Seizures

                                            

                                                        First....a note from Paula~Bootsie's owner/best friend, about something that Bootsie and I have grown all too familiar with: seizures in dogs.   You may have a dog who seizes, or know someone who does. We just want to tell you that you are not alone in this. My little Bootsie has seizures, too. She's 13 years old, and she has had seizures since she was a baby. For the first 4 years or so, I wasn't aware what they were. They seemed to occur about every three months or so. Whenever 3 months would go by, I'd start to think, "Oh dear, she's due..."   Initially our vet did not find it necessary to begin medicating, but in time, that would change.
When Bootsie has a seizure, she will leap to her paws and make a mad dash for whereever I am, her little legs collapsing beneath her the whole way, as she will lose control of them. Once I am at her side, she will lay there and shiver uncontrollably as if she's freezing. This lasted about a minute or so, then ended. About five years ago, however, the seizures grew worse both in strength and in duration. In addition to the violent shivering, her little leg would contort quite painfully, and her mouth would open in a grimace of pain, sometimes she'd whimper. The seizures would last about three minutes. It was at this point that we began medicating.

I give Bootsie Phenobarbitol to control seizures. Another option is Potassium Bromide. There are pros and cons to both. (I will try to go into this in depth in a future entry, or at least provide  some links that cover this issue).

Now, this is what you should do when your dog begins seizing:

* Go to your dog and sit beside him/her. I know it's real scary to watch these seizures when they are happening, but it's very important that you try to remain calm, as your dog will need this. Talk her through the seizure, using a calm, reassuring, and soft voice. Try to remember that your dog cannot control what is happening. It is my opinion that the seizures scare and confuse the dog, so they really need your support. Tell her it will be ok, say a quiet prayer out loud, and keep reassuring her much as a mother would try to soothe a crying baby.

* Try to keep some throw pillows in the room you spend the most time in. When your dog begins to sieze, place some of these pillows around each side of her. This can help prevent her from hurting herself should she knock into furniture, etc.

* If possible, have someone dim the lights, and turn down any background noise. It will help her to focus more on your voice if you can do this.
* Make sure that you sit down with your family and educate them about what seizures are. Also share with them the steps that should be taken should a seizure occur in their presence. By doing this, everyone will be prepared, and the chaos will be further reduced.
* Keep a clock in the room you spend the most time in, and make sure it's readily visible from a variety of locations within that room. Try to make a note of the time that the seizure begins so that you can record its duration. Seizures seem so awfully long when they are occuring.
If possible buy an inexpensive stopwatch (most major sporting goods stores carry them for less than $10). These are really helpful to use in timing the length of a seizure.

* Keep a journal of your dog's seizure activity. You can use any small notebook. In this you want to record the following information:

+ The day/date
+ Location where seizure occurs
+ The actual time the seizure occurs (7:00 PM, for example)
+ How long the seizure lasts
+ A description of the seizure (try to include as much detail as possible)

I would also include:

+ Circumstances prior to the seizure (for example, was your dog sleeping? Was there any arguing going on in the house? etc.)

+ Record information about how your dog acts after a seizure. Again, be as specific as you can.

I keep one of these journals for Bootsie, and it's been an invaluable tool. I bring it with me when Bootsie goes to the vet,and this way all the information is right there.You can also use it to write down any questions that you don't want to forget to ask when you see the vet. One more thing that may help is to write down the vet's office telephone number as well as the number to the nearest 24-hr emergency vet clinic inside the front cover. Underneath this, you may want to write down your vets instructions regarding what type of seizure would dicatate an immediate trip to the vets office.

Something else I'd like to mention: sometimes dogs know when a seizure is about to happen well in advance. Try to pay attention to any variances in your dog's behaviour. Bootsie knows about 3 days before a seizure strikes. She will stick to me like glue! Anywhere that I am, she has to be right there with me, and physically touching me. Your dog might do something similar.   I hope this helps!