@unchosen My blue started having seizures around the age of 3 and we eventually found out it was due to valley fever. He’s now recovered from the valley fever and had been weened down to 25% of his initial seizure meds and so far no seizures. He will be taken off the meds in about 3 weeks then only time will tell.
Please keep Murphy in your thoughts ❤️
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so scary@unchosen Thanks. Yea he’s our second dog to have valley fever, the first never had seizures. Most of the humans in my family have had valley fever as well, thats just the southwest for you.
Some dogs are epileptic but as I understand it Heelers don’t have any known genetic disposition for it, and usually epilepsy starts at a young age. Hope they figure out what’s wrong with your boy
Some dogs are epileptic but as I understand it Heelers don’t have any known genetic disposition for it, and usually epilepsy starts at a young age. Hope they figure out what’s wrong with your boy
@odzr Thank you! Yes his vet is skeptical it could be epilepsy for those same reasons. We’re on the east coast now, but I grew up in the southwest and he was born in Hawaii and we lived there until he was about 5. So who knows what it could be sigh
I appreciate you taking the time to respond!!
thanks so much
I appreciate you taking the time to respond!!
thanks so much@unchosen My previous dog (not a cattle dog) started having seizures at 7 years. My local vet did a quick check up and said it could be “idiopathic” and just take meds if it gets worst. It did get worst and I decided to go to the very expensive vet with all the equipment available for a proper diagnosis: it was bone cancer on the inside of the skull pressing on the brain.
Apparently if seizures appear very early or very late is usually “just epilepsy”. The problem is when they appear in the “middle age” between 5-8, that’s when it’s usually because of a tumour. Yours is 9 years old so it may be a case of epilepsy developed in older age than you can keep under control
Not to be negative but if you can and have insurance/money get a scan so at least you know for sure!
My dog ended up being inoperable but with pain meds he had another decent 2 extra years.
Apparently if seizures appear very early or very late is usually “just epilepsy”. The problem is when they appear in the “middle age” between 5-8, that’s when it’s usually because of a tumour. Yours is 9 years old so it may be a case of epilepsy developed in older age than you can keep under control
Not to be negative but if you can and have insurance/money get a scan so at least you know for sure!
My dog ended up being inoperable but with pain meds he had another decent 2 extra years.
@chabot316 Thank you so much! We are going to get further testing a week from today at a specialty neurology office where they will be able to figure it out hopefully. We’re driving 3 hours round trip to take him, but he is so worth it I’m so glad your baby had some extra time with you! I hope whatever it is, it’s something we can deal with. I just feel we’re supposed to have a lot more time together.
I’m so glad your baby had some extra time with you! I hope whatever it is, it’s something we can deal with. I just feel we’re supposed to have a lot more time together.
crawfojo14
New member
@chabot316 I'm curious if there were any other symptoms than just the seizures? And, do you remember what the frequency of those seizures were?
@crawfojo14 It started with him looking “absent” from time to time, like just staring into nothingness for a bit. Then the first seizure after about a month, it just lasted less than a minute. He had only two more that I’m aware of in the same period of time, then we started medicating him and they stopped completely.
We didn’t experience any mood swings or weird behaviours, (problems we had with another dog with brain cancer we had… We’d been quite unlucky) probably because the tumour was pressing on the back of the brain “cerebellum” and not the frontal lobe. towards the end he was walking sideways and had problems moving around properly. He never lost appetite or vomited, also was still able to pee and poop outside. He died at home suddenly probably because the swelling blocked the spinal cord.
We didn’t experience any mood swings or weird behaviours, (problems we had with another dog with brain cancer we had… We’d been quite unlucky) probably because the tumour was pressing on the back of the brain “cerebellum” and not the frontal lobe. towards the end he was walking sideways and had problems moving around properly. He never lost appetite or vomited, also was still able to pee and poop outside. He died at home suddenly probably because the swelling blocked the spinal cord.
crawfojo14
New member
@chabot316 Thank you very much for taking the time to respond!
I'm so sorry to hear about your doggos, and I appreciate your information. My heart goes out to you and the pups you've lost.
I'm so sorry to hear about your doggos, and I appreciate your information. My heart goes out to you and the pups you've lost.