Our 10 year old bull dog mix went into stroke-like convulsions/seizures last night. It was quite frightening and we thought he was going to die in our arms. We could not reach our long time Veterinarian and was referred to the local university clinic. The university clinic vet never returned our call (as promised) and they had a 3 to 4 hour wait time. We took him to another emergency clinic with poor results. More about that later.
We brought him home and began providing comfort and support, educating ourselves during a furious Google learning session. He has very classic symptoms of Old Dog Vestibular Syndrome, which is the "good" kind that most dogs recover nearly 100% without much medical intervention. We made it through the night, and a morning call from our vet recommended that we keep him at home to reduce stress and get rest. He will see our dog on Monday.
Realize that there are many types of dog seizures, including epilepsy. Old Dog Vestibular Disease is very common and less life threatening than other types/causes (tumors, organ failure, toxic intake, and a host of other stuff). However, the incident was very traumatic for all of us. Dealing with the "help me" look in his eyes while he is convulsing and choking on saliva is scary.
We will get more confirmation on Monday. Today, our dog is resting well, hydrating,with good functions otherwise. But, he is very weak and still has a very tiny bit of twitching. If dogs don't get better within 72 hours, there might be something more serious. We applied some homeopathic medications for support and comfort: a calming supplement to reduce stress and a motion sickness supplement to assist disorientation. We think having him at home was big plus...less stress and 24/7 care.
Please everyone, if you have old dogs, educate yourself about this so you can be prepared. Some people have their dogs euthanized, not knowing the facts. There is lots of good info on the internet, but as always, seek proper medical attention.
Our emergency vet clinic visit??? After a $100 dollar assessment, they asked for a $800 down payment to begin a full scale diagnostic program, with much more costs anticipated. No other alternatives offered. The place seemed shady.
We are keeping our fingers crossed (and providing excellent support activities). So far, so good. 10 years is quite old for bull dogs, and we need to consider quality of life issues. I imagine I will take some heat for not considering $2,000 or more to extend an old dog's life. We are just not that way, within reason.
We brought him home and began providing comfort and support, educating ourselves during a furious Google learning session. He has very classic symptoms of Old Dog Vestibular Syndrome, which is the "good" kind that most dogs recover nearly 100% without much medical intervention. We made it through the night, and a morning call from our vet recommended that we keep him at home to reduce stress and get rest. He will see our dog on Monday.
Realize that there are many types of dog seizures, including epilepsy. Old Dog Vestibular Disease is very common and less life threatening than other types/causes (tumors, organ failure, toxic intake, and a host of other stuff). However, the incident was very traumatic for all of us. Dealing with the "help me" look in his eyes while he is convulsing and choking on saliva is scary.
We will get more confirmation on Monday. Today, our dog is resting well, hydrating,with good functions otherwise. But, he is very weak and still has a very tiny bit of twitching. If dogs don't get better within 72 hours, there might be something more serious. We applied some homeopathic medications for support and comfort: a calming supplement to reduce stress and a motion sickness supplement to assist disorientation. We think having him at home was big plus...less stress and 24/7 care.
Please everyone, if you have old dogs, educate yourself about this so you can be prepared. Some people have their dogs euthanized, not knowing the facts. There is lots of good info on the internet, but as always, seek proper medical attention.
Our emergency vet clinic visit??? After a $100 dollar assessment, they asked for a $800 down payment to begin a full scale diagnostic program, with much more costs anticipated. No other alternatives offered. The place seemed shady.
We are keeping our fingers crossed (and providing excellent support activities). So far, so good. 10 years is quite old for bull dogs, and we need to consider quality of life issues. I imagine I will take some heat for not considering $2,000 or more to extend an old dog's life. We are just not that way, within reason.
