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Letting go of a young dog

9K views 43 replies 30 participants last post by  ausdland 
#1 ·
My pup's seizures are continuing. He had a very bad one this morning. He hurt himself while thrashing around. My hallway had blood spattered practically up to the ceiling. Blood and drool everywhere. When he came out of it this time he was looking for a fight. He lunged at a shadow on the wall.

His seizures almost always come in clusters. So he spends half the week knocked out on valium and thoroughly exhausted from the episodes.

The days inbetween are good. He's still my Mako. Full of shenanigans and always having my back.

But, we can't keep doing this. I'm starting to think about scary sounding terms like quality of life. For both of us.

But... he is so young. His second birthday is this spring. He is still just a pup.

Today is just not a good day.
 
#4 ·
It's really hard, I have been there and I am still in deep mourning. Suddenly lost an otherwise totally healthy 2.5 year old. In your situation, if he is suffering, and has next to no good days, and is starting to be dangerous to you and your household, arghh, I don't know.

I'd probably want to fight and fight and seek out specialists and try whatever it took. But if all that still failed- and it sounds like it might have- you might have to let him go. My friend had a 3 year old lab with seizure disorder and the dog actually died at the vet during a seizure. I don't know- is that better or worse or???

None of these decisions are easy, not at all. Hugs, sister, and I so wish there was something I could do. One of the toughest things in these cases is realizing we actually can't do anything to help, except maybe relieve suffering, and let them go with dignity and love.
 
#10 ·
I am soo sorry... How horrible... Has the vet tried phenobarbital? I know Valium is a sedative, but pheno works well for seizures but you do want to check liver enzymes yearly.. Had a small dog with bad seizures and the phenobarbital kept them well under control... Just a thought (and a hope)
 
#12 ·
Yes. He was on phenobarbital for some time. It didnt do much to stop the seizures and he had horrible side effects. He has been switched to keppra and has been undergoing alternative therapies as well.

This mornings seizure really spooked me.
 
#11 ·
Hugs. I feel for you and know you will make the right decision for your boy.
 
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#14 ·
Oh, I am so very sorry. Seizures are terrifying. The little Sheltie I had many, many years ago was epileptic, but pheno worked for him.

It's awful to have to consider putting a young dog down. Your heart must be in pieces right now.

Poor Mako, I can't even imagine how frightened he must get. He really is just a pup. This whole GSD thing can be so terribly unfair.

We're here if you need to talk. Again, I am so very sorry.
 
#16 ·
I'm so sorry, I hate to imagine this. I agree with Sabi's mom, whatever decision you make is right. Hugs, positive thoughts to you all.
 
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#17 ·
I'm so sorry, for you both. Like everyone has said, you'll do what's best, and we're here for you.
 
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#20 ·
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#22 ·
I'm so sorry you are going through this. Many years ago we lost a young dog to seizures. We did know the cause. She had a tick disease which we were fighting as well as valley fever. She was on all kinds of meds and we spent a lot of money trying to save her. In the end she just had a seizure she didn't come out of. It was heartbreaking. Our only consolation is I'm told that one doesn't know whats happening when one is having a seizure. I have heard that from humans who have seizures so I hope that holds true for dogs as well.
 
#24 ·
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I'm sorry for your loss

That's my biggest fear, he's going to go down and not come out of it.

And thank you for your thoughts about what they are experiencing during the episodes. That certainly is a consolation.
 
#23 ·
Sometimes it is helpful to take 5 minutes each night to write out a diary on his experience today. Type everything good and bad. Choose how long -- a fortnight, a month. Then read it in its entirety. And then you make the decision for, against, continue the diary. Sometimes while we are still working with various medications we just need the extra information to know whether or not the cost of experimenting is too hard on the dog. And sometimes we may need to see that all is not black, because those episodes are difficult to watch, and especially when there is lasting damage.

I am sorry you are going through this.
 
#25 ·
I am so very sorry - this is a no-win heartbreaker.... :'(

I knew someone who neglected to do the 1st year booster for distemper in a timely manner (12 months after the 3rd puppy vaccine) because they were trying to go holistic....when they did it, it was too late, after the first seizure started.....they did everything humanly possible for the pup - had insurance thank goodness...but he was finally definitively diagnosed with distemper. Theory was he had come across some urine or feces from an infected raccoon or fox in the neighboring farmers fields. There is no cure for it. They fought it with meds for about 8 months, seizure became less frequent for a while, but then back with a vengeance....and they made the decision to let him go. I think it was one of the hardest decisions a person has to make with a loved dog....but when there is no chance of a cure, and the seizures are so intense, the dog has such limited quality in it's life....

The greatest gift of love is to take the pain upon yourself and stop his suffering....

I am so so sorry <<<<hugs>>>>>


Lee
 
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#28 ·
I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I cant even imagine what this must be like??? But ... I fully understand that when we are in the middle of dealing with a crisis with our dogs ... "we can't think??" We just go day by day and deal!

But and I don't know maybe possibly in perhaps a last desperate grab for hope ... consider "Acupuncture???" I have no idea if that's an option for you or available where you or if it would even make a difference?? It's just something you may not have considered???
 
#31 ·
Mako is so young I'm hoping for the best for you both. Time will tell I hope it will become on his side.Good to hear about the acupuncture pretty interesting. Wonder if something sets the seizures off or it is just random. I really liked the diary idea -it helps to weed out the patterns.
 
#33 ·
I think you've already got a neurologist on your team, so that's someone with the expertise to research every weird, unlikely possibility after ruling out the easy stuff. Lean on that person for advice.

When dealing with major, possibly terminal illness, my past practice is to tell my regular (primary care) vet to be the quarterback on the team to coordinate our vet specialists, acupuncture vet, and others. I have a clear, honest conversation at the outset that his #1 responsibility is to tell me when it's time -- we fight like heck as long as it's fair to the dog, but this person's job is to tell me when we've lost the battle because sometimes the specialists can't do it.

Have you had a conversation with a neurologist about the possibility of a brain tumor here?

This is so hard. I'm so sorry you are going through it.
 
#38 ·
he metabolic state of the pet will also influence the brain and can secondarily cause seizures. If the brain doesn't get an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients to fill its needs, the excitability of the cells may increase and seizures result. Thus low blood sugar or heart disease may cause seizures. Electrolytes (different salts normally present in the body) play important roles in brain function. Alterations of these electrolytes (particularly sodium and calcium) can cause seizures.

this portion taken from Canine Epilepsy Network

this may sound crazy but consider electro magnetic pollution , microwave, cell phones, base towers , high frequency technology.

at one of the health conferences I attended there was an equine vet who used magnetic wraps to great success .Science and history of magnetic therapySportInnovations LLC

a person I knew did get a small size version for her dog --- looks like a horse blanket --- and it worked. Can't remember the product name .

if you have time you may want to look into some other therapies. I understand and support and wish you the best no matter what decision you have to make.

sometimes releasing the dog is the best and kindest option.
 
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