Epileptic Dog

Odunican

Hello I'm just looking for some advice. My dog started having seizures in April 2011. Since then she has had a seizure in June, July and August. We rushed her the vets the first time she had a fit and had to pay £100 for blood tests and to see the vet. The test came back ok but showed she was slightly anemic but the vet said nothing to worry about but to do a futher test would cost £50 money I didn't have.

After the 2nd seizure we knew it wasn't a one off and so went to the vets to get some advice etc. Vet said she ok and to monitor her. But just going to see the vet cost £30.

We didn't bother contacting the vets after 3rd fit but now she has had a 4th we are concerned.

The seizures themselves are very mild but we have noticed a pattern that every time she has had one she has just came in from the garden.
So I think prehaps it's allergies or something similar. However no doubt it will cost a lot to test for this. And then they may be futher tests to determine why she having seizures and also cost of medicine.

I am on Job seekers at the moment and due to start uni in a month full time. I really don't have any money to live never mind pay vet bills and I am estranged from my parents. I have tried pdsa and you have to be on housing benefit and also they wouldn't take her so they said because her epilepsy would cost to much for them.

Is there any other charities that could help with diagnosing more than anything as she is only 2 years old so has a good 10 years ahead of her.

I understand that you shouldn't get a pet if u can't afford one. However I am able to save for her vaccinations and very rare one offs. Also insurance was never an option as when she was around 1 maybe bit less she was diagnosed with a heart murmur at half a grade but since then vets never been able to hear one so prehaps she was diagnose wrong. But anyway she isn't insurable because of this. Heart murmurs are common in her breed Cavalier King Charles Spaniel so she isn't that unhealthy of a dog.

I just appreciate some advice as I adore my dog and think of her as my baby so will do anything for her . I've even starved so I can afford her chicken and steak lol. Thanks

Caroline_a

Have you used any supposed petsafe weedkillers? My last dog had 2 fits after we had (correctly) used it. We stopped using it and she never had another one. Possibly a neighbour has been using it if you haven't?

rising_from_the_ashes

You really need to try to get to the bottom of what's causing the fits and, if she's epileptic it's likely she will need medication of some sort, so trips to the vets (and the cost of these) is pretty much unavoidable.

On Job Seekers you may be able to get help from the RSPCA so give them a try.

Elle7

Ah. I really think testing is vital here....

Cavalier King Charles are very prone to seizures and heart problems - these need to be treated or they will be fatal. The treatment is unlikely to be cheap - the two main drugs used for brain swelling are expensive on their own. Insurance probably would have been worth it even if her heart condition wasn't covered, due to the risk of this kind of problem. From what you've said, brain swelling could be possible - if she has a run around the garden and her brain is swollen, there could be a temporary block of oxygen to the brain, causing her to fit when she gets inside.

To narrow down what is likely to be causing this you could do some research into the health of her parents and grandparents - brain swelling is usually genetic, although if successfully treated their owners would have to be very honest in telling you about them, and if they were that honest they wouldn't have bred from the dogs in the first place.

There are a lot of Cavaliers with this type of condition, unfortunately. You might find that your local Cavalier trust will assist with half the cost of brain surgery if this is a requirement, but the cost of this is usually thousands, and you would have to have had her diagnosed first.

I really can't think of a way that you can help her without either getting a part time job and saving for the diagnosis and treatment or giving her to someone who can afford her - the Dogs Trust would take her, although I appreciate giving her up would be very hard.

Please don't leave this any longer without full diagnostic work. I can't really believe your vet is allowing you to ignore the problem - this has the potential to be very, very serious, and very, very painful - it is too late to wait for it to start to hurt her, if it isn't already, as by then it is pretty much untreatable.

Have you got a veterinary college closeby? Has your vet suggested any possible help (even if its just a payment plan?)

bagginslover

I've not heard of a dog being uninsurable due to a single condition before. That condition being excluded from a policy yes, but not total refusal to insure full stop!

Have you thought of contacting rescues for your breed? I know their funds are really tight anyway, but the worst thing they can say is no. They may want you to surrender the dog to their care, I dont know how you'd feel about that? I don't make this suggestion lightly, I am in a similar position currently- my dog has been resident at the vets for a week now, and the bill is approaching £1500. It's about to double as they want to refer him for an MRI. He is only insured for £4000 so if they then need to operate it's going to pass that figure. I am seriously considering going to the rescue we adopted him from to ask for help if it comes to that. I'd rather they help him and keep him, than him not get help

Odunican

First off giving her up is not an option I can barely go a day without seeing her. If I have to get a loan or whatever in the future than it has to be done end of. But I was only asking if there was any help out there.

Its not that am choosing to ignore it, its the vets they said that they aren't going to worry until she has either a cluster of seizures, or has them a lot more frequently. Vet suggested maybe trying to put her on some herbal type medicine to see if it helps but at the time she wasn't sure of the name and then never got back to us.

Yes we have used weed killer so could possible be that. Also we have some ivy growing in the garden but we spend hundreds in removing it as we knew it was bad for dogs but it keeps creeping in from the neighbours garden. Can't ask them to clear it because not to be nasty but they are rather lazy scruffy gits lol.

We can't contact the mother and father as we had a big fall out with them as my auntie bought a dog from the same litter and he died within 2 weeks of them having him of the rare disease can't remember what it was began with P maybe parvo or something. Vet said no point testing for this in my dog as she was to young in the time to respond to treatment and the test would cost £200 and its very rare disease. Anyway when my auntie contacted the breeder and asked for a refund they said that she had killed the dog herself because she didn't want it. They where first time breeders (in fact I think their dog just got pregnant and they decided to make some profit) they seemed like nice people but I wish I'd gone to a respective breeder now but then again I wouldn't have my dog and she is one of a kind.

If she had the brain swelling wouldn't there be other symtoms. She runs like a lunatic in the local field and on the beach and she has never had a seizure there. Plus my garden isn't big enough to run around in. Funny thing is we have never seen what she has been doing in the garden before she comes in. Usually we keep an eye on her in the garden but sometimes things happen like you need the toilet or the phone rings and you have to leave her for 5mins. And the fit always seems to happen then like she is doing it on purpose haha. However after she had the 4th seizure (only 2 days ago) she went into the garden (I tried to not let her but she ran out before I could grab her). She started to sniff the grass and then went all dizzy and started to stumple. She tumbled to her side and I ran out and grabbed her. She was like a dead weight in my arms (felt as though she had collasped though she was still awake). I sat her on my knee and her eyes looked like they did when she was having a seizure and then she started to stiffen and freeze up, something she does before she has had a fit. She started to tremble and I expected the worse that she was going to have another seizure. I put a blank around us both and tried to calm her down and she settled down and stopped trembling. Can you stop a dog having a seizure yourself? Anyway I really think that it is linked to the garden after that as she had been fine in the house before she had ran into the garden. Noticed she has seizures on a hot day as well so was thinking maybe she has hay fever or something.

Going to the vets today so will tell you how it goes. No doubt they just ask to monitor her again and charge me £23 for something I already know. The thing with vets (well my vets) you don't know when your pet needs tests as they either just go ah she doesn't need them at the moment or they try and force them down your throat when they aren't needed.

lolseh

She will probaly need MRI scans and these cost around £1k each. My dog has had one of these plus other scans lately and it all very quickly adds up but he's been insured all the time I've had him so it gets paid that way.

You really should have researched breeders who health test against epilepsy and heart problems in cavs as it can be avoidable if they come from clear parents.

Polmop

Not sure but dont the PDSA treat sick pets for people without much money.

Elle7

I really think this sounds like brain swelling - unfortunately I've been there, and if she isn't treated, she will die like that. Out of the litter of 4, 3 were sufferers, and only 1 survived - the other 2 died when these fits became uncontrollable. Unfortunately I've never seen a Cav who let how ill they were show - even in late stage heart failure they will run and be crazy. They are such an amazing breed.

How is her heart murmur now? Is she actually graded? (half a grade doesn't exist - if she was grade 1 at 1 then that is a real problem.) Are her valves working fully and correctly?

The chances of this being a genetic condition are hugely increased if that is the type of breeder you got her from. So I think the only thing we can do to help is try to narrow down what this is, and then find a vet who knows what they are talking about, as yours doesn't seem to have enough experience with cavaliers.

vax2002

A little unknown cause is oxygen starvation, a dog that has a choke chain or pulls on the lead can suffer from it.
The fits can come on several hours after the pulling incident.
Are they happening hours after walking ?
Also some flea treatments cause fits and seizures, see the side effects, our king Charles years ago developed seizures after we used flea treatment drops.
Our big Nut job spaniel has a fit if you let him choke himself pulling on the lead, hence using an harness.
Rule out a few things first.
Let us know...

albacookie

I agree that there is a good chance she could have a Chiari malformation and subsequent syringomyelia (the brain swelling referred to by Elle7). The only way to diagnose this is with an MRI scan perfored by a specialist neurologist.

There is lots of information about the condition on Cavvie breed sites and there is a vet in London called Clare Rusbridge who has done lots of research in this area - think she works at StoneLion Veterinary Hospital..

There are of course many other causes of seizures too so really more work up is needed.