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Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

I wanted to give you a heads-up that we are taking a family vacation to Mexico, starting today, and we’ll be returning on January 22nd in the evening. So, all orders of the hardcopy of Cory’s Story won’t be shipped out until Monday, January 24th.

In the meantime, the next post in continuation of Mika’s Story is scheduled to publish on January 16th at 11:53 a.m., PST. Be sure to check back often for more updates to Mika’s Story, Kaydee’s Story and even more stories that are in the works as we speak…

If you need to get in touch with us for any reason, please use the Contact Us page and we’ll do our best to respond as soon as possible.

Thanks everyone, enjoy your week!

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

Madenia and Mika are from Cape Town, South Africa. Mika, a female malamute, made the switch to raw food 10  months ago. Look for Mika’s Story, starting tomorrow, right here!

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

What just happened to my dog?  Was that a seizure?

The following symptoms are associated with these various kinds of seizures.

ABSENCE SEIZURES a/k/a PETIT MAL SEIZURES. These seizures are the most difficult to assess, because nothing dramatic happens; you just get the sense that your dog is somehow “off.”  These seizures are also sometimes called “focal seizures” because the dog has a blank stare and may lose control of its bladder or bowels. If this is the only kind of seizure your dog experiences, you will likely not recognize it as a seizure.

PARTIAL SEIZURES. These occur when your dog has seizure activity in only one part of the body, such as in the face or just on one side of the body.  Typical symptoms are ataxia (i.e., the dog will try to walk but is unable to because the legs cross themselves causing stumbling, as if the legs have had their blood supply cut off putting them to sleep) or muscle spasms. The dog may fall over on its side and lie still until the seizure passes.

COMPLEX PARTIAL SEIZURES.  The behavior of the dog is suddenly erratic. He may run around the house as if being chased by an unseen demon, or he may appear to be frightened or even frantic and then fall down. Some dogs may find themselves stuck in a corner, unable to get out.  He may bite at the air as if he sees flies, or stand rock solid with his eyes fixed on nothing and drool.  He may stare into space as if he can see into the next dimension, and be unresponsive to your voice or even your touch. Dogs who experience these kinds of seizures will be unable to hear or see you while they are in the midst of the seizure. Complex partial seizures can escalate into Grand Mal seizures, or they can just as easily leave without a trace, and the dog will appear as if nothing happened, leaving you wondering if you can trust your own senses as to what you think you just witnessed.

GRAND MAL SEIZURES, a/k/a TONIC-CLONIC SEIZURES. These are the seizures that can be mistaken for a heart attack or a stroke, but there can be no question that something horrible is happening to the dog. The dog loses complete control of its body, falls to the ground and may lose consciousness. The dog may actually stop breathing for a few seconds. When breathing resumes, the dog’s body will convulse and the dog may lose control of its bladder or bowels. These kinds of seizures involve the entire body, whereas partial seizures affect just one part or side of the dog’s body. These seizures can become either STATUS EPILEPTICUS or CLUSTER SEIZURES. The status epilepticus seizure is a GRAND MAL that is not over after five minutes, and it can be life-threatening. Dogs experiencing cluster seizures will come out of one seizure for a time, only to have another a short time later.

After the seizure is over, depending upon its intensity, a dog may appear to be drugged, confused or very tired. If the dog did not lose bladder or bowel control during the seizure, he may need to relieve himself urgently. Some dogs experience temporary blindness, and pacing is also common following a seizure. Many dogs will be ravenous or thirsty because the massive neural and physical activity during a seizure releases hormones and consumes glucose.

Once you have determined that your dog did have a seizure, it is important to get the dog in to see a veterinarian in order to have a full examination done. The exam should include a full panel blood work-up to check for a possible thyroid imbalance, hypoglycemia, low serum calcium levels in the blood, tick borne diseases such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever disease, distemper, and kidney or liver diseases. If everything is ruled out, then you will likely get a diagnosis of Idiopathic Epilepsy, which usually has a genetic link in the dog’s ancestral chain, and should be brought to the attention of the breeder, if known. With proper canine nutrition and under the care of a veterinarian who is experienced in treating epilepsy, the odds are in your favor that your dog will be able to live a long and happy life despite the seizure disorder.

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

We have received many emails from readers of Cory’s Story, thanking us for helping to convince them to make the switch to raw food. And we know that there are many, many more people who are making the switch every day and seeing the benefits for their dogs. Each of these dogs has a story; and now, we are going to make it possible for you to share your dog’s story with the world, right here on Corysstory.com.

If you’ve ever wanted your own dog blog, this is your chance. We’ll set you up with your own author account and you’ll be able to make posts that follow your dog’s journey through the switch to raw dog food. You’ll be able to post pictures of your dog and share your story with the thousands of followers of Cory’s Story. In doing so, we’ll show the world first-hand evidence of the benefits of raw feeding–and together we’ll fulfill our mission to make the information available that we learned, which cured our dog of epilepsy, to all dog owners; so that every dog in the world has a chance to live a happier, healthier life.

So, are you ready to share your dog’s story with the world? Send me an email at jayson@corysstory.com with the following information:

1. Your name
2. Your dog’s name
3. Type of dog
4. Have you made the switch to raw food? (Yes, no, recently, very soon)

This is an exciting opportunity and we are absolutely thrilled to get started. Hope to hear from you soon!

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

Cheers!

-Jayson

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

Warmest wishes for you and your family, from all of us at Cory’s Story.

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

We have read many of your comments to Cory so he absolutely knows how much love and support is out there for him. We have received well-wishes from across the globe, from South Africa to Sweden, the US and the UK.

All your support has really helped strengthen our family as we prepare to say goodbye for our longtime friend.

Nikki Brown, the Canine Angel has provided especially touching support through this process and I would like to extend a personal thank-you to you, Nikki.

I’d like to share an email I received from her today which was really insightful and very touching. I think it should be read by anyone going through this difficult process:

Hi Jayson

Yes I read your latest blog post and was thinking of you all through the night.

I have pointed many people to this link when they are facing the decision you are all facing.

http://www.anaflora.com/grieving/beloved/beloved-2.html

Please read through it all, It has helped many people through the transition we call death.

What ever you, your mom and Cory choose together will be right. What ever decision you make make it with love in your heart.

I know that most pet owners who have left their animal friend to die naturally have been left with less guilty feelings after and have felt a sense of freedom and Peace.

Some pet owners cannot bear to watch their pet suffer at the end of the time and make the decision to ease their friends pain.

The above link helps you to know what the signs are when your dog is nearing death and how natural these signs are. It will help you to understand the dying process and what is happening to Cory.

The body shuts down before the mind, If you can let Cory go naturally then he will have a better transition into his next stage of his journey.

It all depends what your spiritual beliefs are, Just remember whatever decision you make will be right and please don’t attach any guilt to that decision. Feel the love for Cory and his life, This is the last miracle he has to share with you all.

And Please get everyone to say these 4 phrases to Cory. Whisper them in his ear.

I love you
I am sorry
Please forgive me
Thank you.

These 4 phrases clean any negativity from the soul.

I am sending Cory light and Love, he is an amazing dog. One that has touched my heart in so many ways and I thank him so dearly for the miracles he has shared with me.

Please keep me posted and pass this mail to your mom right away.

I love you all.
Nikki xxxx

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.

Cory’s last days are probably upon us.

Cory’s miracle at the lake was truly a miracle but we’re beginning to see that it was really Cory’s last stand; his last hurrah at the things in life that he loves so much.

We plan to have a family meeting tonight to determine Cory’s fate but we are all pretty sure of what needs to happen next. We have consulted with Cory’s surgeon, his vet, and Gary, founder of Cory’s favorite food (Darwin’s Natural Pet Food).

I don’t want to give anyone any false illusions about Cory’s health, so here’s the scoop:

The pool isn’t helping him. We have been giving him 30 minutes of pool-time each night in the hopes that we could rehab his hind legs and soothe his arthritis pain. Unfortunately, he seems to be on a slippery slope that just isn’t getting better.

He’s unable to stand on his own, so he lays idle all day waiting for us to get home from work. He favors his right hind leg to the point that he’s trying to walk on only three legs, and he just doesn’t have the strength to do so. His left hind leg is atrophying badly and he doesn’t even use it while swimming, as we had hoped.

His senses are sharp and his mind is clear but he is giving us signs that he can’t take much more of this. At some point we need to decide whether we compassionately help him end his suffering. And that’s what we will discuss tonight.

When Cory’s time comes, we will continue to run this blog, and Cory’s Story will live on. Only weeks away from publishing, we had hoped that Cory would make it to the launch of his book but it’s looking unlikely that he will.

This blog will live on to serve as a resource to dogs suffering from canine epilepsy and cauda equina syndrome, because Cory showed that they can be overcome. We will vigorously promote Cory’s Story to help all dogs live longer, happier, healthier lives. At 13.5 years old, Cory has already well outlived his expected lifespan for a Labrador Retriever, especially one suffering from epilepsy and cauda equina syndrome.

We’ll keep you all updated as we move through this difficult process. We appreciate all your love and support so far and Cory knows you are thinking of him.

I’m going to share a poem that we read for the first time on the wall of Cory’s veterinarian clinic years ago. At the time, we couldn’t imagine this ever applying to Cory:

A DOG’S PLEA

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for not heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick for though I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

AND, MY FRIEND, WHEN I AM VERY OLD, AND I NO LONGER ENJOY GOOD HEALTH, HEARING AND SIGHT, DO NOT MAKE HEROIC EFFORTS TO KEEP ME GOING. I AM NOT HAVING ANY FUN. PLEASE SEE THAT MY TRUSTING LIFE IS TAKEN GENTLY. I SHALL LEAVE THIS EARTH KNOWING WITH THE LAST BREATH I DRAW THAT MY FATE WAS ALWAYS SAFEST IN YOUR HANDS.

(Author Unknown)

The pet we loved will remain with us forever, and cherished memories will abide within our hearts reminding us that the love we shared together is eternal.

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Living with Canine Seizures

Ready to read Cory's Story? Read Chapter 1 Now.