By Dawn Fincher
Ren has had seizures for just about a year now and it’s been a year of adjustments and trial and error to find what works for her and the rest of the hounds and me. Unlike many of you, Ren was not my first experience with seizures. Having worked for a vet, I at least knew what was happening and what to do when the first one hit at 3am. But like everyone else my first reaction was, “NO - Not Ren.” - and then began the process of exploring all the possible causes and eliminating them one by one. After all the visits to the vets and the tests it all came down to a diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy of probable genetic origin.Ren developed a pattern that was very predictable - every 20 to 25 days. I opted not to use traditional medicine and try homeopathy since her seizures are short in duration and she has a quick recovery time. So far it seems to be working. We’re now at over 90 days without one. But each day I wake up in the morning and say thank you to the powers that be that we had another day of no seizures and asking please let today be another.Another thing that has changed is learning to pay attention to details - especially during a seizure. Being able to tell your vet or in my case her practitioner every detail of what happened is very important. Noting times of duration and recovery and details of her “body language” during the seizure and her actions afterward. All of these observations need to be written down. When the seizure episode is happening it feels like it lasts for hours and yet it is only minutes. Don’t trust your memory - write it down as soon as possible. When the seizures first started it became a necessity to find the safest way to leave her when I had to go to work. Living with 4 other hounds I knew I could not leave her with them in case she had a seizure. She would be vulnerable should the group’s pack instinct take over. My dogs have a walkout basement and pen where all have stayed when I’m not here. So it became necessary to divide the area into two pens with dog doors and to split the inside area so Ren can be near the others for company but they can’t hurt her if she has a seizure. Finding a way to keep her as safe as possible hasn’t made it any easier to leave her every morning. It is something you think about every time you leave but I’ve learned to deal with it since I really don’t have a choice but to work. We all do like to eat.Speaking of eating - that is another thing that has changed for all the hounds here. After starting Ren on homeopathic remedies and discussing food with her practitioner everyone here has been changed to a diet that includes fresh meat, veggies, fruit, oatmeal, etc. along with their “commercial” kibble. Has it made a difference for Ren’s epilepsy? I don’t know but she and the others look great. Maybe it’s just because it makes me feel that I’m doing something that I’ll continue with it. One area I have been extremely lucky in is that I have had wonderful support from Ren’s sire’s owner - Kathy - she’s cried and rejoiced with me this whole year and has offered to do anything I thought would help Ren. When I decided to spay Ren there was no hesitation on her part - not only that it might be best for Ren but that we’d be sure that there would never be an accident - there is a intact male here. Then there is Deirdre who knows how it feels to be the breeder of an epileptic dog and has researched and shared all she’s found in hopes of helping Ren and the others we know of. There are others too - ones who have dogs with epilepsy (not only hounds) and ones who don’t - all have offered there support and help. There is a canine epilepsy mailing list full of wonderful caring people and a lot of information. The unpredictability of this condition/disease is for me the hardest thing. When you’ve gone for a good period of time without a seizure and then one hits again it’s still devastating. Also the medieval attitude about it is hard to take - the very word epilepsy still makes some people step back like it they touch her they’ll “get it”. Ren is as normal as any other hound except when she has a seizure - she still is the resident clown and a delight to be with.
If I had known then what I know now would I have done the breeding that produced her? No. Am I glad I have her? YES! I treasure every day with her and hope to bet the odds and have her for many more years. The seizures are terrible but the rest of the time with her more than makes up for them. For anyone reading this - if you have an affected hound and are not in the study yet, please enter. It may not help our hounds but it will help future generations. If you want to talk in more detail than I have here the study has my permission to give out my telephone number and e-mail address. Sometimes talking with someone who’s going through the same thing does help at times.Dawn Fincher,1998 All
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