Hi Deanna Hi dear... I had no idea you had a problem with any of your chi's. It would be so easy for some of us to tell you "yes" put him down. But we are not you, we are outsiders looking in, we are not attached in love with your sweet chi. Its never wrong to not want our sweet dogs to suffer knowing that the end result might be death anyway from seizures. Before I say more of this, let me tell you something that happened with 2 of my pets years ago.
One pet was my first guniea pig. as he got older, he started having seizures daily. I had no idea why. I contacted a GP breeder and she told me to bring him over. she also told me that if he had mites inside the ears, they can burrow in and cause seizures. She treated him with cat ear mite meds and after that he never had another seizure the rest of his 6 years of life. (average life for a GP is 5-6). Another pet, a small dog, started having seizures. took him to the vet and he asked me if I feed him any kind of Pork. even in snacks, bones etc. I said yes.. He told me to stop feeding any pork what so ever... that sometimes a dog can be alergic to pork. we stopped feeding him pork of any kind and he never had another seizure. Now I am not sure about your chi... but I thought I would mention this incase you are feeding pork to him. If you are, try NO pork at all for a while and see what happens. also, if he was better before the meds... then maybe you might try not giving him the meds for some days and see what happens. The other suggestion I have is to take him off all meat... (just a few days) and feed him only veggies and any non meat foods. Breads, veggies etc. To see if he might be reacting to some kind of meat. sometimes you have to start at ground zero and then add stuff slowly to see there is a reaction. This is my advice. Vets have a hard time finding out what causes seizures... even in people. Treat him for ear mites even if you do not see any or know he does not have any. it could be something else in the ear that has gotten in there a bug, grass etc. Or, ask the vet to do a really good ear check. May have to sedate him to really see in there down deep. anything in the ear foriegn can go to the brain. These are only my opinions and suggestions before you decide to put him down. I would totally understand you not wanting him to suffer. I really hope that one of these suggestions will help your little sweetheart. I am so sorry you are going thru this. Let me know what you might do or try. Shanna --- On Sat, 11/13/10, Deanna Corey <[email protected]> wrote: From: Deanna Corey <[email protected]> Subject: [Chihuahuas] Advice with Nugget To: [email protected] Date: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 12:08 AM Hi everyone! I posted this on one of my lists and instead of re-writing it all I am just cutting and Pasting...please be honest with what you think...I need input from CLEAR heads!!! This is the most frustrating thing ever...just when I think we have made headway things go from bad to worse with Nuggie's seizures! I went with diet change...that seemed to help a lot for a good 6 months...then they started increasing so we have tried the PB and then the KBR route...these past few months have been super hard as sometimes he responds so well to the meds...i think we have it licked and then WHAMO...seizures WAY worse than before meds. This week has been horrible...6 big ones! and then last night 3 more right in a row...in the time span of 2am to 5:30am...so far no more today but I am on pins and needles just waiting for the next one...Last week was a good week with none. Before the meds he never had one more often than every 20 days and they were not that severe as now. I thought maybe when the Dog Park lost 3 that would be a good thing for him but no matter what I can't seem to find the reason...the triggers. Our friends visited yesterday and bam...their little Pap sent him right into a huge one! Last month when they were here everything was fine...so no rhymne or reason that I can see.! We have had 100's of dollars done now in testing and the vets do not know any more than what they told me the day of his very first one. On Monday we took him in again...Dr Verred said maybe we should start thinking about putting him down. He has adjusted his meds 5 times now and he is frustrated too that we are not making any progress...accept causing more damage in my opinion! We see brain damage it seems with every seizure...I do have to say I didn't see that at all until we went with the meds!!! It is almost like we have reached a point of no return...even if somehow we can get the seizures to stop...he is still pretty damaged...doesn't know where he is 1/2 the time...has forgotten all training and now I think he has issues seeing for long periods of time...then it seems to come back! Anyway I am just sick!!! I don't know what to do...I don't want him to suffer...and I don't want to be selfish...but I don't know if I have the strength to actually do it...it is like deciding to have one of my flesh and blood children euthanized! With our lives like they have been...with so much grief...so much "stuff" I honestly don't know if I am seeing things clear enough to make any good decisions!! Something that scares me is not doing anything and then having the experience 2 of my friends did. They didn't have the strength to have their seizure dogs put down...they were on the same roller coaster ride I am on now...so they just kept waiting and trying different things. Both of them had the most horrible thing happen...both dogs...had violent seizures and then died in their arms from heart attacks. These were two seperate families but I have these stories in my head...they both have shared how much pain they thought the dogs experienced in the end. I can't do that!!!! I am so sorry to just dump all this on you guys but I so really need your opinions as I can't see clearly what to do!!! Any advice???Any suggestions?? Any thoughts?? Any one??? I just can't see through the pain what to do!!! Not just the pain from Nugget but just so much loss this year...so much grief...I am kind of sinking I think! Waggin' Tails in The Dog Park, Deanna and The Dog Park Pack: Nugget, Shuai-Li, Mouse, Myrtle, Mable, and Caleb and honorary non-dog members of The Dog Park: Stella-Macaw, Stanley-Amazon, Miles the cat www.joys4toys.com
