Guest Geesh Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 We have not been here for a while.. But seems natural this is where I would go in times like this... Our 6 yr old VERN (Verg) had seizures 6:00 this morning.. Two violent ones followed by 2 small ones.. At the Amimal hospital ( shortly after being admisistered interveinious medications ) he had another big one.. He is currently resting at the hospital. Naturally we are freaked out about is as he probably is.. In reading online.... I see that he will most likely continue having seizures the rest of his life. The medication will lessen the seizures, and or lengthen the time between seizures ?? Not sure what that really means.. All blodd & urine work shows normal, so the Dr has ruled out any toxic type thing.. 2 years ago Vern ate something in the yard and he seizured and about died from the toxins & elevated temps... Now that I typed that... Makes we wonder... We are so confused right now.. Worried about Vern & his quality of like & the seizures being a danger to him.. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trudy Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I wouldn't worry about his quality of life yet. The vast majority of the time, seizures can be controlled with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KyGrey Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 There are a few people on here dealing with seizure dogs. JillysFullHouse is one of them that I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully she will see this and be able to give you some information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I wouldn't worry about his quality of life yet. The vast majority of the time, seizures can be controlled with meds. *agrees* At the moment you are probably still feeling very frazzled and stressed. I remember the first time I witnessed Henry having a Grand-Mal, I felt like I had been run over by a truck and my thoughts were not clear and in a big jumble. It's not only Vern that will need recovery, but you as well. Henry used to have earth shattering Grand-Mals every 8 days, and then started to have clusters. Since starting meds in October, he has only had ONE Grand-mal. This is a big, big improvement. And it is very likely meds would help your Vern too. And even if they still have a Grand-Mal here and there, they can still lead a very good fulfilling lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyorkie Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 *hugs* to you! I'm so sorry to hear what's happening. My yorkie goes to the vet on Friday to address her more frequent seizures. I know they're quite scary for her little size. I can't imagine how stressed you must be with your big guy. Good thoughts coming your way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thank you very much.. Yes, my wife is doing better than I am.. She is pretty strong, I am a wreck.. Seeing Verns 90+ lb body thrashing around on the tile made me feel so helpless all I could do was somewhat hold him & talk to him softly- naturally crying.. We just lost our lil Poodle 2 months ago to the blood disease they are prone to.. He was only 7 .. Too much for us to go thru so soon.. BUT not as bad as what Verns going thru.. I am glad we have the financial means to take care of him.. Mickey got every chance possible until we knew he would not last another day. We will be here for Vern, do what we need to to make things as safe as we can for him. Thank you for your support and all the questions I am about to ask along the way... Thank you all.. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PhillyPups Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Talk to JillysFullHouse she has Saint, who is currently seizure free for over 4 years, controlled with meds and Saint is one of the happiest gteyhounds I ever met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Sometimes you can stop or drastically reduce the severity of a Grand-mal using the ice pack trick. And here's a short blog entry I wrote on Saint mentioned in above post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greypuppyluv Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yes, there are a few of us on GT with seizure dogs. My Phaelin is one of them. He started having grand mal seizures back in November and continued having them every 2 weeks. He's now on medication and he hasn't had a seizure since December 14th. I would highly suggest you do a search here on GT in the Health and Medical forum for "seizure" or "seizures". There have been quite a few threads on seizures lately and reading the various threads may help answer some of your questions (and may answer questions you haven't even thought of yet). Quote Paula & her pups--Paneer (WW Outlook Ladd), Kira & Rhett (the whippets)Forever in my heart...Tinsel (Born's Bounder - 11/9/90-12/18/01), Piper, Chevy, Keno, Zuma, Little One, Phaelin & WinnieGreyhound Adoption Center ~ So Cal rep for Whippet Rescue And Placement For beautiful beaded collars, check out my Facebook page: The Swanky Hound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyGreys Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Good thoughts & prayers for your boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snakes Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I've posted recently about my FedX who started having seizures last fall. We are fortunate enough not to have grand mal seizures, but i have posted a few times about our trips to the neurologist and meds. Searching for seizure should bring them up. Good luck, the beginning is always the scariest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yes, our Saint is a 95lb. seizure dog. He has the violent seizures as you describe. We worked diligently with our vet in getting Saint started on meds and then worked over several months to get them to the correct dosage to be able to control them. Your vet will probably suggest starting your boy on Phenobarbital, this drug will work the fastest is lessing the number of seizures and the severity of them. He may also suggest at some point adding Potassium Bromide to the mix. This drug takes much longer to reach maximum effectiveness but is wonderful at controlling seizures. There is a small chance that either medication could affect your boys liver so you can give him Milk Thistle to support his liver to fend off any damage that might be caused by the medication. It took us several months to get Saint at the right dosage but he's been seizure free for over 4 years now and his quality of life is wonderful. He shows a slight rear end weakness, a side effect of the drugs but other than that he is a normal, happy greyhound. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 thank you all for the good information and heartfelt support... We picked up Vern at 5pm tonight. He is on Phenobarbital, The Dr wanted us to take Vern home tonite so we coud watch him. I am taking him back in the am, Dr wants to see how he is doing after he rests... He told us Vern MAY have more sezures overnight, and told us, as ong as it passes, comfort him. IF the sezure lasts for moore than 15 minutes of has more than one big one... take him in to the ER so they can inject him...( He still has a cathater in his leg just in case) IF he has a sezure we will try the Ice-Pack technique. My wife & I have discussed the Ice-Pack technique, and will try it unless someone tells us it is not a good idea... It is so good to have him home. He got a treat of soft canned food... Took him outside (on leash) to potty.He ws pretty shakey still. Within 2 minutes he started to shake & couldnt hold himsef up very well.. He is resting right next to us in one of his beds... We have gated all the stairs. One of us will spend the night with him tonite. I am so glad I have 2 weeks off work- so he wil NOT be along during this trying time.. Somehow I need to get him to drink water... Yes, our Saint is a 95lb. seizure dog. He has the violent seizures as you describe. We worked diligently with our vet in getting Saint started on meds and then worked over several months to get them to the correct dosage to be able to control them. Your vet will probably suggest starting your boy on Phenobarbital, this drug will work the fastest is lessing the number of seizures and the severity of them. He may also suggest at some point adding Potassium Bromide to the mix. This drug takes much longer to reach maximum effectiveness but is wonderful at controlling seizures. There is a small chance that either medication could affect your boys liver so you can give him Milk Thistle to support his liver to fend off any damage that might be caused by the medication. It took us several months to get Saint at the right dosage but he's been seizure free for over 4 years now and his quality of life is wonderful. He shows a slight rear end weakness, a side effect of the drugs but other than that he is a normal, happy greyhound. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 It will be different for each individual dog, but I just want you to know the ice pack, while it has worked many times for Henry, it did not work when he was in cluster. So if it doesn't work, just ditch the ice bag for the rest of that seizure. And just because it doesn't work for that seizure, doesnt mean it has no chance of working for the next seizure. Where does Vern sleep? You'll need to make it seizure safe. The biggest thing is make sure he cant get stuck under the bed. You do NOT want Vern to have a seizure under the bed. Henry once had one with his head and shoulders stuck under the bed. Make sure all cords are out of the way and nothing can fall on him. It took Henry about three days to get enough Pheno in his system that he did to need to rely on valium anymore. Did the vet send you home with any rectal valium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 No any rectal valium yet.. I asked about it, vet told me we would tal more after he sees him again in the am.. I took Vern out side in the backyard in hopes he would releive himself for the night. He did.. BOTH... so I am very pleased with that as he will sleep better.. But that walk around the backyard really wore him out.. I will sleep wit him tonite on the floor in the living room.. He isnt happy that his Girlfriend Greta went upstairs to sleep in the bed without him and I putt the baby gates up so he couldnot go upstairs..... But he knows I am here with him & he seems reassured. Ive got the ice packs ready JUST in case. I am willing to try anything that may help.. In the morning, the Dr will go over the meds with me & will monitor liver & kidney functions & adjust meds as necessary. *** This am when Vern had his initial sezures.... we called our normal vets office, left told them what happened & messages for them to call us... We also left our usual Dr messages on his cellphone...Te office oened at 8am.. a tech called us at 10:00 ...... The DR NEVER CALED !!! My wife asked the Animl hospital to transfer all 3 dogs records from ur vets office to them..My wife told them that she just fired our normal vet !!! . It will be different for each individual dog, but I just want you to know the ice pack, while it has worked many times for Henry, it did not work when he was in cluster. So if it doesn't work, just ditch the ice bag for the rest of that seizure. And just because it doesn't work for that seizure, doesnt mean it has no chance of working for the next seizure. Where does Vern sleep? You'll need to make it seizure safe. The biggest thing is make sure he cant get stuck under the bed. You do NOT want Vern to have a seizure under the bed. Henry once had one with his head and shoulders stuck under the bed. Make sure all cords are out of the way and nothing can fall on him. It took Henry about three days to get enough Pheno in his system that he did to need to rely on valium anymore. Did the vet send you home with any rectal valium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 ing that you all have an UNeventful night and sleep well. I've slept with Henry before too after his seizures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Just to let you know, the phenobarbital may make your boy a little dopey for a while. He may stumble around a bit and could do so with every increase of medication but as soon as his body adjusts to the meds the symptoms should disappear. Hopefully he will sleep through the night and be much better in the morning. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Thinking of you and your Vern and hoping he has a restful nite's sleep tonite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Its s 5:30m. Vern rested well - apparently I must have dozed off pretty hard as I didn't even know/or hear him get up and switch dog beds- and I am suppose to be watching him ... i will get another bell for his collar.. I read to remove his collar, but I thikk the jingling of the tags would alert me sooner when he moves round.. I dont now- like said here, the beginning is the hardest.. I agree- I must have looked at the clock every hour all night... After everyone went upstairs to bed last night, Vern & I said a few prayers together- he had a nice quiet night I am grateful they were answered.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Glad to see he had a good night. You'll find yourself just waiting for the next one, it's human nature because we love our pups so much. Try and relax, I know it will be hard but the more relaxed you are the more relaxed he will be. You can keep some all natural ice cream on hand in case he seizes again. When a hound seizes his blood sugar drops drastically so offering some ice cream will bring his blood sugar back to normal plus it will help to cool him off as his temperature will rise dramatically also, thus the pacing and panting afterwards. Offer as much water as he wishes. You will find he will also sleep a lot after having a seizure and this is normal too. I pray he has no more but if he does, hopefully the medication will help. Keep working with your vet to find the right dose and combination of medications to help your boy. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 As soon as I arose this morning, I thought of your Vern right away and I am thrilled to find out he had NO seizures last night!!!! Yay Vern!!!!! Just to let you know, the phenobarbital may make your boy a little dopey for a while. He may stumble around a bit and could do so with every increase of medication but as soon as his body adjusts to the meds the symptoms should disappear. Hopefully he will sleep through the night and be much better in the morning. Yes, this was our experience too. Hunger is one of the big side effects. Henry had it very very bad in the beggining. This picture was taken 5 days after starting Phenobarbital. He was VERY hungry, and was trying to eat my son's shirt because of a few crumbs on it. This side effect has 100% dissapeared for Henry. Many of the side effects that are so strong in the beginning either totally dissapear or greatly reduce as the body learns to use the medicine more effectively. Henry is on the same dose as he was when we took the above picture. He has no excess hunger at all anymore, in fact, he is finicky and likes to take a couple hours eating his meals. He does have some rear leg weakness, but it's only noticable to me because I know it's there. Others would probably never spot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I forgot to post about the bells idea. When a dog has a seizure, he is very sensitive to light and noise. In fact, my vet has a theory that the reason many dogs vision does not register correctly with the brain after a seizure is because the brain is protecting itself from too much stimulation while it heals. So, I'd be worried about Vern having the bells on during seizure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I cant tell everyone how much we apprecheiate all the information and support.. Yes, I find myself watching his every move.. If he as much as lifts his head- I expect the worse... I now... I will eventually calm down.. Back from the Vet.. Vernis doing fine.. Wobbly... but fine. He had a hard time wth anesthesia last week ( dental at OLD vets office) he was wobbly then too.. Poor Vern hs been thru so much lately. A couple of mnths ago, we lost his playmate ( Poodle) Blood disease.., then he got a dental last week, AND we switched his food from Beniful to NUTRO... Vet started Vern on Phenibarbatol twice a day... We will see the vet Monday am.. IF Vern is doing fine, he will remove the cath in Verns leg.. Dr gave us his personal home/cell numbers in case of emergency. He des not exxpect anything- but just in case... ALSO... I printed the article abut the ICE-PACKs & gave it to him.. He thought it may work somewhat along the lines of acupunture - not sure why either would work, but if it works great- cant hurt. dont think we was overl thrilled with the method. He said thngs like ICE & Acupuncure go against "schooled Medicine" but the results cant be exlained-expecially when it works.. Im thinking adding ice to the treatment is worth a try. Grnted Vern had cluster sezures yesterday.... I will ever know when he will only have one ! I have made a crushed Ice Pack and will explain everyone he at home how we will use it.. Sorry iif my writing is scrambled...Im just tired & worn out... Thank you all again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyAnne Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I cant tell everyone how much we apprecheiate all the information and support.. Yes, I find myself watching his every move.. If he as much as lifts his head- I expect the worse... I now... I will eventually calm down.. Back from the Vet.. Vernis doing fine.. Wobbly... but fine. He had a hard time wth anesthesia last week ( dental at OLD vets office) he was wobbly then too.. Poor Vern hs been thru so much lately. A couple of mnths ago, we lost his playmate ( Poodle) Blood disease.., then he got a dental last week, AND we switched his food from Beniful to NUTRO... Vet started Vern on Phenibarbatol twice a day... We will see the vet Monday am.. IF Vern is doing fine, he will remove the cath in Verns leg.. Dr gave us his personal home/cell numbers in case of emergency. He des not exxpect anything- but just in case... ALSO... I printed the article abut the ICE-PACKs & gave it to him.. He thought it may work somewhat along the lines of acupunture - not sure why either would work, but if it works great- cant hurt. dont think we was overl thrilled with the method. He said thngs like ICE & Acupuncure go against "schooled Medicine" but the results cant be exlained-expecially when it works.. Im thinking adding ice to the treatment is worth a try. Grnted Vern had cluster sezures yesterday.... I will ever know when he will only have one ! I have made a crushed Ice Pack and will explain everyone he at home how we will use it.. Sorry iif my writing is scrambled...Im just tired & worn out... Thank you all again.... I do that too. Everytime Henry lets out a groan/stretch, my heart skips a beat. He'd been through so many Grand-Mals it's just so programmed into my brain unfortunately. The difference between ice pack and accupuncture, is accupuncture *could* be used as a replacement to conventional meds, either in reducing conventional meds or foregoing altogether. Ice pack can not. Ice pack is used once the dog is already having a Grand-mal, and by then, damage is already occuring. Ice pack can not be used in replacement of meds. My vet was leery of the whole ice pack thing too. But noone can tell me it doesnt work after what I have seen first hand. Your writing is not all that scrambled, but I can certainly relate to how you feel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geesh Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Going on 31 hours since the last sezure...Prayers are working Thank you all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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