 Barked: Mon Dec 31, '12 11:22pm PST |
 | |  | | I'm going to say something now... And I really don't want you to connect it with your dog because it's not the same dog.. But I have experience with seizures..
My cousins Golden Retriever had really frequent grand mal seizures. There was one seizure he had when he was protecting one of my cousins kids from a stray dog that attempted to attack her, and he collapsed into the seizure during the fight with the other dog. It did enough neurological damage that he was never the same dog again. The dog who had once tolerated and even loved ANY attention from the children, who had once sought to be close to them, and had never had an issue with kids before... Was suddenly no longer the same dog. He would growl, or snap at the children if they did something that bothered him in any way, he was showing signals that made my cousin feel that he was unsafe to have with her small children. He had become an unhappy, wary dog who was no longer happy or friendly. She ended up euthanizing him because she felt it was better than any other situation he could be put in at that point.
Seizures CAN do neurological damage. They CAN change a dog from what they once were. There is no denying that. How often does it happen? I don't know. But I do know it CAN and does in some cases.
In this situation, I would first try the new medical approach that you guys are starting up with him, along with a good combination of management. Also, I'd like to ask - what is he fed? I find a lot of foods with BHA, BHT, chemicals and dyes, etc can really trigger seizures to happen more frequently too. I learned this the hard way and now feed a dog food(when I can't afford raw) that has no preservatives, chemicals or dyes in it. For management, I'd gate him away from the baby if possible, have him leashed when the baby is around if possible, kenneled when you can't supervise or locked in your bedroom, and LOTS of diligent supervision if he is around the baby. DO NOT ignore his signals. If he shows any signs of discomfort, I'd put him in another room or a kennel with a good chew and let him have some space from the baby. Small children can be stressful on dogs that have epilepsy, and even healthy, normal dogs too.
If this doesn't work, the end option is really up to you. I think my first thought would be to try to find a rescue(potentially breed specific) that would take him on, and be able to afford his Vet costs and put him in a good no-child foster home until they found him an adoptable home that could handle him. If that option is not an option for you at all, in the end, if nothing else works, euthanasia is all that's left.
But, ultimately, I'd try the other medical routes first, in combination with good ol' management. Have you tried giving him Rescue Remedy? Are you on the Epilepsy K9 list? If not, I recommend checking them out. LOTS of information on their website that can help and if you join their emailing list, it's a huge email list of support people going through the same thing that can all provide help, support, advice and possibly even resources. Click here for their website.
And lastly, good luck. My Charlie has seizures as well. I know how hard it can be.  |  |  | |  |
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