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what caused blindness, swollen optic nerve, seizures, death in 8-10 year old lab?

Question:

Anyone have a clue what killed the dog?

Was there any mention of pressure in that eye with the inflamed optic nerve?  Our rescue recently lost a young female to Sudden Onset Glaucoma, with symptoms that sound very much like what you describe (except that we got a diagnosis and put her to sleep before the seizures started.)  12 psi is normal in a canine eyeball, she went to 35 psi.  No prevention or external cause.  Onset and blinding within 48 hrs. Lynn K.  (NOT a vet!)

Response:

What did they say caused it? I read, "no external cause", but not sure if that means they didn’t know the cause. Dora

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have a clue what killed the dog? Was there any mention of pressure in that eye with the inflamed optic nerve?  Our rescue recently lost a young female to Sudden Onset Glaucoma, with symptoms that sound very much like what you describe (except that we got a diagnosis and put her to sleep before the seizures started.)  12 psi is normal in a canine eyeball, she went to 35 psi.  No prevention or external cause.  Onset and blinding within 48 hrs. Lynn K.  (NOT a vet!)

Response:

What did they say caused it? I read, "no external cause", but not sure if that means they didn’t know the cause. Dora

"It just happens, thankfully rarely" was all we got.  My assumption is that it is like normal glaucoma, just very severe and rapidly progressive. Lynn K.

Response:

I would think the autopsy would have shown any defects or abnormalities in the brain. I doubt a tox screen would have been done unless requested. What about other chemicals the dogs may have come in contact with and if there are other dogs in the pen how come only this one got sick? Could the dog have gotten kick by a horse? Acting depress is a the way you can tell something is up with animals. I would definitely be concerned and take the other dogs for a pre-screen make sure they are ok.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister owns three dogs that share a pen.  One of her two labradors just died.  It was between 8 and 10 years old, and one of two nonrelated labs that she got together from an animal shelter as puppies.   The dog was up to date on its shots. A week before its death, it suddenly went blind.   Tests showed a low titre for rocky mountain spotted fever but nothing else wrong.   Dog acted OK but a little depressed consistent with being blind and hospitalized.   CAT scan or X-rays or whatever showed the dog did not have a stroke. Opthamologist found an extremely swollen optic nerve of one eye, and the other slightly affected, but on idea what caused it.  After a week, the dog was sent home. The next day it suddenly developed seizures, and died.    Autopsy found the animal did not have rabies – and so far no other information. I do not know if a tox screen was done but cannot imagine that it wasn’t. The vet wonders if the dog could somehow have been exposed to high levels of antibiotics given to the horses who live next door, which apparently could kill a dog, in their stools, maybe? – but my sister is sure noone who is around would poison her dog, and does not appear to have considered the possibility of other accidental poisoning! My sister is very worried that whatever killed the dog could affect the other animals in the house or her small children. Anyone have a clue what killed the dog? Only clue I found on the web is that sometimes infections travel up the optic nerve and cause meningitis, but by the time they did an autopsy of the brain and looked for rabies, you’d think they’d know if the dog had meningitis! Yours, Dora Smith

Response:

You catch it from ticks.   Rare but very well publicized. Dora

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister owns three dogs that share a pen.  One of her two labradors just died.  It was between 8 and 10 years old, and one of two nonrelated labs that she got together from an animal shelter as puppies.   The dog was up to date on its shots. A week before its death, it suddenly went blind.   Tests showed a low titre for rocky mountain spotted fever but nothing else wrong. <snip Crikey, unfortunately I don’t have a clue :o ( What is rocky mounted spotted fever?  I’ve never heard of it before. — Lesley Un-cork me to reply

Response:

You catch it from ticks.   Rare but very well publicized.

It’s not rare in the Rockies.

Response:

Just because the titer was low, does not mean that the dog was not highly infected.  Titers vary with different conditions (stress of the illness on the body itself, etc)….also, did they start antibiotics on the dog before he died…. any other meds?  Was the titer for antibody or antigen?  Antigen is the "pathogen itself", whereas antibody is the body’s forces against that specific antigen.  Antigens usually take longer to test for. Had a professor that had a stroke after RMSF.  Older man that had a high fever that somehow allowed a small plaque from a brain artery to let lose, blocking the oxygen and blood feed to the area of the brain that controls the vision – lots of rehab later and he could only see out of one eye. (Lack of oxygen can cause swelling.) Not the same thing, I know.  But, also an example of things no always by the book.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You catch it from ticks.   Rare but very well publicized. It’s not rare in the Rockies.

Response:

I doubt they gave the dog antibiotic since no indication but the titer that it might need one, and they may not have had the titer back before it died. I just posted an update to all of these newsgroups.   I finally gave up on my family and called the vet, and asked only if they had done a tox screen and if they had eyeballed the brain in addition to sending out tissue samples for this and that.   Answer was yes to both.   I understand that blindness and a week later seizures and death were the only symptoms.   The dog was hospitalized for a week by a succession of vets who all proved to have atleast their general knowledge and procedure down, so I’m sure that vomiting, a respiratory infection, a rash, or a fever would not have gotten by them. Yours, Dora

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just because the titer was low, does not mean that the dog was not highly infected.  Titers vary with different conditions (stress of the illness on the body itself, etc)….also, did they start antibiotics on the dog before he died…. any other meds?  Was the titer for antibody or antigen? Antigen is the "pathogen itself", whereas antibody is the body’s forces against that specific antigen.  Antigens usually take longer to test for. Had a professor that had a stroke after RMSF.  Older man that had a high fever that somehow allowed a small plaque from a brain artery to let lose, blocking the oxygen and blood feed to the area of the brain that controls the vision – lots of rehab later and he could only see out of one eye. (Lack of oxygen can cause swelling.) Not the same thing, I know.  But, also an example of things no always by the book. You catch it from ticks.   Rare but very well publicized. It’s not rare in the Rockies.

Response:

My sister owns three dogs that share a pen.  One of her two labradors just died.  It was between 8 and 10 years old, and one of two nonrelated labs that she got together from an animal shelter as puppies.   The dog was up to date on its shots. A week before its death, it suddenly went blind.   Tests showed a low titre for rocky mountain spotted fever but nothing else wrong.   Dog acted OK but a little depressed consistent with being blind and hospitalized.   CAT scan or X-rays or whatever showed the dog did not have a stroke.   Opthamologist found an extremely swollen optic nerve of one eye, and the other slightly affected, but on idea what caused it.  After a week, the dog was sent home. The next day it suddenly developed seizures, and died.    Autopsy found the animal did not have rabies – and so far no other information. I do not know if a tox screen was done but cannot imagine that it wasn’t. The vet wonders if the dog could somehow have been exposed to high levels of antibiotics given to the horses who live next door, which apparently could kill a dog, in their stools, maybe? – but my sister is sure noone who is around would poison her dog, and does not appear to have considered the possibility of other accidental poisoning! My sister is very worried that whatever killed the dog could affect the other animals in the house or her small children. Anyone have a clue what killed the dog? Only clue I found on the web is that sometimes infections travel up the optic nerve and cause meningitis, but by the time they did an autopsy of the brain and looked for rabies, you’d think they’d know if the dog had meningitis! Yours, Dora Smith

Response:

My sister owns three dogs that share a pen.  One of her two labradors just died.  It was between 8 and 10 years old, and one of two nonrelated labs that she got together from an animal shelter as puppies.   The dog was up to date on its shots. A week before its death, it suddenly went blind.   Tests showed a low titre for rocky mountain spotted fever but nothing else wrong.  

<snip Crikey, unfortunately I don’t have a clue :o (   What is rocky mounted spotted fever?  I’ve never heard of it before. — Lesley Un-cork me to reply

Response:

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