MaryJane

Call animal control (or police) and have them write it up and talk to your neighbor. You want to have a record that this happened and you want someone in authority to talk to your neighbor.

The after effects from the seizures can make them nauseous, weak, and tired. I usually treat my dogs every few hours so Lucy always has something in her stomach. The seizures (especially the first ones) are very scary for the dogs just like they would be for people. After her first seizure, Lucy walked around like a zombie for days - I would let her out and she would stare blankly at things -- it would take her a few days to remember that she was outside to do potty. Until she remembered, I was outside with her for 30 minutes or so trying to coax her to go pee and poo. I couldn't count on her "just doing it". In your case, you have to make sure she is doing it when you let her outside (she probably isn't). I always give Lucy a bit of vanilla ice cream (the real stuff) after a seizure. The convulsions deplete the sugar store in the body and eventually the body will send signals to free up glucose but, I would rather give a little extra then her have too low of a sugar (which can cause seizures). Also, when they have long seizures, they heat up and you have to watch that. Some people will put ice packs on the back (or cool towels) to keep the temperature down. I don;t have that problem so far with Lucy, her seizures are short but, very violent convulsions.

Call up and find out how long it would take to get an appointment with the neurologist - I had to wait more than 1 month for my appointment.

If he is burping then he has gas and if the gas builds up, could result in bloat and then torsion. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you when you are not here to take care of the situation. Can you ask the sitter to stay overnight and watch him?

I couldn't get my angel Onyx to use a ramp to get into the Explorer -- I ended up buying another car -- a minivan. This was when he had osteo and I had to have a car he could get into when I went to pick him up after his leg amputation. I had a ramp with carpet and also with the sandpaper - neither worked. Someone on the forum (? Batmom maybe) made a set of stairs (2 or 3) that a dog could use to get into a car - you might want to see if you can track that thread down. It was lightweight and big enough that dogs wouldn't get nervous climbing up.

Talk to the adoption group that did the surgery, they might have their vet look at it since he did the operation.

You asked quite a few good questions .. here's my take on them 1. After a seizure Lucy can have some digestive issues and occasionally had diarrhea. With the first few seizures, she forgot all about "the outdoor thing". She would wander about for awhile outside rather than getting down to business and she stopped going to the door and I had to just take her out every few hours - that lasted for about 4 to 5 days after the seizure. Thankfully, that was only after the first few seizures and now she does not have that problem. .But, she is ravenous after a seizure and I make sure to give her real vanilla ice cream after a seizure and that helps with the ravenous need for food. 2. Lucy is fed a home-made diet and the reason she gets that is I have to home-cook for my older dog. There are no studies that say raw, home-cooked, kibble is the best - they just have not studied it enough to make conclusion. I do make sure to stay away from "pine" type cleaners (the "sol" like pine-sol, lysol and so on) because Lucy does seem to have issues with candles and with heavy smelling flowers like lilies. In food, many people say to stay away from food that has rosemary but, if it is in trace amounts, they do not have to list on the container - you would have to call to see if it is in the dog food. 3. When I am leaving the house, Lucy goes in a separate room that is baby-gated and she gets a muzzle. My two boys are in the rest of the house and they get muzzles too. My two boys are gentle with Lucy and they have not made any attempt to hurt her during a seizure but, they are very curious. I wold rather be safe than sorry. Lucy's seizures are very violent in that she can fling herself across the room, I usually have to grab her and hug her to make sure that she does not get hurt and in the process, I have gotten very severe scratches ... more like gouges. I recommend keeping mats or small blankets around to cover yourself or her. I have to hold Lucy, she could break her neck because she has such violent convulsions, she also sleeps right next to me so I can grab her quickly. 4. After a seizure, Lucy is ravenous and she goes into post-seizure behavior which can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. She paces and can't settle, sometimes there is some whining and running around the house. They can empty their bladder and have a BM during a seizure, depends on how long and how severe. There is also the drooling .... she could soak a towel in a few minutes. I usually place white bed mats where she tends to sleep so I can keep a check to see whether it's wet. As an additional note, there are many different medicines to treat seizures in dogs and each has it's pros and cons. If you go to your regular vet, they will likely prescribe PB which is one of the old standbys but, it can cause serious liver damage after prolonged usage and requires testing every few months (it's also relatively cheap drug). There are newer ones like zonisamide and Keppra which have less side effects but may have what is commonly called a "grace-period" for some dogs - works great for a while and then loses it's effectiveness. The problem is that once you start on a drug, it's hard to change and usually you end up adding to the existing seizure drugs and eventually, your dog may be on a few. Lucy started with Zonisamide, then Keppra got added, and just a few months ago Kbr. The medicines are not a cure for the seizures, they just control the point (pretty much push it out) as to when a dog goes into seizures. Some people get trapped into thinking that once their dog has been seizure-free for months, they don't need the drugs anymore .. unfortunately, it is the drugs keeping their dogs seizure-free. People have taken a dog off the seizure medicines and then have the dog go into continuous seizures and eventually have to be euthanized because the dog has developed severe neurological issues from the non-stop seizing. This is why I was recommending getting a cluster-buster, it can help stop a cycle of seizures. Your regular vet is not going to know all the different medicines and their pros and cons. That's why I strongly suggest going to a neurologist who can take you through the medicines and give a proper perspective so you will know what your options are and can make a good decision. Lucy's neurologist showed me how to do the rectal valium and that has been "wonderful" in that we don't end up in the ER with every incident - we take care of it at home. Good Luck ..

Yes, there could be a serious head, neck, or back injury. Symptoms may not show up right away, it could take a few days. Watch for any change in behavior, pacing, and panting or in eating. Any changes in the way that he walks .. like listing to one side. Check every few hours to make sure that he responds to his name and he looks in your direction and appears to see you. Check his gums every few hours. Chances are he is OK but, any change in behavior warrants a trip to the vet for x-rays ...

Could be a UTI - you need to get a sterile container from vet and bring in a first morning urine sample.

I agree with this - get a sterile container from the vet and catch a first morning specimen. It looks tougher to catch the sample than it is. You do not need much.

Have her checked for a UTI. edited to add ... why is your thread called Barking & howling?

That's great news - thanks for updating on an alternative to surgery. May I ask what the cost of the radiation was?

There were two seizures. One stopped and a few minutes later another one started. Having two so close together would have me worried. I strongly suggest that you make an appointment with the neurologist and have them show you how to do the rectal valium - you don't want to get it from a regular vet because they don't get the dosage right. You may never need to use it but, with seizures you learn to always be prepared and not let your guard down. You don't need an MRI unless you would be willing to go through brain surgery if it turns out there is a tumor. Otherwise, the treatment would be same in that you try and control the seizures. Also, if it is a tumor, usually other symptoms show up and it gets clearer within 18 months to 2 years. Get a FULL thyroid panel as sometimes seizure dogs are at the lower end. If you ever go on meds, you also want to get yearly checks to make sure the meds have not changed the thyroid levels.

Update when you have some time ... quite a few of us on here have seizure greyhounds and can discuss medicines and how we handle seizures. You do want to consider getting a neurologist and get their opinion.

Go to the top level and do a search for "alabama rot". Spider bites can also cause swelling and a host of other symptoms. A few people have recently had issues with what looked like spider bites and hopefully they will respond.

My Lucy is a seizure dog and is sensitive to pretty much everything. I have stopped using flea products on the dogs and in the house because of her. I even had to stop using most cleaners. What I have started to do is use Vinegar diluted with water for cleaning. I've also decided that if the dogs gets fleas, they will get a dilute vinegar treatment. I haven't used it yet ... This is a link to some information ... again, I haven't used it yet on the dogs .. http://holisticremediesnews.com/403/vinegar-for-flea-control-apple-cider-or-white/ Note of caution - they may smell like salad dressing

I remember a vet (greyhound savvy) saying that you should never use a heating pad with a greyhound - i"m not sure whether it is the heat burning them or that it makes them too hot since they have no fat. Just like if you use water that is too hot when you bathe them, they can faint.

I'm sorry for the recent loss of Lulu and for Malcolm earlier this year. A part of your heart will always be with them.

I have three greyhounds and all are fed cooked home-made food. Lucy has seizures so preservatives are important to stay away from. Larry has some kidney issues and as a result, gets less protein. Adam is normal (so far). Breakfast - about 1 to 1/2 cup cooked 5 minute oatmeal mixed with some grits and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup rice. Honey, and about 1/4 cup meat for Larry and 1/2 cup for Lucy and Adam. Almond milk gets added. snack - Toast with some butter and a few potato chips Dinner - 2 to 2 1/2 cup rice, 1/4 meat for Larry, 1/2 cup meat for Lucy and Adam, and between 1/4 to 1/2 cup veggies. evening snack - 2 tablespoons yogurt and 2 tablespoons applesauce. They each get 1 fish oil a day along with a mutivitamin. They also get calcium (500 mg oyster shell), Larry and Adam get 4 a day and Lucy gets 3 a day. For treats - 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon flax seeds, 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup wheat flour - mix together and should not be sticky, if it is, add more flour. roll out and cut out shapes. Cook at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. You can substitute the shredded cheese for applesauce or buy some jars of baby food and substitute one of those. I sometimes use pumpkin and add a touch of cinnamon (kitchen smells heavenly when you bake those.)

Be very wary of any instructor that insists that your dog can go off-lead. When you do the off-lead in class, make sure that no other dogs can get to your dog and that all the doors are closed so that your grey can not get loose - in other words, it MUST be an enclosed area and away from other dogs on class.

Ok, the word "sourced" is not such a good one as it could have various meanings. It could mean that they use another company that is in the US and they buy the material from them BUT, that does not mean that the other company buys from US locations. These companies have gotten very good at covering up where there material comes from. They are not lying, just not giving you the whole story ..... Send them another email and ask if they buy directly from the farms that have the turkeys or do they have a "middle person" that they buy from.

Some of the seizure medicines are long lasting because it builds up in the system but, some are very short lived and their 1/2 life might not even make it to the dosage time. The one that I'm specifically thinking of is KeppraER. Time changes are always tough because there is an abrupt switch and many people that have seizure dogs will adjust medicines slowly to prevent a possible seizure.

As everyone noted, the jury is still out as to how effective this will be in the long run.

My youngest Adam does this ... I call him my puffer face ..

I suspected that the "blinking eye" could create problems by pulling at the area and making it worse. Did they by chance suggest a minor surgery of maybe suturing the eye shut for a time? Problems with suturing eye shut would be that the eye could get too dry and then maybe an infection could set in ....