Henry Had A Grand Mal :(

[Guest EmilyAnne]

He tends to cluster, i hope this isnt going to be a cluster. he is pacing like crazy. I am trying to calm down, i am so shook up.

[Guest meakah]

Oh geez, how frightening. Positive thoughts your way.... :hope

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Henry is finally resting now. His seizure was at 3:30, lasted 3 minutes, but was really severe. I have never seen anything like that before. I am a bit stunned at the moment. He did lose control of bowels and urine. 3:40 am, I was outside in the snow with sandals, underwear and a coat.(There was poup smeared on my clothes so I took them off) I had heard you are supposed to let them go out as soon as they are done seizuring, but Henry had already lost control of his bowels.urine so I didnt know if that was pointless. To make matters worse, our two sons had a huge play scene set up in the playroom with their legos, blocks, lincoln logs, action figures, etc. It was quite the elaborate layout consisiting of hundreds of pieces. Henry in his frantic post seizure phase paced all throughtout this room and it was just horrible. I picked up the toys as fast as I possibly could and Henry kept falling and bumping into things. From now on the kids have to do their layouts upstairs in their bedroom. Now that I have been through this, I feel like I will be better prepared for next time. I need to have a better system in place for cleaning up Henry's back legs and feet of poup after a seizure. the bathtub needless to say was an utterly horrible experience as he was rather out of it (though he did not seizure in bath) Sorry if I sound incoherent. Henry paced horribly after his seizure. He is finally resting now. My poor Henry.

 

I am hoping since he is now resting that he will not be clustering. Kbr I have heard is real good for dogs who cluster. He has a good level of Kbr in his blood. So hopefully that is doing the trick.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

*groan* the dryer is broken. Henry has nothing but a sleeping bag cause I had to wash everything else. Thank goodness for the sleeping bag.

[Guest argolola]

I will pray for him. God bless.

[Guest grey_dreams]

So sorry to hear about Henry's seizure. You are a great mom for taking care of him. Hopefully soon you will find the right combination of medicines to stop Henry from seizing.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

:grouphug

 

My first dog developed grand mals around six years of age. I know how frightening that is and she usually lost control of her bowels too.

 

Hope you and Henry are able to get some rest

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Thank you all so much for prayers. I am a firm believer in prayer.

[Guest greyhound1]

[Guest greybookends]

:hope :hope :hope

[Guest SusanP]

Oh dear! You and Henry have been through the ringer here... I didn't see earlier posts on this. Is Kbr medicine and is there hope of controlling the seizures. Hugs to both of you.

[Batmom]

 

What a scary and exhausting thing, for both of you.

 

I'm pretty ignorant about seizures. For cleaning up after, tho, if it's only the rear part of him, I wonder if standing his hind legs in a large, shallow rubbermaid-type container would work? Bucket of clean water to rinse, rubbermaid to catch the runoff.

[Guest SusanP]

When our Wizard had explosive Big D one time, I bathed him by putting a thick towel under him and then giving him a sponge bath. Eventually, I did give him a regular tub bath, though. Does your guy dislike baths in the tub?

[lovinggreysslp]

Sending prayers for Henry. I also hope your dryer is back in action soon.

[TheFullHouse]

Panting and pacing is his way of cooling his body down. His temperature will rise sharply during his seizure and dogs are so smart, they know when they need to cool off. Let him pant and pace all he wants, I don't think you could stop him if you wanted too. Sounds like he had a seizure like Saints, very dramatic aren't they. Is he just on the kbr or have they added phenobarbital to the mix? It takes a combination of both drugs to control Saint.

 

My heart goes out to you, I've been there.

[Guest ss556]

I'm praying for Henry.

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Hugs to you both,

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Panting and pacing is his way of cooling his body down. His temperature will rise sharply during his seizure and dogs are so smart, they know when they need to cool off. Let him pant and pace all he wants, I don't think you could stop him if you wanted too. Sounds like he had a seizure like Saints, very dramatic aren't they. Is he just on the kbr or have they added phenobarbital to the mix? It takes a combination of both drugs to control Saint.

 

My heart goes out to you, I've been there.

He is on both, but there didnt seem to be much improvement with only pheno. So i am trying o be real optimistic about the kbr, hoping it does the trick.

 

I myself am pretty sick today. I always get sick when stressed. I am very nauseaus, dizzy, and a little headache.

 

Thank you so much for explaining about why they pace. And you are right, I dont think I could have stopped him if I wanted to and I know I would have stressed Henry if I did.

 

I need encouragement. I need to hear everyone's happy stories and how they were able to get seizures under control with meds and how long it took before they saw improvement. I need to know it is definately nt the end of the world and it will be ok. I am feeling very discouraged and shook up.

[Batmom]

I am very nauseaus, dizzy, and a little headache.

 

Pssst. If you don't have any Serious Prescription Meds for "sick headache," try 1-2 Dramamine (or Wal-Dram, same thing but cheaper).

 

Hugs.

[inugrey]

No words of advice just hope for both you and Henry.

[LBass]

Bless your heart and Henry's too. As Judy (JillysFullHouse) said, I've been there and done that too. Grand Mal seizures are so frightening in the beginning. It really does get better later--you develop a routine for handling seizures and swing into that routine when the seizure starts.

 

Since Henry looses bowel and bladder control during his seizures you might want to have a stack of old towels handy to shove under his rear to make cleanup a bit easier. If your yard is fenced, you might try letting him do his pacing outdoors. Different things help for different dogs, so I'd encourage you to try lots of things to see what works for Henry after seizures. I discovered that giving Piper a small meal helped him settle down afterward. Some dogs are helped by Rescue Remedy. Sometimes there is just some of that post-ictal pacing that you have to ride out.

 

My vet's office has some kind of spray "dry shampoo" stuff that they use after expressing anal glands--ask at your vet or a groomers about what that magic stuff is and where you can get some. After you get the poop off Henry, it will help with the final cleaning and aroma.

 

With Piper, Phenobarbital gave him a longer span of time between seizures and then the addition of Potassium Bromide helped limit the number of seizures he had at an episode. Do remember that with Potassium Bromide, it takes 3-4 months to get stable in his system so don't get give up on it too quickly. Getting decent seizure control is generally a trial and error process--almost as much art as science--and it can take some time to find the right combination of things that work for your particular dog. Various medication combinations, food, supplements, acupuncture, and on and on. There are many, many hopeful options out there.

 

Piper's seizures have always seemed pretty severe to me but I have wondered how bad they were, compared to other dogs' seizures. He finally had a full blown grand mal seizure at my vets office when they were keeping an eye on him. They were very impressed. Several months later, he had 2 seizures at the emergency clinic. The ER vet was quite impressed too. She described to me what happened and I just kept nodding--"yeah, yeah, thats his "normal" seizure". Her eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger--she was impressed that I'd handled 10 of 'em over the previous day. It's not a bit of fun, but Piper and I manage together and that is an odd source of pride.

 

Look for the humor in it...there really is some humor to find. I can laugh now about Piper's first grand mal (horrible at the time), which involved his flailing paws catching the vanity, then the commode, then the wall, then the vanity...he was spinning on the slick bathroom floor, break dancing. Laughter helps you weather the stress.

 

[Guest MrsDooLittle]

Oh dear.....I think I know a bit how you feel and it's terrifying. My Mr Green Jeans had his first seizure after I had owned him a week.....and I was very dog dumb at the time. I didn't see the seizure take place but saw the lingering effects and I was so afraid. I took him to the ER in the middle of the night and of course by the time the vet saw him, things were back to normal. Mr Green Jeans didn't lose bowel control or urine control so I don't think it was as severe as Henry's....but nonetheless I was so afraid.

 

Since then he's been placed on potassium bromide and it has really helped keep them under control. I have also learned since having him that certain foods can trigger an episode......once he got a whole bag of treats and ate them and that night he began the pacing, the nervousness, etc. I've also discovered that if his tummy gets too empty, it can trigger an episode. One night he got sick and I didn't feed him anything after he threw up and in a few hours he was on the verge of another episode again.

 

I have searched online and read and read and discovered that sometimes low blood sugar can trigger a seizure in some dogs. Not sure if this could be the case with your Henry but if Mr Green Jeans begins to act strange, I immediately give him something like honey or vanilla ice cream to bring his blood sugar up. It 'seems' to have worked somewhat. I'm convinced too that there are certain dyes or chemicals in some foods that he has a reaction to. One time we got his potassium bromide 'flavored' and it was a blue color (it had previously been a clear liquid). Well every night after he got his meds, he would begin the nervousness, pacing, etc. and after a couple days I stopped the medication....the episodes stopped. I returned to using the unflavored variety and all was well again so I'm convinced that there was some sort of dye in that flavored variety his body was reacting to.

 

All of this of course is just an educated guess on my part....but time and observation seem to have helped us get his under control. I hope the same for you and your Henry because it is just so frightening and it makes us feel so helpless. Henry is so lucky to have you because some owners wouldn't be so concerned or caring. When Mr Green Jeans was with a foster family, he had some cluster seizures and NOTHING was ever done and I only found out about this after I had adopted him!! So I kind of think he came to me so I could help him...

 

HUGS and warm thoughts to you......

Cindy

[Guest SusanP]

I had a house rabbit with grand mal seizures many years ago. He used to go flying around the room, slamming into chairs and tables and walls, often injuring himself.

 

I don't know if this is relevant to hounds who have seizures, but on the theory that Pugsley's seizures might be caused byhydrocephalus, a hole in his brain that filled with spinal fluid, the vet prescribed methazolamide (used as a glaucoma medicine) to reduce the pressure of the spinal fluid in his brain, and once we gave that in suspension to Pugsley 2x a day, he never had another seizure again in his life.

 

I offer this only because it worked for a rabbit so well when nothing else did, and yet I've never seen this medication mentioned as a treatment for dogs having seizures.

[grey14me]

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Bless your heart and Henry's too. As Judy (JillysFullHouse) said, I've been there and done that too. Grand Mal seizures are so frightening in the beginning. It really does get better later--you develop a routine for handling seizures and swing into that routine when the seizure starts.

 

Since Henry looses bowel and bladder control during his seizures you might want to have a stack of old towels handy to shove under his rear to make cleanup a bit easier. If your yard is fenced, you might try letting him do his pacing outdoors. Different things help for different dogs, so I'd encourage you to try lots of things to see what works for Henry after seizures. I discovered that giving Piper a small meal helped him settle down afterward. Some dogs are helped by Rescue Remedy. Sometimes there is just some of that post-ictal pacing that you have to ride out.

 

My vet's office has some kind of spray "dry shampoo" stuff that they use after expressing anal glands--ask at your vet or a groomers about what that magic stuff is and where you can get some. After you get the poop off Henry, it will help with the final cleaning and aroma.

 

This is a very good idea to have xtratowels on hand. I am going ot use our camping sinks. One will have warm water, the other will be for throwing dirty laundry into. I will also make sure I also have an extra set of pajamas for me in there, and an extra blanket. I'll check out that dry shampoo as well. I am going to pick up Rescue Remedy as well. It cant hurt to try.

 

With Piper, Phenobarbital gave him a longer span of time between seizures and then the addition of Potassium Bromide helped limit the number of seizures he had at an episode. Do remember that with Potassium Bromide, it takes 3-4 months to get stable in his system so don't get give up on it too quickly. Getting decent seizure control is generally a trial and error process--almost as much art as science--and it can take some time to find the right combination of things that work for your particular dog. Various medication combinations, food, supplements, acupuncture, and on and on. There are many, many hopeful options out there.

 

Now that makes me feel much better. I was so optimistic about the Kbr, and last night's seizure was extremely discouraging, especially with the extreme severity of the seizure. Henry just started Kbr Oct.22nd. It has only been one month. Hopefully as time passes the Kbr will work better.

 

Piper's seizures have always seemed pretty severe to me but I have wondered how bad they were, compared to other dogs' seizures. He finally had a full blown grand mal seizure at my vets office when they were keeping an eye on him. They were very impressed. Several months later, he had 2 seizures at the emergency clinic. The ER vet was quite impressed too. She described to me what happened and I just kept nodding--"yeah, yeah, thats his "normal" seizure". Her eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger--she was impressed that I'd handled 10 of 'em over the previous day. It's not a bit of fun, but Piper and I manage together and that is an odd source of pride.

 

I think I know what you mean by the odds sense of pride. I feel like I failed last night though. I was not prepared. So many things I did not think of. I cringe when I think of Henry in the playroom tripping on 9 million pieces of toys. There is also a certain bonding there that is exclusive to dogs who have seizures. I experienced that bonding with my previous dog who had epilepsy. Of course his seizures were NOTHING like Henry's. Me and Henry slept on the family room floor last night on a sleeping bag. He kept putting his muzzle under my hin. So sweet. I love him so much, and I m glad he is here with me, safe and sound and getting the best of care.

Look for the humor in it...there really is some humor to find. I can laugh now about Piper's first grand mal (horrible at the time), which involved his flailing paws catching the vanity, then the commode, then the wall, then the vanity...he was spinning on the slick bathroom floor, break dancing. Laughter helps you weather the stress.

 

I was thinking about that. I think someday when the shock of this blows over and I get better at this, I'll look back and realize a lot of parts were pretty funny. For example, I was standing outside in the yard, at 3:40 am, all I had on was underwear, sandals and a parka. I just kept hoping my neighbors were in bed. My husband who is a paraplegic, he got sick at about 4am. I had to go in the bathroom and clean up the mess on the floor. Being in the stunned tate I was, i forgot not too put too much toilet paper in the toilet at once. So then the toilet plugged up. I said a prayer then and told God I just couldnt handle that plugged toilet right now and ot please let it flush. I opened myeyes, and the toilet had flushed. (I am deaf so I would not hear it flushing) Henry did the break dancing thing too. His jaw was the scary part. It kept opening so wide I thought his jaw was going to snap. His whole body would shake super fast, then he'd arch his back, keep paddling like crazy. I hope the longer he is on his meds, the less severe his seizures will be.