canine epilepsy,    Underground Entertainment,    wally the wonderdog

When The Wonderdog Stumbles

By Tom Chandler 12/19/2011

It's common for people to say their dog is another member of the family, but like most relationships, it's far more complex than four words can encompass.

Nobody in your family is ever *always* thrilled to do whatever the hell it is you're doing, and I can't remember the last time anyone practically wet themselves over the simple fact I came home.

Except, of course, for Wally the Wonderdog.

So when your wife runs into the family room at 6:13 a.m. and tells you Wally is having a seizure, I didn't finish typing the sentence before I went to see what the hell's going on.

Wally the Wonderdog

I found him standing stiffly and staring out the sliding glass door -- before he turned and growled at me. Which meant something was wrong.

Then he went attack-dog berserk and actually charged me, and for a split-second I wondered if I was going to feed him a forearm to keep him away from the vital bits.

Yeah. Something's really wrong.

And as quickly as he'd become a mad dog the switch was thrown and he was back to Wally -- tongue hanging out, tailing wagging like I just fed him a hamburger, happier than ever to see me.

The Intertubes suggest the seizure left him disoriented and probably blind for a while, and I don't believe he would have bitten me, but, you know.

Damn.

The veterinarian said it sounded like classic adult-onset epilepsy -- apparently a not-uncommon condition in dogs.

A little research ties canine epilepsy to everything from diet to brain tumors, and it's disconcerting that the vet simply gave us phenobarbital (a sedative used to control seizures) without really exploring the other possibilities.

Which the L&&T and I are doing now.

The Wonderdog has always been the family tank; an indestructible, goofy presence who managed to fall off a mountain, get hit by a truck and avoid euthanasia by an hour.

In our universe, he's a constant, like gravity or the speed of light.

When he stumbles, you can feel the earth rumble beneath your feet.

See you researching things, Tom Chandler
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

27 comments
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From now on, I'm going with parrots, most of which could easily outlive me. Let them deal with getting me getting old, not the other way around.
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This story made think about alot of things. Pets are so loyal and life is so short.
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Erin Block: May your universe gain back its gravity soon… I hope he's gonna be ok. You know I'm pretty fond of him. Favorite shot is of him digging in the snow, tail straight up in the air. Nose shots are pretty special, as well...
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Sam Davidson: Tom, greetings from the other, less-famous TU. You guys keep trying, and maybe someday... Sam Davidson: Thanks for sharing your family with the Underground. We're going to need a babysitter tomorrow. Interested?
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Tom, greetings from the other, less-famous TU. My old Chesapeake Bay lab had adult onset doggie epilepsy and the meds controlled it marvelously. To ensure their efficacy, prior to dosing up my dog I "supplemented" the treats my kids would leave out for the neighbor's un-neutered male cat, whose primary purpose in life was to deprive me of more than two hours' uninterrupted sleep in his relentless ... more pursuit of feline connubial relations. This sort of quality control research I highly recommend. WTW is darn near a cult hero, as far as I can tell, and an inspiration to canine companions and their outdoors-addled owners everywhere. Thanks for sharing your family with the Underground.
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Short answer might be both, but I really practiced pharmacy for about 25 years. Took me that long to get it right... Then I wised up and got out!
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fishskicanoe: I suppose things like this are to be expected of a sub-species that’s been pushed through the sieve of artificial selection more than any other animal on Earth. I gather you've never seen a supermodel close up...
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Sure, milk the whole Yellow lab thing all you want; it's widely known that the rare Bassett/Black Lab mix is supreme among the breeds for their ability to move, hole or destroy anything standing between them and food...
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JJP: As a retired and retread clinical pharmacist Does this mean you were an actual pharamcist or is this simply a euphemism for "that Dr Feelgood guy" from college?
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JJP: Our doggie friends don’t havesome of the issues that humans can have, but it is important to get the dose right and be consistent with that dosage. It's been reassuring to hear that from a couple folks; the people I know who took Pheno were not happy, and at least two took measures to wean themselves off it as soon as they could (successfully, I might add).
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Mojo to Wally and family, Tom. Our old Yellow lab (to which I ascribe a higher standard than the other two colors - although my wife disputes this) was probably dumped as a 1.5 year old due to monthly seizures. Like lot's of other dogs, he lived till something old that I can't remember know, but many years. We fed him the pills in pieces of hot dog which made them a good treat.
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Sorry to hear about Wally's troubles Tom. It's hard when our faithful buddies get older and start having health problems. It sounds like there's a really good chance you'll be able to get this under control.
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Love that pic. Dogs are resilient as hell. I had one that developed laryngeal paralysis, not a pretty thing to watch a dog suffer through, when he was twelve. Surgery was expensive but I just couldn't put him down when he was otherwise healthy. He lived another year and half, hunted with me nearly every weekend of the season, and never showed any further signs of the paralysis. If you can avoid medicine, ... more great. If not, it's worth every bit of trouble.
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Yeah, the critters have a way of worming into our lives and becoming that foundation that is impenetrable to all of life's slings and arrows; especially the goofy Black Lab. Our 5 yr old Lab, Ripley, has talked me off many a proverbial ledge with that goofy look that says "Hey, let's go tug on something!" or "Boy, you sure would like to give me a cookie?" or "How does a gal get a piece of cheese around ... more here?" Hope Wally (and family) get better.
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My best to Wally and to your family. Our dogs are part of our family, and are loved more than some family.
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As a retired and retread clinical pharmacist, I can vouch for the efficacy of phenobarbital for human and K9 seizures. Our doggie friends don't havesome of the issues that humans can have, but it is important to get the dose right and be consistent with that dosage. As stated above by many, dogs can have years of quality time on this medication. I hope that Wally is doing better,and I know that he ... more is getting lots of love. Happier Holidays!
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Thanks for the kind words everyone. And the suggestions. We both know people who have taken Phenobarbital for long periods of time and they didn't like it, yet it also seems like it isn't quite as hard on dogs as it is on humans. In fact, Myrna (of Wayne & Myrna) is a former vet tech and said if you get the dosage right, they're pretty much normal. That's encouraging. In truth, we're trying to treat ... more it with other stuff and waiting to see if another seizure happens before we start down the Pheno treatment path.
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Wally's in our thoughts here in Wisconsin. Our Jack Russell is also a pheno junkie. He started having seizures a little over a year ago and the vet put him on it, to very good results. We tried weening him off it last month and they came back so we are into Big Pharma for (hopefully) the next 10 years. More than likely the phenobarbitol will control Wally's seizures and he'll be fine. I suppose things ... more like this are to be expected of a sub-species that's been pushed through the sieve of artificial selection more than any other animal on Earth.
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Hang in there Wally,you have an internet family as well
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Belly rubs for Wally.
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Best wishes to Wally-it sounds controllable though. I like the new look.
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I hope that he gets better.
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May your universe gain back its gravity soon...
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My folk's Border Collie is twelve and she has been with this condition for a year now...It is controllable but the seizures are scary. She has been doing well as expected;hang in there with Wally and best of luck...
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It's a little out of the way but you may want to schedule a follow up at UC Davis small animal clinic. Very thorough exam and a comprehensive treatment program.
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Tom, I actually just walked over to the computer from giving my wife's chihuahua her phenobarbital. She started having epileptic seizures a couple of years ago, but the meds have completely controlled it. The seizures are completely frightening, especially if there is aggression involved. Don't lose hope- it is a very controllable situation! Rob
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Tom, Our last Lab also had epilepsy and took phenobarbital for about 5 years. It took 5 or 6 a day to get his seizures under control at first and later just 1 or 2. Eventually we just stopped and he never had another seizure. He lived to be 13.5 years old. The batteries from my wife's pager and the color film he ate should have done him in but Labs are pretty much indestructible.
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