I spoke too soon!

Well, yesterday´s outing was too much for Elvis. At 08:00 this morning he started having seizures. The first few were 5 to 15 minutes apart, then another after half an hour and the next two just under an hour apart. The first one, like the last time, was short and he was up almost immediately so I was able to get the Keppra pill down him quickly. After the third we resorted to the diazepam. He´s always hungry afterwards, but until we feel sure he´s not going to fit immediately we cannot give him anything in case he chokes. So, after he was okay again, not bumping into walls etc, he had 2 scrambled eggs (usually just one) . He is not much better having had a good sleep for the last hour. It would not be unusual for him to have a few more, but hopefully he won´t today.

Visitors & Lunch Out!

Well family arrived two days ago. Family arriving and leaving usually triggers seizures for Elvis, but (fingers crossed) this time he´s been fine.

Today we were driving up the coast, an hour journey, which we were not looking forward to. Its very strange but Elvis used to like being in the car, and we could eat out and he would be good sitting quietly under the table. Then a few times ago after a bad day of fits, he started to cry all the time in the car. He also started to be a right pain if we were eating out. He would be constantly crying/whining , begging for food and generally making a nuisance of himself often to the disgust of other diners. So, we stopped going out to eat and made the car journeys only when really necessary. This continued for a about 3 months, during which time there were about four different days when he was fitting. Then after the last day of fits, he changed back again. Now he is quiet in the car and no problem when we are eating out. We were dreading today, especially as the friends we were meeting have 3 dogs. So with Elvis and our other dog, Triana 5 dogs and 6 people in a restaurant could have been a disaster, but it wasn´t, we had a lovely time and only after more than 2 hours did Elvis start to get a little agitated. So it was a successful day because we had a lovely lunch and we now have our old Elvis back who enjoys the car and is a good boy in restaurants. It is almost like a switch was flicked a while ago and 3 weeks ago, after the last day of fits, it got flipped back.

I wonder if anything like this has happened to anyone else?

17 days and counting!

Okay, so there were only 13 days between the last fits. It is now 17 days since the one on 1st March. After the last blood test we increased the phenobarbital slightly and he really does seem a little calmer without losing more leg control. This morning, as usual, he had his meds at 08:00 then went back to sleep. No crying, no whinging for food. I always give him and Triana, our other dog, a treat when I make my first cup of tea. This is usually a home-made biscuit - home made is best, you can be sure of what the ingredients are and prevent lots of sugar. Sometimes, he comes back for another one, but not for the last few days - he´s been content with just one. In case you are interested, here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter crunchies

250 g wholemeal flour

150 g peanut butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of turmeric

Honey - about 2 tablespoons but you can leave out if calories are important

A little cold water

Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the water into a bowl and mix (using your hand works best).

Add the cold water a little at a time, it needs to be quite solid mix, so add just enough so the mixtures comes together.

Take between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of mixture (depending on the size of your dog) and form into a rough ball and place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 150 C for 15 to 20 minutes

The crunchies will harden up when they are cold.

You can experiment with the amounts of honey, ginger and turmeric. My dogs love ginger biscuits, yours might not.

I would love to hear from other families with epileptic dogs. Please write to me.