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 Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:50 pm
My Cocker Spaniel Ellie is almost 10 years old. She has been having seizures for a few years. I took her to the emergency vet right after she had her first one, and she has seen her regular vet for it as well. It was decided at the time that she wasn't having them frequently enough to put her on meds.
She was in decent shape other than the seizures though. Then she had some dental problems & was diagnosed with a minor heart murmur but she still seemed to be doing OK for her age...but her health in general has been declining lately.
More and more often she looks confused or just stares vacantly. Today she had one of the worst seizures I've seen her have. I had to put a pillow under her head to keep her from bashing her head on the floor. She seized for almost 5 minutes and I became very worried that she was going into Status epilepticus and that she was going to die right there. She finally came around but she was very lethargic and continued to stare blankly. I believe the seizures are effecting her neurological function.
I feel absolutely terrible about it but I can't take her in for all kinds of tests right now. When I made the decision to get a dog years ago my financial situation was much different. My husband and I were both working and we had the money to care for her...But in the mean time I got sick and lost my job. My husband still works but his pay has not kept up with cost of living increases, and my parents are struggling financially in this economy as well, and we are doing what we can to help them too. What little bit of money is in my bank account this month was ear-marked for text books for school...that was until my husband broke a crown today & needs to have it replaced $$$.
So I called to vet, and asked to talk to the Doctor we have gone to for years. he knows all about how sick I've been and he knows my family and that I'm a student. He's very familiar with Ellie's case. He was SO GOOD about it. I can't tell you what it meant to me. He understood right away why I had asked to speak to him rather than just make an appointment with the receptionist. He didn't say anything about it but I know he realized I couldn't afford to come in and he didn't question me or make me feel more guilty than I already did. He said he could call in a prescription in for Phenobarbital (which is what would have been the outcome if I had a bunch of expensive tests run anyway!) The pills are relatively inexpensive and I can get them from the local pharmacy.
It made me feel a lot better having spoken to the Dr. but I'm still pretty upset. I'm sorry for the wall of text but I felt the need to vent. Thank you for reading.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:54 pm
So sorry about your dog. 10 is getting quite old for a cocker spaniel right?
Good luck with her. So not judging you on the money thing. If you were going out buying new shoes and dresses all the time instead of spending money on your dog it'd be different, but hey, we can't always afford what we need. My small dog is going onto 12 this year, and will likely soon have a lot more medical bills. My parents are in heaps of debt, and I have no job. Luckily for me I'm studying to be a vet nurse now and looking for part time work/ work experience at a vets, so we might save a bit of money, but not certain on that. But don't feel guilty. You aren't made of money, you're only human, and most humans will go through stages of having no money. Lucky you seem to have an understanding vet.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 7:57 am
That's horrible. I hope she gets better.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:31 pm
Thank you. heart Ellie seems to be responding well to the Phenobarbital. The vet warned it might make her lethargic or groggy at first but she actually seems a bit brighter today. That may be wishful thinking, as she has always had her good days and bad days, but it doesn't hurt to think positively. The meds are surprisingly cheap ! Thank goodness for small favors. She will be on this med for the rest of her life & it's a small price to pay if it helps!
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:10 pm
imderanged Thank you. heart Ellie seems to be responding well to the Phenobarbital. The vet warned it might make her lethargic or groggy at first but she actually seems a bit brighter today. That may be wishful thinking, as she has always had her good days and bad days, but it doesn't hurt to think positively. The meds are surprisingly cheap ! Thank goodness for small favors. She will be on this med for the rest of her life & it's a small price to pay if it helps! aaww that's great! I hope she continues to improve smile
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:28 am
That's wonderful! I hope she'll continue to improve.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:48 pm
Best of luck and I hope things stay bright for you! heart
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:08 am
you have an incredibly nice vet, he could even lose his license over something like that. Phenobarbital is a controlled drug after all, and any prescription medication requires that the vet have seen the client in the last year. These rules are in place for safety, because underlying conditions like his heart murmur could potentially make a drug dangerous to the dog. Not trying to scare you lol, I am always TMI. But just to say, that your vet must REALLY like and trust you, to do something like that.
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Gabrielle_AnimalLuver Crew
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:17 am
Gabrielle_AnimalLuver you have an incredibly nice vet, he could even lose his license over something like that. Phenobarbital is a controlled drug after all, and any prescription medication requires that the vet have seen the client in the last year. These rules are in place for safety, because underlying conditions like his heart murmur could potentially make a drug dangerous to the dog. Not trying to scare you lol, I am always TMI. But just to say, that your vet must REALLY like and trust you, to do something like that. I think she has been in the the last year, if not it's pretty close. And he is a really great doctor & person. Plus he does know me pretty well, my family has gone to his hospital for over 20 years and I worked for him as a vet tech for a time.
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