarely a rash. "Serious side effects of metronidazole are rare. Serious side effects include seizures and damage of nerves resulting in numbness and tingling of extremities (peripheral neuropathy). Metronidazole should be stopped if these symptoms appear."

[shybird]

Originally Posted by moondog

Since you do not even have a diagnosis yet, I would not be experimenting with alternative therapies without the help of a vet.....you may do more harm than good.

I agree wiht this 110%. You could do more harm than good.

As far as getting over the fear. You must keep her routine as normal as possible. You must be a strong leader. She needs to look to you for everything and know you will handle what comes along. You can not feed her fears. These things should help. I don't know if you can cure it, or even control it enough to help her.

[LynnS]

Originally Posted by Nishasmom

I don't know if shampooing would help; I will call the carpet people tomorrow.

LynnS, Nisha is spayed, so a reaction to heat cycle isn't possible with her.

We are trying to stay positive and hopeful about her condition. So I guess its a wait and see thing .

I switched my appt to tomorrow, we will see what the vet says. It is so hard to watch her like this; I hate to see her suffer, and that is what is happening . Jesse and I both cried when we watched the video; and this wasn't even the worst one . Thank god we had the leash already on her this time; trying to catch a dog going through that is quite a depressing/ stressful experience.

I was so frightened and sad the first time Bella exhibited this behavior. She was literally out of her mind and it was as if we did not exist (it was more devistating when it happened again). Of course similar symptoms can stem from different causes. Try doing a google search on canine fly biting or biting imaginary flies - I saw a video of a different breed that is very similar to yours. Our vet told us that this is similar to a siezure disorder (we brought her in wehen she was in the middle of one of these episodes) - I am not sure what I believe except that it was/is neurological and in Bella's case seemed to be tied to fluctuations in hormone levels.

[LynnS]

Originally Posted by shybird

Up until I saw the video, I didn't have a clue as to what could be going on. Having seen the video, I am going to say she is very frighten of something. Whether real or in her imagination, she is terrified. If I remember correctly her first episode was at Home Depot with the rattling carts. It frightened her bad and she is having flash backs. Now that she has "THAT" fright, anything that might remind her of that day could set her off. It might be the perfume that you wore that day or a jacket or even a bug that might have touched her at the same time. Something that she is associating with that day is scaring her.

I would not necessarily jump to those conclusions. While it is possible that the stress of a loud noise triggered a reaction in her brain, I would not extrapolate that to mean that she was even frightened and certainly seems improbable that she is having flashbacks.

In my experience Bella was definately stessed but not frightened.

[Terri Lambert]

It looks like your Nisha is having what is called focale(spelling?) seizures. I work at a vet and have seen this a few times from mild to severe. Sometimes these dogs go into full blown seizures some do not. What is the big give away is the mouth chomping, the eyes doing weird things and the foaming at the mouth. Another name for these seizures are facile seizures. Please show this video to your vet if you can.