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LBass

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Posts posted by LBass

    Eye Stains

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    No, I believe Alan's eyes are just stained. It happened once before when the vet put him on cyclosporine olive oil drops. I'm sure it's harmless, just looks bad. Is it safe to put the diluted hydro.perox near the eyes?

     

    It was Winston's puppy vet who suggested using the peroxide, so I think it must be safe. I don't get the cotton pad too soppy and I keep his face angled down rather than up, so not much of it ends up in his eye. There are a number of tear-stain removers that you can purchase and I've tried a number of them. So far, I've not found any that were better than the peroxide but some worked as well.

    Eye Stains

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    If it is just staining, as opposed to the more serious mange issue mentioned above, I've had good luck wiping the area daily with a cotton pad soaked with a bit of diluted hydrogen peroxide. My grey doesn't have this problem but the little white-faced Cavalier, Winston, does.

    Epilepsy Medicine Question?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide are the primary, first tier meds used for controlling seizures in dogs. Some dogs, like my Piper, still have problems on those 2 meds and need something more. There are several meds used as "add ons" to the Pb/KBr and Keppra is one of them. From posts on the Epil-K9 email list, it seems that when you get to these "add on" meds it is a matter of trail and error to find which, if any, will help any particular dog. All of them work great for some individuals and not for others. Doctors have preferences based on their own experiences, but the bottom line is that it is individual to each dog which medication will give the best results.

     

    One of the problems with these add ons is that a number of them are heart-stoppingly expensive. Last summer, my vet consulted with a veterinary neurologist who suggested Zonisimide. At $400 a month, I just couldn't afford Zonisimide. With the add ons, it makes sense to me to start with the least costly ones and work up through the pricier ones until you find the one that will work for your particular dog. My vet was very willing ot approach it that way and we are giving Gabapentin a try.

     

    Dr. Thomas at the U of Tennessee is a great resource and kindly contributes to the Epil-K9 list.

     

    FWIW, even the Gabapentin that Piper takes is quite costly depending on the pharmacy. These seem to be drugs for which some pharmacies decide to take a big mark up and others don't, so it pays to shop around. I found Gabapentin at Eckerd for $123 and at Costco (mail order) for $30. It really pays to shop around for there meds.

     

    Best wishes to your friend in finding something that will work for her dog.

    Piper Is Having A Bad Round Of Seizures...

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Piper didn't have any more seizures last night. :clap:confetti I think that he may be through for this episode, thank goodness. Between the 9 seizures and the medication mix-up (morphine instead of valium at the vet's) he is pretty dopey and droopy at the moment. He's spending the day at the vet's office and has his car bed in one of the exam rooms so he can snooze while they keep an eye on him.

     

    Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes. They make a huge difference during these rough times.

     

    Lucy and Piper

    Piper Is Having A Bad Round Of Seizures...

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    The vet just called and he has had 3 more seizures today at the office. I'm taking him home tonight with some extra medications and he'll spend tomorrow at the vet's office again. I expect he'll come out of this as he has before, but I must admit to being a bit worried about him at the moment and I'm glad that I can have him at home tonight. Off to pick him up now...

    Piper Is Having A Bad Round Of Seizures...

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by LBass

    Poor Piper is having a bad round of seizures. He usually has only one or two seizures at a time, but occasionally he'll have long cluster episode and we seem to be in the midst of one of those bad times now. He had an unusually violent seizure yesterday afternoon at 2:30. He then had 5 more--8PM, 10PM 11PM, 1AM, 2AM, and 6AM. He's at the vet's office now, since I just couldn't miss another day of work. I'm very grateful that I happened to be home with him yesterday. The vet called a bit before lunch to say that P is looking OK on exam and has not had any seizures at the clinic.

     

    The poor sweetheart leaped up after the 11PM seizure and ran into the bathroom. I was in hot pursuit, but he fell on the slippery floor. Just as I got him upright again, he began to pee (there are worse places to do that than the bathroom floor :nod ). He then lost his balance again and fell into the pool of pee. He was so zonked that he just lay there, making to pee pool ever larger. I foresee a bath in his near future. :eek

     

    Update: When I picked Piper up at the vet's I spoke with the doctor. Piper had 3 seizures there today and during the first one they inadvertently gave him morphine instead of IM Valium. :ohno The tech realized that his reaction to the drug was extreme, checked the inventory, and realized that a mistake had been made. They gave a reversal drug--Narcan, I think they said. They expect Piper to be pretty sedated and sleepy tonight but expect no serious ill-effects. I appreciate their honesty in telling me what happened. I'm also so relieved that the mix-up was not with a drug that will cause great harm.

     

    He's home, had a potty trip, drank a lot of water, ate an extra special dinner and is now sacked out. He is going to spend tomorrow at the vet's office for observation. They apparently let him wander around in the back area because he was restless in the crate. In true greyhound style, he charmed everybody, even while feeling poorly. :wub:

    Is It Epilepsy ?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    My Piper is epileptic--he has really spectacular grand mal seizures. He also occasionally has head tremors. Its never been at all clear whether they are related to his epilepsy or not. When he has them, he is head just shakes gently in a palsied sort of way. If I call to him, he is quite alert. If he engages his muscles to raise his head, the tremor stops.

     

    I remember other GT members who have posted about similar tremors on their non-epileptic dogs--Bevd comes to mind.

     

    With regard to having the vet run tests for epilepsy--unfortunately, there really is no test for epilepsy. You sort of have to rule to all the other possible causes of seizures (there are many) and then you are left with a diagnosis of epilepsy.

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