Seizures and Berners

[Denise]

Dear Stephaine & Emma,

My BooBoo dog (Drachmboui) has had Epilepsy since he was about one year old. He will be ten this summer. He has the type of seizures called "cluster" or "roller coaster" seizures; as the first seizure begins to slow down and stop, a second one starts, and then a third begins and so on. He remains conscious, responds to my voice and always vomits at least once.

If Emma truly is Epileptic, it will take some time for a seizure pattern to develop. This last seizure may have been a "fluke" or it could be the onset of Epilepsy. Most seizures last a few minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less, but after ten or twenty minutes, it's time to race to the emergency vet. A dogs body temperature rises when they seize and the longer they seize the higher their body temp goes. This can kill a dog or cause brain damage. I have spent a lot of time and money in the E-vet office. There is no "test" to diagnose Epilepsy. The only symptom is the seizure, therefore, if the dog shows a pattern of seizures it is diagnosed with Epilepsy. After your vet prescribes a preventative, such as Phenobarbital or Valium, Emmas blood will need to be checked to monitor the level of medicine - which needs to be kept at a therapeutic level. Chances are she may have seizures even when on a therapeutic preventative program. These are called 'break through' seizures in the Epileptic world. When this happens your vet may increase the dosages of medication or try a different medication all together.
Does all this seem kinda scary? I'm so used to it I tend to speak too frankly of it. If you want to read up on Canine Epilepsy go to any search engine and type in 'Canine Epilepsy'. There is some really good research on the internet.
In his younger years BooBoo typically had a seizure about every three months with an E-vet visit at least once a year. Over the years we have minimized his vaccination program, eliminated pesticides (heartworm, flea preventatives) and changed his diet. The results were and are more than we expected and BooBoo's quality of life improved threefold. The seizures have been reduced to maybe one a year, his coat and skin are healthy, he has no other aliments and is happy and full of life. Three weeks ago today, BooBoo had a seizure that lasted for more than an hour. It is devastating to watch your baby have to go through something like this. An hour is way, way too long. Afterwards, he was severely ataxic for a week (walking into walls, falling down, stumbling), this is not normal and mom & dad were extremely worried. For a week he remained under moms watchful eye and received the utmost pampering. He slowly came out of his stupor and today all that remains is a slight "tick" in his face. It is hard to believe any dog could survive through such a horrible seizure. My BooBoo is a fighter.
I pray you and Emma do not have to go through life with Epilepsy. But it can be done. BooBoo and I have made it this far - we're not given in yet!

Sending lots of berner hugs and prayers your way. . .
-Denise Vickers, Michigan USA
with Bueford and The BooBoo Dog (Drachmboui) who was chasing a squirrel for a half hour this morning!
The BlackCat, The GrayCat and TheHamster

PS -Feel free to email me anytime with questions or just to talk.