Riley

In my last post, I noted that Wednesday evening was a fun night for Riley and me. Several of you have asked what is causing his seizures, what kind of seizures are they, what are they like when he is in one, etc. So here is what I know, so far, which isn’t much.

The week before Christmas, Riley had his first seizure. In the following seven weeks since then, he has had two more. All are very similar, except for his recovery time, which hovers anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, and his mood afterwards, ranging from sleepy and lethargic to agitated and aggressive.

During a seizure, the convulsions last for what seem like several minutes. But in reality, it is about a minute or two. His entire body is stiff, almost paralyzed, during these convulsions. He is foaming at the mouth and letting all bodily fluids flow from any other body opening. After the convulsions finish, he is paralyzed on one half of his body for several minutes. He is unresponsive to his name and disoriented within the house, walking into doors, walls or standing in the middle of the room not sure where to go.

Our wonderful Vet has diagnosed Riley with having Grand Mal Seizures. They can happen in dogs, although I had no idea before this wonderful learning experience. Usually, it happens under the age of 5, and most often under the age of 3. Riley turned 6 at the beginning of January. It is not uncommon for a dog to develop seizures, at any age, however, if a dog is 12 years old and had a seizure for the first time, the vet would probably assume that the dog has a tumor, or something life threatening, and seizures are the dog’s way of dealing with that illness. Since Riley is 6 years old, the Vet is not assuming that there is something more serious going on with him. Some dogs, however, are genetically predisposition to having seizures and at some point in their life, will develop them.

Treatment options? Basically, there are two ways we can go. The first being medication and the second being no medication. Seizure medication for dogs can be costly and inconvenient, as he would have to take it daily for the rest of his life and it is not covered by any type of insurance. Some owners choose medication because they do not like the unpredictability of when a seizure can occur, do not like the inconvenience of when one happens (i.e., having to give the dog a bath, cleaning the carpets or floors), or simply do not like watching your dog go through such an ordeal. Some owners often choose not to go the medication route. Since dogs are just dogs, meaning that they do not operate heavy machinery, drive cars, or deal with people (other than family members), they really cannot cause harm to anyone when a seizure occurs.

We had decided, at our most recent vet appointment, that we would take the watch-and-see attitude with him. Until this week, he had only had two seizures in his entire life and without knowing the frequency or severity of them, putting him on medication seemed like a drastic course of action. Now that he had another one in such a short time span, I am beginning to wonder about medication. I am slightly concerned that the frequency of these seizures could indicate that something more serious is going on with him (see my example above of when a dog is 12 years old). Riley’s blood work has come back fine, so there is not a sense that something else is going on. Further testing would be scans of his brain and body, but that would mean knocking him out for the procedure and a hefty vet bill.

I am not sure what Riley’s future looks like, besides a monthly seizure, licking up crumbs on the floor that the girls leave for him, and enjoying his time outside with us. I’ll keep you posted on any further development with him.