Dog had 3 seizures

[jaragr]

A couple of days ago our 15 year old dog had 3 seizures in 12 hours. First one was mild, second was worse, third one was the snarling, paddling hard, etc. Now he has a twitch in his head, and his back legs twitch at the same time. I'm afraid it's time to let him go. We've tried everything over the past 6 years of this. But this was the first time he had 3. It has finally taken it's toll on him, and us, since our nerves are shot and we know what we have to do. Won't be long I won't be on this website anymore.

[GentleJacob's Mom]

Just in case. Let us know how you are.
I'm so sorry you had such a horrible day.
My thoughts are with you.

Lynne

[jaragr]

Well believe it or not, the tremors and twitching seem to be lessening! Each day he is better, and when he goes on his walk, he actually acts like he feels great! We are giving him 2 CBD capsules a day in hopes it would help him. We'll never give up until he gives up. Over the weekend we just knew this was it, we are on an emotional roller coaster. But because he enjoys his walks and enjoys his food still, we're holding on. Thank you for asking!

[GentleJacob's Mom]

I'm so glad things are better. Yes this disease takes us on emotional roller coaster rides that sometimes seem like they'll never end. I was always in awe of how Jake bounced back time and time again. Usually better than I did
I hope you have many seizure free days ahead of you.
Take Care,
Lynne

[jaragr]

Thank you so much Lynne. Our dogs are our life, there is no place we'd rather be than at home with them. The seizures happening for the last 7 years have been so hard as you know. I don't know how he keeps fighting back at his age.

[jaragr]

Lynne we lost our dog tonight after 4 seizures today. After the 2nd one, he barked non-stop, could not walk without falling over, drooled all day. He was 15, and we decided he had enough. Had to travel quite a distance to an emergency vet, only to be told we would have to wait 3 hours. So we traveled further to another vet, and all this time I am holding him close to me and kissing his face. The CBD did nothing to help these seizures, but made him feel better otherwise. We are so devastated, and the way these emergency vets work, it's almost not worth it to adopt another dog. It's been an exhausting day/night. Thank you for always supporting us over the last 7 years. Never again do I want to go through this.

[GentleJacob's Mom]

I am so sorry I missed this post and so sorry you lost him this way.
I just saw your post from yesterday. I understand how heartbroken you are. Jake died the same way. It does get better, but it takes time and a lot of tears. So please be kind to yourself while you go through all of this. And remember you did the very best you could, and he knew it.
We're here if you need us.
Take Care,
Lynne

[jaragr]

Lynne when you say Jake died the same way, what do you mean exactly? How old did you say he was? It is so hard without him. Everything in this house reminds us of him and we just cry and cry. Fifteen years with that perfect, smart companion that is no longer here. I just can't bear it at this point. The day he had the 3 seizures was the only time he had 3, then 9 weeks later, this past Monday, he had a mild one and seemed to be okay afterwards. The 2nd one was 15 hours later! And that one was violent. Then again at 8, and again at 9. After the 2nd one was when he started barking non-stop. He barked all the way to the vets, and as soon as we laid him on a soft bed in the vets office, he fell asleep. He was so exhausted. I will never forget it.

[GentleJacob's Mom]

This is so hard and I wish there was something I could say that would make it easier for you.
Earlier in the day when Jake died he'd had a really good day. We went for a nice walk and he was his Jake self. Then around 10:30pm he had a seizure, then another, and they wouldn't stop not matter what we did. We rushed him to the emergency hospital and they calmed things down and it looked hopeful, but the next evening they started again and we had no choice. He wasn't there anymore so we had he put to sleep while I held him. Many here have had the same experience and the bottom line is this disease sucks and when it strikes in the end whatever is happening it's usually associated with seizure activity and that sounds like what happened to you.
I literally had to learn to walk again without him by my side. I didn't know how to be or do anything, but I also had to help the dog he left behind because she was so lost and I had to put her first. She took all of her cues from him and I've never seen a dog unable to function like that. The first several months were very hard but with the help of friends and believing that Jake would want us to keep going like he had despite what epilepsy threw at him got me through the first year.
I still miss him a lot, but I'm so glad that after over 11 years of fighting this horrible disease it can't touch him now. He'd just turned 13 when he died. We never had real control of his seizures.
For now you need to grieve in whatever way you feel you have to. Cry, write about him, remember the goofy things he did, share them and cry some more. That's how I eventually did it. I posted last summer that I didn't do a very good job grieving. I kept putting other things first, and it caught up with me, but things are much better now.
I'll check to see if you come back.
Take care of yourself,
Lynne

[jaragr]

Thank you for writing back. We have 2 others dogs, and our female and Jack hung together on their runs. She goes out now, and turns around to look for him. So you lost Jake unexpectedly too. Even though you know it's coming, it catches you off guard. Hard to believe it started out with 1 seizure, and within an hour he'd be back to normal, that was 7 years ago. Monday, even after the first one, he couldn't seem to get straight - even walked right off the porch. Drooled all day. Was such a weird day. I had stayed home from work because I knew he'd have a 2nd one and we didn't want him going out the dog door and falling off the porch/ramp. But it happened anyway! We are crying alot, loving up our kitties and other 2 dogs, both seniors. Don't know if we want to take a chance on another epileptic dog, so we might not adopt anymore. Thank you so very much for supporting me - you are such a huge help! Someone that has been thru it.

[GentleJacob's Mom]

Losing Jake was by far one of the most painful things I've been through and I never thought I could trust to adopt again, but we did. I know this might sound weird, but I could almost feel Jake nudging me to not give up, and not to let this horrible disease not only take him from me, but also the passion for dogs I've had since I was a little girl. It wasn't easy. There were many times we'd wake up during the night and hear our rescue Bodhi making sounds that turned out to be normal dreams. I'm not sure I'll ever get over being on alert.
They found Bodhi caught in a coyote hold trap and he was literally scared of everything. Two years later he's a big goof ball and it's hard to believe he's the same dog we brought home. He was a hot mess when we got him, but I knew if we could get through seizures with Jake, we could do our best to help this lost abused dog that needed us as much as we needed him. I think we healed together.
For now, give yourself the time you need to grieve, and you'll know if and when the time is right to take the leap again.

Take Care,
Lynne