CEN

I really need some reassurance that everything is going to be ok because I am a wreck. Two weeks ago my dog was given a Distemper vaccine that was a Lepto combo. She also had a lyme vaccine. The next day at 5 am she had her first grand mal seizure. I immediately suspected the vaccine. I contacted the vet, they tested her blood- nothing. We decide to wait and pray that it was a one off. Darla starts her first big girl heat that day. Yesterday I notice her vulva has started shrinking and that she is likely winding down phase two of her heat. At 1pm she has another seizure. It is much shorter than her first but still upsetting. We wait and see. Then at 3pm she has another as we are napping and I have my arms around her. We immediately head to the ER Vet. Please note- she bounces back each time from the seizures but is a tired the rest of the day. The ER Vet is packed and we have to wait. The nurse advises if she has another while we are waiting to let her know. Approximately 40 minutes later she has a mini. Just teeth and drool. They triage her, give her an injection of valium and start a treatment plan. They keep her overnight and give her some injections of Keppra. I'm a mess but I'm thankful to have medical professionals watch her. She does good overnight, no seizing at all. We immediately take her to the vet and they start her on phenobarbital with an ER dose of valium in case she starts to cluster again. She has had two mini seizures (teeth and drool less than 15 seconds long) since we've been home, one at 930 am and one at 530 pm. The vet talks to me and tells me that we have to wait it out for the pb to kick in and that if she starts to cluster, give the valium and head for the ER. I can't stop crying. I feel so helpless and I'm so so scared. I don't know if I can do this. The meds make her act odd and I feel like the little girl I knew is gone. I need reassurance. Tomorrow I have to go back to work, because without work, there is no money for treatment. I don't even know if I can afford another overnight ER visit. Please help me. I feel like my world has turned upside down. I forgot to tell you her name is Darla and I love her so much.

Hi Shelly,
I'm so sorry you're having to go through all of this. You're in the very beginning of finding your way through this maze, and it is by far the scariest, and the most confusing part of it all. I've always looked back on it as the time when I tried to convince myself that I was having a nightmare and would wake up and find that Jake was fine. If I can pass on one thing it's that it's possible for these dogs to live long and happy lives. Far too many dogs don't, but a lot do. There's no doubt the cards were stacked very high against Jake. From what we learned after his first Grand Mal with us, he'd had a few before we rescued him. Which would have made him less a year old when his seizures started. He's considered refractory, because we've never gotten control of them, but we've had multiple times when he's made it over a month between them. He's about to turn 13 and he just got a clean bill of health from our vet.
Do your best to get a support system set up for you and Darla. If your'e not 100% comfortable with your vet, find another one. They have to guide you through all of this and stay on top of the newest things happening with treatments and you need to know you can count on them. You may also want to see a neurologist so they can sit down with you and go over what is best. If you have family and friends nearby, see if they can check in on Darla while you're at work. Or maybe take turns keeping her. It's very hard leaving them alone. I left my job to stay home with Jake because when he seizes, if he doesn't get meds right away, he won't stop. So I work from home. I make a lot less which has been very hard, but it's what we had to do.
Keep a journal of when she has seizures, their duration, and what time they happen. Include any behaviors prior to the seizures, they may be signals. Sometimes you can find patterns and adjust medications to help stave them off. Plus, you can show the doctors what's happening. You may find triggers, but more often than not you won't. I must have spent years worth of time trying to find anything that caused this, but all I got was Jake looking at me like I was nuts. He does that a lot
Be as proactive as you can by getting to know everyone working with you on this. When they hear of new things happening, they'll let you know. Don't be shy. Make sure they know you're in the room and you're staying on top of everything.
I was an absolute mess when we started going through this. Our vet finally sat me down and was very straightforward with me. She basically told me, in a very kind way, that I had to pull my big girl pants up and stare this thing down or it was going to run right over me. It was so hard and still is. And I've come here and unloaded more times than I can count, but we're still standing, and miraculously so is Jake. As a matter of fact I'd say he's guiding us now.
One more thing, learn to take big deep breaths. You need to try not to get upset around her. It can make it worse. That was a huge mistake I made.
Let us know how how you are. We're here for you.
Take Care,
Lynne

When my journey started I was shocked and in disbelief. It's normal to feel so overwhelmed right now. We have only hospitalized my dog once, our neurologists tries to minimize the big costs when possible. I'm very lucky to have a family and friends who will listen to me and are supportive. I switched vets because I didn't feel supported. Our new vet is not only great with my dog he's also great with me. He tells me all the time having a mastiff with seizures is really tough but that I'm doing a great job. This does help me feel better. We are a little over a year into our journey and we are still figuring things out. On the flip side I'm closer to Deacon then I have been to any other dog I've had, this experience has bonded us. I wouldn't trade a minute with him for anything. It's not an easy journey but it's worth it.

Hi Shelley,
Unfortunately I don't have any advice to offer you as I am just as new to seizures as you are (our 6 year old bull dog started 2 weeks ago). I just wanted to say that I absolutely understand what you are going through right now. I have been a nervous wreck ever since the first one. I am always staring at her, constantly feel anxious and I'm terrified of leaving her alone. I have also been crying on and off all week. It is really hard to feel so helpless and not understand what is happening. I am hoping that as time goes on I will slowly become more comfortable in dealing with the seizures, so that I can stay calm and help Dallas as much as possible. I hope things for your sweet pup get better.
Amanda

Not sure Im able to help you on this situtation.