Hi Everyone

Hope you have all been keeping well this past month....

I thought I should tell you about how things have been since we had Ollie's MRI results back in May, and have started on the phenobarb.

I have to say that I thought a miracle cure had taken place, as just a week after Ollie had started the pheno, he was back to my Ollie again.
It was great to see that he had become his old self again, he was back to the famous "Wooo-oooooo-oooo" spini noise, playing with his sister, and generally was really enjoying life again.
After those 3 months of hell, and every 3rd day him fitting constantly, I can't tell you how lovely this was to see him happy.

The fit free period last a month, and then he had a fit in the night. I was very mild becasue of the pheno, and he came through it fine. He was back to sleep about 1/2hr later, none the worse for it it seemed.

All was well for another week, then unfortunately my Father died very suddenly, so lots of upset in the house, and as they lived 2 hrs away, I had to leave for a week away from home.
Jon was at home, but did say that Ollie in particular was a little worried by the fact that I wasn't there. (Nice to be so missed !)
He had 2 fits in that week, and then another 2 just 5 days later on the day of the funeral.We were planning on staying with my Mum, but our friend who was sitting the dogs for the day and night was sounding very worried and stressed about him having to sort out Ollie after the 2 fits, I can understand that it's difficult for others, and although I did trust that things were under control, and in he was in 'good hands', we came home that evening to a sorry state. Ollie looked very dishelvelled, miserable, and sad.Can imagine him thiking..."Where were you Mummy"

He seeemed to get a little more back to normal over the last week, till Sunday just gone he had a whole day of fits, 4 in all, over about 12 hrs. None were as bad as the 'old days' fits, but all the same they took their toll on his body, and he was very weak, (the last fit he couldn't get up for 1/2 an hour after)and he was extremely tired out.
I rang the vets, they said to give him a Diazepam tablet which I had in my f'itkit', just to stop any more fits, or kindling into clustering.
I gave him one 5mg tablet of Diazepam, manufacturered by a company called APS, and thought this would offer some relief.
It made him sleepy, which I expected, and no fits have happened since.
The vets also advised me that Ollie's doseage of Pheno is quite low - his blood levels showed a level of 18 from their range of 15-40
This in mind Tina advised we should up the levels from 90mg a day to 120mg a day. In our money it was 2 tablets twice a day rather than the 1 1/2 tablets twice a day.
We thought his weight slightly going up might be why the fits had occured too. He was 37kg and now is about 39kg, so agrred te slightly risen dose may help the weight/tablet ratio even out.
We did this increased dose from Sunday night, and he has slowly gone downhill since. He is pretty sad looking really, slow, and not that interested in whats going on around him...he is quite sleepy...
He is also off his food, now completely, it started with eating half a bowl on Monday, and now I can't even hand feed him anything at all today. I can't tempt him with chicken, cheese, ham, not a treat, nothing tempts.
He is drinking, which I know is good.
His eyes are drooping to the ground, and are very runny indeed, they are not green runny, but just extremely watery.Quite full actually.
At this time of writing he is laying on the rug covered over with a light blanket as he has been trembling from head to toe.
He has been in a heavy sleep for about an hour, which I hope may help him feel better.

I have to ring the vets back at 5pm to see how he is - if not any improvement, he has to go later today at 6.30pm

I wonder perhaps if Ollie is allergic to the Diazepam ? he had very strange reactions to Rymadil (back in Feb after his operation, and when the fits started) and I am wondering if this is a reaction to the Diazepam, or him not liking the upped phenobarb.

If anyone has any similar experiences of doseages, or any information on the pheno reactions, or Diazepam I would be eternally gratefull.

Hope all of our Epi-friends are all well, we send you our hugs
Shelley & Olliexx

Hi, Shelley,
I have no experience of dogs with epilepsy, but sadly 35 years' experience with my daughter.:-(  Firstly, I presume the MRI scan didn't show up anything sinister? Then, it is possible Ollie is suffering side-effects from the phenobarb - it's a very old drug not used so often with humans these days - but I've heard on here before that it's still in common use for dogs. However, if you suspect a drug reaction, I'd discuss it with your vet to see if there is an alternative anti-convulsant which could be tried. Poor you, you must be distraught. I do hope you and the vet are able to get Ollie's seizures under control, so you can all enjoy life again.

Hi Shelly.... i am so sorry to hear that Ollie is no better, there is nothing else i can say , only my best wishes , and lots of {{{{{{{ hugs}}}}}}}} to Ollie...

God bless to you both.......

Hi shelley
So sorry to hear you and ollie are still suffering
thinking of you both and hope the correct dosage is sorted out soon

love and  thought to you both

Roni

Hi Shelley

Have you contacted the Canine Epilepsy Foundation.  I have a small problem with one of my dogs and they were absolutely wonderful.  Baz is now 100% better and has not had a fit for just about 2 years!  You would be amazed at what can cause epileptic fits in dogs!  I know I certainly was.  I don't know anything about allergies to drugs but I am sure that they would be able to answer any questions you have.  Just type in Canine Epilepsy Foundation on your search engine and it should bring it up.  If you have difficulty finding them please PM me and I'll see if I can find my details for you.

Kind regards
Annie

Hi Annie and all our epi-friends

Just a short note to say Thanks for your well wishing - we really need it right now ....you certainly know how to lift our spirits...Thanks !

Annie, I looked to the Epi-Guardian Angels for help with Ollie and we had really brilliant friendly advice and help from Debs and her Ollie an Epi Setter - she was fantastic....but will research your site too....

Ollie hasn't gotten much better at all, has been too-ing and fro-ing to the vets, as he has been battling with a temperature of 106, to which this is only calmed and brought in line with the help of oral injections of Metacam, and antibiotics.
We, and the vets thought it was a virual complaint, albeit something isolated from the epilepsy, but now his blood work is still not settling we are worried. So tomorrow he is due a new set of bloods which will be sent to the Animal Health Trust for immedaite lab work Monday.
The Neurologist there (who is truly excellent) has now said she thinks we might have some problem with Ollie's white blood cells being interferred with by using the Epiphen ....
So, if the bloods show this this the case, his bone marrow could be deficient....and we are into a whole new scenario. Of what, I do not know....
I hate to see our lovely healthy, happy boy so lethargic and down.
Good news that he started to eat a little today, as he hasn't eaten anything since Thursday night.
Has anyone else had this strange bodily reaction to the Epiphen ? or gone down a simiar road ?
Any experiences would be a great help and starting point of info for us.....
Thanks a million for listening !

Hope all of your furries are staying happy and fit free :-)
Shelley and Ollie xx

Hi Shelley So sorry to hear that Ollie is not doing so well. Our Shelley has not had any more fits since the last time I posted on here,so it was obviously the stress of my other son moving out that brought them on.She has had her medication adjusted a few times,as it sometimes just seems to stop working. I think weight gain is a side effect of the medication,and its a catch 22 situation,as the heavier they get,the less efficient the drugs are.They are facing another crisis now,as their 12 year old GSD Misha,has become incontinent,off her food can hardly get up from the floor,and sometimes doesnt seem to know who they are.The last few days she has had very bad diarrhoea,probably due to the heat,and has been unable to make it outside.(you can imagine what the house smells like in this heat,although they are very thorough at cleaning it).Today she ate a little bit of food and the vet gave them some tablets and advised a small amount of chicken and rice till it clears up.They are worried that it is not going to clear up,as everything seems to be"going" at once.She is already on medication for the incontinence,and the stiffness in her joints.Shelley relies on Misha so much,and she is acting a bit nervous with all this going on,so they have the added fear for her too.I hope Ollie is feeling a bit better now that the effects of the Diazepain have worn off.

Hi Jean

I am soooo sorry your daughter is having a horrid time isn't she - how are things now a week later ?
I wonder whats wrong with Misha ? do the vets suspect it's any illness or just old age creeping in all at once ?
It's awful when these things happen as they seem to take hold of them so quickly.
We had a huge GSD called Zak that died a few years ago, he had a disorder called DDD, short for Degenarative Disc Disorder and that is an awful disease that eats away at the pulp in-between the disks of the spine.
Mind you that can't be what's happening to Misha as this sort of happened overnight, one Friday he was fine, by Saturday morning he was unable to move (we had to carry him out to wee and pooh) he gradually got worse and worse and was so in pain, we said our goodbyes and had him put to sleep on the Monday morning. We couldn't bear to see him in so much pain.He was the first dog we had to deal with dying
To say it broke out hearts was an understaement. That's the trouble with pets, they do that !

I would certainly get your daughter to ask her vet if this is a possible cause ? I know a lot of GSD's have been seen to have this complaint, and it's wise to check.
Still by now she could be bounding around again - I truly, truly hope so.
Dogs are so intuative aren't they, I hope that Shelley hasn't picked up on her illness, your daughter will have her hands full if she does won't she.
Lots of hugs to you all - lots of paws crossed here it'll be good news
Shelleyx

Hi Shelley. Mishas diarrhoea has cleared up now but she is not eating much at all .All her life she loved those chew sticks,we used to joke that they were her"fags" as she was addicted to them However,she is now refusing even them. Some days she has a struggle to get up and sometimes just lies back down again,and doesnt even try. My son calls her Lazarus though ,as they have been fearing the worst,and next morning is she is bright eyed and bushy tailed again. She is slowly going downhill though,I am afraid to say,and they are preparing themselves for the worst.The vet has checked her over again,and said if she doesnt want to eat,there is nothing really that they can do,given her age.They have been giving her special treats like cooked chicken,but she is still not enthusiastic,although she will try to outdo Shelley when there is any on offer.They have noticed a slight change in the balance of power too,with Shelley becoming a bit more dominant I will keep you updated best wishes for Ollie and you
Jean

Hi Jean

I was so sorry to hear about your Mischa, I know how you feel - I really do, and it's heartbreaking to watch. How awful for you all to see her go downhill. I am very sorry the vet's weren't more enthusiastic, you always hope that they have a miracle cure don't you.
It could be a small blessing in disguise perhaps that the swing of balance of authority now lies with Shelley, it will ease her losses perhaps when the time comes as she may not feel so lost taking on a bit of authority prior.
Dogs - they break ya heart don't they.

We have had a horrible 2 weeks oursleves... since I last posted on here on the 9th July Ollie has (since the 10th) been in critical care at the Animal Health Trust Specialist hopsital at Newmarket.
He had gone downhill so very much and we were getting to the point where we were seeing him waste away before us, even with all the veterinary care we got from my own vet. To cut a very, very long story short, I kicked up a fuss and they ran every blood test they could to determine what was happening. Thank God they did - Ollie had a temperature of 106, no white blood cells (they fight infection) low red cells and platelets. He was like an HIV patient and could have died from any tiny no descript infection. He was rushed in that same day, and has been there ever since - each day different to the rest. One day improvement, the next day downhill -
They have ran every conceivable test to find out what was depleating his cells, in between which he caught pneumonia, and eventually he had a bone marrow biopsy a week ago on Friday.
They thought either he had a toxic reaction to the phenobarb, or somehting more sinister, like cancer or tumours, or leukemia.
We have been on a knifes edge waiting for those tests, which took a whole week to come through.
Finally late Friday Lara the neurologist called to give us good news, no cancerous diseases or tumours or anything sinister.
He has therefore been classified as having a toxic reaction to the phenobarb, and now has to be built up slowly (he's lost 12kg) and of course get his immune system back working.
He's been such a poorly boy....and being away from us all that time must have been awful in addition. Ollie's a real Mummy's boy (super spoilt !!)
That said he's picked up no end this past 4 days, he's had drips in continually for anti-biotics and nutrients, and lately a drip feeding stimulants to his stem cells....
On Friday we were told all being well over the weekend (fingers and paws crossed) we can collect him on Monday afternoon.YIPEEE !
They have now loaded him up over 5 days with Pot. Bromide in lieu of the phenobarb, and he hasn't fitted once.

I hope your Shelley is okay Jean, I truly hope that if anything should happen to Mischa she won't be overly affected. It's so difficult for you all as you not only have to deal with the upset if it happens, but be super wary for Shelley. You never know Jean, she may like being the top dog - I truly hope so.
Do please keep me informed how things are. I wish I had something I could offer as advice, but I don't, and it's a horrid feeling. :-(
Lots of paws crossed here for you all
Shelley & the Spinone gang xx

Hi Shelley. Poor Ollie. All those tests and being away from you,the poor wee soul will be wondering what's going on his little life.I am glad the results were good anyway,and hope the Pot bromide does the trick. Shelley has that every night as well as the pheno,and touch wood, she has not had a fit since the last episode.My son and daughter in law have no children,and are very attached to their dogs.I think it's fair to say that they will be sad when Misha goes,but she has had a good life with no illness,but they will be devastated when they lose Shelley,as she has had this epilepsy since she was 2 years old,and they have fought long and hard to give her the best quality of life possible,even though the trauma of the fits has had them in tears many times. They even revived her with the kiss of life during one of the episodes,when she stopped breathing.As you say Dogs eh? Where would we be without them.Take care and let us know how Ollie is getting on.I know you will be ever so glad to get him home

Hi Shelley
Poor Ollie!  He really is having a hard time of it.  Did you contact Canine Epilepsy?  They may be able to give you some advice as they specialise in this complaint.  It might be worth a try!  Anything is worth a try when you are really worried isn't it!!

I do hope you manage to get Ollie stabilised and my best wishes go out to you.

Kind regards
Annie

Sorry Shelley.  Your message started half-way down the page and I didn't see you had contacted the people at Epi-Angels!!!  It's the heat here!!!  Well, I'll blame that anyway I don't want to admit I might need glasses!!!!

Annie

Chatting with another friend who has an epileptic dog, she's told me that Rosemary oil must be avoided (along with things like MSG) at all costs in an eplileptic dog.  These things are often found in dog food, even Burns contains Rosemary oil as a 'natural' preservative......  :(

Hi Digger

What you have written worries me!!!  In all the literature I have on canine epilepsy nothing at all is mentioned about rosemary oil.  My dog has reactions to poultry, artificial preservatives, colourings etc., so I can understand where the MSG comes in and why it should be avoided.  However, as you say rosemary oil is found in many dog foods, particularly the high quality "natural" products.  I remember Bazil had a reaction to Autarky dog food which I had bought due to the fact that it is marketed as natural.  He didn't have a fit but it was almost like he was in a world of his own while on this food.  I changed it immediately and have fed burns, JWB etc.,  I know feed my dogs on nature diet which has rosemary oil in and he is absolutely fine.  I am aware that different dogs have different "triggers" and it may be that rosemary oil is not one of Bazil's but it is very worrying.  Lots of owners with epileptic dogs feed them on natural products believing them to be better for their dogs.  Do you have any more information on this or can you get some more from your friend?  Where did she get the info from?  Is there any literature etc., etc.,?  Thanks a lot.

Kind wishes
Annie