bearbuddymarie (09-25-2014), bett (09-24-2014), Charlotte K. (09-24-2014), kelsyg (09-24-2014), LucyTudeOn4Feet (09-24-2014), POPTOP (09-24-2014), Scoutpout (09-24-2014), smartrock (09-24-2014), Sue-Ram (09-25-2014), Tilly (09-27-2014)
So, they ran bloodwork just because he hadn't had it in done in almost a year, but the vet felt that overall, he looks to be in very good health for his age. We didn't really get into what is causing the seizures too much, it was more about what to do about them. He said that as long as they stay as mild as they have been (usually less than 30 seconds), that the seizures themselves are probably less harmful to him than the meds would be, so didn't recommend medicating him at this point. He told us what to watch out for in terms of them getting worse (he was less concerned about frequency than about how long each seizure lasts and how long it takes him to come out of them), at which point he said there is a new med that is safer than the traditional phenobarb (which he wouldn't recommend to such an elderly dog who is already on Rimadyl because it is so hard on the liver). He also said that with dogs like this, sometimes they go through a period where the seizures become more frequent for a bit and then go through a period with no seizures, so the fact that his have increased recently doesn't mean it will always be like this.
So the main things going forward are to see what the bloodwork shows, keep him calm (as excitement/stress is a trigger for him), and start keeping a log of when they happen and how long they last, so we can be aware of any progression. We went over what would constitute an emergency situation so we would know when to rush him in, and what the plan would be in that case, etc.
Overall, I'm feeling a bit relieved that he didn't seem hugely concerned about it, and that we now know what to look out for in terms of when to really worry, and that there is a med we can try if/when the time comes.
Annette
Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009
And remembering:
Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015
And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014
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bearbuddymarie (09-25-2014), bett (09-24-2014), Charlotte K. (09-24-2014), kelsyg (09-24-2014), LucyTudeOn4Feet (09-24-2014), POPTOP (09-24-2014), Scoutpout (09-24-2014), smartrock (09-24-2014), Sue-Ram (09-25-2014), Tilly (09-27-2014)
Glad to hear the vet wasn't too concerned at this point. Good thoughts & prayers for Mulder.
Annette47 (09-24-2014)
What's he eating? His seizures are probably completely different than Jack's, but I can completely eliminate them for Jack as long as he's not eating a chicken based food. Fish, beef, bison work for him. Just a thought.
Jen
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Annette47 (09-24-2014)
Sounds like a good vet visit. Hoping for things to smooth out.
Still sending MOJO and prayers.
Annette47 (09-24-2014)
Sending mojo to Mulder!
"The dog was created specially for children, he is the God of frolic"
-Henry Ward Beecher
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Annette47 (09-24-2014)
He's on Sierra Mountain (Taste of the Wild) which is lamb based, but he's been on it for 5+ years without issues. Chloe eats from the same bag he does, so I doubt it's the food itself, plus this has been going on through multiple bags. I know TOTW has a bad rep, but we tried a whole bunch of other things and none worked as well for them as the TOTW.
Glad you figured out how to keep Jack's under control! Mulder doesn't do well with chicken, either - gets hot spots and loose poops, so we avoid it for the most part. I suspect it's either a slow growing brain tumor or just the effects of being a very old man .... There's no way to be sure without an MRI and we're not putting him through that since there's nothing we could really do differently as we wouldn't put him through brain surgery (the only effective treatment for a brain tumor) at his age.
Annette
Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009
And remembering:
Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015
And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014
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Charlotte K. (09-24-2014)
Glad to hear the vets thoughts and praying the seizures do not increase.
Patty
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Annette47 (09-24-2014)
So, the bloodwork came back normal or are you still waiting for the results?
In any case, sure hope the vet is right and there will be no more seizures for Mulder! Keeping my fingers crossed.
Cookie Black Snowflake
July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.
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Annette47 (09-24-2014)
Annette
Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009
And remembering:
Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015
And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014
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Berna (09-25-2014)
relatively good news, considering.
Annette47 (09-24-2014)
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