| Author | Message | ||
     Bama22 Message Board Member Username: Bama22 Post Number: 247 Registered: 05-2010 |
In a previous thread, "Fun with Your Dog", I wrote about how we came to be with our two dogs, Winston and Abby. We knew nothing about their historys, medical or otherwise. I hope none of you have experienced the following unforgettable events. On Monday,January 2nd of this year, I decided I'd celebrate my 66th with a serious day of recliner piloting. At about noon, I looked out the window and saw my new dog Abby on the ground, legs stiff and in a bundle, body stiff and convulsing. My first thought was that someone had shot her. I ran outside, she was barely breathing and all the mucous in her body was on the ground next to her mouth. I grabbed her up and ran inside, Seeing no wound, we first thought she had swallowed something and was choking, but didn't see anything in her mouth. So away we went to the vet, I was blubbering like a school girl. On the 10 mile ride there, she began to improve, was able to stand next to me on the car seat. But was obviously "out on her feet". The doc gave her an IV sedative, administered slowly, and she began to return to "herself". He gave me some half grain phenylbarbital tabs to give her and all seemed well. Less than 2 days later, at 2am on Wednesday, she woke me up having another attack. This was not the "General Siezure" like the first one, but still very scary. She was unable to move and was "flybiting', a snapping of the jaws, about 4 or 5 snaps every 3 or 4 seconds. We took her to the living room, where she lost control of her bowel and the seizure continued for a total of about 40 minutes. The next morning when the vet opened, we saw him and he added Potassium Bromide to her meds. Thankfully there have been no more seizures. The vet is in his seventies, an Auburn grad, and has been practicing for about 50 years. Good for us, his prices are stuck in the 1960s. He said there are neuroligical test that can be done that are very expensive. He said we might try to cut down on the meds gradually, eventually to zero, then if she had another siezure, she'd be on the meds for life. He also said that there's nothing to do, short of an injection, while the seizure is going on. Best just to keep the animal from hurting itself by falling of the bed, etc. I was suprised that Abby didn't bite her tounge from all the snapping; I assume that the lesser motor nerves that prevent that are still working. Abby is, I think, a wire-haired terrier mix,(mostly white) with possibly some Australian Shepherd. (?) Was thinking that because of the one blue eye and the grey spots, and the pupils of the eyes are angular, not round. Someone said the blue eye was a sign of a genetic defect in dogs. I want to get her DNA done to see what it shows. I hope this has been interesting or helpful to someone. mike | ||
| Westerly1965 Message Board Member Username: Westerly1965 Post Number: 2201 Registered: 09-2010  |
Mike ~ That does not sound like fun at all. It is always hard to watch our furry friends suffer. I don't "think" the blue eye is a genetic defect as it is common in Aussies and they are some of the smartest dogs out there. Give Abby a big hug and hopefully her problem will get better and not worse.. | ||
| Bama22 Message Board Member Username: Bama22 Post Number: 248 Registered: 05-2010 |
Thanks Wes. They both get plenty of hugs. It IS truly hard to watch -- forgot to mention the scratching & flailing of the hind legs, but the vet says the dog knows nothing about it; her brain is overwhelmed by all it's neurons firing. He did say that 40 minutes was a very long seizure -- heart could have failed. The blue eye thing was just hearsay. Thanks to you, I've dismissed that idea. m | ||
| Gijoe Message Board Member Username: Gijoe Post Number: 119 Registered: 01-2012  |
Words fail, heart was true. Sounds like a good dog, not a bad one. Medical is always rough... Sick puppies... | ||
| Wildtim Message Board Member Username: Wildtim Post Number: 421 Registered: 01-2011  |
Blue eyes in some breeds is an indicator of problems but they are more eye related not neurological. In Aussies they are not an issue. My only question would be: Did she have any vaccinations recently? All I can say is good luck hopefully it will be ok now that she has the meds. | ||
| Gijoe Message Board Member Username: Gijoe Post Number: 134 Registered: 01-2012 |
What about side effects? | ||
| Bama22 Message Board Member Username: Bama22 Post Number: 249 Registered: 05-2010 |
Joe, There doesn't seem to be any side effects, even though phenylbarbital was once commonly used as a sedative. The dog has free access to the back yard, runs all day, sleeps all night. Loves the frisbee. Tim, a very good question, and something I forgot to mention. The dog was from a shelter, she had been vaccinated about a month before we got her. The dog is mostly white and has a lot of pink skin. In December I noticed her scratching and took her to the vet. He took a skin culture and detected early stages of red mange. He had me give her Ivermectin, a liquid medicine for parasites. Twelve days later the seizures began. I've done some reading on the subject. There are thousands of things that can cause seizures, and another thousand that can trigger them. If it was the Ivermectin, which I highly suspect, the toxicity could remain for some time, so for now we stay the course on the present meds. For now, the mange is gone, and she is gaining weight as she should. Thank you all for your concern. She's a geat puppy ! |
