Hi there, I have been scouring the internet trying to learn everything i can about meningitis as my 1 year old Brussels Griffon has been suffering with it for the last week and a half. She has been on steroids for several days, but her mobility is getting worse and all her legs are now buckling under her. She has a stiff neck and just wants to lie still. She has just had the first Cytarabine this evening and i am desperately hoping that it will help. Does anyone know how long it may take to work? I am really trying to stay positive and cheerful around her but it is breaking my heart to see her struggling and in pain. If anyone knows anything else that could help i would really appreciate it. Also i was wondering if anyone has experienced this as a reaction to flea treatments?

I know lots about meningitis in humans.
Nothing about it in dogs.
Light is very painful, a darkened quiet room
is what you want while ill. Would think this would apply
for dogs too.
Hope she's feeling better soon.

Is canine meningitis very common?
I only ask because I have heard of two other cases within the last week, in dogs owned by people on another forum.... different breeds, not show dogs, and a long ways apart.
It's not something I've heard of much before but maybe it is me who is out of the loop.

in pugs it is called pde or gme, i do hope she is ok, speak to your vet,they should be able to answer all your questions and worries,
let us know how she is
xx

http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/board/topic/121320.html

have you seen this blog topic?

a friends dog had it, was almost on its death bed by the time they got her to the specialist.  do a search on here for more info.  she  is clear now but her eyesight  isn't  great and has brain  damage. 
where do you live as there is a great specialist in  Surrey. cost  thousands in treatment and spinal taps.. she still enjoys her life which is important.

Any questions i can ask  my  friend who is  a fountain of knowledge on  the  subject now.. PM me if needed...

Hi Emma. So sorry to see that your pup has meningitis. a disease that appears to me is becoming more common. My last girl had GME and was given high dose prednisolone and Cytarabine, gradually reducing in dose over 16 months. Her first sign was sudden loss of sight tho she had had intermitant back stiffness for some time. The GME was controlled by the end of her treatment but she sadly had other problems and her liver failed due to her needing the pred long term. Losing her truly broke my heart.
Where was your girl diagnosed ? She seems to be on the accepted treatment but I would say that if her mobility is worsening, her Pred dose is not high enough. Prednisolone is the mainstay of treatment & the doses have to start high, and I believe you should have seen some improvement by now. Have you been told what type of encephalitis your girl has? I haven't heard of it being connected to flea treatments but many vets now think there could be a connection to vaccinations. Once a dog has had meningitis they shouldn't be given any more boosters. Check on this with your specialist ok.
Try and be positive, this awful disease can be controlled with correct treatment tho I must say most GP vets don't seem very gen'd up on it. The main thing at the moment is to get the Pred dose high enough.
Good Luck and if you need any more info just ask ok.

Emma, 
Any news on your girl at all? Hope she is showing some signs of improvement, which i know can take a long time, but the smallest bit of hope can go a long way x

Hi Emma. I'm just bumping this up to ask how your pup is doing ? Let us know eh.
Regards.