Hero Seized Last Night

[carronstar]

Just saw this. Adding my prayers for Hero.

[Guest 3greysinPA]

Sending lots of prayers for you and Hero

[ZoomDoggy]

Histiocytomas are often benign. that Hero's is as well. I'm sorry to hear of the seizure, Tom. Your sweet boy is in my thoughts...

[ahicks51]

we are back from the vet. she said it does look like epilepsy. hero is 3. we talked about medications and the possible side effects. she said to be concerned if he seizes within the next 24 hrs, or within a month, or if they go longer than 5 minutes because of the possibility of low blood oxygen because he isnt breathing right. how i am supposed to get a seizing dog out of the house and into my vehicle is beyond me. if that happens, im supposed to bring him to the emergency room so they can give him a shot to stop the seizing. could that possibly be the liquid valium? my girlfriends daughter is a nurse, and im sure she could administer it. right in the rectum? not in the tissue...just squirt it in there?

 

I've only ever seen status epilepticus once- and that was in a human. He just rolled out of one seizure, and into another. There was a short period between seizures that you could get work done on him; otherwise, it was an effort to keep him from smashing his head into the backboard, etc. On the way to the hospital, medic command asked if we had any vitals- this was after having to get the guy down two flights of stairs between seizures. I'll never forget the look Bill gave me as he radioed back that we simply weren't able to take any by that time. I don't remember how much they gave him at the hospital, but it was 5 mg of Valium every so often until he stopped- and it was a pretty big slug of drugs by that time.

 

The only intelligent thing I could add is to keep a muzzle on hand- not only to keep from getting bit, but to keep the teeth from being damaged by keeping things out of his mouth.

[Guest zoolaine]

to you and Hero

[greysmom]

I'm so sorry Hero is developing this. You are all in our thoughts!

 

Your vet will probably NOT put Hero on medication for one seizure - there needs to be more than one in a 4-6 week period, or the seizures need to be clustering (several one after the other, or in one 24 hour period). Unfortunately, there are no real diagnostic tests for idiopathic epilepsy. Even an MRI will often not turn up anything derivative. Once meds are needed, phenobarbitol is the drug most usually start with. It may take a while to get the dosage right. Adding Potasium Bromide (KBr) is the next step. Some dogs do fine on one or the other, some need both.

 

Althea's reaction is actually good news. Some greys will attack their pack mates when they are seizing. If you don't crate Hero now, it may be a good idea to do so when you're gone, just in case. The crib bumpers are an awesome idea to keep him from injuring himself if he seizes.

 

If you're home, try and take him outside as soon as he can safely get around. Have lots of clean fresh water handy. He may also need a snack afterwards as seizing can cause their blood sugar levels to drop.

 

The good news is that this is really treatable, and Hero can live a long and happy life. The seizures themselves are harder on the people than the dogs - they really are out of it and don't remember anything.

 

Please let us know how he's doing!

[Guest EmbersDad]

hero is feeling better, thank you. he is spending a lot of time in his crate though, so he may still be a bit off. he enjoyed a marrow bone in there earlier and devoured his dinner ( we put a spoonful of ground beef in it). i have been given a lot of good advice and i appreciate it so much. you greytalkers are the best folks on the planet, and i would love to be able to give each and every one of you a hug someday. i will ask my vet about the valium suppositories when i speak to her about hero's lab results next week.

 

it was scary to watch, thats fer sure. i had a golden in college that seized and this brought back the memories of flipper. she would stare off into space before it would happen, you definitely could tell she was about to have an attack.

[lovinggreysslp]

I'm glad to hear that Hero is feeling better.

[Guest Energy11]

Tom, Please send Hero a HUGE hug for us!

[greytpups]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this with Hero. How scary Hope this was an isolated episode!

[RobinM]

Oh God, Tom. I am just seeing this. Keeping you and your boy in my prayers.

[Guest SoulsMom]

I don't have any advice, just hugs and support

[Guest K9_Lady]

Sending healing thoughts for Hero. Glad that he is feeling better.

[MerlinsMum]

Just checking in... Glad to hear Hero is feeling better and ate his dinner. My fingers remain firmly crossed for an uneventful night / next few days...

 

:goodluck :goodluck

[Guest LindsaySF]

Sorry to hear about this. It does sound like a grand mal seizure. (The new term is tonic-clonic seizure, but most people, including me, still say grand mal because that is the term people know).

 

The vet will want to rule out any causes of seizures such as low thyroid, diabetes, tick-borne diseases, etc. If nothing else comes up Hero probably has epilepsy. Some people opt for an MRI, but unless you suspect a brain tumor or something that isn't usually necessary.

 

My foster dog Sophie has epilepsy. She has both grand mal and focal (partial) seizures. You can read her thread here: Sophie Is Looking For Her Forever Home (Again)

 

Greysmom is correct in that most vets won't medicate unless he seizes again in a certain time period, or he clusters (multiple seizures in one day). If he does have more seizures phenobarbital is the first choice of meds. I would also agree with getting liquid valium ASAP. Valium suppositories work fine too, they are slower-acting than liquid valium but faster-acting than oral valium.

 

My favorite website by far is this one: Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels. I also like this one. The EPIL-K9 email list is good too, here are directions on how to sign up.

 

Sophie gets ravenous after a seizure and she eats a lot of food. She also drinks a lot of water and likes to go outside to potty several times. She will often pace for up to 2 hours afterwards. Every dog's post-ictal phase is different. Some dogs are fine after a few hours (Sophie usually), some dogs have lingering affects (fatigue, confusion, weakness, etc) for days after a seizure.

 

Hopefully this was an isolated incident. But if Tom does have epilepsy you are in good company here. Greytalk has been super helpful to me with Sophie!

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

[greysmom]

I was going to put this in before and forgot!

 

Start a seizure log for Hero. Write down the day, date, time of day, length of the episode, description of events - basically everything you can remember about the seizure. My Libby had several different episodes within each seizure (different phases I guess), and it helped the neuro vet to have the timing of how long each part lasted.

 

Hugs!

[Guest Energy11]

I was going to put this in before and forgot!

 

Start a seizure log for Hero. Write down the day, date, time of day, length of the episode, description of events - basically everything you can remember about the seizure. My Libby had several different episodes within each seizure (different phases I guess), and it helped the neuro vet to have the timing of how long each part lasted.

 

Hugs!

 

EXCELLENT idea!

[greypuppyluv]

First of all, I'm sorry to hear that Hero had a seizure. They are tough to witness. What I give Phaelin after a seizure is Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream (I think it's made with real sugar which I've heard is supposed to help bring his blood sugar up fairly quickly).

 

Sorry to hear about this. It does sound like a grand mal seizure. (The new term is tonic-clonic seizure, but most people, including me, still say grand mal because that is the term people know).

 

The vet will want to rule out any causes of seizures such as low thyroid, diabetes, tick-borne diseases, etc. If nothing else comes up Hero probably has epilepsy. Some people opt for an MRI, but unless you suspect a brain tumor or something that isn't usually necessary.

 

My foster dog Sophie has epilepsy. She has both grand mal and focal (partial) seizures. You can read her thread here: Sophie Is Looking For Her Forever Home (Again)

 

Greysmom is correct in that most vets won't medicate unless he seizes again in a certain time period, or he clusters (multiple seizures in one day). If he does have more seizures phenobarbital is the first choice of meds. I would also agree with getting liquid valium ASAP. Valium suppositories work fine too, they are slower-acting than liquid valium but faster-acting than oral valium.

 

My favorite website by far is this one: Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels. I also like this one. The EPIL-K9 email list is good too, here are directions on how to sign up.

 

Sophie gets ravenous after a seizure and she eats a lot of food. She also drinks a lot of water and likes to go outside to potty several times. She will often pace for up to 2 hours afterwards. Every dog's post-ictal phase is different. Some dogs are fine after a few hours (Sophie usually), some dogs have lingering affects (fatigue, confusion, weakness, etc) for days after a seizure.

 

Hopefully this was an isolated incident. But if Tom does have epilepsy you are in good company here. Greytalk has been super helpful to me with Sophie!

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

The websites Lindsay referred to above are excellent ones to read and learn more about seizures in dogs. I'm also on the EPIL K9 email list and it's provided me a wealth of real world information to help with Phaelin's seizures.

 

I was going to put this in before and forgot!

 

Start a seizure log for Hero. Write down the day, date, time of day, length of the episode, description of events - basically everything you can remember about the seizure. My Libby had several different episodes within each seizure (different phases I guess), and it helped the neuro vet to have the timing of how long each part lasted.

 

Hugs!

One thing I learned about Phaelin's seizures when doing this is that hard excercise (and sometimes it doesn't even need to be that hard) can cause Phaelin to seize, so I have to be careful of strenuous activity with him. Keeping a log will help with hopefully finding a trigger (or triggers). You may never find what causes a seizure, but having a log might help narrow down the possiblities.

[GreyPoopon]

No advice, just

 

I hope everybody is feeling well this morning.

[Guest PhillyPups]

How is handsome Hero today?

[LBass]

I'm just now seeing this and I'm so sorry you and Hero experienced that frightening seizure. You've had loads of good advice and have already been pointed to those great web sites--they were a real life line for me when Piper's seizures started.

 

He began to seize at about 2 years of age and has dramatic tonic-clonic seizures (the current name for grand mal seizures). He also tends to cluster. When he clusters his seizures are generally 3-4 hours apart. That makes rectal valium of limited help for him--it is fast acting and is best used for clusters when the seizures are 30-45 minutes or closer together. Daily Piper takes 2 1/2 grains of Phenobarbital (Pb) and 800 mg of Potassium Bromide (KBr). For him, the Pb gave him slightly milder seizures and adding the KBr to the Pb seemed to give us more time between seizure episodes.

 

When he has a seizure he gets an additional 1 1/2 grains of Pb and 10 mg of valium (orally in pill format). This combo is given every 6 hours until he has gone 12 hours without a seizure. This combo has kept him from having a cluster series for about a year and a half, so far.

 

After a seizure it helps Piper settle down if I give him a small meal. He seems to actually prefer a meal of his regular food to anything else. I sometimes add a cooked egg.

 

Managing seizures is really as much art as it is science. You may need to experiment with a variety of approaches to find out what works and doesn't work for Hero. On the positive side, most dogs lead happy active life in spite of seizures.

 

Unfortunately, there are loads of GTers with way too much experience managing epilepsy.

 

--Lucy

[Guest EmbersDad]

How is handsome Hero today?

 

 

The measure of the moment

In a difference of degree

Just one little victory

A spirit breaking free

One little victory

The greatest act can be

One little victory

 

 

hero slept through the nite and we got up at 9 am. he seems to be himself again. wasnt very hungry this morning, but i bet he will eat his dinner later. one little victory as no seizure within 24 hrs of the first one.

 

 

[Guest Energy11]

AW! What a sweetie!

 

Great news ... no seizures within the first 24 hours! Love the poem, too!

[MerlinsMum]

What a relief! Thsi is great news. Hopefully he'll be hungry a little later.

[crazygang]

You've a great deal of support here on GT Tom........glad hero is seizure free 24 hours on...

 

That's positive.