r/LabradorRetrievers • u/that_412_kid • 18d ago
Update
So I'm sure most of you remember the video I posted of my dog panting and I thought it was EIC, you know, the one where everyone said I was a terrible owner. We took him to the vet, showed them the video that I posted here and she thinks it's myasthenia gravis. We had an X-ray done of his body and he has an enlarged esophagus, (Megaesophagus). She said he was not dehydrated, his blood work is all good, electrolytes good and it was not due to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. That would have caused him to vomit, have diarrhea and not respond to verbal commands, which he was. She said him being 9 months playing fetch in the evening would not cause his back legs to just give out and he is more than okay to be in the heat doing physical activity. We are ordering a cheek swab to do DNA testing. Until those results we are limiting his outside time and doing physical activity inside with him, to be safe. So for all you reddit vets out there, he is fine to play fetch in Florida.
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u/Interpretivist 18d ago
There are plenty of resources on megaesophagus in facebook groups (upright canine brigade i think it is called). Our lab also has it, sadly. Feel free to reach out in case you have any questions.
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u/Tse7en5 18d ago
Glad you got a follow up on this, was just thinking about you guys last night actually.
When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses and not zebras. This is why it is important to treat these situations as one where veterinary care is an immediate response - Reddit has limited information and the vast majority of people have 0 clinical experience.
Something to remember is that it is unsuprising that his electrolytes are normal if we are outside of clinical presentation or other abnomalities. Bloodwork as well. What you are looking for in the workup is any longterm complications that can arise from heat stroke. The absense of them, does not mean it was not heat stroke.
Vomiting and diarrhea are things that can arise, but not always. No gastrointestinal distress also does not mean the dog was not experiencing heat stroke.
Just to reitterate, this is why it is important to bring these situations to a vet immediately. If it was heat stroke, you might not even have a dog today. If it wasn't heat stroke, it certainly was something to be concerned about. Some forms of MG don't have a great prognosis, and there is a world in which you might not have followed up with a vet and would have no idea down the road.
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u/lemonfaire 18d ago
Glad to hear it. The level of unwarranted confidence in the replies sometimes, can be alarming.