My in laws are very distressed as their senior chihuahua is having an issue today and her normal vet is not open until tomorrow morning.

What happened this afternoon is her chi got up out of her bed and suddenly froze in a contorted position while her eyes glazed over and her tongue turned black. This lasted for no more than two minutes and she unfroze, her tongue is back to normal color, her eyes are normal again, and she is responding to my in-laws.

Does anyone know that these symptoms might be or what could be going on? Does this sound like a medical emergency or is it something that can wait until her normal vet opens tomorrow morning?

For what it's worth, they told me that she has not been eating much lately (which is normal for her) and that she has been drinking a lot more water lately. She's 10 yrs old (I think) and about 2 lbs over weight, weighing 6 lbs when she should weigh 4 lbs and she has acute stage 4 luxating patella in both knees.

If anyone can offer any advice it would be much appreciated, they are very upset right now. Currently they are planning to see the vet first thing tomorrow.

I'm just going to throw this out there but my husband and I suspect seizure and diabetes. Anyone have any thoughts?

My mother in law is so upset because she knows someone whose chihuahua froze up while walking next to a pool that fell in when it froze and ended up drowning. The autopsy report said it was liver failure that caused the dog to freeze up like it did.

I have no idea! How scary!! Prayers and thoughts to your in-laws! Keep us posted.

I know, I feel bad for them and even though it's not my dog I am worried for her too poor thing.

Now I posted this on a couple other forums as well just to get more exposure and so far the responses from others include:
-seizures and possible diabetes (like my hubby and I thought)
-a blood clot which would turn the tongue black from decreased blood supply
-mini-stroke which would cause the temporary freezing up

None of them sound good. My MIL is going to have her looked at by the vet tomorrow morning and also have a blood panel done. I will update as soon as I know anything.

poor baby hope she will be ok

Might be a bit late but I thought I'd throw it out there. Sounds to me like it might either be a heart condition or Uremia. Uremia can cause a loss of appetite and increase thirst. As the kidneys fail to eliminate toxins from the system they tend to develop bad breath that smells kind of like ammonia, in more severe cases the tongue also develops ulcers. Uremia will sometimes also cause seizures, convulsions, and even coma in extreme cases. I really can't say if it would be any more likely than anything else, but it might be something worth looking into to see if the symptoms line up.

I hope it's nothing too serious!!! Please let us know how it goes =(

sounds scary! i hope every thing goes well for them.

I hope she's OK!!!!
Please keep us posted....

Thanks for all the well wishes, everyone! I will update as soon as I get a call from her with news from her vet visit. I don't know what time she will be going in, it depends on when the vet will see her.

Rhet wrote:

Might be a bit late but I thought I'd throw it out there. Sounds to me like it might either be a heart condition or Uremia. Uremia can cause a loss of appetite and increase thirst. As the kidneys fail to eliminate toxins from the system they tend to develop bad breath that smells kind of like ammonia, in more severe cases the tongue also develops ulcers. Uremia will sometimes also cause seizures, convulsions, and even coma in extreme cases. I really can't say if it would be any more likely than anything else, but it might be something worth looking into to see if the symptoms line up.

Wow, that doesn't sound good. Man there are so many possibilities and of course none sound preferable to the other. Sounds like that blood panel will really be key but usually it takes a day or so to get bloodwork results though. Rob, you've got me really curious with all your helpful knowledge on health issues. if you don't mind my asking, how do you know so much, do you work in some kind of medical or veterinary field?

I wish I did, I find a lot of weird medical and health things to be completely fascinating (kinda sounds odd re-reading that...). My main source of information on vet medicine is actually my sister, she is in college for it now She's actually aiming to work with large animals and livestock but she still has to learn most of the same things a typical vet would.

Aside from that I've personally had a lot of medical problems in my life and I'm the kind of person that when I have a problem I'm going to go learn absolutely everything about it, and absolutely everything that might be related...even just a little... As a result of that habit of mine I've read quite a few medical journals and articles over the years, probably just as many as I have read actual books

Doesn't sound odd at all, I think I am somewhat similar...just maybe not as in depth as you probably are. Some people might find my obsession with all things animal weird. I also have a fascination with biotechnology and my latest obsession is plants and gardening. lol

That's so awesome your sister is studying veterinary medicine, bet that will be very convenient for you!

So my parallel to Val and Rob would be the equivalent to food, spices, herbs, cooking and cooking techniques.

I love to cook, play with flavors and different ingredients....I'll read cooking magazines as you guys would read medical journals and biotech materials!

I really wish I could get into cooking. I do try but I just don't have a passion for it like some people. I am jealous of people like you Claudia that really get into that stuff. Typically if I try something new I flip through my cookbook looking for the easiest and fastest thing to make. How sad I am when it comes to cooking.

Huskyluv wrote:

I really wish I could get into cooking. I do try but I just don't have a passion for it like some people. I am jealous of people like you Claudia that really get into that stuff. Typically if I try something new I flip through my cookbook looking for the easiest and fastest thing to make. How sad I am when it comes to cooking.

Well, gardening for me is just all based on looks. 'Oh! Look how pretty that flower/plant! Let's plant it!' And I don't even think of how it'll do in my climate or if it's an annual or perennial, or what I have to plant it...I start reading and by page 2, I'm asleep! But when it comes to spices, herbs and exotic ingredients and new cooking methods, I want to learn about it, why it's better, how it cooks the food, if it keeps the nutrients, blah blah blah...and then, where can I find that gadget?!

I guess we all have our interests.

...and then there's me, with the passion for food, the wall o' cookbooks, the Blogroll FULL of foodie stuff, and no TIME or energy to actually just DO it. *sigh* I just need like, a month off to feed my foodie passion, then I think I'd be good to go.

Val - I don't have anything to contribute to the unknown condition, but I hope it's nothing too serious... keep us posted.

I wish I had a passion for something period..lol. Even a hobby maybe? Sadly enough I don't. How boring am I!

I like the gym and I guess you can say my obsession is my dogs! LOL!

Fingers still crossed for her Val!

I think we all have an obsession with our dogs!

Yes, I agree we all have an obsession with our dogs or we wouldn't be here! LOL

We each have our own interests. I have several interests that I hop around to depending on the season, my mood, who knows what! My gardening is consuming my time now and I am babying my plants like there's no tomorrow. I am getting VERY tan from all my time outside in the sun.


Okay, so I have a minor update. My MIL called me about an hour ago to let me know that she took her chihuahua to her normal vet. She was very upset because they turned her away and said that it would not be possible to see her dog. They said that she could come back in the afternoon and MAYBE they could squeeze her in but they couldn't make any promises. Well she has her own doctors appt for this afternoon that she cannot cancel at this point since they require 24 hour cancellation to avoid charging for the visit so sitting around waiting for a possible chance to see the vet is not an option for her today...otherwise she would have waited. She is very angry with them because she has been taking all of her pets their for YEARS and the receptionist was very rude with her, plus she had to drive a good distance to get to the vets office and then all the way back home for nothing.

I recommended that she try the holistic vet that I used to take my dogs to which is a lot closer to her house. Only problem is that my old holistic vet charges considerably more then my MIL's vet and their is the lack of patient/client history and familiarity. Well, she was so upset about her current vet that she talked to my former holistic vet and they told her she should be fine waiting an extra day so they set an appointment for tomorrow morning (11 am) for a consultation and bloodwork. I loved my holistic vet and I'm pretty confident she'll do a much better job and is less likely to send her home with a bunch of drugs than her current vet. She tells me that her chi is doing well so far, no repeat episodes that she's noticed, but she is drinking a lot of water.

So it looks like it'll be another day before we hear anything worthwhile.

Sounded like a mini stroke to me too, but the tongue thing is what's odd about that. Keep us updated Val!

My MIL makes me sooo angry sometimes!

So she didn't bother to let me know what went on at the vet this morning. I had to call my husband at work and ask him if he'd heard anything. Sure enough, his mom called him and told him what was going on and didn't bother to fill me in. After talking to my husband, I'm pretty sure I know why.

First off my MIL didn't tell him if the vet commented on what the episode could possibly have been. Second, she complained about all the things the vet pointed out that need to be addressed. And third she complained about the cost and mentioned she doesn't think she wants to go back to the holistic vet I recommended.

My pet peeve with all this is she's being cheap and more importantly, she doesn't want to go to a vet who will give it to her straight and will tell her what she doesn't want to hear.

This holistic vet may cost a few dollars more than others but she is also so much more knowledgeable, constantly educating herself and staying abreast of new research/technology/treatment/etc, she practices acupuncture and has done a ton of studying on animal nutrition. She sells Orijen and frozen raw food at her office! Back when I fed Evo she strongly encouraged me to switch to raw. Not only that but she does the most thorough physical evals I've EVER seen any vet do and she has time and again picked up on little things that other vets miss. She is literally the best vet I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

The vet advised my MIL on feeding which my MIL didn't want to hear...told her the same thing I've been telling her for years but she just doesn't listen (my MIL thinks she knows best and no one will convince her otherwise). The vet found a cyst that she said needed to be removed, my MIL didn't want to hear it nor does she want to pay for the surgery to remove it. The vet advised her to get the luxating patella corrected surgically, again my MIL especially did not want to hear that...nor does she intend to pay for that surgery. So because she went to an excellent vet who is calling it like she sees it and pointing out all the issues going on not including what their visit was for, she doesn't want to go there anymore...and it all boils down to $$$. And I KNOW they can afford it, they choose not to. Ughh, I feel like this is a Sully-ish type situation all over again...only the dog isn't going to be put down, it'll just have to live with all it's problems.

The whole situation just makes me feel sick.

Enough of my ranting, they did draw blood and sent it off for testing. I did not hear when the results would be in but I know from experience with that vet that they normally have results the next day. And I'm pretty sure she refused to call me with the news because she did not want to complain about the vet that I recommended she go to or tell me that she doesn't want to go there again.

I'm about to just shut down and stop helping her with ANY pet related advice. She is ALWAYS asking for my help and advice and never takes it or when she does take my advice she does it halfway (which won't get the desired results) and then continues complaining about her plight. I wish I could just say I can't help her anymore...problem is she's my mother-in-law.

*big hugs* Breathe, sweetie... I'm so sorry for your MIL's dog! Hopefully, she'll get smart and tap into that compassionate part of herself and spring for medical treatments in the best interest of her dog. My dad is very similar to your MIL.

His husky (who I am pretty sure I love more than he ever has) pretty much lives in a yard where they almost never pick up the poop. It stinks, bad, awful... when the sun comes up, it reeks so bad it actually makes me gag. UGH! (I've even given them the "gift" of a service to come clean up their yard and they haven't done it.) Then, Cheyenne caught lice from Nikolai (from one of their two play-dates) and he didn't tell me about it. My little sister mentioned it on FB. They let him go 3 full months (yes, since JANUARY) without treatment (ok, they "misted" him with a peppermint spray and gave him a couple of baths, but it didn't work)... I am so upset over that whole thing, especially since they feed sh*t food, don't walk him, don't have him vaccinated, registered with the city/county, or micro-chipped "because he never leaves the house..." makes my blood boil. Finally, I made a care package, bought the Advantage he needed, a flea comb, shampoo and spray, and some high quality dog treats and just gave it to them since they kept coming up with excuse after excuse for why they couldn't take him to the vet or go to PetSmart for a treatment that would actually work (even though the 1st vet visit = free, they had a 10% off all meds promo, and I'd sent them $10 worth of coupons to PS). When they finally treated him, they complained that he had "bad breath" that smelled "chemically" and that (12 hours later) there were still lice. (ETA: I double checked to make sure they didn't try to give the Advantage orally, as it is a TOPICAL treatment. Why they were checking his breath after a topical I just don't understand, but whatever...) They're not treating his environment (not washing bedding) and I'm pretty sure that even though the Advantage will work, he'll get 'em again from their house/yard. Uh... I'm still fuming about that whole thing. I just can't get over how they think feeding Purina One and never taking him to a vet, never having him groomed, and allowing him to be lunched on by thousands of lice for three months is a "good life." The blinders of my childhood (thinking my Dad was great with dogs, etc.) have been removed and now I'm just an angry adult, contemplating my next move to just kidnap and adopt him myself to prevent any further neglect/abuse.

Wow... I guess I'd been hanging on to that for a while now, too. Ugh.

Now I'M pissed at both situations!
I never thought I'd hear of a Sully-ish situation or anything coming close to that!...And I know there are people out there that think dogs can be around for the human benefit when they want them...but that doesn't mean I don't get mad about those kinds of people! For that matter, they live right behind me! The family had a black lab that they just left outside all day and almost all night. And I don't even think they let him in on some evenings! They never walked him or played with him. And they wonder WHY IN THE WORLD he's aggressive and pulls on the leash! Honestly people!

Anyway...
Val, Kate - I'm so sorry!
I think I'm just so angry right now, that that's all I can think of saying at the moment!

I do hope this will work out somehow...

*facepalm*



....You don't want me to speak right now. Val, Kate.... my hearts go out to both of you. It's sad how almost all of us know people like this.

I'm so mad, I'm almost in tears....literally.