November 20, 2011

White Dog, Puff, Nuka, and YoYoMa were a little afraid and a whole lot confused as they watched Quinn go through what we know now were two seizures on Friday night and in the wee hours of Saturday morning.Steve and I, although calm and reassuring, were right there mentally with the rest of the WDA in our fears.

Like TOWD, the seizures themselves were not violent but definitely indicate that he has a neurological issue that needs much more investigation and then, treatment. After dinner on Friday, Quinn went out into the yard and came back in doing zoomies...only he did not stop...and the frantic-ness increased to the level where our normally calm, steady boy was jumping and crashing into things. Then he started circling around and around and around to the left. This continued well over an hour and half. At this point White Dog was barking for him to stop and Yo was starting to get agitated. Steve gave him a Composure, a natural calming chew we use for when Puff gets overly anxious and cuddled him in his arms. After a bit, TOWD went to his favorite sleep spot and sank into an unusually deep coma-like sleep.

We woke him near midnight for his prebedtime walk and he was fine. After all the walks are completed we prepare and go to bed. Quinn was very restless and Steve thought he needed more potty time. At night TOWD won't use the dog door without a chaperon because YoYoMa sleeps at the foot of our bed a few feet from the entrance; so Steve walked Quinn to and saw him through the door and watched waiting to help facilitate his return.

In the yard, Quinn was like a puppy on mega caffeine, racing around the yard at top speed over and over and over. Several times, we thought he was coming in but he just circled and circled to the left for awhile and then returned to racing in the yard. Finally he crashed through the dog door back into the house and literally fell into the water bowl gulping water as fast as he could lap it into his mouth.

He began manically pacing the length of the hallway, back and forth, pushing the other dogs out of the way and seeming to not have a purpose. He would pace for a long while then gulp water, then trot back and forth more then drink...at some points he actually galloped the length over and over. Steve sat on the floor and Quinn allowed him to hold and soothe him for brief minutes before breaking away and continuing his pacing. He was panting the entire time, but his eyes were normal and he was not drooling...nor was his balance severely impaired (although he did stumble a bit). After more than two hours, he suddenly laid down and once again crashed into a coma. We watched for a while and let him sleep.

At 7am we called the emergency vet (Dr. Julia is not there on weekends although we left a message to be sure she gets it first thing Monday) and let them know we were on our way. Steve woke Quinn who appeared fine save briefly circling (less than 5 minutes) outside before coming in.

Dr. Russman turned out to be a friend of our Dr. Julia so we felt much more confident in placing our Mighty Boy in a stranger's hands. She went out of her way to avoid stressing him...even getting down on the floor to take his vitals and check his reactions. She listened to our recounting and asked questions (many which we could not answer because TOWD has only been part of our lives for such a short time). She took xrays and drew blood for a complete blood workup and did a neurological exam.

The xrays looked good. The radiologist indicated there was disc wear but nothing that would cause pain; his internal organs all looked good; his liver is slightly enlarged but still within normal range. She agreed with our gut feeling that Quinn is probably more like 10-12 years old, rather than 8. His blood workup showed nothing extraordinary, ruling out a host of diseases, toxins, nutritional issues. She felt he is outside the age range to develop epilepsy. The issue is almost certainly a neurological one and we all whispered our fear that it might be a brain tumor.

Before we jump to any conclusions, and Dr. Russman agreed, we want Dr. Julia to see the emergency reports and test. We want her to fully reexamine Quinn...and if we all agree that is warranted, the next step will be to take Quinn to a canine neurologist for an MRI and further diagnosis.

He has had no further episodes...and that is as scary as it is relieving. Dr. Russman (and our research) indicated that he might never have another seizure again...or he might have a series of them starting as I type this line. The uncertainty kept both Steve and I (and as it turns out White Dog) awake long after everyone else had settled into sleep Saturday night...we listened intensely for sounds of unrest or twitching or something new and unexplained. It didn't happen, thankfully, but we were on alert because it could.

When we brought the Mighty Quinn into our lives, we promised him a forever home where he was safe, and cared for, and always protected...and we will keep the promise no matter what for all of his days. Please ask the Universe to grant Dr. Julia extra insight and wisdom as she reviews our boy's case...and for Quinn's path to be one of health, pain-free living, and mental competence. The White Dog Army Thanks You.