It has been a long time since I last logged on and unfortunately it isn't for the funny stories and lovely photos. Lola became unwell on Friday, she had been acting odd all day and I assumed it was the heat. I opened all the windows in the house and hosed down the surfaces outside which normally helps. Not long before dinner my son told me from the other room "Lola is scooting mummy" and I thought it could be worms, so I waited to check her poo when she did one. Still she seemed off, very clingy, ears back and looking a little confused. So much so I ended up sitting on the floor cradling her to try calm her and give her water from my palm. After a while she was jumped up looking terrified, tail curled right underneath her darting from room to room and had to catch her (which at 28kg was NOT easy) and foamy saliva poured from her mouth. Her face didn't look like her face. I placed her on her bed and put the gate on the kitchen doorway and ran for help. Luckily we had recently moved back to our home town and my mum wasn't far away so she came around with my stepdad. They said it looked like she was choking but then she started to foam again but this time she was flicking her head at an angle. At this point my other half pulled up from work and I explained what was going on best I could, not that I had a clue for definite! I found an emergency vet and got in the car leaving my bewildered son to see his best friend carted off very quickly. We got to the vets and I couldn't speak for crying as I watched her convuls in my partners arms. Thankfully the vets was spectacular and started with vallium straight away to calm her down. She had a further 16 seizures so she needed more vallium intravenously. We had to leave her overnight which was horrible, but I knew she was I good hands. After leaving she had a further 8 seizures and had a part dose of anesthetic, but didn't have any more after 3am. Turns out the seizures were kind of one huge seizure because she never actually came out of them, status epilepticus. The vets kept is very well informed of how she was and what medication she had had. Although she was very wobbly we were able to pick her up last night just after 8pm. We're not to leave her on her own because she is still quite drugged up. My other half took the night shift and I got up at 6 to swap. Are there any others on here caring for an epileptic dog? I have no idea what her trigger is and hoping someone maybe able to offer a little advice?
So very sorry to read your news . I had a seizure dog too and so I know how frightening it is when we cant do anything to help . It sounds like your Vet is taking all the right steps with Lola , it can be helped and controlled most of the time . My own dog started just like yours, with numerous seizures , she was put onto phenobarbital tablets, a high dose to start and then once a therapeutic dose was established , she became much calmer and lived a happy normal life for years to come . I`m afraid there isn't always a trigger , we were never able to identify one and when she did have the odd breakthrough seizure, they were usually when she was in resting mode . Just trust in your Vet and try not to google too much , I wish you and Lola much luck , in my thoughts x
I'm a serial googler but the vet said "NOOO" so I've been good and stayed off. She had phenobarbitone too. 4ml iv (200mg) in total and they sent us home with 60mg epiphen to be taken 2 a day. The invoice looks like a very very long list of gobbledygook
Glad you resisted the temptation of Google , yes there is some good info on there but also much scaremongering which you can well do without x Some people berate phenobarbs, but quite honestly , they worked wonders for our dog and once she got used to them , no side effects at all . You will find that Lola is more sleepy and quiet for a while until her body adapts to the drugs . My dog also had the twice daily dose, 12 hours apart and its very important to give them 12 hours apart too as missing a dose can sometimes cause a seizure to break through, much luck x
I am so very, very sorry to hear this - it must be stressful and worrying. Kate's experience of control by drugs and a dog living a long happy life is very comforting though. I hope it's the same experience for you. I feel dreadful for you, I so know how it feels when you find out your dog is suffering from something and there is no easy "fix". I hope that you manage to find a way forward and Lola can be stable, and you can return to your family life with your lovely dog. Best wishes and lots of luck.
It is good to hear she will still be Lola as I was worried she would lose a little of herself. The vets stressed how important it was to have the 12 hour window so I've got 2 alarms on my phone now. 7 am and 7pm. She is definitely sleepy but she is fighting it and ends up slipping like drunk Bambi on ice We have had some awful luck recently. First my son caught a viral infection then my partners grandfather had a bad fall because of his diabetes and now poor Lola. Fingers crossed that is our 3 things over with!
I also did the 7 and 7 routine , good idea to set an alarm but honestly, it will soon become routine, part of your life . What a rotten run of luck you have had , stay strong , not easy at times I know . Poor little love, its so hard when we cant fix them but there is a lot that can be done, keep hold of that x
So sorry to hear about Lola. it must have been so frightening for you all but hopefully she will show improvement soon as the drugs begin to work. I remember some posts a little while ago about epilepsy - sorry I don't know how to,paste a link but if you search for epilepsy you should get some posts for "Advice administering a liquid medication" started by MF which you may find helpful/supportive.
What an awful shock and stress... So glad the vets were so kind, competent and effective in helping Lola.
Aw Chell, so sorry to hear this news, such a worrying time for you. Its always more difficult when you don't really understand why something is happening. You feel really helpless. It definitely sounds like your vet has got things under control but it may take a little while to get things stable. I do hope you feel a bit more in control of this upsetting situation very soon. Sending hugs x
This was the thread that Rosemary mentioned..... http://thelabradorforum.com/forum/n...ice-administering-liquid-medication#post11049
Sorry to hear about poor Lola. Hopefully the meds will help in the long run. Fingers crossed your 3 things have now gone x
Very sorry to hear about Lola - it must have been frightening for all of you. Hope she starts to become herself again very soon.
How frightening it must have been for you and Lola. It sounds as though the vet has been very good and it is important that you have found one you can trust. Hopefully they can get her meds stabilised to reduce the chances of her having more fits, but these things can take a little time. Lots of extra reassuring cuddles for little Lola x
I'm sorry to hear about Lola. We had an epileptic dog, a Lab/Collie/Alsatian cross, so I understand how worrying it can be. The first fit frightened us - we had no idea what was wrong. Our instinct was to cuddle and reassure Gypsy, but that's exactly what we shouldn't have done. Once we knew that it was epilepsy we learned that we just needed to clear the area to make it safe, then close the curtains and let her see it through. Once she had recovered enough to want attention she would come to us. The Pheno helped a lot. Once we had the dose right her fits became far less frequent. After a while we made a few adjustments and everything got back to (near) normal. We recognised that she would glance upwards a lot in the run up to a fit. This gave us a useful indicator that we needed to take her somewhere safe. Lola might give you some signs that will help you to recognise when a fit is coming. We always made sure that her water bowl was full as, after a fit, she would be very thirsty. The most difficult thing was walking her. If she was due a fit we would avoid walking her in busy areas. Fortunately we lived at the edge of the town so we could take her into fields and woods so, if she had a fit, we wouldn't be disturbed. The important thing is not to worry. Epilepsy can be managed.
Oh, that would have terrified me! It sounds like your vet is very good, though. The stories from the other members with experience of epileptic dogs is very reassuring, and it sounds like it's perfectly manageable and possible for them to live a full and normal life
Our lab BJ was epileptic from age 3. The first event happened early on a Sunday morning and we thought he was having a stroke because of the tottering, wobbling and then sinking to the ground and shuddering. Without going through all the subsequent things that happened, this is just to let you know that after a lot of struggle with meds, vets and all sorts of 'hopeful' suggestions from various quarters, we got BJ sorted. He lived to just short of his 14th birthday, despite his epilepsy and I'll tell you now that if I could have him back, epilepsy and all, I'd not hesitate. He was the most wonderful companion you could ever hope for. I hope I'm not doing anything this forum doesn't agree with - please read this mods - but if you'd like to contact me by pm, I'd be more than happy to talk to you about how we managed with BJ's epilepsy. I wish you all the very best with your precious girl and be assured it is not the worst thing that could happen.
