We Interrupt This Program (Dog Seizures Are No Fun)

HubPages decided to do a 30 day writing challenge; I hopped on board and decided to follow the lead of a friend who had just finished the 30 days of truths. I was so amazed by all of the things she had gone through and accomplished in life. Having my own stories to tell I felt it was a perfect opportunity to share my world with readers that were not aware of my writing websites.

I was moving along on the challenge just fine, until everything changed in an instant.My world was thrown into a whirlwind.

A few weeks back my oldest Boxer Cain, who turned 7 last November, was sitting on the loveseat. Cain did have his tailed docked as a pup, but the breeders must have misjudged the length. Cain had a growth spurt and his tail grew with him. Instead of a little nub, he has a stubby tail. It has become quite a part of his personality.

Cain is an extremely happy dog. When he wags that stub of his, the whole back half of his body shakes right along with it. Cain will get so excited that his body starts to for the shape of the letter C. It is quite a site to see, and is sure to make anyone smile.  He brings so much joy to my life and has seen me through some of my darkest days.

He took care of me when I needed it the most and now it is my turn.

Sitting on that loveseat, I assumed he was excited to see me. Why would that be any different? Perhaps it was the way he was laying on the loveseat that caused his head to shake.  I had my fiancé come out of the kitchen to look. Why did act of excitement look so different? When I walked away, I did not really think much about it. I began to question, was his tail wagging? Was it just his head? Odd. But there was nothing going on with him to make me think anything was wrong. No abnormal behavior.

It wasn’t until last week that I saw another one. This time I realized (one of those light bulb moments) it was only his head shaking.  I sat down next to him to offer some sort of comfort. Not sure what I could do but wait it out. Panic was not going to help the situation.

He was due for his senior wellness exam with the vet. Once he was done, he got up and began to play as if nothing had happened. I watched him for a moment and then went to call the vet. “Bring him in tomorrow morning”, she said, “but if it happens again, call us and bring him right in.” I then called my fiancé who was at work (I work from home) and had a bit of a breakdown.

The good news is Cain is perfectly healthy aside from being overweight.He is on a pretty strict diet now as well as his sister. Casey, his sister, went along for the ride so she could get a mani-pedi and sit with her brother. Cain was placed on Phenobarbital, 2 times a day. Side effect: increased appetite.

Because the blood tests show no cause for the seizure our only option is to schedule and MRI, which could cost upwards of $5000. That is the bad news. Obviously there is something going on in his brain to cause the seizures. His vet feels it would be in our best interest to have it done so they can check his brain and body for tumors or other problems. Boxers are known for cancer.

Having grown up around Boxers I am well aware of all the health problems and genetic disorders they can potentially get. Even with mentally preparing yourself and being around it does not prepare you for it when it is your dog.

I do not know what is going to happen. Right now I am taking it day by day.

I have started a website for Cain with the hopes of being able to tell his story, both in words and in video. There is a donation link set up as well. With a lot of prayer and a little hope I am praying that with donations and the website revenue we might just be able to get Cain the treatment he needs.