Sneaky Bastard

A few months ago (at age 13), Olie had the first seizure that I was present to witness. He could tell that something was wrong, and jumped down from the bed before it started. His facial muscles tightened up to expose his teeth and gums, and his jaw started to spasm open and closed. Apparently, this “chewing gum” fit is common in canines for a wide variety of reasons. I brought him in to the Animal Hospital of Thousand Oaks to see his regular vet, Sharon Bass, DVM. Olie had another two seizure episodes in the following week, but then nothing for a couple months. In December, he had a cluster of episodes over a weekend, and then nothing until last week.

During the night of 22 January 2009, Olie had several seizures of greater severity than previously. Olie was lethargic and unstable in the morning. He even walked away from breakfast, which he has never done before. That afternoon I took him in to see Debra Klumb, DVM — I assume that Sharon was busy with a surgery or otherwise booked. She requested a group of blood and urine tests that would identify problems with his liver, kidney, pancreas, etc. — basically everything outside the brain. He placed very little weight on his hind legs, and did not bother to keep his legs under his center of mass or inline with his spine. Before Olie could go back to have samples drawn, he had a seizure on the exam room floor. Fortunately this episode was consistent with the others, so Debra was able to see the symptoms first hand. They immediately gave Olie IV phenobarbital and diazepam. They took a series of chest and abdominal x-rays, but everything looked normal enough compared to his last set on file. Although he has a fairly pronounced heart murmur, the size and position of his heart looked okay on the screen. His lungs and liver looked healthy; the kidneys were obscured. Debra prescribed phenobarbital to prevent more seizures.

After a couple hours of observation, I took Olie home. Kelly and Udo came to visit him that night. The Valium (diazepam) wore off by 2100 hrs, and Olie’s behavior was agitated and restless. He regained his appetite, and didn’t seem satisfied with his normal meal. Throughout the night, he paced about the house and cried. I didn’t realize it until morning, but the tops of his hind feet were bloody from dragging them. I tried to put him in his normal spot on the bed, but he wouldn’t stay still.

Olie and I went back to the vet’s office at 0900 hrs on 24 January 2009. Heather met me there to provide support while waiting. The lab results were in, and all the values looked normal. It is helpful to have baseline values in the file from the Senior Wellness Examination he had a couple years ago. At this point, we can make the assumption that there is a tumor or other brain defect that is the cause of the seizures. It’s possible to have some advanced diagnostic imaging done on his head to get a better look at his brain, but because there aren’t any reasonable treatment options, having a picture of the tumor won’t help.

Olie had the IV catheter flushed out, and a dose of corticosteroid administered in the hopes of reducing any swelling that may be causing pain. We left with a prescription of dexamethasone. I hadn’t slept much in the last 48 hours; Heather offered to watch Olie while I slept, which was a great sanity boost. I took Olie home that night, and hoped he would be able to get some sleep. He slept in 10-15 minute intervals, getting up to pace around the bedroom in between. I mopped all the floors and put booties on his feet to protect them (his feet, not the floors). I played some music for him — he likes Sarah McLauchlin. He has been drinking much more water than normal, and I let him out on the lawn every couple hours.

Olie has started chewing on things that he wouldn’t normally chew on: wires, door stops, sprinkler heads. I don’t have a guess for what that would be. He also has been walking to corners of rooms and staring there for several minutes. His vision and hearing have definitely been impaired. He doesn’t want to walk backwards; after taking a drink from his water bowl, he’ll walk through it to continue forward, rather than turn away. He’s definitely not himself.

This morning I feed Olie a bit more than normal, and his appetite was ravenous. Since yesterday, we’ve increased his phenobarbital to three times a day. It may be that the level is building up to the point that it is making him sleepy. He’s resting on his bed in my office right now. He has lost most of the control of his hind legs, and is generally uncoordinated. I don’t know why that is, or if he will regain control. At this point, I just want him to be as comfortable as possible, and able to continue fighting if that’s what he wants to do.