Dog Seizures? Calling all dog owners, please.

reply to post by Druid42


Hopeful news, but do you have the ability to give him 24/7 care or near it? Also, you have to decide how many weeks/months, etc. you're going to wait to see improvement, using these techniques. Crappy decision and consideration, I know, but you have to think about it. Here's to hoping a speedy recovery for him,

reply to post by Druid42

Good morning, Druid...

I must admit, I haven't been back over to this thread as I feared what the outcome would be for news. It hadn't sounded at all encouraging the last time I read your update and details about what's happened to Storm.

A friend noted that there was good news I should drop in and check out. Well, I have to say I'm very happy I did. I understand what you're describing for the road ahead but you sound up to the task and Storm sounds like it might just work out, given all things involved here.

Please keep us updated and I've thought about Storm since I last heard news from you. My deepest and warmest hopes go out to you both for the maximum results in what you're going to pursue. The eyes tracking on you sounds positive! Perhaps this is a case where positive thinking can make just a little bit of difference, too. You certainly have mine in your corner.

reply to post by Druid42


Druid, I just read your last update. Thank you for keep us informed about Storm, he is in our hearts.

I think we should declare Storm the ATS Official Pet.

reply to post by Gazrok


Fortunately for Storm, my significant other is currently unemployed. To answer everyone's questions about 24/7 care, yes, she is here all day while I am at work. She started a logbook when he first came back home, and has been running a detailed log of times, activities, feeding schedules, and bowel movements. We called it the Hospice log at first, but now we call it the Rehab log.

UPDATE:

Before he was silent, and just laid on his side, his left side stiff. He's gained a bit of flexibility back, and part of his rehab is to get his joints flexible and moving. His once rigid left side now can be flexed, and we are able to prop him into a sitting position. He seems to be gaining flexibility back. He now whines softly, when he wants something, and before he was non-vocal. When he whines, it's either food, or water, and he's satiated.

Here's a crucial consideration:

Is he whining because he's in pain? Or is he whining because nerve regeneration tingles?

How do you determine the pain level your pet is experiencing? In this case, is he in pain, or just hungry?

Once fed, the whining stops, and he goes back to sleep. That would rule out him being in pain. Or, could it indicate postponement of an underlying issue?

The detailed logbook shows an increase in his whining when he's hungry, and we've slowly increased his food intake. He's about half of what he normally eats, spoon fed right now, but I would expect him to increase his caloric intake the closer to normal he gets. He needs more energy, more food, as he gets better.

We are calling the vet in the morning, giving updates, and summarizing information. Storm's vet is definitely pro-life, and loves Storm as much as we do.

I have no experience with doggie strokes, but I am told with human strokes there is no pain. I am so sorry for your trials and so admiring of your dedication to your friend. The improvements sound very hopeful to me. I think you may benefit from reading about human stroke as there are similarities. 'hugs' to you and your family and to Storm, I think you have every reason to hope.

reply to post by Druid42


Wonderful news about Storm, and the amount of care and rehab your family is able to give him. Hope you are able to follow up with more good news soon.

As far as the pet forum? Your thread is exactly why this is such a great idea. I honestly had no idea that dogs could have strokes. And then to find out that they can recover from them? Priceless information for dog owners.
Having to deal with my own tragedies, from which there was no cure, having somewhere to discuss this with people that are like minded really should be a no-brain er!

reply to post by Druid42



Once fed, the whining stops, and he goes back to sleep. That would rule out him being in pain.



The fact that he is eating and drinking is GREAT news!

By him whining to tell you he's hungry or thursty is also GREAT news.

The increase in whining may also be contributed to his feeling better & being sedated.

GO STORM! We are counting on you to get better!

reply to post by Druid42


Are there any updates? How is everyone coping? How are you? I keep checking back to this thread. I hope things are continuing to improve with Storm.

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about storm, and since I did not have time to read the entire thread(apologies), I don't know if this was addressed by the vet or anyone else.
Have you put flea medication on storm any time recently? If so, that may be a contributing cause.
Most flea medications, over the counter and vet given, are chemicals that cause bugs, and animals alike to have nervous system control problems, and eventual death(for the bugs)

removing the medication or counteracting it could help

Hello Druid,

Your commitment to Storm is truely heartwarming; don't give up! Remember, the brain is a very incredible thing; albeit, human beings brains have plasticity, that is, they can rewire themselves. I imagine the same remains true for dogs/animals; All that is required is the exersizes and etc. that you are doing with Storm in order to form those connections in the brain.

Since the beginning of this thread I have been thinking about Storm; incredible, since I know not you nor your beloved friend. I believe this story may have a happy ending.

Much love to both you and Storm

Is he whining because he's in pain? Or is he whining because nerve regeneration tingles?

Nerve regeneration pain following an injury is often excruciating, I cant imagine it being any different for a dog. There is nothing you can do about it short of nerve blockers, I'm no doctor but it seems thats the last thing you would want if you want to regain function.

I am curious though, I have a yellow lab who now has had 2 or 3 pretty bad seizures in his life. I noticed that in your initial post, that it says your dogs blood sugar was low. Did the vet mention or say that the seizure was likely caused from a sudden drop in blood sugar or if maybe blood sugar low as a result of the seizure?

reply to post by Druid42


I see this thread has had alot of replies. When my 14 y/o dog had a seizure New Years Eve, I frantically tried to figure out what might be the source. One thing I found was that jerky was listed as a cause of seizures.

Anyone with a dog should do a little research on foods that are bad for dogs. Like me, you may have been feeding your dog something that could lead to their death.

Sadly, she had another seizure on New Years Days and we rushed her to a 24 hr/365 day Emergency clinic and had her euthanized.

My heart goes out to any pet owners who have to watch their buddies go through this.

reply to post by Druid42


I'm late to this thread, but wanted to contribute something...this has touched my heart very much.

Firstly...DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

He's eating and drinking, talking to you, and in a little time, you've seen an improvement, however small. You know he won't be on his own while you're at work, so give him all the time he needs to recover.

Please put him on a natural diet. Research the BARF diet...lots of stuff online, if you're not already doing it. AVOID processed food like the plague.

I've had two dogs in the past that have had seizures, one because he had epilepsy, and they were well controlled with medication. The other was just a very old man, who started having seizures at 14, and they were terrible. You will know when he's had enough, as I did, and it honestly sounds like he's very far from that.

The fact that he's eating and drinking is a great sign. I've had friends who's dogs have had strokes and fully recovered, although they were almost as bad as Storm to start with. He's a young dog really, and will cope with recovery better than an old guy.

Please keep us posted on how he's doing. The log is a great idea, and an amazing source of information for anyone facing this in the future.

Much love and prayers and healing to you all.

UPDATES:

I want to start this post by saying a sincere "THANK YOU" to everyone for their positive and uplifting comments. The many U2Us have been very appreciated, as this is a stressful and rather depressing time we are going through. Please keep the prayers, support, and positive vibes coming.

When it rains, it pours.

The transmission went out in my step-daughter's car, so I've had to coordinate getting it repaired. I volunteered to change it for her (and save her a wazoo of money), so I've been in the shop all day. That's rather off-topic, but just more stress at the moment. 2 days hence it'll be a non-factor in the whole scheme of things, repaired and being driven again mercilessly under the demands of a 20 year old's lead foot.

BACK ON TOPIC:

If a normal diet is any indication of his overall ability to recover, Storm has it covered. In fact, he's eating more than he used to. The vet told us that the steroid (Prednisone) would increase his thirst and appetite. It's my opinion from observation that the extra calories are spent on his body repairing itself. There's no issue with diarrhea or lack of appetite.

His bowel movements are solid and regular, and urination is consistent, but OMG we've gone through three packs of "Puppy Pads". They're simple not thick enough to absorb the complete flow, and we are washing his bedding every other day. He has three sets of bedding we cycle through, old quilts I've made, random blankets, and we stack it three layers thick. Today, we came up with the idea of using "Incontinence Pads" for humans, which are much thicker and more absorbent, and we are going to check the local Pharmacies tonight. Overall, he has all the metabolic functions of a normal dog.

We have a dedicated spiral bound notebook as "Storm's Log". We've been documenting every aspect of his care, his behaviors, times of feeding, ETC, as much as what they would do to track your care in a hospital. It's very thorough.

Storm spends a half hour in the evenings in the Hoyer Lift, for now.. It's the time he gets to stand up, and we work with massaging his solar plexus and repositioning his feet. I am allowing him just enough pressure to help to support his weight, but the remainder is taken up by the hoist. We'll increase his time in the lift, but for now, he's rather unresponsive on his left side, which tends to be depressing. We can position his feet, and he stands there, but when he tries to walk, he jerks to the right, and his left legs get all jambled, and needs repositioned.

He used to be so vital and happy go-lucky. I want my old Storm back.

He's started to whine more. Even after he's been fed and watered. It's one week in. Only time will tell.

On a more positive note, he has learned to prop himself up, by rocking his body back and forth, and pulling his right leg out from under him. Yesterday he managed to flip himself over to his other side, all on his own. He may not be able to stand, but he is TRYING to move. He wiggles, and makes himself more comfortable.

Well, someone's calling, and it's my shift as the others are out shopping for supplies. I'll post more updates as they come in.

reply to post by Druid42


Thanks for the update.
I know you must be busy, what with caring for Storm....and all the other things life throws your way.

Progress is progress, IMHO, not matter how small.
It's good that he is alert and I'm sure he wonders what happened to him...it's got to be strange to him, too.

And, I know that log will be invaluable to you.

Emily and I are pulling for Storm.....

Thanks for the update! He has such spirit in the midst of all this struggle, what encouragement. Will keep praying for you and your strong, courageous friend Storm.

REST IN PEACE, My Friend.

Today, at 3:55pm, Storm moved on into the next realm. I was standing present when the Vet administered the lethal dose the put him to "sleep." I was there by his side as he passed away.

Crying.

Storm's condition degraded rapidly since my last post, and I had no heart to post all the details. His whimpering persisted into a warbling howl, before a bowel movement, and before urination. It continued the next day, with constant whimpering, punctured with argh-ooo argh-ooo, repeatedly, hours on end. It wasn't food nor water, nor bowel movements, those events were satisfied.

Sunday saw an increase of his complaints. The noise was continuous, unless tending him with food or water. He would immediately start complaining again. He would phase in and out, this totally blank stare, then refocus, while yelping. He no longer wanted to be moved, and would try to snap at us when we were changing his bedding. He's never snapped or growled at me before.

Nobody got any sleep last night. Storm persisted all night long with a long plaintive "ah-woo", "ah-woo", "ah-woo", for hours on end. Even after we fed him and changed his bedding.

We called the vet this morning, with updates.

Large breed dogs suffer more from immobility than do smaller species. A Husky/GSD mix like Storm valued his freedom. A week of immobility is devastating to their world view. They are working dogs, and cherish exercise. He's tried to stand, and knew he couldn't. His left side was paralyzed. At 7, he couldn't understand his loss of movement, and he couldn't cope with it. While our care remained the same, his attitude changed.

The vet agreed about his quality of life. Today, we ended his life. He is no longer in pain.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A tribute to my Storm:

Nobody knows I found you on Craigslist, or that I was in a real bad spot in my life when I "summoned" you. Nobody remembers that I drove a 100 mile round trip to pick you up from your previous owner. Nobody knows that you saved my life.

Nobody knows that you and I would have long conversations together, and you'd wink at me when you agreed. Nobody knows that connection between a pet and their owner.

Nobody knows that you were my guardian, my familiar, save a few close folk. Nobody knew I promised you that I'd make sure you had a smooth transition when leaving this plane of existence.

Nobody knew I thanked you everyday for being part of my life, for keeping me here, to take care of you.

Nobody knows that now that you're gone, the druid no longer needs protection. Your life was your gift to my own insecurities. I must be brave, and move on.

Thank you, Storm, for imparting your time with me. You, my best friend, will be missed here. I'll meet you someday, on the other side. I expect you, my dear friend, to be frolicking in endless fields of green, when I find you again.

My brother texted me this line: "To Storm:"

secretum iter et fallentis semita vitae

I had to google the phrase.

Quid pure tranquillet? homos, an dulce lucellum, An secretum iter, et fallentis semita vitae?

Horace

Whether the tranquil mind and pure, Honours or wealth our bliss insure: Or down through life unknown to stray, Where lonely leads the silent way.

Francis

It fits amongst the flowing tears........

...............I'm quite the wreck tonight.

reply to post by Druid42


*crying*
I am so sorry for your loss, Druid

reply to post by Druid42


I'm sorry my friend. There's not much in this world that can bring tears to my eyes. This has.