Henry Had A Grand Mal :(

[Guest EmilyAnne]

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 did put out a new kind of bird seed two days ago, that is a mix instead of one kind of seed. Henry eats the bird seeds that have falln to he ground. I'll move the bird feeder to be safe.

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.

I have learned that rosemary and sage can sometimes trigger seizures in certain dogs so I switched Henry to a food that does not have roseamry or sage. I also switched him to a food that has no preservatives. He is on Solid Gold Lamb & Rice right now. I gave Hnery a spoon of honey last night hopng it would help. I cant tell if it helped ro not. Henry has been getting a snack between meals since the day he arrived here. He get ssomething to eat every 6 hours.

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

 

 

Thank you all so much. You have no idea how much you have all helped. In fact my headache is starting to dissapear. Thank you. Praise God for this board.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

So, Henry is pacing again, and has been for about a half hour now. Could that mean he may possibly seize again? Or is it left over from last night? Or could it be either?

[Batmom]

Could he just have to go out? His seizure might have put his whole system out of whack .... Hope that's all it is.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Could he just have to go out? His seizure might have put his whole system out of whack .... Hope that's all it is.

I have let him out several times. I think he may just need a few days to recover from this seizure. His seizure meds do make him pace, but in a whole different way. This is the more frantic pacing like he did last night after the seizure. His side effects of med pace is more of a tippy almost falling asleep pace.

 

Hey! I really am getting to know Henry!

 

He finally laid down just as I was typing this. He is very twitchy.

[TheFullHouse]

Don't get discouraged, even though I know how hard it is not to. Saint's story is an awesome one considering he has now been seizure free for 3 years. He has horrible grand mal seizures like your boy had and he has them every time he seizes. He was having them in the racing kennel which is why he was retired. He had them in the adoption kennel which was the reason we adopted him. We first placed him on Phenobarbital also. When the vet had worked him up to the maximum dosage and it still wasn't controlling his seizures we started him on kbr too. It took us a total of 4 to 5 months to get him up to a level where we hoped he would be controlled. Then one week came and went and no seizures. I was so happy! I figured if we could get him to 1 a week instead of the 2 to 3 a week he was having I'd be thrilled. Then week 2 went by and no seizures! I then started hoping that he would be controlled to at least one a month. After a while I stopped waiting for them and now as each year goes by I am so grateful that he is controlled! Still though, I always have in the back of my mind, that one day we could have a breakthrough seizure. No matter how long it's been, the thought is always with me.

 

I hope and pray you have as good an outcome as we did. Patience is the key and experience, which you are getting right now will always allow you to handle what comes with Henry. Always know that you have people here, who are or have experienced just what you're going through now and we're always willing to help, even if it's just to listen.

[patricia]

Sending many prayers. I know what you are going through. Cody Angelo's last episode of clusters was on Memorial Day and he was in critical care for a few days to get him regulated on his Kbr again.

[Meandmy]

I had a kitty that had several grand mal seizures and, with as scary as they were in a little kitty, they must be 10 times more scary in a big dog! Pookie always lost control of her bladder and bowels as well. Not fun, but you just do what you can do. It all gets cleaned up eventually

 

You're a great mom for working so hard to get Henry's seizures under control. It may take awhile, but I'm sure you'll get there. In the meantime, it sounds like you're doing great (except maybe for the outside in your underwear part )

 

Hugs for you and Henry.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

Standing outside in a parka, undies, and sandals is something I would do!

 

I am glad you are feeling a bit better.

 

Give Henry a gentle hug for me

[Trudy]

If he pooped and peed this time, does not mean he always will. Sometimes Ryan does one or the other, both or neither. Either way, I always let him get his balance a bit and help him down the stairs so he can go outside and potty and cool off a bit. I give him a little snack with sugar in it when he comes back in.

 

Ryan isn't restless for very long, so usually within 30 mins he's back in bed snoozing away.

 

When he's peed on himself, I usually just get a washcloth and clean him up. I'm not tossing anybody in the tub in the wee hours of the morning.

 

 

I usually have a robe close by the bed and when I jump out of bed when we hear him going into a seizure, I put it on and sit with him to keep him from hurting himself until he is done. Then I help him get to his feet and not hurt himself too badly until he's got full control of his legs again. Last time he ran into the hall and head first into a built in cabinet - then head first into the refrigerator after he came inside from his potty and cool down trip.

 

During a seizure, their body temp rises - which is why long seizures can be problematic - they are overheating which can be dangerous to their organs if it goes on for too long.

 

You've experienced a seizure with him, so now you can start the seizure log and also if/when he has another, it won't be as bad for you.

[Guest VelvetEars]

classical music can also be very helpful in calming them during the post-ictal phase. I keep my bedroom radio tuned to the classical station so it can be flipped on in a heartbeat.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

classical music can also be very helpful in calming them during the post-ictal phase. I keep my bedroom radio tuned to the classical station so it can be flipped on in a heartbeat.

I was actually wondering about that! I have had this item bookmarked since before we brought Henry home: http://www.entirelypets.com/doggonesongs1.html If it helps even just 1% it is worth it. I am getting it!

 

Don't worry, I will play it very softly. I know noise and lights can be aggravating in the post-ictal phase.

[Jiffer]

Classical Music is helpful.. so is soothing speech. I would talk to and stroke Icarus for a good 15 - 30 minutes post seizure to help him through the post-ictal phase.

 

One thing I learned early on is that Pine-scented household cleaners are horrible for seizure dogs. In fact, I had used Pinesol on my floors, rinsed them well afterwards, and within an hour Icarus had a seizure. I had to be very careful what kinds of cleaners I used that he would come into contact with. Febreeze was another product that I couldn't use around him.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Classical Music is helpful.. so is soothing speech. I would talk to and stroke Icarus for a good 15 - 30 minutes post seizure to help him through the post-ictal phase.

 

One thing I learned early on is that Pine-scented household cleaners are horrible for seizure dogs. In fact, I had used Pinesol on my floors, rinsed them well afterwards, and within an hour Icarus had a seizure. I had to be very careful what kinds of cleaners I used that he would come into contact with. Febreeze was another product that I couldn't use around him.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I had shampooed the carpets with extra shampoo the evening before his 3 am seizure! Maybe it is the carpet shampoo!

[Guest gomiesmom]

Thoughts & prayers .... No grand mal seizure experience, but small ones associated w/ thyroid ( not in our grey but our min collie ) and they can be scary, to say the least... To clean poo off of both dogs and give sponge baths to the greyhound, I use those microfiber towel ( I get them at the dollar store) and they work great. They are soft, but they seem to be able to scrub but still be gentle and they can hold more or less water as needed, no sopping wet when you don't need it... just don't use fabric softener when washing them.

Again, prayers for Henry

 

Thoughts & prayers .... No grand mal seizure experience, but small ones associated w/ thyroid ( not in our grey but our min collie ) and they can be scary, to say the least... To clean poo off of both dogs and give sponge baths to the greyhound, I use those microfiber towel ( I get them at the dollar store) and they work great. They are soft, but they seem to be able to scrub but still be gentle and they can hold more or less water as needed, no sopping wet when you don't need it... just don't use fabric softener when washing them.

Again, prayers for Henry