What do you know about Canine Meningitis?

Until yesterday I didn't know much about canine meningitis, but one of the dogs at the kennel was put to sleep last night after displaying the symptoms and rapidly went down hill in the space of just 24 hours! Dear sweet little man was only 6 and was picked up from his previous home where he was living in the garden, thank goodness he wasn't still there because his only real cause for concern yesterday morning was that he refused to get out of bed and his temperature had gone through the roof. None of us really thought it was terribly urgent, he wasn't vomiting and he was happy to see us, he just didn't want to get up, but we called the vet and later that afternoon he was taken to his appointment. We'd been battling an ear infection so we'd assumed the infection had spread and a course of anti biotics was all we'd need, but when I went to get him, despite being excited at the prospect of going for a walk he couldn't stand up, the look that just said "hang on a minute, my legs don't work" was probably when I realised this was actually a little more urgent, I carried him to the van and the nurse helped me carry him in on the stretcher, but when we put him down we realised that he'd pee'd himself and his fur was falling out in absolute handfuls. Realising this was actually more serious I offered to stay with him whilst the vets finished up their other appointments, I cleaned him up the best I could but he really couldn't move, he still wagged his little tail at me though and seemed fine in himself. A while later we're in the xray room, xrays on his chest and abdomen both normal, bloods - reasonably normal, a slightly elevated white blood count was nothing unusual as we knew there was an ear infection, urine syringed up from the stretcher was off the scale but he was starting to become aggressive - very very unlike him. His temperature was still very high (over 40 degrees - normal temp is 38) but efforts to insert a drip failed as his veins were just shutting down as soon as the needle went in. With a temp that high you'd expect a high blood pressure and very prominent veins.

Now he couldn't walk at all, his legs just crumpled underneath him and he was now in obvious pain, we were watching him deteriorate before our eyes but had no idea what was wrong with him. Bless him, he was so brave but 2 hours later he was becoming agitated and quite aggressive and it became clear that the most likely cause was in fact meningitis. Without being able to get the drip in there was very little we could do to help him so "the meeting" was held - 2 vets, myself and a nurse all agreed if we couldn't make him comfortable his condition would continue to worsen and so at 8 o'clock last night he was peacefully laid to rest.

So what is meningitis? PetWave.com describes it as: "a non specific disease" that refers to the pathological condition of inflammation of the tissues surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord. The causative agent can be anything that triggers an inflammatory process in a particular dog, including bacteria, virus, fungus, chemical toxins and/or other agents. Meningitis is a very serious condition, and if a dog exhibits signs associated with this disorder it should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.

And lists the symptoms as
High fever (elevated body temperature)
Muscle stiffness
Musclee spasms in the back (often painful)
Rigidity of the muscles of the neck and forelimbs (often painful)
Extreme sensitivity to touch (hyperesthesia); may jump or yelp when touched
Loss of appetite (anorexia; inappetence)
Lethargy
Nausea
Vomiting
Stiff, awkward stilted gait
Inability to bend legs
Head tilt
High fever
Depression
Vision impairment/ blindness
Progressive paralysis
Seizures
Confusion/disorientation
Agitation
Loss of coordination (ataxia)
Aggression

With the exception of Vomiting he went through pretty much every single one of these symptoms in a 12 hour period. The article goes on to say

Meningitis can be fatal. Advanced cases of meningitis can cause extreme depression, blindness, progressive paralysis, seizures, confusion, agitation and/or aggression. Severe cases can also cause ataxia, which basically means lack of muscular coordination. Affected dogs may be unable to coordinate their movements. They might move in uncontrollable circles, stand up then stumble when trying to walk, or stand and walk with their front legs spread abnormally far apart. The clinical signs of meningitis can mimic those of other disorders. In order to successfully diagnose meningitis in dogs, a series of tests and examinations will need to be performed by a skilled and perceptive veterinarian.

Dogs at Increased Risk include dogs of any age, breed or gender can be equally affected. Newborn puppies are especially at risk. Affected animals are almost always systemically ill. They develop a high fever, a stiff awkward gait, painful back spasms, rigidity of the neck and forelimbs and extreme sensitivity to touch. They become lethargic, anorexic and nauseous. Advanced meningitis causes extreme depression, blindness, progressive paralysis, seizures, confusion, agitation, ataxia and/or aggression. It can be life-threatening

We talk alot about the condition in children but no one really talks about it in dogs and until yesterday had no idea what to look out for. I hope that if just one person can learn from this tragic and untimely death it won't have been in vain - run free sweet man, you were a big teddy bear who didn't deserve to leave that way, but thank goodness you were where someone spotted you didn't feel well and you weren't still out in that garden with no one to notice until it was too late.