Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

In this picture, Henry is in a very deep sleep with his eyes open.

This doesn't have anything to do with epilepsy, but I feel it's an important topic to cover regardless.

I have had many breeds and breed mixes over the years, and the sleeping pattern of the Henry has really stood out as different than any other dog we have had.

Greyhounds are known for sleeping with their eyes open, and they are known for sleeping very deeply, and they are known for having very vivid dreams and can be pretty active in their sleep with their legs and vocal noises.

It is important to be aware of this and understand this to prevent incidents from happening, and it is especially important to teach children that just because the Grey's eyes are open and you can see the black parts of the eyes does not mean the Grey is awake, and to always leave a potentially sleeping Greyhound ALONE. The Greyhound due to it's deep sleeping pattern may not realize right away it's a family member waking them and may bite before they realize that.

If you need to wake a sleeping Greyhound, do it by gently calling their name. Do not assume they are awake until they actually lift their head up.

Blood Test Result

Henry's blood test result is in. His Phenobarbital level is 149. 160 is the maximum allowed. So he's up there. Yikes. I'm glad he's staying seizure free though! I have mixed feelings about this. His dose is 150 mg twice daily, so total of 300 mg a day.

Pancreatitis

I have been meaning to post about Pancreatitis and have neglected to do so. This is something I feel is especially important for all those whose epi-pups are on meds to know about. Unfortunately Pancreatitis is more common in dogs who are on both Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. Being aware of the symptoms so you know what to do and are prepared is a very good idea. Symptoms are not necessarily cookie cutter, and can vary from dog to dog, so please keep that in mind as I post the symptoms.


Common symptoms are~

lack of appetite

diarrhea

vomiting

fever

abdominal pain

abdomen may be distended

Pancreatitis is when the pancreas leaks digestive enzymes and starts to essentially digest itself, thus causing inflammation of the pancreas. It is a painful condition, and if left untreated, the pain alone can cause an animal to go in shock and die.

The #1 thing NOT to do if you suspect your dog may be suffering from Pancreatitis, is to try to get them to eat. They are not eating because they know eating makes their condition worse. It is essential they go on a fast. Some even make the mistake of feeding extra fattening food in hopes of getting their dog to eat, which is the LAST thing you want to do. Call your vet right away, and she can do a blood test to help determine if your dog is suffering from Pancreatitis.

Wether or not your dog will need to stay at the vet will depend on how severe the Pancreatitis is and how far along it is. Your vet will tell you how to go about the fast, and what to do about seizure meds during this time and etc., etc.

I've no first hand experience with this, but my friend does, so I am going to link you to her blog, so you can read about her epi-pup's experience~ http://topazseizures.blogspot.com/search/label/pancreatitis

GAA Galgos Project

A lady named Julie Costello has started a new blog, which will be documenting her trip to Spain to help the Galgo. Galgos are a sighthound pretty similar to Greyhounds. Galgos are very common in Spain. Galgos suffer extreme horrors in Spain. =( Julie is going to Spain to help the Galgos, and she will be blogging about her experience to help raise awareness.

Please check out her blog~ http://gaagalgos.blogspot.com/

Sorry to be gone so long

Sorry I have been away from my blog. I would like to do a few quick updates.

First of all, Henry is at 35 days Grand-Mal free today! Tomorrow will be a new record for how long he has made it. November 20th he has an appt. with Dr. Buck and will have his Phenobarbital level checked via blood test. My prediction is the level is right about in the middle. Not real high, but not real low either.

Also, I would like to share an observation. Those of you who have followed our journey through Henry's health issues since the beginning, know that Henry used to be prone to diarrhea, and that was how we found out Flagyl is a trigger. Anyways, since Henry started homecooked, he has not had diarrhea even once. It's a great recipe not just for dogs with epilepsy, but for dogs with IBD, chronic diarrhea, etc. In fact, it was originally created for Lucky's IBD. (IBD=irritable bowel disorder)

Also, I have been meaning to blog about Pancreatitis. Unfortunately this seems to be a fairly common affliction among dogs who are on AED's, especially if they are on both Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. So I would like to make sure everyone is aware of the symptoms and knows what to do. My friend's epi-pup Topaz was diagnosed with it about a month ago and she has learned alot since then, so I will be linking to her blog so you can benefit from her experience.