Epileptic Fits

[Stacia]

I think it very inhumane to destroy a dog just because it has fits. Humans are not upset during fits, maybe afterwards, dogs don't understand the afterwards part. I owned an epileptic GSP and between fits he was the most lovely, happy dog you could wish to own. Yes, the fits were very difficult for ME, not for him. Would you destroy an epileptic human?!

[Holmes]

I think that it depends on the dog and how many and how severe the fits are .

It is very much for the owners in consultation with their vet to decide what is right for their dog. Every dog experiences fits in a different way for some they are not too bad and the dog is not too disorientated post fit. It is manageble in those circumstances.

My own experience was far from this.

My dog was blind when he came round, then incredibly distressed for about 2 /3 hours constantly paceing throughout this period. He was very distressed. He cluster fitted at times ( 5 /6 a day at times) and despite medication they were getting worse.

He changed and I think he probably was getting brain damaged.

Finally after 5 fits in the space of 7 hours with a very distressed and exhausted dog I took the hardest descision and I let him go. it was horrific as he was in so much of an agitated state that it took 2 injections....

Do I regret taking that decision ? in a word no , for me it was me putting my love for him first before my own feelings.

I understand why you posted as i feel sometimes that if it is a health problem that can be managed but is mearly inconvenient then the dog should not be discarded ( I totally agree with that ) but sadly humans are what they are and some feel that the dogs are expendable so will take the decision earlier.

My loss is still very raw so please forgive me if I have said more than I should .

[Qest12]

Well, I hope it's a coincidence then, although it does seem rather ironic that 6 days after the booster the dog had fits. Personally I think it's a delayed reaction.

[Stacia]

Holmes, your upsetting experience with an epileptic dog and the decision to end his life was perfectly understandable, but not all dogs are as bad as that. My dog's fits did get worse as he got older in as much as it took him longer to come round and I spent nights awake with him until he settled again. He hadn't had a fit for 7 months and then the medication changed from the human phenobarbitone to the one licensed for dogs. I am sure vets will say it was the same, but I believe it was different if only slightly. He then went into status epilepticus as your dog did, fit after fit and was boiling hot, the vet said she probably could save him but she thought he would be brain damaged, so then I did make the decision for him to be euthanised. But up to then he did have 8 years of a happy life (well apart from the first 13 months when he was in kennels until I adopted him).

I do understand your raw feelings as I had them myself. But until the dog becomes to this stage, or just before, I feel it has every right to live as I am sure you would agree with. Neither of us would let out dogs suffer and I hope I never have an epileptic dog again.

[Springfield Pointers]

Well, I hope it's a coincidence then, although it does seem rather ironic that 6 days after the booster the dog had fits. Personally I think it's a delayed reaction.

Every dog is immunised. I very much doubt preventative measures are creating problems in this regard. Certainly treating animals against known issues has far more benefits to health than ignoring the reasons for undertaking them.

[Holmes]

So with you not wanting to have another dog with epilepsy .

As I said it really depends on the dog and it needs a vets advice . Some are manageable so are not . either way it takes an emotional toll.

The difficult is that between times you have a fairly if not totally normal dog so it is not easy as you just dont know what is around the corner with this problem.


Sharing our lives with animals can be so hard sometimes if you care.

[arwesa]

I think it very inhumane to destroy a dog just because it has fits. Humans are not upset during fits, maybe afterwards, dogs don't understand the afterwards part. I owned an epileptic GSP and between fits he was the most lovely, happy dog you could wish to own. Yes, the fits were very difficult for ME, not for him. Would you destroy an epileptic human?!

I find it intolerable when people put animals through endless and continuous distress and depending on the illness operation after operation merely for their own emotional needs....false love imo.

I will spend every penny I have on my dogs if it will mean they can be cured and no more suffering, but I won't spend every penny I have prolonging a life with an inevitable end ... I won't hesitate in taking tough decisions that hit me harder if it means my dog doesn't suffer. thats love.

hopefully this case has a happy ending.....but please don't misrepresent what I posted earlier....as I said, my comment was based on the assumption this was a situation where the fits persist (uncontrollable) and are of unknown cause (untreatable)..

[Stacia]

Many epileptic dogs can live a normal life between fits and be well controlled so that the fits have large intervals of time between them and in some cases the fits disappear with the correct level of medication. So I see no need to destroy it unless it is like Holmes or my dog at his last fits.

I agree wholeheartedly that I would not keep a dog who was suffering from pain in any form or from a condition that could not be improved. In fact I had to make a decision with a GSP who lived to work, so I let her, but eventually at aged 12 she suffered very much from arthritis. She was as bright as anything in her brain, but her body let her down, that was a tough decision to make